Advice needed for Paris virgin

[Mel Altenderfer]

I am going to Paris for the first time in two weeks. I am staying in the Marais and would like suggestions as to places to eat, visit, shop in the area.

I am hoping to find a fabulous cheese shop and wine shop within walking distance-- we will be on the Rue Rambuteau.

Any advice on fitting in culturally is also greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Edited November 8, 2004 by Bux (log)

[bleudauvergne]

Mel - welcome to eGullet, we're very happy your first post is in the France forum.

The Marais is simply wonderful, my favorite place to walk and shop. You'll see when you get there that all you'll have to do is step outside and follow your nose and you'll find plenty. Paris residents and frequent visitors to Paris on this forum will also have plenty of personal favorites, I'm sure. There is a recent thread on cheese shops in Paris which should be pretty helpful.

The first thing to do is search the forum on the Marais. There are bound to be plenty of threads mentioning the quartier.

[Busboy]

I am green with envy. A couple of thoughts from a fellow Paris newbiw, but who's been lucky to spend a little time there this year and last.

1) Relax. Really. You will do fine. I took two kids and two parents -- none of whom spoke a word of French -- through Paris on my own thin French vocabulary and, save for one taxi driver who left me with a great story to tell, never heard a discouraging word.

2) Remember that the French are more formal than we are. They are not acting reserved because they dislike you/Americans/tourists/whomever, they're just reserved.

3) Buy Patricia Wells' "Food Lover's Guide to Paris."

4) Have a great time. Never think of yourself as "ignorant and provincial." Hell, everyone is their first week in Paris. Make the rhythms of the city your own, don't force yourself to see or do anything -- if ever there was a city made for just hanging out and not doing anything, it is Paris.

5) The Mona Lisa is overrated (Pan, I prefer the Virgin of the Rocks). Winged Victory of Samothrace (aka "Sammy"), is underrated.

[bushey]

I predict you are going to have a magical trip . I fell in love with Paris several years ago, on our first trip, and I was amazed at how much of my high school french came back to me -- and how kind people were when I tried to "converse".

Treat yourself to a nice scarf shortly after you arrive, and have the salesperson tie it for you, to show you how. Voila! You will fit right in. There are also lots of places around to buy "faux" pashmina scarves very inexpensively, and these you can sort of wrap and twist and tie anyway and they always look chic. Go for some color to add pizazz. I usually carry a medium to large black microfiber tote so I can toss in a travel umbrella, guide books, etc. and still look pretty streamlined.

The local fruit and cheese merchants and bakers will love to help you choose. Just remember not to touch anything -- that goes for all types of stores -- you can point and they'll choose for you, ask you how ripe, etc. Also, everything is sold in kilos, so you'll have to mentally adjust quantities.

You've probably got an itinerary all worked out, but I'll put in a plug for two great museums in the Marais -- the Picasso Museum and the Museum of the City of Paris (Carnavalet).

[Pan]

Mel, learn the expressions "Bonjour, Messieurs-Dames" and "Au revoir, Messieurs-Dames," and use them every time you enter and leave any establishment. The idea is that you are saying hello and goodbye not only to the proprietors and employees, but also your fellow customers. Paris is a big city but one that retains some aspects of neighborhood community living. In my last visit to France, I found that after just a few days shopping at some local fruit-and-cheese stores and boulangeries in the 1ieme/2ieme, I was already a regular. Why? Because I took the time to speak with the proprietors. Now, my French, though rusty at this point, is undoubtedly better than yours, but it was not always so. My first experience in really needing help from a Parisian proprietor was quite a few years ago, during my very first trip to France, when I was developing incipient bronchitis and slowly walked over from my little hotel in the 7ieme to the local pharmacy, explained my symptoms in broken French, and was prescribed a decongestant and pastilles of codeine phosphate by the friendly and very helpful pharmacist and his assistant. I was well within a day and a half and ready for my audition in Nice.

There are nice and nasty people in France, as is the case anywhere else, but in general, I find the French wonderful. Parisians in a rush to get somewhere may ignore you, but those who have the time are as likely as not to go out of their way to help you, especially if you try to speak their language. People will give you friendly corrections to help you learn proper grammar, pronunciation, etc. Outside of Paris, in small towns and the countryside of regions like Burgundy and the Loire Valley, you find people who are more relaxed and effusively friendly. So for that reason and also because of all the wonders you can see outside of Paris, I also recommend some side trips while you're in France.

[robert brown]

Mel, there is a cheese address in Le Pudlo Paris, Fromagers de France on the Rud de Bretagne in or near the Marais. I checked it out and found it inferior. Bathelemy just off Boulevard Raspail at 51 rue de Grenelle is very good. But it's real funky in the 3rd Arrondissement, great for walking. Lots of quaint and interesting small shops. Getting lost without worrying about the time is the greatest.

