Are you keen to visit Paris? With careful planning and consideration, you can spend as little money as reasonably possible, avoid waiting in long lines, have a chance to see the some of the essential Paris sights, and have as much fun as possible.
Steps
Framing your Trip (3-12 months ahead)
Decide when to go. Visit Paris at a favorable time. Consider April, which lives up to its name: it is nice weather, not too hot, not too cold.
Narrow down your actual days, depending on what you want to do.
If you're museum-focused, arrive on a Saturday, a day before the first Sunday of the month. Most Paris museums (there are over 3,800 museums in Paris) are free on the first Sunday of the month.[1]
If you know you're going to use the Metro a lot, arrive in Paris on a Sunday or Monday, to be able to take advantage of purchasing a Metro (Paris metropolitan subway) Navigo Découverte pass – which is a weekly pass in the form of a reloadable "smart card". The Navigo Week pass price, valid only from Monday at 00:00 to Sunday 23:59:59 and does not go on-sale until Monday. It is not sold during the weekend. If you purchase on Thursday, then your week is already half-gone.
Zone 1 encompasses enough of main Paris where nearly all of the sights and attractions are, that it is usually not necessary to purchase the pass to include zones 2-6.[2]
Use the Navigo Découverte pass beyond the cost-savings to not have to fuss with paper tickets. While purchasing a carnet (a ten pack) still saves a ton of money and hassle (as opposed to purchasing one Metro pass at a time – which is ridiculous) – still, a carnet is nothing more than ten loose tickets – not even held together with perforation – easy to mix up used and unused tickets.
Hold on to the ticket to prove that you have valid admission. Yet no train conductor ever checks.
Reuse the exact same Metro ticket that you already used once before, and the machine turn-styles in many cases still accept the ticket. Therefore, it is easy to get into the habit of hanging on to all of your Metro tickets, new and used both, consuming multiple pockets, and often getting co-mingled, resulting in more fussing and disorganization. It is not uncommon to see people going two-at-a-time through the Metro turn-styles or ducking around them.
Consider a pass to visit the museums. As an alternative to free admission, the Paris Museum Pass provides unlimited access during its period of validity to more than 60 museums and monuments in and around Paris. Besides its convenience, it can save considerable amounts of time by permitting you to by-pass long ticket lines.
Purchase Museum Passes upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport from French Tourist Information Desks in Arrivals (Terminals 1, 2C, 2D and 2F) and at Orly Airport (Terminals South and West).
Paris Museum Passes are for 2, 4 or 6 consecutive days, costing €39, €54 and €69 respectively. Whether the Museum Pass makes sense is a function BOTH of the number of museums you intend to visit AND of the value you place on the time you can save by using the Pass to by-pass sometimes lengthy ticket lines.
Understand that another benefit is that the Pass permits multiple visits to any covered museum, as well as permitting you to just duck into a museum for a quick look round (or to use the "facilities"...) without having to pay the entrance fee.[3]
Choose your airline. When possible, try to choose the same airline on all flights (as opposed to flying one portion with one airline to a connecting airport, then flying with an affiliate airline).
Be aware that almost all international flights from the United States to Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport will be incoming into Terminal 1. Also see the CDG website: [www.adp.fr]
Call your airline in-advance and asking for assistance at the airport if you have suffered any injury or need assistance in any way. Travelers needing assistance receive red-carpet, first-class treatment with a team of handlers at each airport who whisked one to bypass long lines, through secret passageways and directly to the gate.
Book your visit to the Eiffel Tower at least 3-12 months in advance. Purchase your tickets to the Eiffel tower at least 3-4 months in-advance. Print out the tickets upon purchase and don’t forget to take them on your trip.
Do not wait until you arrive at the Eiffel Tower to buy tickets!
It can be very crowded on the Eiffel tower.
Select and book your lodging at least 3 – 12 months in advance.
Consider check-in time.
Understand that a common problem is that many international flights arrive in the early morning – yet many hotels will not let you check-in until after 3:00 pm. So what does one do for six hours, with all of luggage in-tow? Plus, after an international flight, people are tired, want to take a shower and relax.
