I just love Todor's response. After one bad experience, she "blows off" Paris forever. Of course, what would you expect from a Newbie.

You're not being silly. Paris IS intimidating. Many of the best things in life are.

The thing is, you have to do it. Put you head down and go charging into it, allow yourself to be scared and nervous, but GO, and when you get there you will quickly see that it is beautiful and lovely and fascinating in all the ways you've heard and a thousand others besides.

People who pretend they've been blasé about everything new all their lives are lying. It's normal to be afraid a little. But you'll live through it, easily, and the next thrill will come even easier.

As for people making fun of your accent or clothes or whatever, yeah, somebody might. My very first hour in Paris I had a terrifying confrontation with a frustrated kebab vendor who wanted me to understand that I needed to go inside and pay first, and get a ticket, but I couldn't understand him, and I was mortified and wanted to shrivel up into my shoes. Then he smiled, and everything was fine.

On my first trip to London I was walking through Little Venice when I picked up an entourage of little boys, about ten or twelve, a whole pack of them, and they followed me for several blocks shouting and pointing and laughing (actually, the identical thing happened to me in a scary neighborhood in Oakland, CA once. So it's not just the language.

But you know what? Who cares? You're in Paris. There's a million jerks. There's a hundred thousand jerks in your home town, too. So what?

Go to Paris.

Just remember not to judge the whole city (actually any whole city) by an isolated experience. Remember than you can encounter rude/less than sweet people everywhere, every day. (A couple of weeks ago I was at a Sephora near my home and the sales clerks were so rude I vowed to never return.) Customer service is difficult and not everyone is cut out for it. There was a lady working the cash register at the gift shop in the Musee d'Orsay who was very short with me. But she was very short with everyone. She had the wrong job for her personality type.

Also, remember that not everyone will have the time to help you. The person you stop to ask directins may be late for work or an appointment, may have been fired that day, may have a sick child.

Just remember that Paris is full of human beings...some nice, some not nice. (But, even when you encounter the not nice folks, you're still in PARIS!!!) You'll love it.

Another here who speaks only basic French but never have a problem even with my awful pronounciation.
It's a myth all locals are stylish, so just think clean, polite and comfortable shoes

I have only once had anyone be rude to me in 20+ trips to Paris. It was at the store Au Bon Marché and it was about 10 minutes before closing and the saleswoman said I couldn't try on a piece of clothing during the sales. Voila - I left.

And the only hassle I have ever really had was when 2 friends came over from the US and we stayed in the St Michel touristy area, were eating at an outdoor resto and a beggar wouldn't leave us alone and kept harrassing us to give him money, we couldn't speak French, blah, blah. He hadn't heard us speaking anything but English since it was all my friends spoke. So I asked in French:
Vous parlez anglais?
Non!
Je vous enseigné - F#@!^ off!
And that was the end of him. He got the message.

Don't worry about not speaking French.
My French is pretty damn good, if I say so myself, but I retain an accent.
As soon as this is picked up on, I can't get anyone in Paris to speak French to me.

I went. It was my first truly solo trip. I don't speak French at all. I loved it.

just do it

vegaslocal,
Definitely, definitely, definitely go. Don't be afraid. We went in 2001, me with the French I remembered from high school and DH with no French and not once was anyone mean or rude. It is a fabulous city and you will never forget it!

It would be wonderful to learn French, but it's not all that necessary for a trip to Paris. Most Parisians that we've met speak English fluently, and besides, when they hear our accents,(mon dieu!) the gig is up! Go, and have a great time. There's really nothing very intimidating about Paris other than the prices at some of the more expensive restaurants!

Thanks all! I just needed a little push!

Dukey - I'm not a troll. You should be able to find many postings and replies under my screen name going back for several years.

todor - Thanks for the suggestion to try Amsterdam. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. (Loved it by the way.) I'm thinking it's time to go to Paris.

fnarf99 - 100,000 jerks in my hometown? You mean the ones who come here for the weekend to get drunk and make jerks out of themselves? We call them Californians.

