Best Paris Guidebook

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

@M.Kaplan

Barry,
Patricia Wells now publishes Foodlovers Paris as a smart phone application that is updated frequently. While I don’t always share her views, it is a handy place to start and convenient to keep on my phone. She has included many of the new micro-restaurants, for instance.


Edit: Foodlovers Paris is also sold in the US iTunes store. Buy, download, and consult it here as well as in France.

Great tip! Thanks Mark!

I love her bakery, chocolatier, fromagerie, pattisserie recommendations the best. I’ll choose an arrondisement and sample the forementioned, then repeat the next day in another arrondisement.

Where are your areas of disagreement with her.

[Otto_Dobre]

@Neal.Mollen

@Michel Abood

@Otto Dobre

Make sure that whenever you enter an establishment or begin a conversation with someone you start with “bonjour monsieur/madamme”. It will make a huge difference.

THIS. This makes all the difference. You’re in a more formal society, so politeness and a smile counts for a lot even if you don’t speak the language. Saying “Bonjour” when you enter any store is de rigueur, and then you can explain that you don’t speak French. Life will be miles easier.

Oh, and PM sent.

How about if I say “hello” instead of bonjour, but say it really loud so they can understand?

He he, but make sure that you also ask them in a loud voice “do you speak any in gleeesh”.

But seriously, they are much more formal than we are. Bonjour, is sufficient, but I always add the monsieur/madamme to make it even more respectful, and they will appreciate it. Also never use the informal second person adress, always use “vous/vote”.

Also, do not miss Chartres. About 1 hour train ride and it is mind blowing.

[M.Kaplan]

@Barry L i p t o n

@M.Kaplan

Barry,
Patricia Wells now publishes Foodlovers Paris as a smart phone application that is updated frequently. While I don’t always share her views, it is a handy place to start and convenient to keep on my phone. She has included many of the new micro-restaurants, for instance.


Edit: Foodlovers Paris is also sold in the US iTunes store. Buy, download, and consult it here as well as in France.

Great tip! Thanks Mark!

I love her bakery, chocolatier, fromagerie, pattisserie recommendations the best. I’ll choose an arrondisement and sample the forementioned, then repeat the next day in another arrondisement.

Where are your areas of disagreement with her.

Quibbles, mostly, about restaurants. I think she (greatly) overrates Chateaubriand, Spring, and a few others while under-appreciating restaurants that I like, most specifically L’Arpege. Having said that, Foodlovers Paris is the guide I look at first…

[Barry_L_i_p_t_o_n]

By the way, you need to search for Food Lovers guide (two words).

[Neal.Mollen]

@Barry L i p t o n

By the way, you need to search for Food Lovers guide (two words).

As an app? A book? A website?

[M.Kaplan]

The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris, by Patricia Wells. Available for Apple iPhones/iPads in the Apple iTunes App Store

[Michel_Abood]

There are some great free apps for Android or Apple with tons of info on Paris, including maps and the bus/metro system. HopStop has a Paris section, though not sure how good it is as I’ve never used that one (yet).

[Neal.Mollen]

@M.Kaplan

The Food Lover’s Guide to Paris, by Patricia Wells. Available for Apple iPhones/iPads in the Apple iTunes App Store

Done! Thanks!

[M.Kaplan]

@Michel Abood

There are some great free apps for Android or Apple with tons of info on Paris, including maps and the bus/metro system. HopStop has a Paris section, though not sure how good it is as I’ve never used that one (yet).

For transportation, I use the official RATP app for journey planning (bus, train, and metro). Lots of customizable options: fastest route, least walking, etc. English language option.

Metro Paris Subway is a great stand-alone for using the Paris Metro system. It will tell you the closest Metro station to your location and how to get to where you want to go most efficiently. Not free, though.

[Howard_Cooper]

@Otto Dobre

[quote="Neal.MollenHow about if I say “hello” instead of bonjour, but say it really loud so they can understand?

He he, but make sure that you also ask them in a loud voice “do you speak any in gleeesh”.

[/quote]

If they don’t answer or understand, it is helpful to keep saying it louder and louder. Volume helps in the translation process.

[Alan_Rath]

All the normal stuff you’ll find in every guide book. I actually like the Rick Steves books, he gives a lot of practical tips, especially on beating crowds and making efficient use of time. Couple of random suggestions: chocolate ice cream at Berthillon is the best you will ever have http://www.berthillon.fr/

Yes, you will have to go to Notre Dame, but then walk a couple hundred yards to Sainte Chapelle, which is even more impressive (though much smaller). The lines can be long there, but worth the wait.