Bon Appétit!

We had a blast eating our way through Paris. We ate plenty of pastries, but we also tried new charcuterie meats, escargot, and more. Here are a few of our tips on different aspects of dining in France:

Water
Listen to Rick Steves and learn the phrase “un carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît” (a carafe of still water). The bottled water prices are steep, and we forgot this tip until we got the first bill!

Pastries
Think beyond croissants and baguettes, and try some things you can't get back home! We found out about pastries like the Paris-Brest, Mont Blanc, etc. from the YouTube channel Les Frenchies. We made a point of touring some of their recommended bakeries and trying new-to-us pastries.

Try New Things
Don’t be afraid to try unusual food, especially regional specialties. Bill ordered escargot at one of our dinners and loved it!

Picnics
When the weather was nice, we followed Rick Steve’s advice to have a picnic! It was quick and easy to grab ham-and-butter sandwiches and enjoy them on a bench in a park. It's inexpensive, too!

Ask for Suggestions
Before we left, we asked our French teacher what she would recommend trying in France, and she told us we couldn't visit Paris without trying a crêpe Suzette, a flambéed crêpe made for you at your table!

Seasonal Specialties
We were in Paris in early April and had the pleasure of seeing and trying the exquisite Easter chocolate. Look for seasonal foods, you never know if you’ll be able to try them again!

Fine Dining
Don't be intimidated by a restaurant just because it has a Michelin sign outside! Paris is the best place to go all-out. We were a bit intimidated to try fine dining restaurants in Paris, but we went anyway! We had a great experience and great service - and great food, of course! So many restaurants in France have Michelin stars that you might accidentally eat in one and find out later, like we did with Le Train Bleu!