My first trip to Paris. September 14th 3 days in Paris and 7 Days in the Normandy country side. What does a girl bring for clothes to Paris?
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In Normandy (and maybe in Paris too) you have a good chance for rainy days, so take a good coat.
Maybe a little bit cold (pull, pants...)
For Paris : tennis shoes and fancy shoes (if you want to go to restaurants or disco)
In fact, nobody knows exactly the weather..... right here in Paris, it%26#39;s cool but rainy (last year it was cold and rainy) and the year before very hot.
So, except the rain coat, take the same thing than in east US Coast !
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We%26#39;ll be in Paris at the same time. I can%26#39;t decide on shoes either ... also I am trying to get by with one carry on for a 3 country trip so every piece I put in has to be light weight and pull double duty.
I%26#39;m trying to get away from the tennis shoes due to all the comments here on the forum. But if it rains........
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You will walk, walk, walk, so bring comfortable and thoroughly worn-in shoes. I know this is stating the obvious, but I have a multi-lingual collection of plasters (band-aids to you?) in my bathroom, from various trips abroad, demonstrating that I don%26#39;t always take my own good advice!
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I agree with Bathsheba - your shoes must be SO COMFORTABLE. I have spent bunches on the most comfy shoes I could find and Paris whopped them! I had so many blisters. Some of the streets are cobblestone which makes walking even more challenging. Be prepared with good shoes and you will enjoy it more. I spent many nights with my feet in the hot bath tub, and taking advil. Still worth it for the experience.
The Parisians are very stylish. You can%26#39;t go wrong with a long skirt and nice blouse or tunic. Avoid icky t-shirts, sneakers, and jogging suits - you will totally look like a tourist. I always travel with a fabulous chunky necklace or scarf to dress up whatever I%26#39;m wearing to see the sights. A long black dress can be many things for many purposes if you accessorize it right - it%26#39;s a travel essential. Skirts instead of pants or jeans are an easy way to be one step above all the slovenly tourists who stick out like warts.
If you have a night out on the town without much walking, pack one fabulous outfit with the matching heels and jewelry. You will feel like a princess. Bonne journee!
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To Newbee.
The best way to pack for 3 countries is to limit your amount of colors: take back and beige for example which simplifies everything and you can mix and match.
Any closed shoe will be find for rainy days. We seldom get torrential rains. Get some black or jazzy sneakers if you must wear those.
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I went on October. Shoes were a dilema for me too. I have wide feet and so comfortable walking shoes don%26#39;t always look so great. I ended up deciding to take two pairs, and I spent nearly all of my days walking endlessly so I wore my sneakers every day. They are typical white sneakers and not very fancy looking at all. I decided that I was going to be comfortable and not have my holiday impacted in any way by blisters or sore feet. As it was my feet got a bit sore from the excessive amount of walking I did, but I didn%26#39;t mind that. My sneakers were comfortable, good quality and I didn%26#39;t notice any disapproving stares from the French. I think they just knew I was a tourist and that was that, and you know what? I have no problem having the French know I am a tourist - so its fine.
Be comfortable. I went in Oct last year. Take layers. I would wear a shirt, take a jumper/jacket/cardigan and also a warm scarf (there are thousands of scarves in Paris to buy). I also wore jeans. When I got warm, I would put my jacket in my backpack. If I got really cold, I would put on my jacket, zip it up and wrap my scarf around my neck several times. I also carried a pair of woolen glaves in my backpack for evening walks. If I went out to a restaurant or anything at night, I would change and wear a skirt, top and different shoes.
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In addition to the advise, I recommend that you bring clothes that does not wrinkle too much. Many types of linen and silk shirts wrinkle too easily and if you have to iron, it%26#39;s more time consuming so try to avoid those kinds of material if possible. A polyester type or similar material is better for less wrinkles and easier to iron on vacation, assuming if you decide to do it yourself rather than taking it to cleaners which can be expensive. Sometimes ironing is not even necessary if you have the right material.
Feel free to bring jeans because they don%26#39;t wrinkle very much and it%26#39;s normal to wear jeans in Paris but do it in style perhaps with a nice blouse, sweater or jacket to match.
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katheryn,
Although this is probably the 10th time I have
mentioned shoes on the forum; one more time:
You need at least one pair of shoes that is
supportive as well as comfortable/worn in.
If you wear tennis shoes, regardless of
the color or how well decorated, you may be
in for trouble. Why risk it in the name of fashion.
Chic is great but doesn%26#39;t hack it when you walk
6-8 miles a day over uneven ground.
Nothing like a broken or sprained toe, foot or ankle
to ruin your first visit to Paris.
Best Wishes
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So for those who discourage tennis shoes/sneakers, could you at least give a brand name for some comfortable shoes. Shoes aren%26#39;t always that comfortable for me, especially if I have to walk a lot.
Personally, I like Keens. They are SO comfortable and I can walk for days in them. Would Parisians consider them to be too sneaker-like?
http://www.keenfootwear.com/
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debra-s,
I just put the word %26quot;shoes%26quot; in the search box
and pressed the GO button. It gave me
25 pages of titles of articles posted by
TA contributors. You will find many
brand names and recommendations.
It sounds like you may be more than
a tad concerned about how the french
will feel about you shoes.
Better how you feel about your shoes.
You should be able to find a comfortable
and supportive walking shoe that doesn%26#39;t
look like the ones the Hunchback of
Notre Dame wore.
