Trip to
Let me start by saying my trip to Europe was a business trip, so I didn't get to see much (with the Exception of Paris,
General Travel Tips
Jet-lag
The first day can be difficult and the next two or three days will be difficult as well, but it gets easier each day. Most people will agree that it is best to as soon as you land (or even in the air) start "living" on the new schedule. For example, I left like 6:45am on Saturday morning, and arrived like 8am or something like (but that was in
Eating Times
People eat late (usually around 8pm) because it doesn't really get dark until 9 or 10 or even 11pm in the evening. People also tend to start a little later in the morning as well, though that may be true for everywhere (maybe just the tourist areas). Most breakfast are very basic (croissant, bread, juice) if you are catching an early morning flight, etc. Breakfasts in hotels and restaurants (after 7:00 or 7:30 or so) are usually nice. You can get a fully breakfast. The basics described above are usually given, but also other items like eggs, meats, cheese, fruit, and other items that typically require cold storage.
Toilets
Unlike in the
Sleeping
When on business trips it seems like there is never enough time to sleep. Dinner seems to take hours, and planes, trains, buses, taxis, packing, unpacking, etc all take time out of the day as well that I usually don't have to deal with. So, I recommend sleeping every chance you get. That means if you have a plane ride, or a fairly long train ride, etc then take a nap. True, they are not really getting quality hours of sleep, but it will help get you through the day. I look at it like vitamins or other health supplements: Naps on the go are no substitute for quality sleep at night, but it does help.
Taxis
The city actually has too many taxis. It only takes 5 to 8 minutes to get a taxi. This seems to be the max. They came as quickly as 3 minutes, and it is common to find them parked along side the road in the city center. Some speak English, but I estimate 50% of them didn't on our trip. In either case, don't worry. Typically all they need is an address and they can find it. Names of well known places are also helpful. Every taxi we were in accepted credit cards on the spot. They all seem to have the same little taxi fare and credit card machine on the dash. Almost every taxi I saw was a Mercedes, and many of them were new models. This is much different than what you get in the
Weather
I was only there for a couple days (second week in June) so I really can't make any great statements in this area. However, I am told it rains a lot. We were lucky because it was actually not raining really when we were there. It was mid-70's during the day and not much colder at night, so it was really pretty nice.
Tipping
Tipping is a little frustrating in
Taxis: If you really have an exceptional driver then tip as you like. Otherwise, give no tip or just round up to the next Euro. If you pay with credit card, you will need cash or coin if you want to leave a tip.
Eating Out: If you really have an exceptional waiter then tip as you like. Otherwise, just round up to the next Euro or two. If you pay with credit card, you will need cash or coin if you want to leave a tip. Sometimes, the waiter can add the tip to the credit card, but that only happened once for me. The example that was given to me if the meal cost 33 and some change Euro for two people, then just found up to 34 or 35 Euro. Maybe 36 Euros. Like I said not very exact. It is not like in the
The
Ground level which as a beautiful lush green park-like area, food stands, restaurant, tickets, etc. It is guarded (as are most congested public areas) by the French police that are not what I would think of as police. They look much like what I would call someone in the military.
Level One
Level one is the first level that is not on the ground. It is larger than you think it will be. When you look at it from a far, it looks pretty small. The first floor is several stories up and is the largest and most visited floor (next to the ground floor of course ;). The first floor has gift shops, food, signs (in English) that explain different points in history of the tower. It has great views of the surrounding area. You are well above the buildings so you can see quite a bit. On this floor you can get a postcard, borrow a pen, buy postage, and send the postcard. They also have internet postcards, but that was not working when I was there.
Level Two
Level two is significantly smaller, but also higher. It is probably one quarter the size of the Level 1. I recommend walking up two the second floor. Fewer people visit it, so it is less crowded. I also recommend going to the gift shop on this floor versus the Level 1 gift shop, again due to it not being as busy. You can buy the post cards here to save time, but you will have to buy postage on Level 1. The view is quite a bit higher than Level so the view is greater, but still not too high.
I recommend going to the top if can. It is worth it. The line to go up goes pretty quickly, though it was pretty long even for us. I recommend you wait to buy you ticket to the top when you get to level 2. That way you can decide if you want to stand in line or not.
The Top
The top of the tower is quite small. I estimate 20 or 30 feet across. Though I am just guessing. The real point is it is very small in comparison to the other levels. The top was by far my favorite part of
The Fear
I am mildly afraid of heights so it was a little unnerving to walk up staircases with the wind blowing a lot. I did manage though. After I was on Level 1 for a while it was no big deal. I got used to it. By the time I got up to the Level 2, I was fine with the height. You can always take the elevator if you don't want to walk up the stairs. The stairs are really not that long. I thought it would be difficult, but it wasn't really. After traveling up the long elevator to the top, I was a little nervous about looking out, but when I tried, it really wasn't a big deal for me. It turns out that when I am that high I am not that afraid of heights at all, or perhaps I was immune by then. On the way down, I could not believe how low to the group the other levels seemed, and was not phased by them at all. I guess it is all relative.