[Bux]

Treat yourself to a nice scarf shortly after you arrive, and have the salesperson tie it for you, to show you how.  Voila! You will fit right in.

←

Don't get your hopes up. I have an American friend who's been working and living in Paris part of the time and seems to be the very image of a petite svelte Parisian. She's got an apartment in Paris, but complains she still can't tie a scarf with the flair of a Parisian. She seems to have a good time nonetheless.

Rambueau runs for some distance. Just off the western end is the rue Montorgueil, a pretty good shopping street for food. I seem to recall some cheese shops. They might not be worth crossing all of Paris, but if you're in the area and coming from most parts of the U.S., a cheese shop doesn't have to be fabulous on French terms to be fabulous.

[Carlsbad]

You might try Le Cafe du Passage, 12 rue de Charrone, in the 11th. It's a very nice wine bar.

[John Talbott]

Two thoughts:

One, there's a lovely place called Le Dome du Marais, 53 bis Francs-Bourgeois 01.42.74.54.17 located in the spectacular setting of the ancient city pawnshop (the "new" one is nearby, great bargains on jewelry) which serves very good products.

Second, to tie scarfs properly, Colette tells me, one must either be born French or have taken a course offered at WICE.

[follonica2]

The Dome du Marais is on my ever-growing to-do list. I knew that it's located in a former city pawnshop. What I didn't know is that there is a "new" one. Do you have any more information about it? My traveling companion for my December trip is verrrrry interested in any place that has jewelry bargains.

[John Talbott]

I may be in deep trouble here without my wife Colette's input, but I think it's the Hotel des Ventes of the Credit Municipal de Paris which can be found here.

If I'm correct, it's at 55, rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 01 44 61 63 63, and it looks like the next sale is Nov 18th. (Mind you, like all such places, the stuff is on view before the day of the sale and I don't want to promise it's cheap, but it'll be a bargain if your companion knows his/her stuff.)

Email : contact@creditmunicipal.fr

Horaires d'ouvertures : Lundi–vendredi : 8h30–17h30

But this is off the topic, so back to food.................

[snoopy64]

Just got back from our first trip ourselves. What a wonderful place!

To fit in - remember the locals are more formal, so don't wear sneakers and/or track pants if you want to blend with them. Also, some Americans speak at a louder volume than is common in Europe. If you are in this group and want to blend in, turn it down a notch. Also, many restaurants won't seat you if you are wearing jeans (cafes are no problem).

You will have to ask for the bill, it is considered rude to bring it to you before you ask. "Monsieur, l'addition sils vous plait" does the trick. Tip is included, but we generally added 5% in cash (there is no spot on credit card slip for tips)

As soon as you speak they will know you aren't French, but always try with a few words of French, it will probably get you better, friendlier, service. Most restaurants and food stores have someone who speaks some English. My French is poor and I had no problems making myself understood, and the waiter would often reply to my French in English.

For food stores, don't miss Place Madeline and the stores around the square. The highlights are Fauchon (high end food store), Maison Truffle (truffles of course), Maille (for mustards).

Hot chocolate - great in Paris, and the best is at a place called Angeline's (pm me if you need an address). Go for lunch and have this as your dessert. Order the Chocolat Chaud Africain, and what they bring is basically a pot of quality melted chocolate, a bowl of sugar and a bowl of whipped cream for mixing. Heavenly!

You can buy some of their mix to take home.

Stroher - bakery in Les Halles area I can recommend

Berthillion - great ice cream near Notre Dame, with interesting flavours (grapefruit, chestnut, etc.)

The local pastry is the Paris Brest, and you can find good ones everywhere (I had a good one at Fauchon)

Don't forget the street food - crepe with nutella, is better than it looks or sounds

Have a great trip!

[John Talbott]

there's a lovely place called Le Dome du Marais, 53 bis Francs-Bourgeois 01.42.74.54.17 located in the spectacular setting of the ancient city pawnshop (the "new" one is nearby, great bargains on jewelry) which serves very good products.

←

In my web meanderings I just found this review of the Dome du Marais

[follonica2]

Merci, M. Talbott, for the pawnshop information as well as the review of Le Dome du Marais. That restaurant just got bumped up a few notches on my list, thanks to that review.

[babka]

merci a tous le monde! I'm a quarter of Mel's Paris companions, and I just started digging through Ms. Wells today.

just to make life more interesting....one of our foursome is vegetarian. Cheese and eggs are fine, but he's unhappy at restaurants where he's limited to a salad and sides, and my all-too brief memory of Parisian cafes is that he's going to be unhappy more often than not. While much of our food will be at the apartment, and while I'm happy to venture out to vegetarian restaurants a couple of times, any advice for maneuvering neighborhood joints?

