155
votes
Accepted
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
Except for upper class restaurants serving only fixed multi-course menus, I have never (neither in France nor anywhere else) experienced a restaurant, where you could not order only a part of what is ...
- 54.7k
100
votes
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Why does Paris have two large train stations next to each other? (Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est)
The Gare du Nord was originally the Paris terminus of the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord (see Wikipedia). The Gare de l'Est was originally the Paris terminus of the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer ...
- 1,321
92
votes
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
You're overthinking it.
We're french, weird but not that much.
Just walk in any restaurant, order anything you'd like, would it be just appetizers or a dessert, pay your bill and walk out.
I would be ...
- 871
84
votes
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Is there a way to prevent "looking like a tourist" in order to not be harassed?
First there's the obvious - when in a tourist area, don't act too much like a tourist. When I lived in London you could instantly tell the locals from tourists in busy tourist areas, regardless of ...
- 12.6k
69
votes
Accepted
"5 = 1€" for souvenirs in Paris, why do they write the price this way?
They write it this way to create confusion. This attracts more potential customers to engage with the seller, since people conclude that the price is lower than it actually is. This technique is a ...
- 131k
59
votes
Accepted
Boiling tap water in Paris
Paris water is very hard, which means that there is a lot of particles and mineral content in the water
What you see is a buildup of minerals and limescale, this is destined to happen when you boil ...
- 21.5k
55
votes
Accepted
On landing in Paris, from India, which side of the plane to sit to see Eiffel tower?
The three major airports of Paris with commercial flights are Paris Charles de Gaulle-Roissy (CDG), Paris Orly (ORY), and Paris Beauvais (BVA). Since longhaul flights to Canada only originate from CDG ...
- 1,528
49
votes
What is the cheapest way of travelling between London and Paris by public transportation?
If you are not time sensitive, then Eurostar Snap is an option. You pick a day and either morning or afternoon and then get told the train time the day before. (It lets them fill empty seats.)
There ...
- 4,494
48
votes
Accepted
Pack of 10 tickets in Metro, Paris, can you share?
The carnet comes as 10 separate tickets and nothing stops you from sharing with others.
- 26.2k
44
votes
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
France has something called "Le Goûter", which is their version of Afternoon tea. The French generally eat late in the evening, after 8 PM, so there is a habit of having something sweet in the ...
- 5,282
41
votes
Is there a way to prevent "looking like a tourist" in order to not be harassed?
Here's a trick I've found pretty useful: Wear headphones/earphones. You don't have to listen to anything through them, but just by wearing them, people are more likely to ignore you because you "can't ...
- 511
37
votes
Accepted
What is this design/advert featuring cupcakes on French railway trying to say?
This is an advertisement for the Adopte un Mec dating app/website. The site is also known abroad by the different translations of its meaning "Adopt a Guy".
Their logo features the cart.
- 1,048
34
votes
Accepted
Botanical gardens in or close to Paris, France
The big one is Jardin des Plantes:
Ancient Royal Garden, this place has developed during the centuries and contains now the gardens itself, the Museum of Natural History and the Menagerie.
At the ...
- 1,252
31
votes
Is there a way to prevent "looking like a tourist" in order to not be harassed?
I'm French, from Paris.
harassed by guys on the street trying to pull a scam of some sort in
which they would bend over, pick up some cheap "golden" ring, offer it
to me as my "lucky day", and ...
- 411
31
votes
Pack of 10 tickets in Metro, Paris, can you share?
Indeed you can. I'd extend this to other French cities as well: I have lived in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, Mulhouse and (currently) Strasbourg, and in each of these cities public transportation tickets ...
- 10k
31
votes
Accepted
What is the most dangerous area of Paris (or its suburbs) according to police statistics?
I can help with places that are horribly dangerous, but it's a matter of opinion as to what is the most dangerous. Earlier this year I was part of a mission sent by the JCWI to assist refugees. We ...
- 84.8k
29
votes
Which Paris metro station to alight for CDG international airport?
The Charles de Gaulle airport (which locals call “Roissy”) is large. It has three terminals and two suburban train (RER) stations.
As the signs in the trains tell you, as well as the automated ...
28
votes
Accepted
What are the peak hours for public transportation in Paris?
The short answer is that it doesn't matter. It won't make a noticeable difference to your travel time. Public transport is not like driving where rush hour traffic moves at a snail's pace. Buses can ...
24
votes
Why does Paris have two large train stations next to each other? (Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est)
The simple answer is that the reasons are exactly the same as in London, where, in the Victorian age, different parts of the railway network were built and owned by different private companies.
In ...
- 544
24
votes
"5 = 1€" for souvenirs in Paris, why do they write the price this way?
There are many ways you can write prices with the euro sign, all traditions out of all euro countries are acceptable.
The one in the picture seems to indicate a writer who is not familiar with the € ...
- 58.6k
24
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to stay overnight in Paris for a flight in London?
Of course it's possible.
Depending on which day of the week you're traveling, the last feasible departure from Paris may be the 13:13, which arrives in London at 14:39, giving you more than two hours ...
24
votes
Accepted
What do these train codes on Paris RER B (airports subway line) mean?
These train codes are called mission codes.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligne_B_du_RER_d%27%C3%8Ele-de-France, via Gtranslate
First letter (train destination): The first letter provides information ...
- 53.8k
24
votes
Do Paris authorities do plain-clothes ID checks on the subways?
saw a couple of guys doing ID checks. Not uniformed, maybe a colored arm band
Usually, this is not an ID check. Except in a specific case
The Paris transport system has, like most, enforcement agents ...
- 21.5k
23
votes
Accepted
How can I know (without going to the station) if RATP is offering the Anti Pollution tickets?
It actually not offered by RATP but by the Paris Region transport authority, Ile-de-France Mobilités, and is available from the participating transport companies, including RATP and SNCF.
When that ...
- 69.7k
21
votes
Can we cover both Disneyland parks in Paris in one day?
No. Not if you're the least bit serious about it (sure, you can run through).
I did Euro Disneyland shortly after it was opened (there was only one park at that time, and it was about half the size) ...
- 3,088
21
votes
Accepted
Can you identify this restaurant at this address in 2011?
Using Google Street View on the address at 123 avenue des Champs-Elysées and going back to 2011 tells us this was Chez Clément.
A number of other locations alluded to in the Wikipedia page match the ...
- 69.7k
20
votes
Accepted
Travelling in/out France after the attacks of November 2015
I looked for official information about this from a French government source, but did not find anything. I may not have identified the correct agency, but there was nothing obvious on the web sites ...
- 131k
20
votes
Can I eat only a crème brûlée in Paris?
Once in Lille, France, we went only for desert, since it was not dinner time yet, and we were on holiday, to a restaurant that was fancy enough to have a table d'hote menu, but not fancy enough to not ...
- 307
18
votes
Travelling in/out France after the attacks of November 2015
I called the prefecture in the city I live in (Evry) and asked about the situation. They said that as long as the carte de sejour is valid then there should be no problem. Anyways I will be travelling ...
- 441
18
votes
Accepted
London-Paris, Time Critical Agenda for the Louvre and Rodin Museum
1. Go on a Wednesday
I would try to do this on a Wednesday, since this is the day in which both the Rodin Museum and the Louvre are open late. The former closes at 20h45, the latter at 21h45. This is ...
- 52.5k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible