Six tips for first-timers in France

1. Bonjour! - Speak French

Start learning a few words and practice before your trip. You can use Rosetta Stone or my favorite app Duolingo. Once you are actually there try to have a few words written or memorized with you. If you have an international data plan you could also use google translate or an app to help translate words at the moment.

It does not matter if you think you sound 'silly', locals appreciate when you make an effort to speak their language.

2. Invest in an international data plan

If your phone coverage does not include an international plan already there are very good plans you can do for just one day. There are plans that charge you $10.00 per day and you can activate it just for one day if you know that you are going to be alone or that you will need a lot of internet access, either to use it for apps to translate, to communicate with people by text message / calls, etc. I decided to activate my plan with @att while I was there for a day and it was super simple.

3. Paris Day Pass

Expensive? A little, but for me it was worth it because it's a good way to get to the 'hot spots' for free or at a good price, use the 'Hop-on-Hop-off' tour bus which is a super good way to get familiarized with upon your arrival. It also includes an unlimited pass for the metro (2 to 5 days). Personally, this option was totally worth it because it helped me get everywhere and great if you want to have your Parisian experience

This pass also has tickets for more than 60 tourist sites (except the Eiffel Tower).

4. Have a true French experience

Travel as much as you can while you are in France. I decided to explore the south of France and went to Nice and loved it. It was good to see another side of the country and the contrast between these two cities. I decided to look for local activities, not just tourist activities, like an art exhibition by a local artist from Paris (EVERYTHING was in French), went to coffee shops and tried their coffee,took the metro, spoke with the locals in French (I tried haha) and I feel this gave my visit a unique experience.

5. Bon appétit

Make sure you try their food. I went to the market in Nice (Vieux Nice) and the fruits and vegetables that the natives harvested has been one of the freshest and most delicious I have ever tasted. Strawberries, fresh cheeses with incrusted olives, quiche stuffed with blue cheese were some of my favorites.

I loved their desserts (and I am not really a dessert person) especially the macaroons from Ladurée. Oh-la-la!

6. Eiffel Tower

You can not go to Paris without experiencing the Eiffel Tower. You can go to Trocadéro to have a spectacular view of the tower. The ideal experience is really is to go up on the Eiffel Tower itself and contemplate the view from the top (be prepared to be in line for a good time). You can go up until the middle or all the way to the top. Both stops have spectacular views. They also have restaurants with exquisite food with a breathtaking scenery.

Seeing the tower at night is also a mesmerizing.

In addition to the tower there are thousands of amazing museums and historical places that you can also visit but the Eiffel Tower is a 'MUST'!