Anticipate this situation in-advance and request early check-in at the hotel or apartment.
Figure out how you're getting from the airport to the hotel/apartment:
Take the RER as the most economical choice at 10 Euros per person. To get into Paris, take the RER Blue Line B to Chatelet/Les Halles station.
Know what to expect from a Paris Hotel/Apartment:
Purchase washclothes in-advance and bring with you. Do not expect too much from your hotel or apartment. Paris accommodations are going to be MUCH smaller than hotels in the United States. Paris hotels typically do not supply washcloths and can be sparse on supplying toilet paper.
Bring your own adapters and power-strips that turn one electrical outlet into six. Electrical outlets are sometimes sparse at hotels and apartments. Purchase a grounded adapter, not just a regular electrical adapter before your trip.
Consider an apartment in order to have a kitchen/kitchenette and cook meals. Restaurants in Paris are very expensive and a week of three meals per day could easily go over a thousand dollars or more per person.
For a shorter stay of three days or less, then a regular hotel might be a good choice. However much longer, and renting an apartment makes sense – especially if you want to have a midnight snack, keep a bottle of wine cold or keep your restaurant’s to-go box refrigerated to eat for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Confirm that you are near a Metro station – as close as possible. Accommodations on or around Rue Cler street are in a very prime location. Other parts of Paris have their own flavor. If you want to stay out and go to nightclubs, then the Marais area might be a good choice.
Doing Reconnaissance (1-11 months ahead)
Get an overview of the activities available. The sooner you do this, the easier it will be to plan. As you survey the rich field of activities, target those of interest. The sheer volume and variety of potential activities and venues might seem quite daunting, so take your time getting to know what is available before you set foot on a plane. Do not finalize your thoughts; just survey the field. Later you will be able to pick judiciously so that you leverage your money to good effect.
Explore the architecture, public sculptures, public art displays, history museums, art museums, sports facilities, and other activities of interest online. Just get an idea of what is going on or is available.
Survey the music, food and wine venues. Get a feel for the variety and extent of what might be had. You might find that you several "must dos," things you will not be able to leave undone.
The best section of town to find a good restaurant is Rue Cler street, which is East of the Eiffel Tower and West of Invalides and South of the Seine River.
Picnics are a wonderful way to save money, in-style. There is nothing like a picnic on the Eiffel Tower grounds or sharing a bottle of wine on the banks of the river Seine. Potential picnic spots to consider:
Bois de Boulogne
Bois de Vincennes
Jardin du Luxembourg
Les Champs de Mars (overlooks the Eiffel Tower) best for dinner picnic
Parc de Belleville
Parc de la Villette
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont - relaxing
Parc Monceau
Pont de Arts
Square de Vert Galant – one of the most romantic In Paris especially at sunset
Look in to the various parks of note: Some good parks to know:
Bois de Boulogne has a lake and appears to have rowboats for rent 75016 (West Side)
Bois de Vincennes (East Side)
Japanese Gardes on Jardins Albert Kahn (14 rue du Port Boulogne-Billancourt
Versailles has a big lake and more boating via rowboat
Parc de la Villette includes bamboo garden
Parc de Buttes Chaumont includes a suspension bridge, waterfall, lake and cave
Monets Gardens at Giverny
Luxembourg Gardens or Champ de Mars or Canal St-Martin
Check out a tour bus line to see what is available.
There are no less than two different tour bus lines offering a variety of routes.
Consider a River Seine cruise. This can be heaven on earth with the right individual on the right night, but the cruises are almost always enchanting.
Many are about 75 minutes length, with runs every 30 minutes from 10 am – 11:30 pm.
Dinner cruises usually start at 8:30 pm and last for 3 hours.
Get a feel for the geography and layout.
Paris is divided into two parts by the Seine River. On the West side are the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower.
In the center is the Louvre.
Slightly East is Notre Dame. The university and student areas for young people are also on the East side.
