PARIS ADVICE and OBSERVATIONS

As an African American visiting Paris for first time, you will encounter many cultural differences. The experiences and observations listed are from a variety of sisters. They are meant to be viewed as unofficial experiences of individuals that may help your preparation for your next trip to Paris or at least provide you with some comic relief.

If you have some Paris travel advice that you would like to share with other sisters, please email us. We will consider it for our next update to this section. All advice received will have an anonymous listing in this section.

PARIS FLIGHT

Confirm your flight at least 72 hours in advance.
Check the luggage policy for your airline.
Make a copy of your passport/flight itinerary/hotel reservations and leave it with someone at home. Also, carry an extra copy with you.
Request an exit row seat for more legroom.
Pack headache and other medicines in your hand luggage.
If you have a cold or have problems with air pressure, purchase the special ear plugs for air pressure available at most airports or large pharmacies.
If you are sitting in coach, bring your own cold non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. It's a long flight and the airplane food may not satisfy you.
Bring plenty of magazines, books and CDs for entertainment.
Buy a packing book, so that you learn how to pack efficiently.

A sister's story:
A sister was flying from Dallas to Paris and had a "little cold". An hour into the flight, her ears were "killing" her. The pain made it hard for her to sleep, so she arrived in Paris very tired. On her return flight, she used the special ear plugs and had no problems with her ears.

FRENCH LANGUAGE

Unless you are fluent in French, bring a French phrasebook.
You will use the French equivalent for the following English words/phrases often so memorize their French pronunciation before your trip: Sir, Madame, Hello, Please, Thank You, Excuse Me, Goodbye, I don't understand, Where is?, How much?, Do you speak English?
Charm and good manners are appreciated by the French. You are expected to greet small shop owners, elderly people, etc. The more you use (Sir, Madame, Hello, Please, Thank You, Excuse Me), the more help that you will receive. Avoid being an "Ugly American." Start every interaction in French then follow with English (using a pleasant voice), you will receive assistance from most people (if they understand English).

AIRPORT TRANSFER

Don't take the RER train from the airport if you have more than one bag, can get frustrated easily, had little sleep in the past 9 hours, arrived on a red eye flight, don't have Euros available or it's raining heavily outside.
Use the airport shuttle or Roissy Bus (if your hotel is near their Paris bus stops) for transportation from the airport. You need to make advance reservations from the U.S. for the airport shuttle. It costs 20-25 Euros (one-way) for the airport shuttle and 8-10 Euros (one-way) for the Roissy Bus.
If money is not an issue, pay 45-50 Euros to take a taxi from the airport to central Paris.

A Sister's Story:
Saving money on a Paris trip has tradeoffs. One sister rode the RER train from the airport. The line for Customer Service was too long, so she had to use the ticket machines. She had to exchange money at the airport metro station (since U.S. credit cards were not accepted by the ticket machines), paying the worst exchange rate possible and a fee. For $40 she received 23 Euros. Her ride to Paris on a crowded train included views of graffiti, watching her valuables closely, dealing with her large luggage that kept falling down, and having various men who may or may not have been pickpockets stare at her. Once she arrived at her RER train station, she had to transfer to a Metro train (subway). The transfer included carrying her heavy luggage up several flights of stairs and down many hallways. Some hallways included homeless people and other undesirable things that don't need to be mentioned here. Upon arrival at the Metro station for her hotel, she walked up more flights of stairs and received a "warm welcome" from the men hanging out at her station. It started to rain outside during the summer months, so you know what that means for a sister's hair and luggage. She saved a few Euros by riding the RER train.

COMMUNICATION

Use the Internet or phone cards for inexpensive communication with home. Internet cafés are available in several locations around Central Paris. If you can't find an internet café near your hotel, try MB Fidelity Net (147, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis) near Gare du Nord station. They charge 3 Euros for 60 minutes, have English language keyboards available and you can enjoy crepes at their café.
Don't call the U.S. using your hotel's phone service unless it's an emergency or saving money is not an issue. You can easily spend $15 or more for a 5 minute call.
Many Internet cafes only have French language keyboards available. This can make using the internet very slow, since you need to look at the keyboard. Several cafes can use a special program to change the keyboard to English. Request one if you have the English language keyboard memorized.

PARIS HOTEL ROOMS

Paris hotel rooms are very small compared to the U.S., so pack accordingly.
They have different standards for non-smoking. If you request a non-smoking room, it can just mean that they just opened the windows to air it out before you arrived. Consider staying at an American chain hotel or more expensive hotel if having a non-smoking room is a key issue for you.
Air conditioning is not available in many older hotels.
English language television stations are limited (i.e. CNN, MTV).
Confirm that the breakfast buffet is included in your room price before going to the breakfast room.
If you need to cancel a hotel room, confirm the hotel's cancellation policy and get the cancellation in writing in order to avoid cancellation fees at a later date.

