Things They Don't Tell You Before Moving to Paris

Before reading this, know that I love living in Paris. It is an incredible city, and I am so grateful to be here. As someone who lives here, I can tell you the things about Paris that you won’t find in a travel book.

Watch your step

I’m not sure how else to say it, but Paris is full of crap, literally. There is dog poop everywhere. I don’t know how or why people don’t clean up after their dogs, but it is an apparent problem across Paris. Needless to say, watch your step. 

Grocery shopping every day

Paris, like most metropolitan cities, doesn’t have the space for large grocery stores like HEB or Target. This makes running errands a time-consuming activity. Parisians don’t mind it. They prefer to get their meat from a butcher, produce from the farmer’s market, bread from the boulangerie, and desserts from the patisserie. I, on the other hand, am still in the habit of buying a week’s worth of groceries at a time. I wish I could say the only problem is the confused stares I get when walking out with 3 big bags of food. It’s difficult to buy large quantities of groceries because, one, most stores are small and may not carry what you're looking for; two, the portion sizes are much smaller, so things you eat every day might not last through the end of the week; and three, whatever food you buy you have to carry all the way home. This way of running errands makes you think twice about what you put in your shopping bag.  

Different work hours

If you wouldn’t necessarily call yourself a morning person, Paris is right for you. Don’t worry about snoozing your alarm clock, because you aren’t waking up anytime soon. Before coming to Paris, I knew the French worked fewer hours than Americans, but now I have a better understanding of the extent and reasons why. First off, everything starts later: stores open later, classes begin later, and people go to work later. I remember being out at 6 AM and noticing the streets were empty in downtown Paris. I could never imagine NY streets empty at 6 AM. But here's why. The sun rises later. Some days, the sun doesn't rise until 9:30 AM! No wonder people are asleep.  It looks like it’s the middle of the night when it’s really 8 AM. During my first weeks here, I thought my watch was off because it didn’t seem right. Since the French start their day later, they also end it much later. As a student, most days, my classes end around 7:30 PM, which is when most adults head home from work. 

No = Maybe

This may honestly be one of the most frustrating things about Paris. If you ask the French something and they say no, it might not actually mean no. Most of the time, it means maybe. There’s a good chance it’s possible to do what you're asking for, but that you have to ask someone else. They do this because, in all honesty, they don’t feel like helping you or finding someone else to help you. If you ask a few people, you’ll most likely find what you're looking for. 

So much bread

France is known for its good food, and they stay true to their reputation. As a bread lover myself, I have no complaints about the abundance of baguettes and pastries. But there comes a time when you need a bit more sustenance in your diet. When looking at restaurants in France, 9 out of 10 serve the same things; baguettes, sandwiches, Croque Monsieur (inside out sandwich), and pizza, which are all basically bread - bread with toppings, bread with ham and cheese, and bread with cheese and tomatoes. So, if you like cheese and bread, you're set.

Day drinking

The French love their food and they love their wine. While they might start their day later than us, they don’t hesitate to start drinking. Going out for lunch? Order a glass of wine, heck, order a bottle for the table. I mean, it’s Paris, right? You may think I’m exaggerating, but look at even the COVID restrictions, which prohibit the consumption of alcohol along the river from 11 AM - 7 PM. 11 AM! They didn’t say all day or afternoon because they knew that after 10 AM, the French were ready for a glass of wine. The sun just rose a few hours ago: it's time to celebrate. Don’t worry if you didn’t finish a bottle during lunch. I promise you will by the end of dinner. 

Lack of customer service

Overall, the French don’t have the best customer service. Even in some upscale establishments, you won’t find salespeople eagerly waiting to assist you. It may be nice to shop around without being pestered by employees, unless of course, you actually need help. Even when you are being helped, there isn't the mentality that the customer is always right. In the U.S., customers want to be treated well, and this impacts their buying decisions. In France, salespeople sometimes make rude comments, ignore you, or even give judgmental stares without the thought that customers are choosing to spend their money there instead of somewhere else. 

No personal bubble 

Americans tend to walk around with a personal bubble. We keep a respectable distance from each other (besides the enforced 6 feet) and are very spatially aware. On the contrary, the French customary greeting is faire la bise (cheek kisses), and they’re more comfortable being close to each other. An example is when you're walking through a narrow space (a street, shopping aisle, etc.), Americans automatically move out of the way if someone’s passing, whereas in France, they stay put. You must politely say, “excuse me” or squeeze past them.

Such a beautiful city!

Despite some aspects of Paris that could use improvement, it is an incredibly beautiful city. Streets lined with historic buildings and beautiful architecture. Parks scattered throughout neighborhoods. It is truly an overall wonderful city to live in… just don’t step in poop!

Written by: Kaitlyn Cameron

Edited by: Josie Gruber