Just north of center is the Opera shopping area, where a single name brand product might be represented by a single store that takes an entire city block.
Envision the spiral seashell layout of the districts. Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements, which are like sections of town. The first arrondissement is in the center of Paris, and each subsequent arrondissement spirals outward like a seashell.
Preparing Your Phone and Money (2 months ahead)
Get your mobile phone plans in order. Two months before traveling to Paris, notify your mobile phone carrier and discuss your options.
Make sure that your mobile device is compatible on the European network.
Turn off all data roaming before any international flight.
Consider alternatives that include purchasing a European disposable phone, a SIM card, Viber, Skype and other online options.
Prepare financial resources for use in Paris.
Use your credit card in Paris. About 95% of all businesses, restaurants and sightseeing companies take standard credit cards. There are credit cards with zero international transaction fees and can make for smooth transactions that charge a very fair and legitimate conversion rate in US dollars, without any international transactions fees or costs of any kind. This is by-far the way to get the best foreign exchange currency rate, which also happens to be the most convenient and safest. Every place (including taxicabs) takes credit cards – except for the Metro subway station machines can be temperamental. In this situation, ensure to have Euro currency.
Get 100 Euros in-cash before a trip to Paris (about $145.51 USD), especially if you are going to stay a week or more. In most cases, your local bank branch will have to order the funds from one of their main banks to be sent to your bank branch, and it can take 3-5 business days. So do not get your foreign currency at the last minute, try to get 2-4 weeks before your trip.
For a week,100 Euros in-cash is perfect, you can easily withdrawal from an ATM if needed.
Contact your bank in advance. Call your bank at least two months before your trip to:
Complete Travel Notification: Let them know that you are traveling and give them the dates of your travels (call again a week before you leave for your travels)
Learn the policies, transaction fees and charges of all of your credit cards and ATM card
Request a second (backup) credit card
Request that your daily ATM withdrawal limit be temporarily raised
Request a second ATM card (extra client card) be sent to you in case that your current ATM card is accidentally consumed by an ATM machine. In many cases, if you try unsuccessfully three times to get cash from an ATM, on the third unsuccessful attempt, the machine will confiscate the card.
Gather and write down all bank, credit union or credit card company telephone numbers in case there is a problem
Find out which ATMs are affiliated with your bank, credit union or credit card companies and learn where the ATMs are located in Paris and print a map.[4]
ATMs at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport cash machines are on the arrivals level near gates 18 and 32
Avoid the touristy bureaux de change.[5]
Prepare to get around Paris with Metro and RER.
Go to a local bookstore or travel agency and purchase a map of Paris AND a map of the Metro/RER Subway system. Spend some time getting familiar with the Metro and RER Subway systems.
Once you have booked your hotel/apartment, then using your maps, figure out how to get from:
The Charles de Gaulle airport to your hotel/apartment
Your hotel to the Eiffel Tower
Your hotel to catch a bus tour of Paris
Your hotel to the Louvre
Check your answers
Utilize this website will help you to figure out which Metro or RER line to take to get from Point A to Point B. This website figures it all out for you automatically. You can select the fastest or the least walking:[6]
Remember!
Sortie means “Exit”
Be aware that Metro Stations and RER Stations typically do not have public bathrooms (toilets). Never turn down an opportunity to use a toilet in Paris, as they are difficult to find and are for ‘paying customers only’.
The Metro and RER are two separate sets of train tracks – however they share many of the same stations for easy transfers.
Metro: Within Paris
RER: Paris outlying areas, including the airports, Disneyland and Versailles.
After you determine which Metro or RER Line to take, then to determine the direction of travel (i.e., the correct platform) then you need to know the terminus or endpoint of the line. For example, Metro Line 8 terminuses are Ballard and Creteil Pointe de Lac. Even if you figured out which Metro Line to take, if you do not know your end-points of travel, you could end up going in the wrong direction.
