Advice on travel to Paris?

Thanks for the encouragement. My sister travelled to Paris with my grandmother over 40 years ago. They sat on the Champs-Elysees to watch folks for a few hours... so yes, that is one of my ambitions. Great you had a good trip and pleasant visit. I'm looking forward to it more by the day! Thank you all!

bvy said:

I don't like to generalize, but I will admit I was prepared to find the French a bit standoffish based on everything I've heard over the years. And the first few days there, that confirmation bias started to set in. But let it go. The French can be direct, but engage them a little and you'll make friends quickly.

Click to expand...

I read a book about the French back when I was living in France, and one of the arguments made was that many English-speaking tourists see the French as basically like them, only French-speaking. So they get put off by what is seen as standoffishness and other traits. Yet when those same tourists travel to other countries where the culture is more foreign to them, say Japan or China, they are much more forgiving of behaviour that would not be accepted back home. The authors of the book argued that perhaps tourists should think of the French as a completely foreign culture (as they are the native population of the country), the same way they would view others. I don’t know if I agree with that completely, but I do know that after living in Japan I found the French to be quite similar in many aspects - not always good, but at least I was familiar with the attitudes!

bvy said:

I don't like to generalize, but I will admit I was prepared to find the French a bit standoffish based on everything I've heard over the years. And the first few days there, that confirmation bias started to set in. But let it go. The French can be direct, but engage them a little and you'll make friends quickly.

Click to expand...

Long before I ever went to France I had heard very often how stand offish the French were. That worried me a lot since I dont speak French at all. However, the reality was completely different. I had a great time in Paris and did not have any issues whatsoever with the French. No complaints at all. I would go back there again without reservation.

I think you're on to something, but maybe the mix of American impatience and sense of over-familiarity (often seen as impertinence) with French reticence (stand-offishness) can be more of a two-sided mismatch. I actually see this in our own country a fair amount where one side thinks of themselves as imminently reasonable, and simply has little patience with others. Some of this can be a matter of relative youthfulness - not just culturally, but actual biological (or pyschological) age. Favorite phrase? "Memory is organic, not digital." Same for a lot of the rest, and we tend to forget that we get what we give.

I lived in Paris a short time when I was young. I am sure a lot has changed since then.

I never had anyone be rude to me in all the time I was there. Be polite, which is important, and people will help you. I'd be surprised if you met anyone that didn't speak English these days, but you should still ask in French...

There are a ton of things to do in Paris. I'd suggest that you make some type of loose plan of things you want to see. And prioritize.

If you are in shape, walk the stairs at the Eiffel Tower. I'd do it in the evening when the light is raking across Paris. Same with Montmartre.

As far as museums go you should prioritize them as well. Skip the Louvre. The Mona Lisa isn't worth seeing. My favorite museum for art is the Musée d'Orsay which is mostly Impressionist art. Also the Maison Européene de la Photographie is worth a visit depending on what they are showing.

The Metro is a great and very fast way to get around, but not a great way to see Paris. You might want to consider taxis or busses.

Versailles is pretty close to Paris and worth seeing. Lots of photographers have shot there. The jardins all around Paris are usually worth a visit as well and are a good place to sit in the quiet for a while.

Do yourself a favor and keep the gear to a minimum. You will probably do a lot of walking.

Hope that helps.

There is so much to do in Paris and its environs you will need to prioritize. How long will you be there?

Yes, be aware of pickpockets. If you're an American, don't wear blue jeans or fanny packs. Don't be overly paranoid and just have a wonderful time.

Haven't seen these things yet, so will put it them as suggestions.

The Bateau Mouche, or tour boats to see Paris from a tour boat on the river Seine, is well worth doing. In addition to being a thankful relief from tired feet and walking constantly, it gives you the option of seeing Paris from a totally different perspective, from the river, and there is also the tour guides history of the monuments and bridges you go past. The one I took had a history of each bridge we went under, which was fascinating.

A few other places in Paris that I would happily return to, are Place de la Victoire, just north of rue de Rivoli, not far off the beaten track, but perhaps less frequented by tourists.

Place des Vosges, in the Marais. Simply fabulous.

Eglise Saint Severin, on rue Saint Severin, in the Latin quarter. Spectacular pillars in the form of tree trunks.

Museum of Cluny - among other items, the unicorn tapestries.

Museum Carnavalet, unofficially known as the museum of the history of Paris.

Enjoy your trip!

mooseontheloose said:

I read a book about the French back when I was living in France, and one of the arguments made was that many English-speaking tourists see the French as basically like them, only French-speaking. So they get put off by what is seen as standoffishness and other traits. Yet when those same tourists travel to other countries where the culture is more foreign to them, say Japan or China, they are much more forgiving of behaviour that would not be accepted back home. The authors of the book argued that perhaps tourists should think of the French as a completely foreign culture (as they are the native population of the country), the same way they would view others. I don’t know if I agree with that completely, but I do know that after living in Japan I found the French to be quite similar in many aspects - not always good, but at least I was familiar with the attitudes!

Click to expand...

