Paris has got to be one of the magical places on earth, and if you love to travel as an escape for your adventurous side, have Paris on your list. Also known as the City of Lights, it’s seductiveness will make you fall deeper in love with intricate architecture, history, nature, and life itself. As you plan for your trip, don’t let the excitement cloud your thoughts or preparation. You must be perfectly prepared to enjoy Paris. Otherwise, you will spend most of your days disappointed.
Below are some of the things you should do and the ones that you shouldn’t do in Paris.
1. Never shop at The Champs-Elysées
Now, The Champs-Elysées might have been one of the most beautiful avenues in the world, but years later its fortunes have fallen and risen too many time, and it’s now overrun with many global chains and multiplexes. While this means that it’s a place you might want to visit, the boutiques and cafes prey on tourists. You could lose all your money there.
Here is what you should do instead: go where the locals go you. Think beyond the couture-lined boulevards or the high streets and shop from the emerging neighborhoods the locals shop from. You should also venture into the covered passages of Paris. These passages date back to the 19th century, but beneath the vaulted ceilings and the wrought iron are great antique dealers and galleries that will leave you with the real Paris experience.
2. Eat from the laid-back modern bistros, not the high-end Michelin chef-starred restaurants
If you want to enjoy the best of Paris, don’t confine yourself to the haute-cuisine restaurants you see all around you. Instead, walk into the convivial/ modern bistros. The bistros serve not only affordable foods but also the most outstanding of meals, regardless of their simplicity. Unless you have all the money in the world and you want a private chef who will not expose you to the best Paris has to offer, go for the bistros.
3. Visit The Louvre but don’t expect to see everything
The Louvre is a phenomenal museum, and it houses the world’s best art pieces and artifacts. However, it is huge, and you will not get to see everything in it during the duration of your trip, especially not with all the things you’ve planned to see. So, manage your expectations – you might not see the Mona Lisa, and if you see it, you might only catch a glimpse, not the hour-long experience you dream about.
4. Go to as many museums as you can
With hundreds of other tourists in the city, you should plan your trip around the city but make sure that you will be able to see as many of the smaller museums as you can. The smaller museums will not be as packed as the big ones. You can take a tour or rent a car, but you will need an international driver’s license ( Permis de Conduire International in French.)
5. Don’t commit this sin – Fashion Faux Pas
You are in Paris, not in a party bus rental NJ having the best, most ratchet nights of your life. Also, you don’t want to stick out like a touristic thumb. So, leave your baggy shorts and the cargo pants back home. You want to blend in. Shorts and sneakers are fine. Blending in lowers your risk of getting robbed.
Dress like the locals – don’t over-accessorize, opt for neutral colors, and wear fitting clothes.
Lastly, enjoy Paris and have the full Parisian experience by strolling the streets and the sidewalks. It’s better and cheaper than getting a cab.