The RER is the same situation: in this case (especially with the Red A line) the RER line forks, and certain trains are set to go to specific destinations. It is good to pay attention to each stop while you are on the subways – my trip to Disneyland took a detour in which I had to double back to Pte de Vincennes to re-fork the right direction.
Use some tricks to save money along the way (both in planning and once you arrive):
Obtain free airline tickets via frequent flier miles.
Rent an apartment or flat with a kitchen or kitchenette if staying in Paris for more than three days- or at least a hotel with some kind of basic refrigerator and microwave. A kitchen or kitchenette is invaluable to store some groceries and not have to eat out at a restaurant for every meal. Dining out in many international cities can be three times as expensive as a eating at a comparable restaurant in the United States - multiply this by the number of travelers on your budget, multiplied by the number of meals per day consumed - and this can become ridiculously expensive.
Turn off mobile phone's data roaming before your plane leaves the United States. Failing to do so will result in getting a surprise bill from your phone company in the hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more in unexpected international data roaming charges - even if the internet is never accessed from the phone.
Avoid drawing attention to yourself, especially with your wallet within easy reach invites pickpockets, further compounded by future identity theft. More on blending-in while in Paris and security of your money when traveling abroad further in this document. Losing your wallet, passport, cash and having all of your credit cards maxed-out can be an expensive and time-consuming mess to unravel and can ruin a vacation with spending time at the US Consult to get a replacement passport - instead of seeing the sights and relaxing.
Avoid ordering wine at restaurants, and purchase at grocery store instead. Dining out in Paris is already very expensive, and a glass of wine, even the restaurant’s house wine, can result in sticker-shock.
Make smart preparations to protect your money. [7]
Purchase a money belt. The is an entire assortment of arm wallets, chest wallets, leg wallets, belt wallets, sock and underwear wallets.
Purchase an RFID protective sleeve for your passport and any chipped-credit cards to prevent electronic theft.
In most situations, having very many of the above hidden wallets could be overkill. However:
The money spent to purchase multiple travel-security wallets to have your things secure under your clothing – these things could pay for themselves - compared to getting picked pocketed one single time, which could make $100 seem quaint by-comparison.
Losing your passport along with all of your cash and credit cards would be a disaster of near epic-proportions. Even if things went smoothly with getting everything sorted out, this still would take a lot of time, consuming at least multiple days that would be better spent enjoying your travels.
Security wallets can be reused for future trips or shared with family and friends on their trips. They provide peace of mind knowing that it would be difficult, if not nearly-impossible, to lose something as a result of a pickpocket, if you had your things stashed to where they are not easily visible or accessible except by you.
Leaving for your Trip
Pack carefully to make sure you bring everything you need but also follow baggage restrictions and travel requirements. Double-check baggage restrictions and weight: A lot of air carriers are scrutinizing passengers taking oversized carry-on or luggage over 50 lbs. As you pack, be sure to visit your airlines website to make sure that your luggage is not oversize or overweight.
In many cases:
Carry-on luggage is limited to 9 x 14 x 22,
One personal item is limited to 9 x 10 x 17
Checked baggage is limited to 62 linear inches (height + width + length).
Protect yourself against luggage loss and theft. Place your identification both inside and outside on each bag as well as try to make your luggage distinctive for easy identification.
Realize that the value of your things adds up quicker than you might realize. Laptops, iPods, tablets, a few nice clothes would easily take thousands of dollars to replace.
It is easy for the value of one adult's luggage to value at over $5,000.00 to replace the contents. Take pictures of every single item – just in-case of the unforeseen event if your luggage were to be lost – you are in a better position to be reimbursed a more accurate value.
For international travel to which the Warsaw Convention applies (including domestic* portions of international travel), airline carrier’s liability is limited to approximately $9.07 USD per pound with a cap of $640.00 USD per bag for checked baggage and $400.00 USD per customer for unchecked baggage.
Check to see if your credit card automatically provides protection against lost or stolen luggage.
Pack your belonging with the most expensive and most important things in my carry-on luggage, and clothing and larger bulkier items in checked bag.
Purchasing a travel insurance policy as a good way to protect against lost luggage.