A sister's story:
One sister made hotel reservations over the internet with a major U.S. hotel chain in Paris. She needed to cancel her room, so she cancelled it 48 hours in advance over the Internet. Unfortunately, she needed to confirm the cancellation with the Paris hotel over the phone since the cancellation did not register in their system. She was charged a 1 room night cancellation fee and had to work with her credit card company to resolve the issue.

MONEY and VALUABLES

Bring at least one ATM card and credit card from the U.S. Use the ATM card to get Euros, since they usually have a better rate than many currency exchange offices. Your ATM card should have a code of 4 digits.
Locals don't wear money belts. If you choose to wear a money belt, you stand out as a tourist, but wear it around the waist or neck as it is meant to be used.
If you don't use a money belt, place your money in hidden pockets or deep inside your bag, so that it's hard for pickpockets.
Put only things that you are willing to lose in your "visible" pockets.
When walking around Paris or using the Metro carry little cash, a credit card, a driver's license and a copy of your passport for identification. It's easier to replace a stolen driver's license than an original U.S. passport.
Store your original passport, extra money, plane ticket, list of credit card/ATM card customer service phone numbers and other valuables in the locked hotel safe.

A Sister's Story:
One sister decided that she looked fat, so she wore the money belt as a purse. She had her valuables stolen from her money belt on the same day.

CLOTHES

Locals dress from casual (jeans and t-shirt) to ultra chic. Generally, most travel books recommend that you should dress well. This is good advice if you are not planning to ride the Metro many times during the day, walking long distances or going to tourist attractions. During the hot summer months, wearing jeans and t-shirt is acceptable. Wearing shorts may result in a lot of unwanted attention from many men.
Pack several pairs of good walking shoes. Paris is a walker's paradise.
After you arrive in Paris, pay attention to how the locals are dressed on the Metro. You want to dress in a similar fashion.

MEALS

If you are missing home or delicious Soul food/International cuisine, go to the restaurants listed in the Soul Food of Paris article.
If you are missing American Cuisine, go to Planet Hollywood, Chicago Pie Factory or House of Live near the Champs Elysees. At a minimum, they have free English language publications available near the front doors that contain information on apartments, events, phone cards, etc.
Find the nearest grocery store and consider purchasing food for a picnic. Also, stock up on your favorite drinks, so that you don't need to buy the expensive drinks in your hotel's mini-bar.
It's not the French experience, but if you are too tired to use French and want a budget meal, try Chinese restaurants. There is usually one restaurant employee that speaks limited English and they show photos of their food so you can figure out what you are ordering. One sister got an appetizer, drink, meat entrée, rice/noodles and dessert for 8 Euros.
For budget meals, if you want more than McDonalds or Quick Hamburger, try lunch specials offered at many restaurants/cafes. The places serving American cuisine usually have large portions. You can order the biggest meal and have the remainder wrapped for take-out. Use French when explaining that you want "take-out" even if the waiter appears to speak English.

A Sister's Story:
One sister told her "English speaking" waiter to take away the remaining half of her pizza. He threw it in the garbage because "take away" (an American term) doesn't mean "take-out" to English as Second Language (ESL) speakers.

TRANSPORTATION and TOURS

Tours

If you want to explore the African American experience in Paris, reserve a tour in advance.
The "Hop on, Hop off" tour bus is worth the extra money compared to the Metro if you want to see the major tourist attractions conveniently. The "open air" seats on the top of the bus provide the best views.

Public Transportation

If it's your first visit to Paris, get a Paris Visite card. It allows unlimited rides on the public transportation system (trains, buses, funicular) for a specific amount of time and provides some discounts on tourist attractions.
When riding the Metro, pay close attention to signs that state "Renove" (renovation). Since the Paris Metro system is old, the French workers are constantly renovating various parts of the system.
To open Metro train doors, you must pull the handle. They do not open automatically at stops.
Before exiting a Metro station, look at the wall-mounted Metro map and figure out exactly where you are going. Also, make sure that you use the "sortie" (exit) nearest your destination.
Buy a "carnet" of 10 tickets, so that you don't waste valuable time waiting in line to purchase individual tickets.
Don't read maps or tourist books on the Metro, so that you are not targeted by pickpockets as a tourist.
When confused or if you need assistance, ONLY ask for help from train station agents or the information booth.
Use local buses if you have extra time and clearly understand where you are going. It's easy to go the wrong direction on the bus.
Street musicians are common on the trains. You will hear a variety of musicians, but do NOT pull out your wallet to give them money.
Do not rent a motorcycle to explore Paris. You may see many motorcycles in the city, but it is dangerous for a first-time visitor to use one. One sister witnessed several motorcycle accidents during her trip.

