I will be travelling solo in Europe sometime in Oct or Nov. I'm Asian female, hoping to have glimpse of Rome and Paris in 8 days. I have not decided yet if I will join a tour or will do it by myself. I'm actually a bit intimidated by the folks from these 2 places. Are they friendly towards Asians? I'm excited but quite nervous about this. As for the budget, the cheaper place the better. Safety is a must though. I still have to figure out how to get from airport to a hotel. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

Don't worry about it. Rome and Paris have been welcoming visitors from all over the world for centuries and you certianly won't be the only Asian there. Those in the tourist trade - major industry there - certainly know how to look after people who provide their livelihood. If you want to get the best of welcome and service, smile a lot and learn a few words in local language, for thank you, please and good morning.

Hi C,

>Are they friendly towards Asians?

As friendly as they are toward everyone else. That is, you will be welcome almost universally.

>As for the budget, the cheaper place the better.

Give us a number, unless you don't mind sleeping under bridges.

>I still have to figure out how to get from airport to a hotel.

From which city?

>hoping to have glimpse of Rome and Paris in 8 days.

Not recommended. Choose one or the other. Trying to do both in 8 days means far too much of your valuable time is taken up in changing venues.

I agree with Ira that trying to see both Paris and Rome is a mistake. If you do decide to go to both cities, fly into one and back from the other to save time. Re transportation, your luggage will be too heavy for you to take public transportation. To avoid difficulties with unethical taxi drivers, I suggest prearranging your trip into the city with a shuttle or limo service. People in this forum will give you more complete information. Turning now to hotels, in Paris my wife and I stayed at and loved www.hotel-grandes-ecoles.com/, but they may already be booked. In Rome the best places (I think) are in the Campo de' Fiori or Centre Storico areas. I can't give you a good hotel there, but if you decide on an apartment I recommend IlGlicine as a rental agency.

Its very easy to combine both (notwithstanding the advice that you have gotten, and will continue to get, from some who think its a mistake to depart a city not having visited every museum, church, noteworthy restaurant, etc.) -- with eight days, you can spend four full days in Paris and three full days in Rome, during which you can quite easily and enjoyably see all of the first tier highlights, and some other personal choices, in both cities.

You should look for an open jaw ticket (flying into Paris and out of Rome, or vice versa), and then book a one-way ticket between the two.

Its very easy to get from both airports into the city center by public transport (the RER from CDG into central Paris, and the train from FCO to Termini). Just make sure to bring a reasonable amount of luggage so that you can use the train.

There are plenty of reasonably priced hotels in both cities -- take a look at Lonely Planet guides to both cities, and some emails inquiring about availability.

Michael

>Its very easy to combine both (notwithstanding the advice that you have gotten, and will continue to get, from some who think its a mistake to depart a city not having visited every museum, church, noteworthy restaurant, etc.) -<

We are coming up on our 10th(?) visit to Paris and are far from having seen "every museum, church, noteworthy restaurant, etc".

And I've spent 30 days in Rome and still have dozens of things to see...

Of course you can do both if you like. The other thing to think about is that since you're on a tight budget, it will cost less to choose one city, because you won't have to pay for transportation between the cities and will only have two trips to and from the airport to pay for instead of four.

I forgot to mention, I wouldn't worry about being an Asian female alone in either place.

Hi Calico,

As an Asian female who has traveled to both Rome and Paris, I will say they are as friendly as you are. Both are exciting places, and you should have a lot of fun.

Enjoy!

<<We are coming up on our 10th(?) visit to Paris and are far from having seen "every museum, church, noteworthy restaurant, etc".>>

This proves my point -- you can easily re-visit a favorite city, sometimes many times.

Are you a fox or a hedgehog?

I'm an Asian female and have spent a minimal amount of time in Paris but have spent some time solo in Rome and throughout Italy. I see more and more Asians in Italy each time I go and I think the lone Asian woman is less of an oddity compared to 10 years ago. However, your presence may still be intriguing for some, especially if you are on the younger side and especially for males. Back in the day (haha - as I am now closer to 40 and married) I was constantly a target for conversation when walking around or at tourist sites, etc. I never felt unsafe, but some folks were not all that pleasant.

Also, I find that due to the influx of Japanese tourism there is a tendency to think that all Asians are Japanese. I am frequently greeted with hello in Japanese (konnichi wa) when in Italy but I am not and do not speak Japanese. If I tell people when they ask that I am American and was born in New York they would think I was lying.

One time I was out for a walk/run and met a couple along the road stopping to admire the view. They asked if I was from Thailand, when I said no they asked if I had ever been there. They said they had been there and really enjoyed it. They kept engaging me in conversation and when I wanted to continue my exercise they offered to drive me to where I was going. The whole exchange got awkward, I don't want to make generalizations about Thailand, but given what I've heard about sex tourism there, the whole thing felt rather creepy.

<i>Also, I find that due to the influx of Japanese tourism there is a tendency to think that all Asians are Japanese. I am frequently greeted with hello in Japanese (konnichi wa) when in Italy but I am not and do not speak Japanese. If I tell people when they ask that I am American and was born in New York they would think I was lying.</i>

Oh my, this is my same experience (and I was also born in NY). However, now added to their repetoire is &quot;Ni hao ma?&quot; to which I answer in English, &quot;I'm well, thanks. And you?&quot;

In Tunisia, I had to convince the storekeepers that my English is American English. Some American stranger who happened by vouched for me.

But again, just be smart about where you are (e.g if it doesn't feel right, get yourself out of the situation fast), learn the usual &quot;Hi, Bye, Do you speak English?, Please, Thank you, You're welcome&quot; in both Italian and French, and you should have a wonderful time.

Hi everyone!

WOW! Thank you all for your input. I didn't realize how many responded until now. I remember checking this post after I entered my questions and I didn't see a single reply. Maybe some glitch in the system (?).

I'm allotting no more than US$70 /night in Paris and Rome. I would be landing in FCO (Rome) and CDG (Paris) airports. I hope to use train or bus to get to my lodging which would most likely be in those cities. TIA again!