Make your final preparations before you take off:
Stage your luggage
Email yourself all important scanned documents
Check weather forecasts
Double-check if there have been any changes to flight times
On Your Trip
Be safe as you travel. Protecting your money, preventing problems, and knowing what to wear and how to act will all help you stay safe and have the best experience possible.
Be well-prepared in-advance – yet reasonably-cautious when they arrive. This is by-far better than the other way around – lack of preparation combined with carelessness is a recipe for disaster. “Be prepared”.
Blend-in with the local is the best prevention to keep you and your things secure and not be a target in the first place – regardless of where you travel – domestic or international travel.
Dress nicely. In Paris, everyone dresses up. Nearly all men wear a dark sports coat or blazer, with a collared shirt (typically an oxford button-down), with or without a tie. Knit collared type shirts are okay. Dress pants or khaki pants are the best, but even nice jeans are okay. But a collared shirt is a MUST for men in Paris. Try to select neutral colors, such as white, off- white, gray, blue, beige – but avoid loud colors. Almost NO ONE just simply walks around in Paris wearing a T-shirt. Take a couple of T-shirts to wear around only inside your hotel or rented apartment.
Extra credit: If you want to fool even seasoned- Parisian into believing that you are just another Paris local, then once in Paris, purchase a scarf and wear with your blazer or sport coat. Many if not most of all Parisian men wear scarves. Unlike the United States, in which wearing a scarf or muffler is considered a wintertime thing – Parisians wear their scarves as a matter of pride.
Wear pants or even nice pairs of jeans are okay – but avoid wearing shorts. Shorts never caught-on in much of Europe, especially Paris. Regardless of the time of year, few to no one wears shorts.
Wear dress shoes or at least nice walking shoes that are dark and blend-in with dress clothes. Very few locals wear athletic shoes, unless they are actually participating in a sporting event. Avoid sandals or flip flops. Sandals do not go well with a sport coat and collared shirt. Paris is a LOT of walking. Seriously consider purchasing walking shoesand/or insoles. Also make sure that you pack moleskin and antibiotic ointment if you are prone to blisters.
Understand that Parisians do not walk down the street or through a grocery store while talking on their mobile phone or while eating or drinking a beverage. Most people in Europe do not drive a car while drinking a beverage – in-fact, most European cars do not even have drink-holders. Most Europeans, especially Paris locals, take dressing, dining and drinking very seriously. Multi-tasking is not fashionable in Paris.
Act in a culturally appropriate way to get the best experience and service you can. Understand that the French see their place of business like their home: the public are invited guests. When you come into a Parisian business, it is important to greet the owner or employees with a simple polite “bonjour” and a gentle smile. This one single French word, Bonjour, is the most important French word to know. Simply saying ‘Bonjour’ automatically opens the door to setting the stage between getting good service, or getting rude service. Do not say, “Hey…how's it going?”, “Howdy”, “How y-all doin?’ ”, “What’s ‘sup?’ ”, “Hey homey”, “Hey cuz”, or “What’s happenin?’ “ - or any American slang derivative. One word…Bonjour: Polite and powerful.
The second most-important word to know is “Merci”, which means “thank you”.
Try to not be too loud, quiet is best. Be gracious and smile.
Be presentable. Be aware that while living in the United States, you can get away with rolling out of bed, unshaven with bed-head hairdo, and go grocery shopping, while talking on your mobile phone the entire time and wearing pajamas and house slippers – and few people notice or care. Most people cannot get away with doing the same in Paris without some kind of social repercussion. If you would not wear something to a country club or to a nice restaurant, then do not wear it in public in Paris.
