Top 5 tips for moving to Paris
Moving to Paris is crazy, fun, terrifying, exciting...you name it, I've felt it.Here are 5 things I wish I'd known before we left:
1. Getting an apartment is hard, but not impossible. Landlords often demand 2 months' rent as deposit, and require that your salary is 3x your rent, so you may have to rope in a guarantor if you want to rent a (proportionally) more expensive place. Read more about my experience here - it was a bit of a hassle, but now we live in the most spectacular apartment with a little balcony.
2. The Métro tickets have a magnetic strip on them, so never, NEVER, put them in the same pocket as your phone. Yes, I learned this the hard way....
3. Your mail box will just have your surname on it, not your apartment number, so make sure your friends and family know this! If they're likely to write to you with a silly name on the address, make sure you've briefed them or you won't get your mail!
4. Opening a bank account isn't as hard as you might think. We heard so many horror stories about this before we arrived, but once we'd secured an appointment at the bank it was actually totally fine, even though our French is limited. It's a long story though, so grab a cuppa and take a look here.
5. The streets of Paris are always inexplicably running with water. Wear closed shoes to avoid an accidental toe bath!
Are you thinking of moving to Paris? Check out Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV to read more about the ins and outs of ex pat life.
More fab things to read...
Emily Williams talks about her visit to Paris!