First time to Paris -Questions
 

Hi all,

Well, its almost time for my first trip to Paris (May 18) and I can't wait!
For persons who have been there recently, what are people wearing there? I'd like to bring a pair of jeans & cargo pants with me, but don't want to look out of place.

Also, I"m staying in the Latin Quarter.. any suggestions on places to eat?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Jeans will be fine. Cargo pants - depends on your age - if you're young you can get away with it. don't worry about what people are wearing there. You can always add to your wardrobe once you see for yourself what's popular be it a top, an accessory, shoes. Don't worry about it.

Latin Quarter - there's so much places to check out, and you'll also be close to the Iles and St Germaine so you have even more choices. Nothing really stood out so much when I was there last fall, but then again, I wasn't looking for a restaurant experience, as I was satisfied with cafes and picnics. Brassiere Balthazar, I think, is in Latin Quarter and while I haven't been there, some people like it.

Go to Ile de St-Louis, and walk along rue de St-Louis (you'll find it eventually - tis the narrow street with shops along the way) and keep walking until you find Berthellon's. Don't confuse the cafes with Berthellon Ice Cream on their awnings - they just serve Berthellons. Go to the actual store, and enjoy the ice cream there. Worth every euros.

Jeans and cargo pants are OK. Latin Quarter is a tourist and student district, so it is casual generally speaking. There are loads of cafes and restaurants, you'll have no problem finding places to eat. Don't miss the bakeries which often features ready-made sandwiches, also the crepe stands, for quick cheap eats.

The Latin Quarter gets very crowded at night - I wouldn't leave it too late to find a table if you're planning on eating there in the evenings. A fun place (not exactly gourmand though) is the Fondue restaurant - quite cheap and cheerful with fondue (obviously!), raclette, and the other one whose name I can never remember, salads, cider and a decent chocolate mousse.

There are also a couple of Tunisian bakeries which are good for snacks in the same area.

You are wise to get some places to eat in mind before you arrive. It can be quite confusing as there are so many places. Here are some notes I made on the 5th arrondisement.
We always have a favourite café – for morning coffee and a drink in the afternoon. (Café Arenes on Monge).
We always have a special night out – (La Truffiere on Blainville for the degustation menu).
We always find a place to rub shoulders with the business people at lunch (Buisson Ardent on Jussieu).
We always have a French restaurant where we are the only non francophones – they turn and look when we come in (Le Moissonnier on Fosses-St Bernard) This is my absolute favorite and I hate sharing it.
As well we have our picnic spot – (Les Arennes de Lutece)

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Sdee, I am also packing for my first Paris trip around the same time as yours, and decided against bringing jeans, only because I heard from someone there that it's been a bit on the warm side. I'm not all that comfortable in jeans in very warm weather, so I packed more linen and lightweight pants (and it saved a lot of room in the suitcase too).

Speaking of warm weather - khermann is right. I don't know about May, but last September it was quite very warm, but also humid as well - so it would be wise to pack some clothes that won't make you feel constricted as well.

April was hot. May has been quite cool so far. It's a coin toss.

You will be amazed how many people wear all black..even in spring. I felt very weird in my red coat in March and April.

Good to know about the black, Nancy. I packed with an eye on what's comfortable and light and won't wrinkle much, rather than color, and I look at my suitcase now and it's almost all black, white or black and white. I'm thinking I should at least throw in a hot pink scarf.

Why not wait and buy a scarf in Paris? That's the kind of thing that makes a fun souvenier.

Be warned the Latin Quarter has its share of extremely touristy fixed-price menu restaurants. You'll get so you can spot them, and avoid them. We ate at one for lunch and it was OK, but food-wise I know we could have found better (but we were hungry and cranky at the time and didn't care -lol!).

Hmmm Now I think I will have to repack as I also brought a couple of long sleeve blouses and light sweaters.

Thanks

Pink is the color of the season, for women. Mostly pink tops, not bottoms.

For the sake of packing light, I try to avoid taking "a couple" of any one type thing. One long sleeve shirt and one light sweater will do, for example. Think about how each piece of clothing functions to avoid unnecessary duplication (you can use the same one black cardigan for the entire trip, is my point, you don't need the beige sweater as well).

The most important clothing item you will bring is good, comfortable shoes. After that, anything black will never be wrong. Scarves (yes, even inexpensive ones) abound in Paris - you can buy perfectly nice ones at Tati for 4 to 6 euro.

I found that while people did wear jeans and cargo pants, they tended to do so in a very "put together" way, and I found slacks to be easier and more comfortable for me.

I echo the advice to check out bakeries for all sorts of goodies, not just sweet things. I'm still dreaming of the inexpensive "petit pains" (sp?) with cheese or olives and onion that comprised our picnics; most bakeries also have great sandwiches. I don't think it's so important to have specific places to eat in mind, since all restaurants, cafes, bistros, and brasseries post their offerings and what you want so often depends on the weather and your mood. If you have a specific place in mind for dinner, it is a good idea to make a reservation.

Back to clothes - do bring layers. The weather is not predictable, and it's a pain to be too chilly or too warm when you want to be out and about.

I agree, there are a lot of touristy restaurants in the Latin Quarter, but all restaurants must offer a fixed price menu, must they not? Prix fixe is usually an excellent deal and far cheaper than ordering the same items ala carte. Also, I have found the the items on the "menu" are usually the chefs specialties.

But, I agree, look for less touristy spots. With that said, there are also several "historic cafes" that although swamped with tourists are also a visit to history.

I, on whole, have been more disappointed with the food over all the past few years. I swear they are catering to the American idea of larger quantity and less quality. Remember, too, there are many great ethnic restaurants in Paris. Don't just think you must eat French cuisine.

I just got back from Paris on Wednesday. Weather was much cooler than theweatherchannel predicted, so I spent a lot of time in jackets/blazers w/ a scarf and mostly in jeans. As the pp said, layers are key - it warmed up by late afternoon. The trend seemed to be skinny jeans and ballet flats, many in metallics. Scarf is key - either bring from home or buy one there. Have a great trip!

Hope you have a wonderful time! I came back last week and found that I lived in black jeans (but the weather was cooler than expected). Also will echo the previous comment about flat shoes....not many people were wearing sneakers!

You're going to Paris. dress as well as you pssibly can -- if you wear sneakers -- don't wear white ones. wear cool colored ones instead.
you're in the fashion cap of the world.

there's an iJourneys.com iPod walking tour for Paris that is totally cool and covers the Left Bank. It's a wonderful and comprehensive introduction and you'll learn pretty much what you need to know.
They stop at neat cafes, french fry places and churches. you go underground to see the remains of the old city.

it's a very fun way to meet Paris. we took it last year and had an incredible experience.

much better than a guidebook.