RattyMouse said:

Long before I ever went to France I had heard very often how stand offish the French were. That worried me a lot since I dont speak French at all. However, the reality was completely different. I had a great time in Paris and did not have any issues whatsoever with the French. No complaints at all. I would go back there again without reservation.

Click to expand...

Fifty years ago, just do no approach anyone over thirty years old. Twenty years ago, still some of that. Three years ago, none of that and everyone was welcoming and very helpful.

Take a good unbrella and some bottled sunshine.

Include a visit to the Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson. It is a small museum close to one of the large metro stations. The last time we were there we met one of the directors who almost arranged a visit for us with Mr. Cartier-Bresson but he wasn't up to it as it was shortly before his passing.

Hi @JWMster

It's late for bringing a contribution for a rather cold thread, hope it's not *too* late however.
I second all that was said previously, including a certain stand-offishness of the common parisian man (was one of them a few years ), I'm afraid

I'm glad someone mentioned Chartres, although this not strictly in the Paris district. You have to go an hundredth of kilometers south of Paris, preferably by car and A11 highway (if your time is counted).
I know this nice town very well, I was going here a lot of time when a youngster. If you have time, of course, after visiting the Cathedrale (and possibly the Gardens), go down walking a small pedestrian street which start near south of the church square (Rue au Lait), and that will bring you, following St-Erman street down to the river Eure border, and to the last ruins of medieval fortifications (Porte Guillaume). Very old and nice houses and building (bridge) are around.

If you need any advice or have questions about your travel in France, don't afraid to PM me !
Best regards,

Raphael

Raphael: Not late by any means. Gracious of you to make the effort to respond. Won't be there until 1st week of September. LOVE to visit Chartres's cathedral. Definitely one of the monuments on the list. Can remember the painstaking stories of removing the stained glass to protect it from the bombing. One of the treasures. Thank you for your note. May be in touch. - Skip

JWMster said:

Raphael: Not late by any means. Gracious of you to make the effort to respond. Won't be there until 1st week of September. LOVE to visit Chartres's cathedral. Definitely one of the monuments on the list. Can remember the painstaking stories of removing the stained glass to protect it from the bombing. One of the treasures. Thank you for your note. May be in touch. - Skip

Click to expand...

Skip, you're welcome !
If I can still add a recommandation concerning Chartres, if you can, you should stay at Chartres at night, as there is a light show on the main sites of interest, each night, begining at dusk. Never seen them myself, but my daughter went here the last week with her uncle, and she was positively enchanted : See https://www.chartresenlumieres.com/en/
In all case, have a good stay

Chartres will be beautiful. I was there about five years ago and it was in the process of restoration. The difference between the before and after was stunning. I image that restoration has now been completed.

Peter Schrager said:

Sit in a cafe...have a coffee or apertif...
Watch the people go by...

Click to expand...

Next time, that is all I will do. No museums, no palaces, no tours.

Paris is the most beautiful city on Earth! The architecture is amazing! There are public art and parks everywhere! The people are the most beautiful you will ever find!

My advice, bring too much film! Get lost often! Be sure to wake up early and go to bed late! Always have your camera ready! And probably bring a good, versatile zoom lens, because there will be a lot of switching back and forth from wide angle to telephoto to capture it all!

If you want to go up in the Eiffel Tower, make reservations as soon as you can for a specific time and date...if you wait until the week you are there, good luck getting up there!

The Eiffel Tower lights will twinkle, only after dark, and only for 5 minutes on the hour.

Go to the Bastille for the Saturday morning market with food and flowers and some stalls of goods. As photographic opportunities the floral stalls can be spectacular as can be the food arrangements.

The Catacombs of Paris (near Metro station Denfert-Rochereau) make a very interesting stop (if photographically a bit challenging due to dim lighting)

Boat tour of the Seine, particularly at dusk and when it has gotten dark, provides nice shots of Paris illuminated landmarks.

JWMster said:

Would appreciate any help or source of help you might recommend in terms of guiding an amateur photographer visiting Paris in early September? I've hired photography guides before when traveling, and it's been "okay". Better and more interesting at the beginning of a trip to get me in the mood than I might have managed without. Would like some good advice, either a suggested person or photography guidebook - if such a thing exists. Travel agent had a suggestion that is more of a digital class (led by a group of photographers that refer to themselves as "Aperture": Dead Link Removed), I'm sure they're good or better than the folks I've worked with before, but since 90% of what I'm shooting is analog again these days, and don't really want to spend time on "white balance", I'm not sure that group is my cup of tea. Help appreciated. Thanks!

Click to expand...

the French are a very proud nation and hate to be forced to speak English.Before you go, learn a few basic phrases and don't be shy to use them; botched French is much better than arrogant English.

Ah.... yes. Beautiful advice. All of it. My thanks! Just a week to go, and I've bought more and more film. And I'm still planning on a re-stock before leaving Paris for the countryside. Now thinking I'll FEDEX some of it back to not constrain the program. Bought a Rolleiflex 3.5F for the trip and have been shooting really nothing else these last months. Had it CLA'd, and have learned to handle Kodak Portra 400 on a Jobo with Tetenal. The kit is ready, I'm ready, my French.... is not but my wife's may be. Do like the "botched French is much better" which of course goes against the grain of the 1970's experience.... but would suggest a friendlier attitude. My favorite of all of this....which is hard of course 'cause there's so much here, but this: "...bring too much film! Get lost often! Be sure to wake up early and go to bed late! Always have your camera ready!"

