I don’t want this to be a negative post what so ever but at the same time there are some things I wish actually both Arnel and I knew before we booked a massive trip to France. We thought we did our research we thought we read what we needed and we thought we did a pretty good job with booking but there were some things that just completely never got mentioned. Maybe it’s obvious for some people but some things just weren’t that obvious for me. So if this is a post where you are just like oh “I already knew” then great I wish I had the same reaction!
Paris:
First things first, Europe in general is pricey, but food is definitely on the higher in, at least in my opinion. Also according to other sites its the top 3 most expensive city in the world. Typical burgers and fries in paris will cost you around 40-50 euros at a regular restaurant.
Public restrooms are limited, for anyone traveling pregnant just be aware especially if you have to go all the time.
Just like any big city there are great parts and there are not so great parts, Paris welcomes millions of tourists a year so you can imagine the wear and tear it gets. So while some corners are beautiful there are lots and lots that are not so picturesque.
If you want those images in front of the Louvre and Eiffel tower I really hope you wake up at the crack of dawn to get them otherwise there is no way you will with the amount of tourists surrounding those places.
Our next stop was Bonnieux which is in the Provence Region, stunning country side and this I will discuss in a post later but I highly recommend the country side over any other city in France.
South of France, Beach Towns:
St. Tropez: we ended up staying here for 1 night, we cut our trip much shorter just because it wasn’t anything we though it would be, its extremely over crowded, the historic area can be a hit or miss to be honest. While they do have some great restaurants to choose from, I definitely didn’t think of it as a “beach town.” the beaches near the historic district were quite run down.
Cannes: One of the beach towns that we actually enjoyed and where we had our baby announcement photos taken. I will do a post on recommendations and restaurants we ate at and things we did.
Nice: Probably one of my least favorite cities we visited it, while the square is great, the boutiques and stores are great but overall the beach vibes were not there. The airport is about 5 miles away from the major hotels and the historic district and the planes fly over every 2 minutes and the fly right above your head (yes I timed it). It’s not a place where you want to lay on the beach and relax. If you do end up going to Nice just go visit the Villa de Rothschild and the surrounding smaller towns.
Airbnbs and Hotels:
I think it’s great to understand that there is a different rating system when it comes to hotels and airbnbs. In my experience I noticed that a 4 or 5 star hotel in France is not quite the same as a 4 or 5 star hotel in the US. Also please note that Europe in general has much older building and much older apartments so when it comes to the Airbnbs while some were great and others were not so much. Even if it had great reviews I just felt like the buildings were much older and a had a different smell. So be very careful when it comes to selecting your airbnb.
To be honest I would avoid any major cities, we preferred the smaller towns, less crowds and way more intimate.
Hope this kind of gives you all a different perspective and everyone has a different experience
xoxo
LOH
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