The city of Paris is everything that you should look forward to whether it is a short term visit or a long term stay. This capital is one of the biggest fashion hubs in the world. The city has a long history when it comes to art and culture. There’s a large variety of places including museums, Cafes, restaurants and alot more to visit. Visiting Paris is a once in a lifetime experience and you should really look forward to it! Book your flight today at Cathay Pacific.
However, visiting for the first time, there’s a lot of things you would wish someone had told you beforehand for you to fully enjoy them. Following are a few things you should definitely know:
1. Red lights:
People in Paris generally are experts when it comes to crossing roads. The cross lights in Paris are generally open to the interpretation of any person. Waiting for the green lights is one option, but you can simply cross the roads by calculating the time and speed of any approaching cars. However, this is totally on your own expertise.
2. Paris and Smoking:
The practice of smoking is still very popular in Paris just like in older classic French cinema, you would often see actors looking classy while smoking cigarettes. Men and women of around all ages may be found smoking in all sorts of places. This might not necessarily be a good experience considering the city is literally covered in a cloud of smoke but it is still something that you should expect to be quite normal there.
3. Common courtesy:
Paris as a capital has its own etiquettes. The standards definitely differ across places but generally the people are very polite to one another. Other than their politeness, the locals may also prefer to socially interact a lot. This means it is perfectly normal for bus drivers etc. to greet their passengers as well as for people to greet and apologize a lot.
4. Keep off the grass:
Paris has a lot of places that you can visit and that includes many parks and gardens as well. Thinking about the grassy fields always makes one think of a picnic on a sunny day and reading books under a tree’s shade. However, in most places there are parks where sitting on the grass is completely prohibited and you may only appreciate the beauty from afar. This is also one reason why the parks in Paris are so well preserved.
5. English is spoken in France:
One of the biggest problems for foreign visitors is language. Many visitors cannot speak French and this was quite a big problem a few years back. The language barrier was quite a difficult thing for foreigners to manage. However, as the American influence is rapidly growing, many locals are getting influenced by it. Although they might not really appreciate speaking English in general, if you try to communicate with them in English, they may at least attempt to understand you. However the better option is still using French as they would appreciate that more.
6. French people are helpful:
It is highly unlikely that if you ask locals to help you over something and they outright refuse you for it. They may not generally approach you by themselves but if you ask for their help, they won’t reject you. French people are generally respectful though they might not appreciate tourists who misbehave.
7. Importance of Cheese, wine and Bread:
Cheese, wine and bread means a lot to the French people and you may generally find them in a large quantity in the French markets. In fact, you may even find a huge extensive variety of them which you might not have heard about before. Not just that, but every cheese has its own taste, combination, color and history. Same goes for wine, which is there to accompany you with your food.
8. You might need a GPS:
Paris can seem like a huge maze if you don’t have a phone with a GPS with you. The reason for that is, there are a lot of districts that tend to have similar names. This can make things really difficult for you. If you can’t speak the language then it is very hard for you to get to your destination without using a map.
9. The Fashion capital:
It won’t be an understatement to say that Paris is the capital of fashion. You may see well suited people throughout the streets of Paris. Women in fashionable dresses, high heels, and expensive bags are literally a common sight in Paris. You will also find a variety of dresses, styles and looks.
10. Paying for the bathroom:
If you drink a lot of water, then this might be a bit of a problem. The reason for that is that you may have to pay for using any bathrooms that are not at your home or at a restaurant that you are eating at. Though don’t expect that the washroom is going to be clean just because you paid for it. In any case, if you want to stay hydrated then make sure you are near places where you can access washrooms without having to pay.
11. Tasty Food but expensive:
Top food quality is a priority for the French people. Everything simply has to be perfect as eating is a significant social activity. Food is one way of social communication and a good company is never without food. However eating can be quite expensive. You may see that the food not only tastes exquisite but looks exquisite as well. The more effort is put into the food, the more expensive it is.
12. Get your groceries before Monday:
Whatever you may need from the market, you may need to get it by Sunday. Usually Monday is the day where the sellers tend to refuel for the coming week.
Conclusion:
Getting your flight booked for Paris can be both an exciting and a confusing experience. However there’s a lot to look forward to, including street art and much more.
