French Toast

I think everyone knows the Paris highlights: the Eiffel Tower, Arch de Triumph, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, The Louvre... There are a million things to see in Paris. I wasn't that impressed with the Louvre. You can get in free on Friday nights if you're a student, but that's the night they clean the Italian paintings, so you'd miss the most famous one! If you're into art, I wouldn't miss the Musée Orsay. It seemed like every famous painting you ever learned about was there. Notre Dame was probably my favorite thing to see. You can climb to the top and see a wonderful view of Paris, but it's a lot of stairs. I'm 20, and I didn't think I'd make it! Plus, you can climb up to the top of just about every monument in Paris.

Quick Tips:

Most people will tell you before you leave the U.S. "Don't go to Paris! The people are rude! They hate Americans and no one speaks English!" This is the furthest thing from the truth. When I got to Paris, I didn't speak French that well, and the first thing I did was go into a sandwich shop. I asked for a ham sandwich with my broken French. The man behind the counter said "You're American!" right away and then ran to the back to find his English-speaking son to help me. Don't go to France and think people should learn English for you, because that's the mistake most Americans make, but if you try to speak the language, most people know enough English to get you through.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around is the metro if you get tired of walking. Paris is a big city. I think the metro costs 1.40 euros each time, but you can buy passes. If you don't have a lot of time in Paris, this is a good deal, but I would suggest trying to walk more and save money.

There are a ton of hostels in Paris, and if you're young, stay in them! You might think that hostels are probably dirty, or maybe you have enough for a hotel, but if you're in Paris with a group of friends or all alone, hostels are the place to stay. They're fun because a bunch of young people are there, traveling Europe just like you. You'll meet new friends from all over the world and I can assure you that you'll have more fun with your new friends than you would watching tv in your hotel room. We met three beautiful Argentinian boys at our hostel. It was worth sharing a room with another girl just for that!

The best place to go bar-hopping is at the metro stop called St. Michel. It's right across the River from Notre Dame. It's a great place to get dinner, too! Try a Kabab at a Greek place; this place is swarming with them! They call it "Little Athens"! Dinners here are pretty cheap and really fun because you can eat outside and watch the resaurant owners compete to lure in tourists. There are a lot of bars here too, but they're all expensive. The ones we went into forced us to buy a drink too. Luckily, I met a makeup artist from Milan who bought us some expensive champagne.

The Sacred Heart church is on the outskirts of Paris. So it's best to take the metro there. You'll have to walk up a huge hill with lots of stairs (which you'll be used to by this time) or take the funicular (if you have a metro ticket or pass--it works for the funicular also!). Go see the church; it's neat to see. Then walk around to the right side of the church. You'll find lots of gift shops, crêperies, and artists who want to draw your picture. Some of them are very good, and some are very original! They won't tell you the price if you ask, they'll say "What's money?!" but it'll be about 30 euros.

The Sacred Heart church is on the outskirts of Paris, so it's best to take the metro there. You'll have to walk up a huge hill, lots of stairs (which you'll be used to by this time), or take the funicular (if you have a metro ticket or pass, it works for the funicular also!). Go see the church; it's neat to see. Then walk around to the right side of the church. You'll find lots of gift shops, crêperies, and artists who want to draw your picture. Some of them are very good and some very original! They won't tell you the price if you ask; they'll say, "What's money?!", but it'll be about 30 euros.