Paris-Useful Information

We went to Paris, France in May of 2023. Our kids were 11, 9 & 4 at the time. We stayed in Vincennes. It was a great area to stay.

I wish I had known:

More French! I studied French for 4 months before our trip and it helped a TON. But I wish I had learned more. It would have been especially helpful to have learned more words about food for restaurants.

We had trouble figuring out the right tickets for the trains. The RER is different than in Paris and we were confused at times. I wish we had figured that out better ahead of time.

Getting a pre-made sandwich was an option at some places if we wanted a quick meal. Much to my surprise they all had mayo. They gave mayo as a side for fries too. So if you like mayo, fantastic. If you don’t, heads up. 

Transportation:

We took the train from London into Paris. It was something I pre-booked. We found it to be quick and easy to get through security and on the train at St. Pancras International in London. The train ride to Paris was fine. We hardly noticed the change going under the channel. The train slowed down a bit and we weren’t outside any more, but really, if we didn’t know, we would have just thought it was a tunnel. The train stopped at Gare du Nord in Paris when we took it. 

We found the Paris metro and RER to be difficult to use and extremely crowded. I didn’t feel like the trains and platforms were as well marked as they were in London or in Belgium (same trip). But part of that could be the language barrier. We used Google Maps to figure out platforms/trains, but we still had trouble.  Google Maps was not as helpful as other places we have been, and unless we missed where, the trains didn’t say where they were going on the side so we were never 100% sure it was the right train. Thankfully we had a few very nice people who helped us out!

We had trouble figuring out the right tickets for the trains. The RER is different than in Paris and we were confused at times. I wish we had figured that out better ahead of time.

We liked taking the bus better the one time we did that. It was easier and less crowded. 

Tips:

We use ROAD iD to order wristbands when our kids aren’t old enough to know our phone numbers by heart. We put their name, our names and numbers and where they’re from on them. It gives us a little more peace of mind while we’re traveling.

Toilets:

Most of the toilets we used took credit cards in France. Sometimes they were challenging to find though. At one train station we had to go into an attached mall to find the toilets. 

Laundry:

Having laundry soap sheets for washing things in the sink or tub, that can’t wait until you get home is nice.

Shopping:

One of my favorite things to do is to go to local grocery stores to get our snacks. It is so fun to try foods that are popular where we are. It is always a good idea to take reusable bags with you. Some places will have you buy a reusable bag if you do not have one.

We liked the Monoprix (grocery store) for snacks and such in Vincennes.

The best parts:

French pastries & bread. Yum!

Eating outside

The zoo

Our day exploring Vincennes

Random Things:

Most people would switch to English when I stumbled in French; but we ran into a few people who knew no English and I didn’t know enough French. Thankfully there were wonderful people around. We had one man walk us to our platform for the metro because we looked lost. We had another lady translate for us at a suburb train station where the attendant didn’t speak English and I didn’t know the right words in French. Everyone we met was so nice!

Fries (frites) always came with a little wooden fork so our fingers didn’t get greasy or dirty! I missed that when we left!

We loved staying in Vincennes. It was very walkable, had a castle (that wasn’t crowded!), shopping, a park and a zoo.

Luggage:

We each had one carry on and one back pack when we went. If you are using trains to go to other places, have a connecting flight or something; check luggage sizes and amounts allowed. We used public transportation. So making sure we could all carry our own bags (even our 4 year old, at the time) and didn’t have anything big was a must for us.