After watching Emily In Paris, we all want to visit the city of lights or the city of love (you name it). Paris look from the outside, seems fabulous, a city full of romance, wine,
After watching Emily In Paris, we all want to visit the city of lights or the city of love (you name it). Paris look from the outside, seems fabulous, a city full of romance, wine, and cheese, where life could not be easier. But we will uncover the truth and see if Paris is worth all the television hype that it has gotten over the past years.
There is a lot to see and do in Paris, I won’t lie, but it is not as fairytale-ish as it pretends to be. Let’s get started;
Before I start, I want to underline that everything mentioned in this article is based on personal experiences and may not apply to everyone.
The Food
I am an amateur in food, and going to France, I wanted to try most of these french specialties made by a French chef in France (if that makes sense), but I was very disappointed. I felt like there was always a lack of taste. Everything was so bland and never enough to satisfy my hunger. The portion was too little and was not what I expected. The only thing that I enjoyed was the ‘escargot’ as it was well marinated in herbs and was flavorful.
Navigation
When going to Paris or France in general, make sure that there is no strike at the moment, because the metro may skip some stations without any notice, and it will be very disturbing for you if you don’t have any sense of orientation as I do.
Apart from that everything is indicated and you won’t have any problems situating yourself in Paris or moving from one point to another.
Language
Bonjour: French is quite easy, though, with an English accent, it may be difficult for the french to understand. It won’t be a problem if you learn some of the basics and learn about pronunciation correctly. Most of the time, you will be asking the same thing, and in most businesses in Paris, such as restaurants- they have waiters who know how to speak English, so you are safe.
Eiffel Tower
Who goes to Paris without going to the Eiffel Tower? It is super-duper cliché but still… I shall tell you that I haven’t gone up the tower as the waiting line was super long and I didn’t want to wait for that much and pay that price (approx. 20 euros) only to go up the towel.
There is so many manege around that will be more fun and cheaper, so I recommend you to do that.
The French People
I was nicely shocked that the few interactions with people there were very pleasant. Most of them are willing to try even if they do not speak English; the effort they make for you is incredible. They were very helpful and super sweet.
Art And Culture
Quick tip; pick and choose the attraction you want to go to, do not try to go to everything. This is practically impossible. There is not a single attraction in Paris that you won’t have to line up (except if you are super lucky), but I must warn you, if you want to enjoy the attraction go there super early (as you may be stuck in the lines for 3 hours) and fill up on patience because you will need a lot.
There are a lot of cheaper or even free things to enjoy that won’t cost your time. You may want to peek at the streets artist and visit the different gardens there.
Price
Everything is quite pricey in Paris, your money will go further if you don’t go to Paris for sure, but hey, we only live once, and seeing Paris (even though it is not worth the hype) is a must.
I shall say that you should not stick to the popular attractions you see in films or on the internet to save in Paris as all the ‘popular’ things cost a lot of money, and for my part, they are not as authentic as the other.
If you want to eat escargot, you will pay 15 euros approximately for half a dozen. Look for free attractions so you will only have to spend on food.
Certainly, Paris is romanticized in films and books, but I did not experience Paris that way. It was too tourist-ish for me, and I did not like the vibe. This is all my personal opinion. If you have any tips for Paris, please let me know in the comments; maybe I will enjoy it more on my next trip.