Paris - I won't be going back

[A330]

While I don't plan to re-visit Paris, I have had worse experiences elsewhere. Sydney is by far ruder than the French in Paris, and I say this as someone living in Sydney. The French weren't rude in Paris, just cold and aloof (to me anyway). I tried my best to speak the little French I know but usually they would just scrunch their nose up and speak English.
I had a run-in with gypsies near the Eiffel Tower, and it kind of spooked me for the rest of my stay in Paris. And riding the metro can be scary at times - the amount of men who are dressed like they just got out of prison is surprising.
But mostly I found Paris overrun with American tourists and disliked the need to queue for everything.

On a separate note, I won't return to Venice. For me it was just an overpriced tourist trap.

 

[smit0847]

Loved Paris - thought it was cheap as chips (we stayed in a fantastic airbnb apartment). Found the people really lovely but I guess it helped that my partner speaks some French.

I enjoy visiting anywhere that is cheaper than Australia (which is just about everywhere outside Scandanavia).

 

[Danger]

Until this past January, Paris was my favourite city in the world. I'd been there twice previously and January was my third time. But now, I'll never go back. I found there to be a large number of beggars and homeless people. For what must surely be one of the richest cities in the world, it's a poor indictment to see so many disadvantaged people.

 

[drron]

Just shows again that we are all different.I have only spent one week in Paris but probably enough for me.We had the wedding ring scam tried on us but suggesting if the ring was really lost we should take it to a gendarme stopped that one.
Certainly more scammers in Madrid than Paris.On the other hand didn't experiemce any in Budapest and will be going back there.

 

[Pushka]

The wedding ring scam is fun to watch. We had a bet, on a walk from the Eiffel Tower to The Louvre how many times we would see it. I suggested 7 and was out by just 1. The petition thing we only saw happening at Eiffel. As soon as they asked if we spoke English I answered in (the only phrase I know) in Chinese. Given I'm tall blonde and blue eyes they took a few steps back. Gotcha!

 

[OATEK]

We came out of the Musee Dorsay around lunchtime, and there beside the building was an old twisted woman, begging as a cripple. We continued on over in to the Tuleries, and bought or bagettes from a stall and sat down to eat them on the lawn. Just as we were getting up to leave along came a group of three "gypsies", a young many in front urging the others on, an older man, and yes, the crippled woman. All moving at a pace faster than I could have mustered.

 

[Ausbt]

I've found Paris to be the 2nd greatest city I've visited (1st - New York). Geeze, it's typical isn't it? But if it's typical, isn't it thus correct? Both Paris and NY are filled with unsympathetic locals, but then ...I'm from Sydney. Enough said! Sure, the touts at Sacre Coeur are possibly the worst I've seen. But that black-and-white photo I snapped taken in front of the basilica looking over Paris - does it get any better? I've looked at that more often than my (first) wedding photogs. It's Paris. It's where parts of Ronin and Subway were filmed for goodness sakes!

 

[Ausbt]

Oh, one more thing (how could I forget?!). I, and my beloved-at-the-time, have stood in front of the Mona Lisa totally alone. Only a single security guard who was 20 or so metres away were present ...for about one minute. But alone we were! I found that a bit special.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

The French weren't rude in Paris, just cold and aloof (to me anyway).

Part of the reason you travel is to experience different things.

It is the french way to not engage with strangers.

In Australia, if you are standing in say a queue you ight chat to the stranger next you. The French don't.

It is not right or wrong, but different.

Another french trait is that if they feel aggrieved, then they will not be shy in telling you off. Hence why Americans in Paris often fall foul.

Our family of 5 stayed in an apartment near Roman station...very convenient but living amongst locals rather than tourists. We shopped, ate and lived amongst the Parisians and had a great time. We lived in an apartment and got on very well with our French landlord.

It pays to be Australian rather than English, and trying a little French works wonders. We found many younger people wanting to practice their English with us.

 

[sinophile888]

My daughter and I experienced the wedding ring scam in January 2011. We were lucky to escape unscathed, but in our favour, it was mid-Winter and the path along the Seine was deserted. We looked at the ring then gave it back to the young girl when she asked for money. I was trying to be polite but my (adult) daughter was not impressed by the scam.

It turned out that the wedding ring scam was the least of our worries. We returned to London after the day trip to Paris to discover my purse with all my credit cards and pounds, was missing. I had been using a different purse with Euros for that day and had my main purse with the credit cards and pounds seperate. Four cards, two credit and two debit, went missing and over $11 000 was spent on them. My daughter by this time was beside herself. I told her that no-one was injured, we had had a marvellous day and that we would probably get our money back. Which we did.

I now carry three small purses, one with money, one with credit cards and another with loyalty cards. They all look colourful and unpurse-like. I also lowered the credit limit on some of my cards.

Edit: My purse was taken at the start of the day just after we transferred from the Eurostar to the Metro.

