<p>DS, who’s 21, is getting a business trip to France in a couple of weeks. He plans to spend a few extra days on his own in Paris and Nice. He doesn’t speak a word of French. None of us have seen anything in France outside of CDG. </p>
<p>Any advice on things he should consider? He’s obviously not going to drive, but is it a problem to get help with the public transportation and help with finding places? He has a Verizon Droid that he liberally uses in the US for text/data/voice. Is it possible to get a SIM card or some other means to get services at a more reasonable price than using the Verizon roaming option? Any other considerations?</p>
<p>Sorry - should have posted in cafe; can you pls move</p>
<p>He’ll need an unlocked GSM phone in order to use a local SIM card in it. He may want to research what local SIM cards are available and what the best deal is for his anticipated use. Verizon phones are CDMA, although some are dual CDMA/GSM to allow for international roaming (but they are likely locked to Verizon; don’t know how lenient Verizon is with unlocking phones).</p>
<p>Does he know any other Romance language like Spanish, Italian, or Latin? That might help with guessing what French words mean. In addition, many words in English are derived from French words.</p>
<p>Public transportation maps and information should be available on-line for Paris and Nice.</p>
<p>Euros can be gotten at ATMs, but he should check with his bank to make sure his ATM card will work there, and if there are any large fees (and if there are any partner banks to avoid the fees). Credit cards are accepted, but some automated machines may require chip+PIN cards and not accept magnetic stripe cards.</p>
<p>Check with Verizon about the phone- some are “world” capable and some are not, but data usage is almost always very expensive. I do know that Verizon provides “loaner” phones for use outside of the US for periods of up to 30 days, and your S could always just pop into a convenience store or news stand when he gets there and buy an inexpensive phone which he can then reload with minutes very easily.
I would suggest that he start learning some basic words and phrases- as of yesterday! It’s the polite thing to do and while many French citizens speak English-especially in the larger cities- they don’t always choose to, and that can be a problem. The maps for public transportation are easy to read (most are color-coded) but again, he might not find someone willing to point him in the right direction! Luckily, he can make use of the Internet now and familiarize himself with locations etc, which will make it easier when he’s confronted with the situation. He could look into buying one of those universal translators, the pocket-sized devices (maybe as a work-related expense?), or depending upon his Verizon data plan, there are Apps available which do the same thing.
Seriously, have him turn off the Internet radio in the car and TV at home and immerse himself in French language learning for the amount of time he has before his trip. One of the greatest joys of Paris is simply wandering the different arrondissments, grabbing a croissant and hot chocolate or some chestnuts and just coming upon things by accident. Paris is a very walkable city and is divided by the Seine, which makes it easy to figure out where things are in relation to each other. If he only has a day or two there, he might want to make use of one of the tourist bus companies such as Les Cars Rouges. They make loops through the city and one can get on and off, picking up the next bus if more time is needed at a location. They hit the high points and narration is given in English (as well as about a dozen other languages)- they might be corny, but it’s a good way to make the maximum use of limited time. I’d definitely recommend that he take a tour of Le Palais Garnier, the original home of the Paris Opera and the Ballet: it’s a most spectacular building, inside and out (again, they offer an English language tour, but make a reservation beforehand). Right nearby are the large department stores Printemps and Galeries Lafayettes- if he is there in mid November, the Christmas light display on the Galeries Lafayettes is an entity unto itself!
