I've travelled to Europe a few times in the recent past. I have met some wonderful people and never encountered anyone who was not willing to be helpful to a 'dumb tourist' like myself. Likewise, I try to help people who travel to my hometown, Las Vegas, whenever I can.

I would like to go back to Western Germany and tour the Rhine region for a second time. But this time, I would like to end or begin the trip in Paris.

But I'm intimidated by the thought of travelling to Paris. I don't speak French, and even if I pick up a few words, I'm sure my pronunciation will be atrocious. I'm not particularly stylish and I travel on pretty tight budget. I'm afraid of how I will be treated by the locals.

Am I being ridiculous?

Yes - just ask Idaho Jaane

Absolutely.

In the really heavily touristy areas, waiters are rude to all tourists, which is understandable given the constant flood of people flowing through those restaurants. Outside of that, people in Paris are like people everywhere - generally friendly, generally polite, and generally understanding.

It's not really necessary to speak French to get by in Paris, although making the attempt (regardless of the pronunciation) is always appreciated.

As for not particularly stylish, I wouldn't worry about it - you wouldn't *believe* some of the outfits I've seen on people (both locals and tourists). As long as you're comfortable, trust me, no one will care.

I'm curious as to why you think France and Paris in particular would be different than Germany?

Yes, don't believe most of what you friends may think...just pull up some posts on here. My wife & I speak little French & Paris is my very favorite city. My daughter has also been there twice & I believe she would say the same thing (@ 5). Of course having children w/you doesn't hurt, I gained a whole other perspective w/her along.

Dear VegasLocal,

I can understand your trepidation about visiting Paris, and you are not being ridiculous, but you really should go if that is your desire. Paris is a beautiful city and I have always found the people to be gracious and helpful. As far as the language goes: Oui, Non, Merci, S'il Vous Plait, Bonjour/Bonsoir Madame/Mademoiselle/Monsieur and Au Revoir Madame/Mademoiselle/Monsieur will serve you well. Keep in mind that Europeans place a lot of stock in simple etiqutte -- things that many Americans have lost by the wayside. Greet all shopkeepers, waiters, etc. with a warm Bonjour Madame/Monsieur (as applicable) and leave them with a Au Revoir. These simple pleasantries will elicit very warm responses from the Parisians. Always approach a Parisian (or any European, for that matter), with a hello in their language before launching into English. You will find that they are willing and pleased to assist you. In large cities, where everyone is in a hurry, the people can come off as aloof but if you try to relate to someone on a one-to-one basis, people respond favorably.

As far as your budget goes, Paris, like any large city, can be expensive, but you can get a wonderful experience on a small budget with proper planning. Big cities have lots of options. Do a lot of research and give yourself plenty of time to plan and you will find what you are looking for.

When traveling, don't worry about your clothing. Dress sensibly and comfortably and don't forget to wear good walking shoes. Your feet will thank you later on.

Lastly, don't be afraid to ask us questions. I, for one, love to talk about Paris.

Good luck,

Donna

Vegaslocal

Please dont feel intimidated by Paris, its a very beautiful city, with lovely polite and charming people, I've visited very touristy area's and have never experienced any rudeness ever!

I dont speak a huge amount of French, but even the smallest effort is applauded by the French people, please go and have a lovely time, and for goodness sake stop worrying about being stylish, life is too short for the nonsense, we are all here only the once, so take the proverbial bull by the horns and just do it

Even though I still have a little high school French, I was also intimidated before going to Paris, and I was very happily surprised to be treated beautifully everywhere I went (no, I am not particularly chic, and certainly we were on a budget). I think the entire key is to be polite, prefacing all questions with "Pardonnez moi (monsieur or madame or mademoiselle)" or "Excusez moi (etc.)" and always, always, always, saying "Merci" before leaving. My accent is nothing to be proud of, but I found that it was the effort to be polite that made all the difference. (And none of my waiters was rude, either!)

