Vive la France – Paris is always a good idea!

Joie de vivre!

Joy of living – that’s the motto here in Paris. Even it is such a big city – the French people are relaxed, casual and don’t worry about anything. Personally, I can say that stereotypes like “the Parisians are cocky and rude” are just not true. The people are open-minded, friendly, obliging and just enjoying their life. Luckily our class in the university is very mixed and so it was pretty easy for us to get in contact with not only other foreign students but also with locals. Getting in contact with people who lived in the city for a longer time is something I would absolutely recommend to you. Especially in big and expensive cities like Paris are some insider tips worth a mint.

French food!

However, one stereotype is certainly undoubted: Wine is the staple drink! So living in Paris without drinking wine is something you’ll never achieve – but is that a bad thing? ???? Paris is full of cute cafés and nice restaurants but especially as a student this can in a long run ruin you. In France it is usual to eat a menu instead of just the main course like we do it most of the time in Germany. It begins with a starter and goes on with the main course, a dessert and optional cheese in between. For drinks you can choose a soft drink (mostly the same range than in Germany), wine in every version or normal faucet water (which is for free and therefor a very popular choice to order). If you want an affordable menu for lunch or dinner I would highly recommend you the area Saint Michel. Whether you want to eat typically French, Greek, Chinese, Turkish, Italian or whatever – Saint Michel has it all and for a very student-friendly price.

Parisian Party’s!

Like I already mentioned Paris is in everything more expensive than Germany – Party’s aren’t an exception. It’s normal to pay around 20€ for the entrance in a night club. Even the student Party’s, that are organized by the PSB, are in this price range. There are quite a lot Party’s organized by the different associations from the University which is nice because you know the people who will be there. The first PSB Party was an integration night at the beginning of October. PSB booked a very big location near the Champs- Élysées and played every kind of music during the night. It was an amazing night! The only thing that can be problematic if you’re new in Paris is the way back home. The public transportation is really bad. Metros only drive until 12 o’clock during the week and 2 o’clock at the weekend, the last Buses drive partly even earlier and a Taxi is very expensive. Local people in Paris only use Uber, which might some of you know or have heard of. It works with an app and people drive you with their own car home. I have already tried it a few times and this will definitely be something I’ll miss in Germany! It’s so easy to use and if you declared your credit card once the money for the drive will always be deducted from this card which is nice because you don’t need to carry extra money for the Taxi with you during the evening. However, the night clubs in Paris are bigger, more luxurious and unfortunately more expensive. You maybe can’t party every weekend here but if you go to a Party it will be great!

Paris has of course not only night clubs to offer, there are much more things you can do in this city! Last week we visited the Christian Dior exposition and it was truly amazing! For those who are interested in fashion I highly recommend this exposition. For those who aren’t – don’t worry there is an exposition or museum for every taste. The best thing about it: if you are under 26 most of the museums are free or much cheaper. If you don’t want to spend your time inside of a museum – just walk around! A walk at the Seine, through the Jardin de Palais Royal or at the Eiffel tower is always a good idea. Especially now where most parts of the city are decorated for Christmas. Sadly, there won’t be a Christmas market at the Champs- Élysées this year but there will be a big one at la Défense (the working districts from Paris). But more about the Christmas time here in my next blog post…