Don't fall for the stereotype. The French are very pleasant and exceptionally-friendly - and in many cases, the French will go out of their way to be as helpful as possible, almost as citizen ambassadors on behalf of France. Overall, most French people are very nice, helpful and understanding – even if you know very little French. There are ways of nearly-guaranteeing getting bad service, rudeness, or stares or glares from local Parisians:
Being rude to them first
Not saying ‘Bonjour’ immediately upon entering a place of business
Being loud or obnoxious
Dressing too casually or sloppy
Not making any attempt at all with French and expecting everyone else to speak in English
Broadcasting the perception that you feel that your country/culture is superior to theirs
Tips
Paris is a world-class, wonderful delightful top tier international city and is the quintessential epicenter of the pinnacle of art, museums, sculpture, fashion, architecture, wine and food.
Paris exudes wealth, luxury, romance and greatness. There are no shortages of high end expensive cars driving the streets like they are just ordinary cars. Parisians are impeccably well-groomed with the finest of clothes, many looking like a model that just finished a photo shoot. There are high-end clothing, fashion boutique and jewelry stores everywhere. There are buildings everywhere, like little man-made architectural canyons.
Paris commands a degree of respect. If a person is not conscientious about planning and problem-solving, they could spend a lot of time waiting in lines, getting lost or wasting a lot of money. There are a number of things to consider and understand – much more than just booking a flight and hotel and hoping for the best.
Paris, like much of Europe boasts efficient and well-planned high-speed trains and subways systems. Once the Metro is understood, then traveling within Paris is easy – the subway system is very extensive and is a great public transportation system. Regardless, there can be a lot of walking in Paris.
However, nearly everything is half the size and twice as expensive – soft drinks, beer, meals dining out, groceries.
Paris is like any other city, town or community. Cashiers at the grocery stores are nice and friendly. People like in every city, are on their way to work or living their life just like in most any other place in the world. Children play, people laugh and spend time with each other. Many things are universal, like patience and smiling. Parisian local musicians might hop on the subway and start playing an accordion or sing impromptu.
Paris is one of the great cities in the world to visit. Many things are completely different, many things are exactly the same.
Stroll along the Seine. Paris Sand Beach: Seine’s Right Bank “Paris Plage” – urban beach complete with sand and beach chairs (opens mid-July)
Visit the Palace of Versailles. It is closed on Mondays, extremely-crowded on Tuesdays because all Paris museums are closed on Tuesdays. Consider visiting on Wednesday or Thursday.[8]
This involves A LOT of walking, an all-day thing, arrive extra, extra early with time and patience.
To Versailles: RER C5 (not Monday, Tuesday or Sunday). Get ticket online ONE day in advance. Show up at by 8:30 am, leave at 7:30 am. Do not be late under any circumstances. Wear your best walking shoes and bring camera with extra batteries and SD card. Read about Versailles before attempting.
Be patriotic in the right time and place. Tone-down any American-exceptionalism rhetoric or feeling the need to advertise that you are an American to others, including through your clothing. Avoid wearing T-shirts altogether – but if you MUST wear a T-shirt, avoid wearing anything that has words, such as your favorite American sports team, city or state, political messages, patriotic messages or symbols, or anything that will make you automatically stand out.
Warnings
Scan and make photocopies of the following and email the scanned copies to yourself before your trip, in case you need to access in an emergency:
Passport
Driver’s license
Credit cards (both front and back)
Telephone numbers to your bank, airline and hotel
Insurance cards
Emergency contact telephone numbers and addresses
Important Phone Numbers in Paris:
Consulate: 2 rue St,-Florentin 75001
US Consulate / Embassy: 2 avenue Gabriel, 75008
Tele: 01 43 12 22 22
www.france.usembassy.gov.
17 Police
15 Ambulance / 01 46412525 American Hospital
18 Fire
112 Emergency
http://www.ricksteves.com/help
To call from USA to France: Dial 011 33 telephone number
To call from France to the USA: Dial 00-1 telephone number including area code
Be aware that there are pickpockets everywhere in every city– however, parts of Europe with high unemployment, such as Spain, Greece, Italy and even France bring out desperation and more organized pickpocket gangs. However mugging in France is rare, with the exception of Marseille, France, which mugging is considerably more common. If traveling to or through any area anywhere, in which you are concerned for personal safety, then in-advance of your travels, construct a “muggers wallet” – which is an old wallet with expired credit cards that you can surrender to a mugger and safely get out of the situation before the robber discovers that you just gave him a bunch worthless plastic, while you hung on to your real wallet tucked away safely in your money belt underneath your clothing. However, it unlikely to be mugged in Paris, which is a pretty-safe city.
