Paris trip

[samsikle]

so i'm planning to go to Paris in late August for a week (probably the somewhere inbetween the 20-31st). i've never been to europe and i have no idea what to expect. i've PM'ed a few people who have given me helpful info but here's what i'm looking for: traveling tips, things to do, places to eat, places to see, cool lounge/bars, stuff like that.

we're not cheaping it out but we're not exactly splurging like crazy.

Tisswat (hella) already suggested going to Rock en Seine, which I think I might be attending the first day.

any other tips would be wonderful, thanks in advanced.

[Kasper]

i have to go to the gym so i'll be short for now and come back later but if possible, i would try to put back my trip for a week if possible. pretty much everybody in France has august off work so everybody leaves Paris and goes on holiday so pretty much only tourists are left. there's loads of store closed, even some clubs will close etc.

[faust]

Not to rain on your parade, but it's the worst time to go to Paris. Basically the whole city is on vacation. Of course the big stores and museums and such will be open, but many small shops and restaurants will simply be closed for weeks. And it will be superhot.

[cuddlysheep]

damn, she should go somewhere else.hows spain or italy around that time?

[Fuuma]

Not to rain on your parade, but it's the worst time to go to Paris. Basically the whole city is on vacation. Of course the big stores and museums and such will be open, but many small shops and restaurants will simply be closed for weeks. And it will be superhot.

I second what Kasper and Faust said, by the way by hot they meant oppressively hot...

[Kasper]

I second what Kasper and Faust said, by the way by hot they meant oppressively hot...

...and that air conditioning is apparently a luxury the French cannot afford.

[samsikle]

;( what a debbie downer. well, my boyfriend and i are going for a wedding. ahhh..

[fashiontard]

I second what Kasper and Faust said, by the way by hot they meant oppressively hot...

dang... im gg to lyon for summer school for 6 weeks on friday

[faust]

i have to go to the gym so i'll be short for now and come back later but if possible, i would try to put back my trip for a week if possible. pretty much everybody in France has august off work so everybody leaves Paris and goes on holiday so pretty much only tourists are left. there's loads of store closed, even some clubs will close etc.

Oops, sorry - I don't know how I missed your post. Didn't meant to repeat it.

[faust]

damn, she should go somewhere else.hows spain or italy around that time?

Well, it will be even hotter in Italy and Spain, but I'd say coastal Italy. It's definitely better to think relaxing vacation rather than sight-seeing.

[Kasper]

Oops, sorry - I don't know how I missed your post. Didn't meant to repeat it.

no worry.

anyway, a little late, but my take on your whole paris in august situation. i'm sure you'll have a memorable trip there, Paris is a wonderfull city, it's just that on top of all the touristy things to visit (and there is soooo many), one of the nicest thing about paris is living the "lifestyle". you know, sipping a glass of wine during the afternoon on a terrasse, grocery shopping in small neighbourhood stores, etc. and since everyone is gone in august, the city really feels different. but i'm sure you'll have tons of fun.

now things to do: just take a guide book or something and read a little bit about what you wanna check out. here's a few of my suggestions (mostly about what not to do...)

-the paris skyline is boring at best so going up the Eifel tower is a big waste of both time and money. going up the Notre-Dame cathedral is a much more interesting experience (you have to walk though...). i kind sucked into going up the L'Arc de Triomphe one time by my gf and i have to admit that the sunset was really beautifull from there.

-there's just too many museums, read a bit and then pick only a few cause IMO, it's better to visit well a few museums than just to quickly browse many.

-everything is closed after 8 and on sunday (except for a few shops) so plan ahead if you need to make some purchases.

-clothes are generally much more expensive than in the states so i would focus my shopping on european goods.

-you'll want to bring back tons of food and wine so pack your luggages accordingly.

-MAKE SURE YOU HOTELS HAS AIR CONDITIONNING.

-be carefull about pickpockets, they're a fucking plague in Paris. which means no wallet in back pocket, cell phones on the table at the restaurant, backpack that don't have some sort of lock or way to make it harder to open. some fucking 10 years old kids pulled a knife on me and a friend cause we stopped them from stealing from a japanese girl so be carefull

-there's still relatively very few ppl who can speak english, but most of them will understand at least a little bit even though they'll reply in french. trying to speak a little french usually goes a long way, but don't get upset if ppl act shitty to you, parisians can be the worst assholes on the planet when they want.

-about food, you have no idea how good it is. there's just so many restaurants. just make sure you try a lot of stuff, walking into a restaurant and just randomly selecting something on the menu is usually a very very safe bet. and please don't have your meal with american champagne (coke), wine usually cost pretty much the same and is just so much better. wine with lunch is also totally acceptable.

-most of the big clubs will be closed.

-sales tax is high (about 20%), but is included in prices. i think there's a way of getting back the taxes, but i have no idea how cause i never bothered to try and judging by how complicated it is in Canada, i'm not sure it's worth it.

