Printable Guide

A N I N S I D E R ' S G U I D E T O Paris Everything you need to know about the Real Paris E S S E N T I A L S

Airport: Charles de Gaulle is the easiest option

Currency: the Euro!

Best time to go: Not only can the summer be boiling hot but July and August are the two months that all of Europe goes on vacation so either it’ll be jam- packed with fellow tourists or it’ll be empty because everyone left and half of the shops and cafes are closed. The spring can be a bit rainy but that means fewer people and cooler temperatures. My favorite time to visit is Sept-Oct (nice weather, fewer tourists, just beautiful!) but if I were going to Paris, I wouldn’t be picky about time of year.

How to get around:

• Walk. Paris is not a huge city. You can literally walk top to bottom in 2 hours. Walking allows you to diverge from your path, stumble upon small neighborhood parks and dive bars, and gives you lots of photo opportunities along the way.

© Earth Lists All opinions are my own or of contributors, Earth Lists’ disclaims any liability in connection with this information. • Cabs: My least favorite way to get around unless you’re in the mood for an adrenaline-filled life-or- death ride.

• Uber: Regardless of where I am, I find Uber drivers to be more careful than cab drivers, and I like the convenience of hailing a ride from my phone, tracking our route, and rating our drivers.

• Subway! The Paris metro is, in my opinion, one of the finest in the world and it’s one of the easiest to navigate. But it can be intimidating if you don’t speak the language.

You can buy “carnets” (packets) of 10 tickets at a time from the kiosks, or if you’ll be there for a long time buy a long-term metro pass.

Some key things to know: o Signs with the M in a circle = Metro = Subway. Just your regular run of the mill subway line, going from Destination A to Destination B. You don’t need to know north or south or east or west; just know which destination, A or B, is in the direction of where you’re headed and go to that ‘quais’ (platform).

o Signs with RER in a circle = metro/subway trains that go out to the suburbs. If you take the train from the airport into the city, you’ll be on an RER. If you go out to DisneyLand Paris, you’ll be on the RER. 3

© Earth Lists All opinions are my own or of contributors, Earth Lists’ disclaims any liability in connection with this information. Rides within the city on either the M or the RER cost the same. o Zones: There are 5 Metro Zones, and you probably will stay within Zones 1 and 2 the entire time, unless you head out to La Défense, which is Zone 3, or Versailles in Zone 4.

o Ask for help! Living in a super tourist destination, Parisians are used to people not knowing what they’re doing. Ask one of the cashiers, or even a fellow traveler. Say “Excusez-moi, pouvez-vous m’aider?” and smile. (Don’t worry, there’s a quick phrase cheat sheet below!)

Arrondissements: Say it with me: “Air-en-deece- mon.” The city is divided into neighborhoods, but unlike say parts of Chicago, Barcelona or London where the neighborhood names don’t tell you where they are, the arrondissements of Paris are numbered and arranged in a clock-wise snail shell. Take some time before your trip to learn the basic layout of the spiral so when someone tells you “Oh, it’s in the 8th” or “That’s in the 20th” you don’t feel like a total noob.

Each arrondissment is like its own little town, with its own personality and specialties. The 3rd and 4th, the Marais (the swamp) is the historically gay and Jewish district (recommend for those who like the trendy, spendiness of San Francisco). 3 © Earth Lists All opinions are my own or of contributors, Earth Lists’ disclaims any liability in connection with this information. The 5th, the Latin Quarter, is full of students and home to Rue Mouffetard (mentioned below).

The 1st is kind of commercial and the Paris you see in commercials; le tour Eiffel is in the 7th; the 6th is full of tourists but an iconic example of the Left Bank; the 11th is loud and fun but not completely gentrified; the 14th is residential; the 18th is not a place you’d hang out at night.

The larger the number, the further outside the center of the city you get and the more into some interesting, ungentrified ethnic neighborhoods that might be a little rough around the edges and are definitely worth checking out but maybe not great places for first-timers to stay.

Hint: If you look up addresses of places, the zip code will tell you which arrondissement it’s in! 75001 = the 1st, 75002 = the 2nd, 75003 = the 3rd, etc.

Visit each arrondissement. You’ll get to see how Parisians live by visiting the residential neighborhoods. Have a coffee in a side café in the 13th where no one speaks English. Grab a bottle of water from a little shop in the 12th. Cross the bridges in the 16th, 4th and 12th to see totally different faces of the city. Be brave, be bold, and explore! Have a picnic. I don’t mean a cheesy picnic basket full of chocolate covered strawberries. Just grab a quick snack from a 8 à 8 (think: 7/11 or Kwik Mart), a bottle of wine, a panini, whatever, and go sit in a parc or on le pont des arts (the famous ‘lock’ bridge) and just take in the city, the people, the energy, the history. Check out the markets like a local. Rue Mouffetard Market in the 5th (and right around the corner is Hemingway’s old apartment). Marché des Enfants Rouge in the 3rd is the oldest market in Paris, built in 1615! Marché aux Puces is the most famous Flea Market but also the most crowded, so you could check out the one by place d’Aligre in the 12th which is also might by the Marché d’Aligre food market. 5