Do not have the false sense of security that carrying your wallet is safe in a front pocket. The best thing to do is to not carry a wallet at all – carry ONLY what you need – one credit card, one atm card, and 20-50 Euros. There is NO NEED to carry your passport or driver’s license (unless you are renting a car). Taking a simple photocopy of these documents will suffice. Avoid taking a wallet or anything that bulges outward and women should seriously-rethink taking purses or handbags. If you do not ABSOLUTELY need it, then leave in the safe of your hotel. Less is more.
Avoid these areas in Paris after dark: Les Halles, Bois de Boulogne, Vincennes, Gare du Nord, Chatelet-Les Halles, Barbes Rochechouart, Strasbourg St.-Denis
Things You'll Need
Downloads for your Mobile Device:
Download online translator app on phone and maps, metro schedule
Download English to French translator
Download http://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/audio-europe
Passport
Money belt: Driver's License, Debit Cards, Credit Cards, Health insurance Card
Cash in Euros
Boarding Pass for Flight
Laptop computer
Fully-Charged Mobile phone
Fully-Charged iPod/Tablet
Camera, memory card, adapter, cable, usb to memory card reader
220 to 110 plug adapters
Batteries
Eye glasses and cleaner / wipes
Reading material
Paris Guidebooks and Maps
Compass
Small disposable flashlight
Pen and Paper
Large envelope to keep receipts
Notebook, paperclips, rubber bands and working pens, business cards, post it notes
Clothes (Shirts, Pants, Underwear, Sleepwear, Socks, Swimming Suit, Flip Flops)
Hat
Sunglasses
Sweater
Belt
Lightweight jacket
Backpack
Grooming Supplies (liquids wrapped in baggies)
Moleskin, Band-Aids and Antiseptic
Wet wipes
Washcloths
Sunscreen
Laundry detergent (travel size)
Resealable plastic bags of all sizes
Sources and Citations
Eyewitness Travel Paris
Eyewitness Travel Top 10 Paris
Fodor’s France 2014
Fodor’s How to Pack
Fodor’s 25 Best Paris
Fodor's See It Paris The Practical Illustrated Guide
Frommer's EasyGuide to France 2014 (purchased)
Frommer's Ask Arthur Frommer and travel better cheaper and smarter
Frommer's Paris 2013
Herbach Eating and Drinking in Paris
Insight Guides Paris City Guide Know The City Like A Local (purchased)
Knopf Mapguides Parks The City In Section-By-Section Maps (purchased)
Lonely Planet Best Ever Travel Tips
Lonely Planet Paris City Guide
National Geographic Traveler Paris
Paris for Dummies
Rick Steve's France 2013
Rick Steve's Paris 2012
Rick Steve's Paris 2014 (purchased)
http://gofrance.about.com/library/calculator/bltravelbudgetcalculator.htm
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/budget-tips
https://archive.ricksteves.com/graffiti/graffiti_menu.htm
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-forum
http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=1440268
http://www.fodors.com/community/travel-tips-trip-ideas/packing-checklist.cfm
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/europe-travel-checklist.htm
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/flights.htm
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/destinations/travel-guide/10-tips-for-having-a-good-flight.htm#page=10
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/travel/tips-air-travel-insiders-10000001718076/
http://traveltips.usatoday.com/book-international-flight-39854.html
http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech/cell-phone-europe
http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/story/2012-05-19/Rick-Steves-8-tips-to-prepare-for-a-trip-to-Europe/55065390/1
http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips
http://www.fodors.com/community/travel-tips-trip-ideas/packing-checklist.cfm
http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/euro.htm
Two good DVDs
Touring the World: Touring Italy / Touring France
RDA Productions Inc presents The Best of France
Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found