Anyone ever been to France?

SugarAsh182

Well-known member
I'm going to France this summer and I was wondering if anyone has any tips at all for packing, sight-seeing, food, etc? Thanks ladies!
 

MAC_Whore

Well-known member
I used to live overseas and travelled alot, including to France. The best book you can get is the DK Eyewitness travel book. It breaks everythign down by region, what to do, what it costs, when it is open,etc. It also has sections on language, currency, customs, mass transit, public safety, cuisine, etc. It is a great book.

My advice is to read up, learn a bit, especially of the language. It always seemed that the fastest way to irritate a non-english speaking european, is to straight up ask, "Do you speak english"? It helps if you can learn a few phrases. I always felt that was just a bit more polite. My other bit of advice is just to observe. Watch the locals. It will all start to make sense.
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I don't know exactly where you are going, but my faves are Paris (of course) and the Normandie coast. See Mt. Ste. Michel if you can. Strausborg is cute, but quiet. Hey, have fun! Wish it was me going. I haven't been in awhile and I miss it!
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mspixieears

Well-known member
I couldn't agree more with MAC_Whore re. the French speaking thing - it doesn't matter how bad it is, just trying will be enough for them, plus they're more likely to be patient with you. I only went to Paris for 3 days, and spoke French the whole time, and even when I wasn't sure of certain words they treated me like gold. They hated my friend though, who just pointed at things - they were really rude to him as a result.
 

d_flawless

Well-known member
make an effort to speak the language and try not to seem like an "ignorant" american. be willing to try new things, and keep an open mind - plans likely change. that's all i can say about traveling in general, and with that simplicity, you'll probably have that much more fun since you're not all worried about offending people
 

exodus

Well-known member
Hi Ash! I'm so jealous
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Which part of France are you visiting? I went to Paris for my honeymoon, and had a really great time there, I so want to go back! A few things we did:

Packing: I don't know what kind of traveling you're doing, but get yourself a money belt and/or neck pouch. I put my passport and important documents in the neck pouch and keep it under my clothes at all times, so there's no chance of it being stolen or lost. I kept enough money for food etc for the day in the money belt, in small denominations. The rest of the cash can either go in your neck pouch where it won't be touched for the day, or locked in your luggage in the hotel (if your hotel seems trustworthy and not seedy, otherwise take the cash with you). Be careful with your bag and belongings in crowded areas, especially metro trains, apparently there are thieves and pickpockets everywhere.

Sightseeing: Palais du Versailles is not to be missed! Absolutely beautiful, and try to get around to the Queen's Hamlet. We didn't get the chance last time because there was a blizzard (well, not quite, it was snowing pretty heavily and we're not used to snow, so it might as well have been a blizzard, really :p) so the Hamlet was closed. Views from the Sacre Coeur tower and Notre Dame tower are amazing, well worth the few Euro it costs for entry. I also loved walking around the Montmartre area. A tip for visiting galleries and museums and the like: buy advanced tickets (you can get a musee carte from train stations, for unlimited museum/gallery visits for 1, 3 or 5 days, can be a really good deal if it fits your schedule) and arrive as early as possible, so you have that pocket of time between the gallery opening and tour groups arriving. Because you know all hell breaks loose once the tour groups arrive
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Oh and don't forget to visit Sephora on Champs Elysees (it won't be a makeup forum if I didn't mention that, now will it?)
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Food not to be missed at any cost: crepes (try to go further out from touristy areas, I found the crepes near places like Notre Dame to be too limp and just bad), croissant, souffle, eclairs. If you're feeling adventurous and have some money to burn, try some good quality foie gras. I would recommend some escargot in butter as well, but I know some people get grossed out with those
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That's all I can remember for now, hopefully that helps at all
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SugarAsh182

Well-known member
Thanks so much for the tips everyone! French is my minor, so I speak it pretty decently, so I think I'll be okay in that area
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I hope to learn more while I'm there! I'm going to Annecy, which is towards the east and by the mountains. Do you think that it will be cold there in summer?

Exodus, how are you? Thanks so much for the helpful advice! I'm quite far away from Paris, but I'm going to stay there for three nights initially when I first fly in, so hopefully I'll have time to see a few important things, such as Versailles and some museums! Also, thanks for telling me where Sephora is doll lol cuz you know that's what I *really* wanted to know!
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Pink_lily

Well-known member
Annecy! oh i loved it there. it will be a bit cool in the summer. i went in mid-July, all over the country, and this was our second to last stop. i was there for three days and loved every minute of it. nighttime was when it got the coldest (obviously), and during the day i was pretty comfortable in jeans and a long-sleeve top of some sorts. just make sure to have a light jacket or sweatshirt of sorts in case you get cold.
 
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