Gay Pari!

DW and I are squeezing one last weekend trip in before we move back to the US.  Anyone here been to Paris recently?  Is it hard to get around the city?  Are signs there in English as well as French?  Neither of us speak French so do you think we'll have difficulty?  Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.

you will be abso fine.....just be polite and have a map with you!

I was going there once a month for work and was ok.  I just have a few phrases, thank you, please, a recepit please and i've been fine.

I used carnet cards on the metro-just like london you can get a pack of 10 for the main part of paris....supa easy!!!!!!  We walked everywhere too, and never really got lost as long as we had maps.

There are some signs in english, a lot in french, but nothing that isn't intuitaive.

I was there last week and my only comment was that it was a pain in the ass to get a cab down by the Pompadieu center.  They tend to use taxi ranks in Paris, so if you need to take a cab...look for round TAXI signs and that's a taxi rank.  Sometimes they'll be sitting there waiting other times, it's the people waiting for cabs. 

I have been to Paris a few times and my basic basic basic french is fine.  Just make the effort to say please, thank you, etc and you will be fine. 

My basic french is terrible (ie non existent) but I manage to get around Paris with a phrase book and lots of smiles!  It is easy to get around, and the metro system is good, though the maps are no where near as clear as the London Underground, so you may want to pick up a map and a guide book and plan a little in advance.

Instead of getting a carnet, you could get a tourist three day pass (visite), which covers you for the whole city, on the metro and all trains other than the TGV's. 

Vicky

i forgot about the visitor pass!!! great idea

I usually use the carnets over a trip or two....so excellent idea!

where do you get the passes?  is there a station at DeGaulle that we can get into the center of Paris.  Our hotel is somewhere in central.

I got mine in Gare Du Nord - you can certainly get them in the mainline stations, though I am not sure if you can get them at metro stations or airports as I have never tried.

Vicky

what is "Gare Du Nord?"

has anyone done the "hop on hop off" bus tours in Paris.  We have enjoyed the ones we did in Edinburgh, Barcelona, and London....does anyone know if you need to go to certain point to buy the tix for the bus, or can you get on at any stop and buy.  Thanks again.

Gare du nord is the major trainstation in Paris.  It is where the Eurostar trains arrive.  At the risk of stating the obvious, and I do not mean this in a  cheeky way, Gare=Station, Nord=North.  The station is sort of in the north of central paris.  i.e. north of the river, but still very central.  If you are not taking the Eurostar, there isn't much around that station so I would think it would be better to find someplace else to buy the metro passes.

How are you getting there?  Last time I flew to Charles De Gaulle I seem to remember getting a coach which stopped at the Champs Elysees.  If you are getting a train from the airport, then it probably goes into Gare Du Nord, but you should be able to get a Visite at the train station at the airport.  I suppose the easiest thing is to ask at information in the airport...they will certainly have someone there who speaks English.

Vicky

you can get the train from de gualle.....and you can buy your pass at the station  at the airport, if memory serves

you might have to change at guar de norde to get wherever you're staying in paris....

Phrases you need to know

please:  s'il vous plait (seel voo play)
thank you:  merci
where are?  ou est  (ooo eh)  bathrooms: WC (Vaysay)
Beer:  biere (said like pierre)
Wine: vin (van - sort of but don't really pronounce the n)
It helps if you know your numbers
and always ask with a smile and always try in French.  Get a phrase book as well!

and like Karin said, station: Gare (garr)

I usually end up using 'pardon' and 'excuse moi' most of the time...handy when walking through crowded streets!

Vicky

Je Suis desolee - I am sorry.
Parle vous englais. - Do you speak english?

(Please note the order....apologize for not speaking french...haha)

How are you getting there?  Last time I flew to Charles De Gaulle I seem to remember getting a coach which stopped at the Champs Elysees.  If you are getting a train from the airport, then it probably goes into Gare Du Nord, but you should be able to get a Visite at the train station at the airport.  I suppose the easiest thing is to ask at information in the airport...they will certainly have someone there who speaks English.

Vicky

we are flying from newcastle to DeGaulle and the hotel is closest to the Wagram metro station.  What is the RER?