© Earth Lists All opinions are my own or of contributors, Earth Lists’ disclaims any liability in connection with this information. In the 5th: Stroll through the Jardin des Plantes, stopping to literally smell the flowers. Pay to go inside le Panthéon and pay your respects to Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Voltaire and other historical giants. Touch a piece of the original wall that surrounded Paris (remnants exist throughout the city with signs; one of the oldest is on Rue Clovis). Buy some books at Shakespeare and Company, a little English- language bookshop on the Seine (so you can head on over to Notre Dame and Point Zèro, the point from which all distances in France are measured from). In the 7th: Skip the Eiffel Tower and head underground to the Musée des Égouts to take a fascinating tour of the sewers of Paris. In the 10th: Have a drink by the Canal Saint- Martin. In the 15th: Take your photo with the mini Statue of Liberty on Pont de Grenelle. Kiss your lover on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. See incredible views of the city from the 16th, the base of Sacrè Coeur, Parc de Belleville in the 20th, or the hills of Parc des Buttes Chaumont.

© Earth Lists All opinions are my own or of contributors, Earth Lists’ disclaims any liability in connection with this information. Outside of the City: Relax for an afternoon in the Bois de Boulogne, just outside the 16th on the other side of the Périphérique (the highway that circles Paris). Skip Disneyland Paris (it’s a copy of the Magic Kingdom in Orlando or Disneyland in California but with signs in French) and head to Parc Asterix for a fun, local theme park experience. Day trip to Mont Saint-Michel – if I had to pick between this or Versailles, I’d pick Mont Saint Michel every time; it looks like Hogwarts!

I will not recommend hotels because that will not give you a local experience and are full of tourists! Rent an apartment from AirBNB or ParisAttitude.com.

First time to Paris? Stay in a more central neighborhood: 1 – 7 or 11. I like the 5th, the oldest arrondissement in the city, for a more casual, central, youthful left- bank experience. It’s easy to get around from those areas, they’re safe, and has enough restaurants, bars, parks, historical attractions and streets to explore to keep you busy for days.

I’m more of a left-banker but have had a great time staying in the 11th. And I’d stay in the 1st if I wanted to get my history on (lots of historical attractions nearby such as les Tuileries, Pont Neuf, le Louvre; and lots of shopping at Les Halles and Rue de Rivoli) and didn’t mind a bit of activity.

If you’re staying on the left bank, though, go to Rue Mouffetard and turn down Rue de Pot de Fer, a tiny side street with tons of eating options. I’ve always found something good in that area. And if you’re staying in the 4th, check out Restaurant Les Sommets de l’Himalaya for some Indian food.

95% of the places post menus outside (often in English) so you can examine your options before sitting down. They always have multiple “prix fixe” (fixed price) menu options and I recommend picking one instead of eating à la carte. And if one place doesn’t have something you want, move on down to the next. Good food is always a stone’s throw from wherever you’re standing.

Beer: Brewberry Beer Cellar in the 5th; La Moustache Blanche or the Bears’ Den (also a gay bar) in the 4th; La Fine Mousee in the 11th; and les Trois 8 in the 20th. Wine: Everywhere. Don’t order expensive bottles at restaurants; ask for “une carrafe du vin de maison” (a carafe of the house wine), “rouge” (red) or “blanc” (white). 6

© Earth Lists All opinions are my own or of contributors, Earth Lists’ disclaims any liability in connection with this information. .Cocktails: The craft cocktail scene hasn’t really hit Europe yet but it’s slowly starting to pick up. If you like Rum, check out La Rhumerie, in the 6th. Their servers are super knowledgeable, friendly and speak fantastic English. If you don’t mind paying $15 for an expertly crafted drink, check out Little Bastards off of Place de la Contrascarpe in the 5th.

Locals bars: The Moose, a Canadian bar, in the 6th; Black Dog, a metal bar, in the 4th; le Lèche Vin, in the 11th, definitely a locals place. The décor is religious but the bathroom is…well… you’ll just have to see for yourself

On your own: Paris does not have open- container laws, so pick up a cheap Côtes du Rhones (you don’t need to spend more than a few euros on a tasty bottle of wine; 10 euros would be a splurge), some fromage and croissants and people-watch along la Seine or in any of the small parks you find throughout.

Ashley is a remote-working, musical-loving 30-something living with her husband and their two cats in Nashville. Inspired by my grandmother’s typewritten travel memoirs that she gave to her in a three-ring binder, She wanted to start documenting her own travel adventures for posterity, so started a travel blog to share stories from my travels, both past and present.

https://noplacelikeanywhere.com/ E A R T H L I S T S

Feature Friday is a weekly feature on earthlists.com, where travellers share their favourite destinations around the world.

If you enjoyed this Mini-Guide, head over to www.earthlists.com to check out other articles and subscribe to the newsletter for freebies and travel inspiration.