I don't agree about rudeness AT ALL. And Paris to us is one of the easiest cities to visit and enjoy--easier than NYC, and I have lived there! It is a small feeling city because it isn't "high". The transportation system--Metro and bus--is the best in the world in my opinion, making anywhere you want to go very accessible.
Learning a few words of French and understanding the courtesy of saying "bonjour" when you enter a store and "Merci" when you leave makes transactions very pleasant.
As for budget, I consider Paris the bargain destination of western Europe and cheaper than most of the US.

Now walking up to the craps table in your hometown and betting the "Don't Pass Line"... that is intimidating.

Hi Vegaslocal,
My husband and I just went to Paris for our first time in March and had some of the same feelings you're having now. What I picked up quickly however, is that if you at least try to speak French initially with the Parisans (even if it's just a simple bonjour) you'll get a much better reaction then if you just assume they'll speak English to you. We both speak some French but it's not that good and most of the time we would try to speak French and the people would take "pity" on us and speak English back. You'll have no problem getting around if you only speak English but it's always polite to try to speak their language.
In regards to being fashionable, there are so many different people coming from all over to Paris that the styles we encountered are limitless so I'm sure you'll fit right in no matter what!
I hope you have a great trip

My husband and I felt exactly the same way before we went for the first time in 2002. Now it's one of our most favorite cities, equal to Rome.

It is a beautiful, walkable city with so much to see and do. I think the language was our biggest issue, but I took a few classes and learned basic tourist phrases and read about general "customs" and food etc.

Unlike the other post, I found no one rude, just different. Customs and traditions, especially in a restaurant are very different and if you don't realize it and go with it, you will misinterpret the meaning.

Watch a few travel videos (like Samantha Brown) and get a good guide book. A good street map (like Streetwise) is essential to get a feel of the city. Orient yourself to the river, like you would in Rome or Florence etc.. and locate points of interest. That way when you arrive you have a general sense of where you are versus when you want to go.

You will not regret it, we all promise!!

You are either a troll OR you have been listening to too many bored people here and have allowed a lot of their BS about Paris scare you away.

My recommendation: get over THAT and also out of that "dumb tourist" mindset you've gotten into (as if I really believe it and no, neither should you).

So, your pronunciation isn't the greatest? Big deal? How's your curiosity and politeness level...much more important to success IMO.

"Stylish"...please...after you get to Paris you can report back about how "stylish" some of those clothes are.

You'll be treated by the locals EXACTLY as you deserve to be treated and how you treat them...hopefully with respect.

GO FOR IT!

just go there. i don't know anyone who did not like Paris.

Your thread made me smile. We are totally comfortable in Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona, etc. But we're planning to visit New York City in a couple of weeks, and that intimidates the heck out of us!

2nding and 3rding what everyone said. I speak a little high school French, but my DH speaks no French at all. However, we definitely found that if we followed French etiquette--saying "bonjour" whenever we entered a store and "au revoir" when we exited, politely asking "Parlez-vous Anglais" etc.--they all responded very nicely. We were in Paris two weeks and had a wonderful time!

Hi V,

>Am I being ridiculous?

Yup.

I agree with missypie - your thread got me thinking that due to my own personal quirks/preconceptions, there are some cities that intimidate me, though I'm sure most people that have traveled there would say there is nothing to worry about.

I have no concerns whatsoever about many cities/countries, but for whatever reason Turkey has got me a little intimidated. Not that it will keep me from traveling there, though - it's on my short list of "must see" destinations.

Paris is a wonderful city and I think once you get there you'll realize that you had nothing to worry about.

TOTALLY !!!!!

I can understand your worry, I had an unpleasant experience where a couple of young teenagers made fun of my attempt to speak French. I thought to myself I hope that doesn't happen to a French tourist in the US. Forget Paris, have you considered going to Amsterdam instead? They treat you well even if you don't say a word in Dutch. You can also pick a big city in Germany where people don't expect you to speak their local language.

I live in NYC and people constantly approach me with broken English or heavy foreign accents. It doesn't stop me from being helpful if possible. I figure such exchange is the same, karmicly, all over the world.

It's not really pity that brings people to speak English to you, but they recognize you don't speak French well by your pronunciation. And some people just want to practice their English.

I don't speak French and have had two fine trips to Paris. Don't take it personally.