-since you'll be there long enough, i would suggest getting out of paris for a day of 2. the train is really fast and quite cheap when you are under 25 so you can basically go pretty much anywhere in france in less then 4 hours. so you could either go visit the alps, the south , the basque country, castle in the Loire valley (althought maybe harder to get around with train), etc.

-ppl love to strike, they really do so don't be surprised if the train or subway or whatever is not working.

-althought expensive, having a dinner cruise on the seine is really nice and quite romantic

that's all i can think of right now, but don't hesitate to ask more questions if you have any. i actually might be there toward the end of august (i'm also attending a wedding, but in lyon) so there's chances for a sufu meet-up and a french speaking (althought from the ex-colonies) guide

[jeepster]

i too am going to be in paris around this time (probably the 22-25th or 23-25th), maybe meet for drinks? who knows.

[ardeetee]

good stuff Kasper

Just to add to your post in regards to the tax (VAT) return, it's relatively easy and is worth it especially if you make big purchases. So to quickly break it down:

At the store:

-Requires a minimum purchase of ~175euros at the same store in the same day.

-Bring your passport, you won't get the return without it.

-The store will fill out a VAT return form at the counter when you make your purchase.

-I would recommend selecting the CASH refund option as opposed to the credit card return which can take 3-4 weeks, assuming you get it back at all. If you do CASH, you'll get it on the spot at the airport.

Edit: Please note, you'll get euros back so you'll have to figure out the exchange rates and determine if it's more worthwhile to get cash back and exchange or get credit on your card (cc's will often charge a % also).

At the airport:

-You have to find the VAT return booth which can be a little difficult, but just ask someone there. At CDG Terminal 2 departures, it's downstairs near the AMEX counter. Just be warned, some of the most rude people can be found working at the airport, so try a little french first if you can.

-Bring your receipts, the filled out form, and the actual items. I wasn't asked to show the items, but you are required to have them on hand, so DON'T CHECK THEM IN. If you don't want to carry the items on the plane, simply do the VAT return before you check in your luggage.

-The people at the VAT counter will stamp all your forms

-Then you goto the AMEX counter which should be closeby. There they will process the paperwork and if you selected a CASH refund, you'll get it right there. Otherwise, you'll wait a few weeks until it shows up on your credit card.

-I would recommend getting to the airport a little early to do all this since it might take some time finding everything and waiting for them to process the papers. It would be pretty crappy if you missed your flight trying to get your VAT return.

Oh and on a side note, if you are asian and around the LV store(s), do NOT fall for the nice chinese ladies outside who ask you to buy LV items for them. They have been banned from the store for a reason, so just tell them no and save yourself a lot of time/trouble. I haven't quite figured out what they're up to, but I'm guessing either re-selling to asian markets at insane markups or they are giving you counterfit bills. Either way, just tell them no.

[samsikle]

late update: thank you guys for all the great info, i was really wondering how the VAT return thing worked. also Kasper thank you for the info as well. so instead of going in august, we've decided to ditch the wedding and go in the wintertime, preferrably mid december when the semester's over. does anyone have experience on the weather during that time of th year? also i was wondering if anyone had any idea on the most pain-free way of getting to london. a friend of mine suggested doing a day trip to london... any thoughts?

thanks!

[jeepster]

last time i was there during november/early december. its coolish, but not bittingly cold. if you're used to november/december in the new england area, its about 5-10 degrees warmer, but very windy. and the wind is definately cold. and it rains, a lot. its not gross, and when iwas there (thanksgiving last year), the weather was beautiful, especially in the country-side (went to Bath and saw Stonehenge and whatnot. absolutely amazing. i get all nostalgic just thinking how beautiful the Salisbury Plane is). its not cold, but its definately not warm. and its usually wet.

[Kasper]

day trip to london is definitely possible, just take the eurostar. only a day in london is really short though, so you might want to have a day trip somewhere closer in france and save london for next time.

[honghonglulu]

kasper, vous l'avez dit tout.

[samsikle]

day trip to london is definitely possible, just take the eurostar. only a day in london is really short though, so you might want to have a day trip somewhere closer in france and save london for next time.

yeah i was possibly thinking of just saving the london trip for another time as well.. and just using that day trip money to spend more in paris

[SkramElitism]

i'm going to be in paris for 2 weeks starting today...i'm in london right now about to fly out

i'm with my brother, we're 2 hipster music well dressed kids looking for stuff to do

clubs/shows etc...

!!

[mike lowrey]

regarding the August siesta, when do smaller shops usually open? are they likely to be open from the beginning of september?

my girlfriend has a conference there in late august and I'm joining her on the 31st, so hoping that stores are back in business at that point

[Tisswat]

regarding the August siesta, when do smaller shops usually open? are they likely to be open from the beginning of september?

my girlfriend has a conference there in late august and I'm joining her on the 31st, so hoping that stores are back in business at that point

It really depends. Some shops and restaurants close as early as the third week of July. Many restuarants open again around August 20th-ish. Others remain closed throughout the first week of september. On average I'd say you'll be safe from September 3rd onward - although small establishment owners in particular tend to have a mind of their own. On the other hand, the city isn't as dead in August as it was say 10 years ago.