Unlocking the Charms of Paris: Your Ultimate Travel Guide from the Perspective of a Seasoned Travel Agent
Paris is one of those cities that you absolutely must see from your own eyes. I don’t know about you but I often heard that Paris is dirty and unfriendly, some had said to avoid it. Am I ever glad I didn’t listen! Personally I loved our time in Paris and the only thing I feel that went wrong is that we didn’t plan more days there.
We truly enjoyed the culture and the “Bonjour” every time we walked in anywhere. We were so glad that we knew to say it as well so we didn’t appear to be unfriendly Canadians. We knew prior to visiting this magical city that one thing that is very different from our Canadian culture is that it’s not as common to strike up lengthy or deep conversations about you and your life, it’s a busy city and you might come across as being a little rude. It’s always a friendly Bonjour and then carry on with whatever you are doing. We also took note of how close everyone sits and stands around each other, for example most restaurants will have their tables and chairs very tight fitting to the next but everyone respects each other’s space. In short, we found Paris to be overall clean, friendly and truly beautiful.
Here are the top tips that we have gathered for anyone visiting Paris:
- Transportation from CDG Airport
- If you would like to take a taxi from the airport you will want to exit outside after collecting your luggage. With several options to choose from I found it would be easiest to direct you to the link. https://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/charles-de-gaulle-airport. We can also pre book a private car for you if you would prefer to do that. The instructions on where to meet your driver would be sent to you prior to your vacation. Alternatively you can also choose to take the train from CDG into Paris city centre. Here is a link with instructions on that. https://www.parisaeroport.fr/en/passengers/access/paris-charles-de-gaulle/public-transport/rer-b. Once you pick up your luggage, be prepared to do a lot of walking to get over to the train terminal. Follow the Train signs and you should be able to find it quite easily, everything is marked very well at CDG. You will go down to the lower level where you will see ticket booths. Head over to the picture booth and then go into the main office where you can purchase your unlimited one week train pass which allows you to use all of the trains and buses in Paris. Even if you are just there for a couple days it is worth it to get the one week pass.
- Plan your day
- Without a doubt you already know the main attractions that you would like to see. If you plan on waiting in the line ups to go inside places like the Eiffel Tower we highly recommend getting out bright and early, otherwise you will spend too much of your valuable time waiting around. Map your day out so you aren’t back tracking, this will save you a lot of walking if you are always moving in the right direction rather than jumping around everywhere.
- Take a break
- Remember that part of the experience of being in Paris is truly being there. Stop and grab a coffee or croissant as you are out wandering around. Enjoy lunch while looking at something stunning such as the Arc de Triomphe while enjoying a ham sandwich and chips. Have a seat in the park that overlooks the Eiffel Tower or listen to the music that you will come across as you explore.
- Surprise yourself
- With the buses and trains being so easy to get around we discovered how neat it was to get off in some areas that we didn’t expect to see anything. There was an experience in particular for us where we had missed our stop while on the train, so got off at the next stop. This ended up being one of the highlights of our time in Paris.
- Take a few days
- As I mentioned in the beginning of this blog the one thing we wished we had was more time in Paris! If you have 4-7 days to explore this city and the surrounding areas do it. Take a direct flight into Paris for a week or fly into Paris and out of another country within Europe.
As you plan your vacation to Paris take the time to research the highlights that you would like to see the most and then plan out your list accordingly. We know you will enjoy your time so much more if you are seeing everything that is on your bucket list.
We hope to have the opportunity to work with you very soon at Sierra Travel Sylvan Lake. Au revoir for now and merci for visiting our page.