ATTENTION FROM MEN & SAFETY

Men

Some sisters, especially single women age 35 and over, may receive more attention from local men than they are accustomed to in the U.S. If the attention is unwanted, firmly say "No." Seek assistance from others if necessary.
Several Metro stations attract hustlers trying to sell you something or want to take you somewhere. Don't engage in conversation with these men. Just walk away.
Depending on where you live in the U.S., sisters may notice a significant increase in the number of sisters dating European men compared to the U.S.
Public display of affection among couples is more common than the U.S.

Safety

Compared to major U.S. cities, Paris is a safe city. You should use common sense when walking around. Sisters traveling alone should assume they are traveling in a major U.S. city and take the necessary precautions.
Pickpockets don't fit a profile, so use care when in tourist attraction areas and using public transportation. Many children are pickpockets, so watch your valuables when approached by several children.
Seek help or information only from official personnel (train station agents, tourist office, tour bus drivers, airport information desk, airline employees, hotel desk clerks, etc.).
There are many homeless people around Paris that sleep in the Metro stations and near ATM machines. They are usually harmless, but may surprise you when they beg for money in 2-3 languages.

A sister's story:
Walking along the Champs Elysees, a sister decided to stop and look around. She was approached by a young girl with a card that stated that she was mute, poor, from a family of many children and she hand signalled for a donation. When the sister refused to give the young woman money, she said "Ah! You are American" and turned the card over from the French side to the English side. Yes, the mute girl suddenly discovered her voice!

INTERACTIONS WITH LOCAL PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT

Many sisters and brothers living in Paris are from French speaking African and Caribbean countries.
Don't expect local Sisters and Brothers to greet you the same way that they do in the U.S.
If you want to see many people of African Descent concentrated in one area, check out "Little Africa" (Metro: Chateau Rouge) or the "Black Hair" area (Metro: Chateau d'Eau). It's like visiting Harlem or a city in West Africa.
If you have not traveled to Africa before, you may not have experience with the way that Africans may stare at African Americans. Usually, they are staring out of curiosity.

A sister's story:
One sister had many local people of African descent stare at her on the Metro trains and various places around Paris without speaking to her. Due to the language barrier and culture, many locals did not know how to approach her. The U.S. custom of a "head nod" or "Hello" was not familiar to them. She did appreciate that when she required help that the locals always seem to be there for her -- rescuing her from being stuck in the Metro turnstile, picking up her oversize luggage in the Metro, making sure that her long coat didn't drag on the floor, pulling her luggage out of the closed Metro train door, etc.

TOURIST ATTRACTIONS

Buy a Paris Museum Pass to avoid lines and save some money.
Don't miss the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Sac-Coeur, exploring the Montmartre area, walking down the Champs Elysees, a boat ride down the River Seine and shopping at the major department or designer stores!
If you enjoy fashion shows, go to the free weekly fashion shows at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Some shows require advance reservations using the store's website.
If you have the extra time and have never seen a European palace, you must visit the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles gardensare spectacular! No photos do justice to the beauty of these gardens; you just have to experience them for yourself. Arrive in Versailles during the late afternoon to avoid the crowds.
There are sex shops in several neighborhoods near some of the Soul of Paris historical attractions. These neighborhoods are safe during the day.

MISCELLANEOUS TIPS

If it's raining, run into a café and relax. Don't get frustrated trying to read maps and street signs in the rain while dealing with an umbrella.
Don't take photos of the American Embassy. They have armed guards that are not obvious until you point your camera towards the American Embassy.
Before leaving your hotel, check the weather report. Paris can have sunshine and rain on the same day.
When crossing the street at a major intersection in Paris, look both ways and walk deliberately. Pedestrians do not have the right of way.
Paris uses military time or the 24 hour clock and dates are written day/month/year, so don't get confused by the difference.
Bring plenty of anti-bacterial wipes to help prevent illness.
Before leaving the U.S., find out if your health insurance covers an unexpected visit to the doctor in Paris and the locations of the hospitals covered by your health insurance.
Bring some of the books on the Soul of Paris Resources List with you on your trip.
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities, so enjoy!