The Louvre
I didn't have a lot of time in the Louvre. I had an hour or so outside the night I got there. It is impressive just looking at the grounds. I had about 2 hours to go through everything inside. Let me just say, that you can see some highlights in that time or select areas, but by no means can you get even a fast walk through of the entire museum. The building itself is very impressive. The statues are worth looking at. The Mona Lisa is a bit tricky to find, but just follow the signs and look for the corridor for it; it is not as obvious as you would think. I can't begin to give a proper review of The Louvre because my visit was so short to it. There were just too many things to do, and not enough time. The Louvre closes fairly early like 6pm (5:30 they start closing areas), so plan to go in the morning, that way you will have enough time to do what you want there.
Notre Dame
Not a whole lot to see unless you want to watch Mass or just look at the main part of the cathedral. The architecture is nice. Pictures are not to be taken inside, but people do anyway. There is a way to go up to where the bells are, but I didn't see how, and was headed back to the hotel after a long day.
Speaking French
Hardly anyone speaks English well in
Taxi
Beware of the eager "taxi drivers" at the airport that ask you if you want a taxi when they are still in the airport and not in a taxi. We found out the hard way that these "taxi drivers" are not exactly real taxi drivers. The "taxi" was their own car in the parking lot with no meter, taxi sign on top of the car, etc. They also wait until you are in the car to decide what the fare is. The give-away is he quotes a price of the top of his head (no meter). These type of people are trying to take advantage of people that are first time visitors to
Metro
Bus
Buses take a little more planning because they don't run as often, and they tend to wind up and down streets, and turn down others, etc. They don't run in straight lines so check the maps. They are about the same price as the Metro, so between the Metro and the buses you can get just about anywhere. You can buy the tickets on the bus or buy passes elsewhere. I just did the individual ticket since we didn't do too much on the bus. In the end, a pass may have been better. It was close though.
Trains
For longer journeys such as going to another city, you will want to go to the train station (Gare in French). If you are using a credit card from the
I took a taxi (see notes above if you decide to do that so you don't fall into the same trap as I did), but I would recommend a train or maybe the Metro. The point is there is inexpensive public transportation. Depending when you go, the public transportation could be much easier that making your way across town in traffic. The taxi ride was 70 Euro. In my opinion, definitely not worth it. Granted I have no idea what a legitimate taxi fare would be. I think it was about 45 minutes by taxi.
Payment
Walking with luggage
Do yourself a favor, don't try to walk very far with luggage. It takes many times longer and in many times harder when you have luggage being drug behind you. If you are carrying multiple bags and one of them is a typical rolling suitcase, I recommend putting the smaller bag as close to directly above the wheels (when being drug behind you) so that the weight is over the wheels, not on the handle where your hands are. In other words, if you suitcase has an extending handle, don't put your smaller bag there unless your only other choice is over your shoulder or other hand. In that case it will help a little.
Also, be aware that piling on too much weight on your suitcase wheels can break them or wear them out faster. Be careful that you don't put too much weight on the suitcase as the stand on the end of the suitcase is not meant to support a heavy smaller bag. Yes, it may be fine for a while, but eventually, it will wear out due to the accelerated level of stress.
Food
Find a formula or fixed menu. It is usually only available for more expensive restaurants in my experience though I have seen books reference much cheaper fixed menus. It seemed to me that in order to find a fixed menu it was usually 25 Euro. This was usually a very good deal because this includes appetizer, main meal, and dessert. If you don't take the fixed menu (which is usually limited items) it will cost you that much any way, and you won't get nearly as much for the money. In general it seemed that dessert or more was "free" when you get the fixed menu. The downside of a fixed menu is that it usually takes a long time because of the three courses. Plan on about 2 hours for the fixed menu.
If you are in a hurry and / or at a train station, a Baggett (totally wrong spelling, but that is what it sounds like) will most likely be what you will get. They are basically like a sub in the
If you are on a train for a couple hours plan on having the option to buy a triangle sandwich for about 4.50 Euros. They are better than you think they will be, but not as good as you would like them to be. The tuna is the best if you ask me.
Apartment-style Hotels
Beware of Apartment-style hotels if you are coming in on Sunday or between noon and about 2:30pm or after 7pm or before 8am. The desk was not available except for the morning and early evening. Besides that, you are on your own. I had didn't have a key that worked for my room and it was quite difficult to get help because the only way to contact anyone for help was to use a mobile phone (which I don't have because I am in Europe and my phone only works in Phoenix, AZ). So, that left a pay phone. Pay phones in
Food
Basically like
Taxis
Taxis are Mercedes type taxis. They come pretty quickly, usually under 15 minutes.
The World War II Memorial Museum is quite good. In particular I recommend the D-Day movie. It not in any particular language and is still quite understandable. The other exhibits are nice as well. I recommend getting the Guide they sell when you get you ticket since it explains everything in English, and tells quite a bit about what you are looking at. I also recommend you check your hotel for coupons for 3 or 4 Euro off of admission. Expect to pay 17 Euro at the door unless you have a coupon.
The Castle
There is real castle in the city center. I just walked on a very small part of it late one night after dinner, but it looked very neat. I also walked by it on the way to dinner on another night. I understand it is one of the bigger attractions in
The Cathedral
There is a cathedral next to the castle. When I was there they were restoring it. The part they are cleaning makes it look light like a sand castle. The part tarnished by pollution (pretty much all of it) looks much darker like many cathedrals you see in other European cities.
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