 

[Blinky]

I had three wedding ring scams tried in one afternoon in London.

In my opinion, Paris is the most beautiful city in the world. I never found the French in Paris to be rude (although I saw some very rude ones outside Paris), but I did attempt to converse in poor, school-boy French. Our rooms, even in very expensive hotels, were small, but so were those in Rome and New York. In any case, who wants to spend time in a hotel in such a wonderful city? I hope to return again.

 

[k_sheep]

I'm afraid I'm in there been there, done that, couldn't afford the Tshirt camp.

Not my place at all I'm afraid. But I'm not an arty person; consequently Italy (esp Florence) was a bit meh for me as well.

 

[turtlemichael]

I'm afraid I'm in there been there, done that, couldn't afford the Tshirt camp.

Not my place at all I'm afraid. But I'm not an arty person; consequently Italy (esp Florence) was a bit meh for me as well.

If you write off Paris and Italy....you are beyond hope

 

[jukebox333]

I proposed to Mrs Jukebox, in the gardens across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, 17 years ago.

(Moments after she said "Yes", a rather elderly Parisian woman strode past us, stopped no more than 10ft away, hitched her skirt up to her waist, dropped her bloomers, and commenced an almighty pee...)

 

[jetlagger]

I proposed to Mrs Jukebox, in the gardens across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, 17 years ago.

(Moments after she said "Yes", a rather elderly Parisian woman strode past us, stopped no more than 10ft away, hitched her skirt up to her waist, dropped her bloomers, and commenced an almighty pee...)

Lovely setting.. though the witnessed event at the time must have put a slight dampener on the moment :shock:

 

[Ausbt]

consequently Italy (esp Florence) was a bit meh for me as well.

Loved most of Italy ...except for Florence. Sorry, I just don't get it. Yes, the sunset from the hillside overlooking is lovely, but what else? No, I don't get Florence. The no.1 most disappointing place I've been to.

 

[superpang]

Paris isn't that bad i've lived there for the past 2.5 years. Yes service can be bad and staff can be rude but dont take it personally or this that it is because you are a foreigner. If the service is bad/rude its bad/rude for everyone be it French or English or Chinese whatever, some people are just generally rude and as its impossible to get fired and they dont work for tips then there is no point in being nice if you dont want to be.

As for it being expensive yes if you hang out in tourist areas you will get slammed with rubbish food, service and pricing. If you get off the beaten track (just a little) you will find Paris to be reasonably priced and wayyyyy cheaper that any Australian city.

One thing though hotels in Paris are rubbish you need to drop a star in your mind. If you book a three star place expect a two start equivalent. Accommodation is super expensive too so unless you have the big bucks you probably wont be happy with your accommodation.

With the language the French are not good with English. They simply aren't confident with the language and why would they be they are also pretty lazy too. With that said almost everyone can speak English, If they reply with "A little" its means they are perfect, but its the classic rule if you speak in English to them they will speak back to you French. If you speak to them in horrible horrible French they will speak back to you in English. They really dont like if you just speak to them in English. Also dont forget that English is the worlds second language, that means that if someone is German, Danish, Italian, Japanese every country, they will be speaking English so you dont have to get this language complex thinking that you are the only people that dont speak the language. As for accent's most French people can't tell the difference between English accents so nobody is going to pick up that you are from Australia. Can you tell the difference between a French accent from Geneve or Bruxelles or Martinique? I doubt it.

Anyway so yeah Paris can be a tough city to visit but if you dig a little deeper you will find some real treats.

With that said as an Aussie it's always great to leave it too and escape......Im in Barcelona right now and the people are super friendly and it do think when I come here "why cant the Parisians be more like the Catalonlians"....ahh well!!

 

[turtlemichael]

......Im in Barcelona right now and the people are super friendly and it do think when I come here "why cant the Parisians be more like the Catalonlians"....ahh well!!

You think that Barcelona is friendly? I guess after they have picked your pocket on La Rambla and made you look at a dumb half finished church started when Adam was a boy. And the touts and beggars....."

ps Interested what keeps you, presumably a job, in Paris for 2.5 years and area you live. Just idle curiosity.

 

[burmans]

Must admit I'm always bemused by people who say Paris is expensive, frankly these days I think Australia is one of the most expensive places I know but then we know where to go to get cheap food. And the same applies for Paris, it's not that hard to find places where you can get a 3 course meal for 10-15 Euros, where in Sydney can you get that. Just move a few streets away from the tourist haunts.

Hotels the same, have you seen the price of top hotels in Australia recently!

 

[superpang]

You think that Barcelona is friendly? I guess after they have picked your pocket on La Rambla and made you look at a dumb half finished church started when Adam was a boy. And the touts and beggars....."

HA yeah but who would really leave their place with their wallet, cash only around these parts ....Las Ramlas might be in Barcelona but really its not a true reflection on the city. Ive got a week here if I get mugged, scammed or pickpocketed ill be in touch.