What Should You Know Before Traveling to Paris, France?

What's going on everybody. This is Island Hopper TV. And today we're going to talk about the things to know when visiting Paris, France, we're going to talk about the food. We're going to talk about safety. We're going to talk about cost of travel. We're going to show you around the museums, the Eiffel tower, really going to get out there and tell you pretty much everything you need to know about visiting Paris. Let's talk about safety in Paris. So how safe is it? What do you need to know? So there are pickpockets around here, especially around the area of Moulin Rouge, but anywhere there's big crowds, make sure you always zip up your backpacks and be mindful if someone nudges you or pushes you very closely. But being mindful of your phone, your wallet, all that, obviously less exposure you have the better off you are for pickpockets. Yes, they exist here in Paris. All right, let's talk about this subject. Are the French rude? Do they like tourists in particular Americans? My overall perception has been Paris and French, very polite, very friendly. So I would say that if that was a thing in the eighties or the nineties or before that even, it's not true anymore. Parisians, the people of the city, very friendly. You might get an occasional isolated incident, but it's very rare. It's a very friendly place. Next up, let's talk transportation. So the Metro here in Paris is one of the most heavily used mass transit systems in all of Europe. Only second to Moscow, if you consider Russia part of Europe, which it really is. Now when it comes to getting on those, it's about a dollar 96 euros per one way ticket. You can get a full day pass. One of those cards, about 16 euros for a full day. Um, you can recharge it as need be. It might not even be pay as you go. Uber, you know, it does take a long time getting around the town. So even if it says four hour or four, uh, four miles, it's still going to take you like 16 to 22 minutes just to get there because there's such a traffic log jam in Paris. So I would say the public transportation system is going to be more affordable and just about as hassle free as an Uber. Uh, but if you have a lot of luggage, you might want to consider a taxi or Uber. And then there are about four main train stations that take you to different parts of France. Uh, for example, Leon, that one takes you to the South to like, uh, South of France. If you want to go to like the Atlantic side where Bordeaux is, you would go to Montpassey, but there's a few different train stations that you want to familiarize yourself with. You're trying to get around by train around France. So when is the best time of year to visit Paris? Probably spring, late spring, early summer. The reason I say that is because the weather is just so much better, especially when you can see the flowers and all the blooms going on. That's why I prefer late spring, early summer. But winter takes on a feeling of its own with the snow and everything around the Eiffel tower, uh, going out at night. But summertime can even get kind of hot and humid. So it just depends on what your taste is. I've also come here in the fall. I thought it was just cloudy and gray, so I don't necessarily recommend the fall. So let's talk about things to see and do in Paris. So there's the catacombs. If you're into that kind of stuff, the cemeteries, and we all know about the Eiffel tower. So I don't need to say too much about that. Then there's Sacré-Cœur. Okay. Which is in Montmartre or Montartre. It just depends on how you want to say it. It sounds like Montmartre if you say it in English. But that whole area has the Rose Mason or the Mason Rose area. Really nice place to go. There's also very many museums here. There's the military museum. There's the history museum. There's the opera house, the music house. There's Louvre, Louvre as they say here, which is the biggest art museum in the world. So if you love art, there's a few different art museums here. Art is a big thing in Paris, all across the city. It's a very romantic city and it lives up to its reputation for that. Did you guys know that Paris is the most visited city in the world? It's the most tourist and this museum, LeVoir where you're looking at right now is where the Mona Lisa is actually held. So another thing I'd like you guys to know is that on Mondays a lot of the main tourist attractions are closed. You would think it would be Sunday, but no Sunday was actually a great day to go out. It's Monday when Palace of Versailles is closed and some of these other main tourist attractions that you come to visit. So keep that in mind when visiting Paris. In terms of population, Paris actually has 2.2 million people in the city itself, but if you include the entire metro area, it's pushing North of 13 million people, making it one of the largest cities in all of Europe. Paris is known as the city of lights because the way the avenues and the streets light up, but also it was one of the first cities in Europe to actually receive lighting on the streets. A person from Paris is known as a Parisian, but also here's something interesting. There's one dog for every seven Parisians. That's a lot of dogs, very dog friendly town. Paris also has many famous people throughout history like Voltaire, Napoleon Bonaparte comes from Paris. You have Anton Lavoisier, Joan de Arc and even Marie Antoinette and French King Louis Jacques Cousteau and Victor Hugo, Coco Chanel and Bridgette Bardot. Other celebrities of modern era like Kathy Lee Gifford, Emma Watson. So as you can see, Paris is a very famous place for its people, its rich culture, its history, its great food, and so much more. All right, next up, let's talk about the language and communication in France in general, especially in Paris. Lots of French spoken here. French is a tough language to actually speak as a second tongue. So keep that in mind. You're going to want to have Google translate readily available here and try and do your best to brush up on your French before you actually arrive here. There is some English spoken, but don't expect it very often. All right, let's talk about the cost of travel in Paris. The average meal is around 15 to 16 euros. That comes out to around 18 or $19. So Paris is expensive. It's not considered that cheap. Also consider how much you need to bring per day for accommodation, which on the low end is around $100 on the high end around 200 to 250, but it can get much more expensive during peak season, which is in the summertime. As mentioned previously, there is a very busy metro system. In fact, it is the second largest metro system and it is very affordable way to get around efficiently. If you have to use an Uber or a taxi, expect to wait in the car long time, which adds up and ends up racking up the bill for you. Even though you're going a short distance, you're still paying premium pricing because of how much time you're spent moving through Paris very slowly. So the subway is definitely a way to save money. Let's talk about food in Paris. So there's a lot of unique cuisine that comes from here like snails, escargot, caviar. You can get that here. As you know, France is famous for its food, world famous French cuisine, any town, any city you go to. They also have a rabbit, so it's not uncommon to see them serving rabbit also duck. So you can look forward to that, but they have baguettes. They also have many croissants here in France. I would say they do love bread just like the Germans. So plenty of bread. Now remember French bread, right? But also they have what is my favorite French onion soup. They have plenty of variety of foods here. Some high end restaurants that will just knock your socks off. And then some really quick cafes that you can get food. Uh, that's just general snacks during the daytime or quick meals. And for those of you with kids, yes, they do have the golden arches of McDonald's here. So with all of this information, when is the best time to visit Paris? Well, there's not necessarily a bad time of year to visit Paris to be honest. Okay. But May to September is when you are going to be in the most crowds because that is the best weather. If you can get there somewhere in between October and April, you won't have as much crowds, but you'll have cooler weather. And in Christmas time it does get busy because Paris is considered one of the best places to celebrate Christmas in all of the world. And to wrap up this travel guide for Paris, I would say it is definitely a must do, a must see. It is a 72 hour city minimum. You need at least three days on the high end. You need a week. And if you can stay longer than you are a lucky person. Overall, I would say that the big things you're going to get from Paris, you're going to get a cultural experience. You're going to get very unique, rich cuisine and food, unique people experience and interactions. It's a multicultural city as well. So there's a lot to learn here. Also I would say that the weather and the surrounding area is a very beautiful terrain and environment. So I hope you guys enjoyed this Paris, things to do, things to know list. I hope to see you guys on the next one. If you did like it, please consider subscribing to this channel, Island Hopper TV and crushing the like button. We'll see you guys on the next one.