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Read MoreParis trip – blog post about my experience
In April 2023 I traveled to Paris for 2 days. I wanted to visit the city already for 2 years because I am learning French and it is one of the most popular cities in the world, so how could I miss it? I decided to share with you my experience about the Paris trip on blog. You will see how it went generally, what was surprising, disappointing and what I liked and what I did not in Paris.
What surprised me in Paris and what I liked
The first thing that was surprising for me was that French people speak English. I often heard that they do not know English or do not want to speak that language. However, mostly when they saw that I had trouble with my basic French level, they started to speak English to me. So If you are afraid that you will not manage in France with English, do not worry. At least airport bus drivers and hotel receptionists can communicate in English. For the rest cases, you may learn basic phrases, or try to show what you mean.
Secondly, I was surprised by the Arch of Triumph. It is bigger than I expected and has a lot of different ornaments which gives an incredible effect.
The last thing which impressed me was the Louvre Palace. I saw it only from the outside because I am not a museum person. The palace is huge and very ornamented with sculptures and other architectural aspects. It is hard to believe that people build it. The amount of time and work needed many years ago to make it is unbelievable.
I really liked French food. Especially the goat cheese and macaroons taste much better than the ones available in my country.
I can say that I liked the hotel. It was quite close to the city center so I could walk (a distance of 5km is short for me to walk) or go by metro without changing the metro line. The hotel was very nice and professional, even though it was a budget one.
Interested in the hotel in Paris?
What disappointed me in Paris and what I did not like
Paris is not as perfect a city as in the movies. From my perspective, it is not very special. Of course, there are many beautiful places, especially in the city center. However, the district where I booked a hotel was not the cleanest one. There was a lot of garbage on the streets, which were sometimes blocking the pavements. I would not expect such poor district conditions 5 km away from the city center.
Another thing that disappointed me in Paris was the Eiffel Tower. I expected more based on that what is shown in photos and movies. The reality does not reflect it. It is smaller than it seems and I do not know what people really see interesting in that (besides the view from the top).
My Paris trip compared to the plan
I planned my travel to Paris a month before. A few days before the journey starts, I checked out how to get from the airport to the hotel, and what are public transport possibilities and I planned the routes for two days to see everything that I want. Everything went as I planned, I saw even more places than I assumed in my Paris travel plan, and I got to the hotel with no problem (except that I got out at the wrong stop from the airport bus and I needed to manage how to continue to the hotel with different metro line).
Protest in France affected my Paris travel
The biggest trouble at that time was protests in France. Fortunately, it did not affect the dates of my stay and the airlines did not cancel my journey. However, the departure time changed when I was flying to and from Paris. Therefore, I arrived in Paris 1,5 hours later and departed over 3 hours later than planned.
The flight home from Paris was the worst I had so far. It was supposed to start at 8:50 and was postponed to 11:30. I got a message about it when I was already on my way to the airport, so I could not for example stay longer in a hotel, or go for breakfast in Paris (was too early and cafes were closed). Then after long and boring waiting at Orly airport, I got to the plane, and I have spend another hour there waiting for the start.
Conclusions about my Paris travel
In overall summary, My Paris trip went well. I am happy that 2 days were enough for me to visit all places I wanted. I enjoyed the time and French cuisine. As well I saved some money on public transport because distances were ok for me to go on foot.
Thank you 🙂
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