I Love Paris

Whether you’ve just moved in to Paris, or you’re passing by on vacation, using the Parisian metro railway can be pretty unnerving. Just looking at the map of Paris is enough to make you feel nauseous and alienated. It’s not so hard, though, once you’re introduced properly to the French capital.

First off, you need to understand how to use the railway ticket. A simple train ticket (t+) costs about 1.69 euros. This covers a one-way trip by train to the metro, by RER, by bus, or by the tramway. You can also choose connections on a single ticket (metro-metro, metro-RER, bus-bus) but not bus-RER and bus-Metro. Also, the transit shouldn’t last for more than 90 minutes from your initial validation.

Compared to London, public transportation in Paris is cheap. However, when you add the cost of all of those one-way tickets, you’ll spend a pretty hefty amount. You’ll save more money if you buy a book of 10 tickets (also called a carnet) which costs 11.60 Euros.

There are fourteen train lines in Paris. All of them are included in standard city maps sold all over Paris, with designated colors. You’ll easily find your way around Paris if you know the end station of the line you’re taking. In other words, you shouldn’t be too ashamed of using your map in public while you’re in Paris. It’s better than getting lost with poor French and a handful of coins in your pockets.

While you’re exploring the metro, make sure that you have your ticket with you until you’ve passed through the barrier exits. You may be required to pay huge fines if you lose the ticket before you reach your destination.

When you are in Paris, it is probably a correct statement to say that you are not going to have your own car, so you want to make sure that any transportation that you have allows your dog.  Taxis and cabs are normally the ones that do not want any animals in their cars, so make sure that you call and ask in advance – that way, you can be sure that you are not breaking any rules.

You also want to make sure that if you are going on the Metro or Bus that your dog, if small enough is in a lap carrier.  Larger dogs need to have a ticket with them, generally a children’s ticket.

You also want to make sure that you know where you can take your dogs.  Open air markets are places that pets are not allows and neither are restaurants or museums.

If you are going on vacation to Paris and you want to bring your pet, these next blogs are for you, for we are going to explore some of the challenges with bringing your own pets and what exactly you might need to look for.  For one, you want to make sure that wherever you are staying accepts pets.

In Paris, there are not that many places that will actually allow you to have a pet inside – especially hotel rooms, so this is certainly something that you are going to want to check on.  You also want to make sure that you do your research.

What this means is that you are researching exactly where you can take your pet – as that is going to be important as well.

A lot of people do not think that Paris has a whole lot of night life and I can tell you for sure – that, which is not the case at all.  There is a ton of night life in Paris, you just have to know exactly where to go and Flèche d’Or is definitely one of the best night clubs in the world.

This club was actually closed down for quite a time in order for it to get a full renovation, but I can tell you for sure that this particular club now is open and it is beautiful.  While the concerts might not be free, it is certainly incredible inside.

You want something different and unique?  Flèche d’Or is the club that you should visit!

One thing that you might not know about Paris is that it has a very small rail line that actually used to run a circle all around Paris and it was known as the Petite Ceinture.  This is a very, very historic place to visit and you can actually get a tour down the nature-filled beautiful railway if you just do your research.

This beautiful railway is something that has been around for quite some time now and honestly, it is a part of Paris history that a lot of people that live in Paris do not even know about.  The Petite Ceinture is beautiful and there are truly a lot of sights that you should see.

Just make sure that you do your research and I can promise that the Petite Ceinture is totally worth it!

Now that we have talked a little bit about the neighborhoods around Paris, the next step is going to be the panoramic views that Paris has.  To be quite frank, Paris is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful and it is certainly a place that you want to stop and smell the roses, especially with views like this one.

Another thing that you want to do when you are in Paris is make sure that you take a walk through all of the beautiful parks and gardens.  There are a ton of different and elegant parks and gardens and they are certainly essential whenever you are looking to walk around Paris.

Another free thing that you can do is make sure that you visit some of the many, many free museums, as this is definitely a way to save some cash!

One thing that you will notice about Paris is that it is by far one of the most expensive places to visit.  To be honest, if you do not save up a bunch of money, you might as well kiss those tickets goodbye and you might as well expect not to be able to spend a lot of money while you are there.  Paris is not for people on the budget – unless you are on a budget.

For those of you that are like me and traveling on a budget yet still want to experience everything, the next few blogs are for you.  We are going to explore Paris on a budget and make sure that everything that you do is inexpensive!

By far, one of the best things about Paris is the fact that you can walk anywhere and that you can truly get a feel for the city – that is why exploring the neighborhoods around Paris is so important!  Not only will you get to know the city, but you will absolutely fall in love with it!

Now that we have discussed the rooms, let’s move onto the lobby.  This is actually a snapshot of the lobby and to me, the Secret de Paris is really taking a risk using this particular purple.  It is one of those colors that you do not see a whole lot of but I can promise that it is actually beautiful.

The lobby itself is actually extremely cozy and certainly one of those lobbies that you want to spend some time in.  The place is decorated with bookshelves that hold books after books and to be quite frank, I think it makes things that much better.

You want a hotel that is beautiful and awesome to hang out in, the Secret de Paris is definitely that hotel!

When you are looking to stay in Paris, by far one of the first things you probably look at right after you book your flight is what hotel you are going to stay at.  To be honest, there are many different hotels in Paris so it can be difficult for you to find one that is going to suit your tastes and your wallet.

Well ladies and gentlemen, a brand new hotel opened up, the hotel Secret de Paris right in the 9th arrondissement and it is by far one of the best hotels in Paris.  Already, it is making waves with its unique and different décor and rooms.

Take this room for extremely, it actually is one of the rooms that has a theme and the theme is the Eiffel tower.  More about the Secret de Paris in the next blog!

Now, we have talked a lot about memories and making sure that you are capturing them whenever you are in Paris, now let’s talk about one important thing that you are going to want to do when you are in Paris and that is getting your picture painted!  Paris is filled with artists that are just looking to have their picture drawn and they are certainly one of the few cities that cater to these artists.

If you are walking down the street and you see a bunch of different artists lined up with their easels, why not just pose for them and get that beautiful painting done?  Typically, they are reasonably priced and you usually only have to sit for around an hour, which is not long.

Getting your picture painted in Paris is a fantastic way to really get a feeling of the culture and look beautiful!