In the end, it's like one of those children's books (yes, I'm decidedly an amateur in this way), "Little Bunny Follows His Nose".... only photographers follow their eyes. But the advice here and particularly the proferred street maps with route highlights (thank you!) offers a good plan for delighting the eyes from one turn to the next. So far my biggest concession was to lose the B&W for the trip and take up shooting Portra 400 which has involved some learning but a lot less than expected. Do I still want to shoot B&W? Sure. In my heart, yes. But that may simply call for a 2nd trip!

JWMster said:

Ah.... yes. Beautiful advice. All of it. My thanks! Just a week to go, and I've bought more and more film. And I'm still planning on a re-stock before leaving Paris for the countryside. Now thinking I'll FEDEX some of it back to not constrain the program. Bought a Rolleiflex 3.5F for the trip and have been shooting really nothing else these last months. Had it CLA'd, and have learned to handle Kodak Portra 400 on a Jobo with Tetenal. The kit is ready, I'm ready, my French.... is not but my wife's may be. Do like the "botched French is much better" which of course goes against the grain of the 1970's experience.... but would suggest a friendlier attitude. My favorite of all of this....which is hard of course 'cause there's so much here, but this: "...bring too much film! Get lost often! Be sure to wake up early and go to bed late! Always have your camera ready!"

In the end, it's like one of those children's books (yes, I'm decidedly an amateur in this way), "Little Bunny Follows His Nose".... only photographers follow their eyes. But the advice here and particularly the proferred street maps with route highlights (thank you!) offers a good plan for delighting the eyes from one turn to the next. So far my biggest concession was to lose the B&W for the trip and take up shooting Portra 400 which has involved some learning but a lot less than expected. Do I still want to shoot B&W? Sure. In my heart, yes. But that may simply call for a 2nd trip!

Click to expand...

do't forget to enjoy the scenery, the people, the food and the wine.

Ralph: Thanks! As my wife puts it, "And if it's like England with better everything, then it's great food, wine, bread, and cheese and you still lose weight!" which is to say, rested, relaxed and walking everywhere, you somehow get healthier. Who'd have thunk it? My only complaint with the itinerary is not enough time sitting riverside at a cafe table with a glass of wine staring at the beautiful countryside... but a beautiful cityscape is fine, too!

Although this is a photography forum, don't let your cameras prevent you from participating in the life of Paris. In fact, I would highly recommend that one day (or at least part of a day) be serious-camera-free, Maybe carry a small pocket camera for an unexpected once-in-a-lifetime event. If there is something that draws you to make photographs, you can go back later.

I first visited Paris in 1982 as a college student and had a bad experience, as did much of my group. There was a general sense of hatred directed at us. Any attempt to communicate in broken French was ignored. When I returned, taking my wife and daughter, in 2009, I warned them to expect a bad reception and was pleasantly surprised to find that we were welcomed and the people were friendly and we had no problems communicating in English. I suspect that much of the "French attitude" rhetoric is from people who haven't travelled there lately.

RalphLambrecht said:

the French are a very proud nation and hate to be forced to speak English.Before you go, learn a few basic phrases and don't be shy to use them; botched French is much better than arrogant English.

Click to expand...

This is very true. I found the French to be very courteous and friendly. Most of them spoke limited English. So long as you started off trying to speak French to them, they would gladly return the favor and try to speak English back. Between the two, communication was fairly easy.

I ran into many Americans while there. Most were of retirement age, cranky, and selfish, entitled jerks. About 3/4th's of the Americans I ran into while over there tried to bond with me over how rude the French were, but they didn't see that they were the rude ones. They were angry that everyone wasn't bending over backwards to take their money. They were angry that the food tasted different and that the cars were smaller and they had to walk places or take public transportation. They were angry that they came to a foreign country, and it was different from America. Every time I made it a point to ask them if they tried speaking any French, and every time they replied with anger over the thought of having to learn a tiny bit of a new language, even when you're visiting a foreign country (which is weird considering American's tend to expect the same from foreigners coming into the U.S.). Needless to say, I can see where the Ugly American stereotype comes from. In fact, I was often confused for British, Canadian, and Australian because I made an attempt to speak some French and didn't treat the locals like crap. I had one girl at a bar act surprised when she found out I was an American. She told me "I thought you were British because you're not fat and stupid". Had I met her on day one, I would have been furious to hear that. But I met her on day seven, and by then, it made complete sense. I had to tell her that the average American I met on the streets in Paris were nothing like the average American I meet on the streets in America.

My point is, don't be that guy (or gal). Learn to say "Bonjour", "S'il vous plait", and "Merci", and the rest can usually be communicated by pointing. The more French you learn (numbers are really helpful too), the better off you'll be, but if don't learn to at least say "hello", "please", and "thank you", you're going to have a bad time.

Seems like we've gone from stereotyping the French to stereotyping Americans.