I could go on and on, but I think I should be quiet now. Hope he has a terrific trip!</p>
<p>Just spent a few days in Paris last summer. Transportation is easy within the city, the metro makes a lot of sense. </p>
<p>A few words in French would not hurt but i found most everybody speaks English. My French is very rusty and i tried but found myself not needing it much.</p>
<p>If he has a Droid phone, look at the off line maps from google, that and the transportation maps wad all we needed, no gps or data service.</p>
<p>We used a tour bus the first day to understand the city a bit (have done it in many cities) but public transit was all we needed after that. Never took a cab.</p>
<p>Etiquette Tip: In France don’t start speaking to someone without greeting them first: open by saying “bonjour” in the day time or “bonsoir” in the evening. Even if they are sitting in an information kiosk or service desk and are clearly there for the purpose of speaking to strangers. It’s slightly jarring to the French when Americans come up to them and just start asking questions or conducting business without first politely greeting them.</p>
<p>For Paris - He will do just fine on the Metro. (keep wallet in front pocket) Keep drilling into him the importance of knowing the train’s final stop as these are how the routes are named. And know where he put his ticket because he will need it to exit many of the stops.</p>
<p>We find it easier to purchase a “billet” of tickets from the ticket counter at the larger Metro stops. (though I would guess he can also do this by machine). This is 10 individual ride tickets and saves time having to get one for each ride. </p>
<p>The REM train system is a good way to get to/from the airport and I think is around $10 euros. They link up quite well to the Metro system. Just in case…I might just buy a round trip to save the stress of a ticket office being closed or having to rush. If he is taking taxi to the airport, make sure he has his hotel call the night before to book the ride. From the center of Paris it can run $50-60 euros.</p>
<p>The airport check in lines can be a total nightmare, so make sure he arrives very early.</p>
<p>What an exciting opportunity - he will do just fine! The airport check in lines can be a total nightmare, so make sure he arrives very early.</p>
<p>Yes, REM goes right into the Metro system, and you can change trains at the end of the REM line for various Metro lines. But few escalators, so he might want to take one of the buses to various parts of Paris if running the stairs in metro stations with luggage would bother him. </p>
<p>Yes, greetings matter, per courer above. And is kinder to ask in French if someone speaks English. I found this site very helpful for practicing basic French:</p>
<p>Let your bank/charge card company know that he will be in France. If there is a crowd distraction, that’s when to really keep an eye on your wallet- use a money belt of some kind. Tell him to have fun. France is wonderful!</p>
<p>He won’t really need anything other than English as a tourist in France for a few days (or even a few weeks). He’ll get along fine.</p>
<p>He doesn’t really need his phone either. He probably doesn’t realize it but it isn’t actually necessary to text every other minute of one’s life and it isn’t necessary to be on the phone all the time. He’ll only be there a short time so I suggest he just forego the phone while there. If his phone can handle the GSM network then maybe he could take his for emergency purposes but he’d need to make sure he doesn’t get nailed on incoming calls, texts, and internet usage. Although he doesn’t really need a phone for his short time there, if he wants to use one anyway, he could buy a pay as you go phone when he gets there. I don’t know what the cost would be. He could also check with Verizon on a temporary phone that’ll work in Europe (most Verizon phones don’t since Verizon doesn’t use the GSM network like AT&T and T-Mobile do but some of the phones can handle multiple networks).</p>
<p>You can purchase a local phone at an Orange store - they are plentiful in Paris. The cheapest phone for calling and texting (no data, but does have a camera) is about 30-35 Euros. You can pay as you go or buy a unlimited one month plan for 30 Euros.</p>
<p>What to do…the usual, of course, but here are some other ideas:</p>
<p>Not sure what you son enjoys, but one of our favorite haunts is the Paris Flea Market. Interesting people and wonderful finds - both old and new. An easy ride on the m</p>
<p>And in Nice, dinner in Old Town (known locally as Le Vieux Nice) is a lovely honeycomb of narrow streets, dotted with beautiful Baroque churches, vibrant squares, shops and restaurants.</p>
<p>If you have more than a day, consider taking a local bus to Villefranche-Sur-Mer (google it) or better yet, to Eze le Village. Then hike down the rocky trail for 45 minutes to Eze le Mer and catch the local bus back to Nice. See Rick Steves’ website for more info. No matter where you go, be sure to stop at the local Tourist Information (TI) booth for bus/metro schedules and maps and English-speaking tour guides to answer your questions.</p>
<p>In Paris - if he is arriving at the airport and has any luggage, he should leave it at the storage company, and only take what he needs for the short stay. Metro from the airport is simple. </p>
<p>If he is paying for the extra hotel nights himself he may want to stay at a clean non-chain hotel. My Son stayed at and enjoyed the “Hotel Henri IV, 25 Place Dauphine 75001, Paris France” and could walk to many of the sites.</p>
<p>Never make a pay phone call from france that is charged to a CC, they tried to collect $280. US for two short calls by my Son. Lucky the company that ran the scam had so many complaints on file with Visa that they just waved the fees.</p>
<p>Thanks for this thread! Son hopes to do an internship in France this summer. (Yea, right!) But it is one place he would love to visit. Will refer back to this thread if that happens. I wish!</p>
<p>I always recommend that visitors to Paris take a boat ride down the Seine, preferably in the evening to see all the lights, both for the buildings alongside the river and the bridges themselves are very cool when lit up. After a day of walking around sightseeing, sitting for a scenic boat ride is quite welcome.</p>