[TarteTatin]

In the Marais, our favorite place for Pain au chocolat is Levain du Marais. On the corner of the Place Des Vosges by Ma Bourgogne, turn down the side street and make a right at the first street. It's a block on the right. The best I've ever had!

Also, by Bastille on a side street opposite Fauchon is a good small wine shop.

Walk on the Rue St. Paul in the courtyard. It's beautiful.

[John Talbott]

one of our foursome is vegetarian. 

←

Than you should check this thread out

[kerriar]

This remains a lovely part of Paris and you seem to have plenty of good advice from people who know the area.

You'll find a posting of mine on an earlier thread elsewhere about restaurants in the Marais/Bastille where a few tested personal favourites are described - Le Loir dans la théière on the rue des Rosiers (near Place des Vosges), L'Osteria nearby at 10 rue de Sevigné or Le Rouge Gorge at number 8 rue St Paul (tel 01.48.04.75.89) which I'ver been back to since and can confirm remarks about prices and good non-mainstream wines. Also on rue St Paul, about 50 m nearer the Seine bank, on a corner is another good Italian - name not to hand but hard to miss on this fascinating little street (see also comment above by casting@philacast.com).

On Patricia Wells, I must admit to mixed feelings. She is a joy to read if you never get to Paris and need something to stimulate your imagination but I'm not sure if she is really the best source of information if you really want to eat and live like a Parisian. Spend some time browsing a few of the Paris threads on this site and you will do much better

[bavila]

My one trip to Paris was in 1998, and on a pretty meager budget. I don't remember specific restaurant names, but I do have some general memories:

-yummy crepes filled with just about anything can be picked up at many corner cafes or street vendors

-my favorite lunch was camembert on a baguette in one of the many great people-watching cafes or brasseries

-probably best to avoid the Champs-Elysees -- a bit touristy, I thought

-I definitely don't buy the whole "Parisians hate Americans" argument. People in cities are usually more standoffish than those in more rural areas, and people anywhere prefer to have their customs and cultures respected -- just common sense to avoid any ugly Americanism.

If you travel outside of Paris, I recommend the little inn at which we stayed in Provence. A family ran the hotel (about 15 rooms) and restaurant.

La Galinière

Route Nationale 7

13790 Châteauneuf le Rouge

Tel : 04 42 53 32 55 Fax : 04 42 53 33 80

[zoeadler]

Hi there, your trip sounds like it will be wonderful. The advice so far is spot on - it's hard to not be taken for a foreigner - I've been here 2 1/2 years and I still am taken for one, I'd imagine it will always be this way! I'm also a very non-scarf kinda girl.

I haven't seen to much advice on markets, so I'd reccomend taking a Sunday morning stroll over to Marché d'Aligre. It's a great scene and lots of great food. The market outside on the place d'Aligre is one where cheap veggie and fruit vendors sell mass quantities at very low prices. There is also a tiny tiny flea market (not great but interesting to walk around). I prefer the covered market where there are amazing cheese, meat, fish and veggie vendors. Also a spice market that sells amazing olive oil and belotta ham. A real treat.

After a bit of wandering you could grab some wine and oysters at Le Baron Rouge - 1 r Théophile Roussel in the 12th.

The easiest way to get to the market is either taking the 8 line to Ledru Rollin or you could walk from the Marais...it's not too far once you get to Bastille. Good luck!

[Mistinguett]

Live, from Paris, a weblog that has detailed information about a few restaurants and patisseries in Marais and elsewhere in Paris.

[John Talbott]

Figaroscope’s Quartier this week is the Place des Vosges; if you're interested in restaurants in the area, however, you must pay to view.

[mikeycook]

Thanks to all for this thread. We have been to Paris several times, but are staying in the Marais (at Caron de Beaumarchais) for the first time over Valentine's Day weekend. I had been looking for more details on the Marais.

Throwing in my 2 cents, I personally always enjoy a trip to the Puces de St-Ouen (Clignancourt) flea market. A good Sunday option.

[Explorer]

I don't recommend Le Dome du Marais. Was there a few months ago and commented on it somewhere else. Nothing to it, really. There are much better bistros in the area. The dome is ok, but aren't you going there for food?

[ludja]

What are people's thoughts on Brasserie Bofinger (right near the Place de Vosges).

I liked L'Ambassade D'Auvergene on my "virgin" trip to Paris--it's in the Marais and serves hearty food from Auvergne, including a special potato-Cantal cheese dish. (I think some on egullet do not like this place).

Edited December 10, 2004 by ludja (log)