Thanks again everyone! I really appreciate your responses! Paris, here I come!

I just got back from Paris, where I met four other friends. In recent years, I've gone once or twice a year with my husband, who lived in France and knows his way around and speaks the language. This time I truly was intimidated with having to pay attention and find my way around on my own and lead a group of gals, some of whom had never been in Paris before.

Well, the good news is that Paris is a grand old city with many friendly, helpful people. The transportation system is well-integrated and organized. Our "first-timer" caught on quickly and found their way around with city and metro maps. When all else failed, a polite "Bonjour" and question to a passerby got them in the right direction. Best of all, vegaslocal, people on this forum will give you detailed answers to all your questions, and quickly if you need it. This forum was a godsend!

One suggestion to get a good overview of the city is to use the "Hop on, hop off" bus. You can get a one or two day pass and take any of four routes through the city. If you stay on a route to the end, you get a "big picture", then can go back on the same bus or later to visit some of the highlights.

You mustn't miss Paris...just enjoy!

"Le ditto" to all of the above.

Paris is cited one of the great cities in the world, and in my mind justifiably so.

No, you don;t have to dress in a Chanel outfit to go out to eat, nor will you be mocked if your French is not at 'converstion' level.

Part of it is attitude and respect for another culture. What some visitors experience there is compared to "back home" and then you get the rude Parisian stereotype. There are social protocols that are different over there. Learn them and life becomes easier.

People complain about the waiter not bringing them the bill or not offering refills....in their country, it would be rude to rush people through their meal or impose on them as they enjoy the food. Rude, no. Different, yes. Better, I'd say yes. Politeness and protocol...get those, you're in.

All you need, and we'll help you here, are some basic phrases. Menus are posted otuside restaurants, so you can translate before going in. Some places offer english menus, but if you need help and do it properly, a waiter will oblige.

The Metro and RER train system are quite organized and easy to use. A bit of review and questions asked here will make you comfortable getting around.

English bus and walking tours will help you see the city. Plenty of written guides will give you some interesting walks.

Give us an idea if what you'd like to do. We can look over itineraries, suggest restaurants, interesting sites,etc..

Paris is worth the effort. Millions of non-french tourists visit every year, why not be the next.

Mike

This title made me laugh because no matter where I go I get intimidated. I have conquered my France intimdation, but I still need to work on Spain,Germany, and Italy. I find it amazing that others can travel without being intimidated.

I have no idea why Paris should make you feel any more intimidated than any other major European city where you don't speak the language
;-)

Vegaslocal. You ask, "Am I being ridiculous?"
Ask a different question entirely:
-- with respect to the issues that worry you, ask instead, "What's the worst that could happen?"
Jess

Vegaslocal, I wasn't slandering Laswegians (Vegasians? Lasvegans?) in particular, I was just pointing out that there are rude and jerky people everywhere. They only represent the norm if you want them to.

Happytotravel, I agree. I love to plan these trips. But there is always the moment somewhere between Passport Control and Ground Transportation where I ask myself, "Why did I want to do this?" It never helps to be sleep deprived, either. I'm always a lot more adventurous when I've had a good night's sleep.

My husband and I went to Paris several years ago and we didn't know even one word of French. We just smiled and pointed and tried to be as polite as possible. We encountered NO rude people at all anywhere. Learn a couple phrases, like please and thank you and you can set your worries aside.

>I had an unpleasant experience where a couple of young teenagers made fun of my attempt to speak French. <

Oh, my God! That would make me want to go home, get into bed, assume the fetal position and never come out.

Or maybe not.

Hi V,

Now that you are planning to go to Paris, you might find these helpful:
Paris Superthread
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34519236

100 Great Things to Do in Paris
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...mp;tid=1277898

Degas’s Paris Walks
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34712768

Jacquemart-Andre’ Museum http://tinyurl.com/p9pol