2024 Adventures in Paris with Teena Hughes
It’s Official! I’m planning 2024 Adventures in Paris!
Yes, it’s true. This week I was longing for Paris and my friends so much that I started dreaming and planning to be there this time next year! Woohoo!
Where can I find a Barber Shop in Paris?
Wondering where to find a Barber Shop in Paris?
Your search to find a barber shop in Paris is over! This one has 3 barber shops, view locations on the map above.
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Where can I find coats in a hurry for winter in Paris?
One of my favourite pastimes in Paris – drinking hot chocolate in a cosy café on a winter’s day!
I recently received an email from a delightful lady named Kara – here is her question (“Where can I find coats in a hurry for winter in Paris?”), my answer, and her lovely response:
Hello Teena!
Lovely blog — thanks for posting so many tips! I’m writing because my husband received a rather abrupt (but happy!) job transfer to Paris and we are to move in two weeks. Since we’ve been living in the southern U.S. for a few years now, we no longer own coats and, furthermore, they’re very hard to find down here where it seldom drops below 15C or so degrees. I’ve tried ordering online, but with poor results.
With only two weeks to pull everything together, I’m getting nervous that we will just have to board the plane coatless and freeze on arrival. Which brings me to you–do you think it’s possible to find a U.S. size 14 coat somewhere in Paris? I’m just imagining department stores full of coats for skinny Parisian women without a stitch to spare for more rounded out shapes.
Merci for your help! Peace, Kara
Teena’s Answer for winter in Paris
Kara, hello!!
First of all – have no fear! You’re going to need thermal underwear for winter, so if you can find a place like DAMART locally or online, buy yourself leggings and a long-sleeve top to go under a shirt etc. That will keep the winter chill away until you can find a coat.
I’ve just looked at the temps in Paris, and the highs are around 17-18 degrees Celcius for the next week, so not freezing, but getting cooler.
If you don’t have overcoats before you leave, you can definitely find them on arrival.You no doubt have somewhere to stay as soon as you land, so if you DO find anything online, you can have it shipped to your accommodation for the day you arrive (if you don’t have time to get it delivered before you leave the USA).You’re probably better off waiting till you get there before spending too much money, as you’ll have a wider selection and you’ll be able to try things on rather than impulse-buy online.For plus-size coats, you’re in luck! There are BEAUTIFUL fashions in Paris for plus-size beauties, and I host shopping tours to a lot of these stores in summer-time.I have a list of plus size clothes on my website (it may be a year or two out of date, but it’s a start):Have a look at Ulla Popken (one of my faves), a very reasonably priced store a block from the Galleries Lafayette, which always has a great selection of clothes:
- http://www.ullapopken.fr
- look for “manteaux” which means “coats”
Check out Jean-Marc Philippe with stores all over Paris:To travel on the plane, wear a few layers with long sleeves, find yourself a large shawl or scarf you can drape around yourself, add a jaunty scarf around the neck, and you’ll be fine till you get to your accommodation and can go shopping.OOOooohhhh what a lucky possum you are! You two will have the best fun, and I’d love to hear from you to see what you end up doing and buying.Best of luck, keep an eye out for the word “SOLDES” which means ‘SALE!” twice a year (it is extremely regulated and all stores have sales at exactly the same time each year).Ciao for now
Teena!!
Kara’s reply to winter in Paris
Hello Teena,
Thank you SO MUCH for your extraordinarily helpful email! My husband and I depart on Monday and I am still scrambling to find an overcoat, so really helped to put my mind at ease.
Upon your advice, I just bought some fleece-lined shirts and leggings (divine!), so I’ll be alright until I get to pop in to Ulla Popken or Jean-Marc Phillipe :) Your shopping tours sound like so much fun — I’ll see if I can get a few girlfriends to come visit over the summer and sign up with me!
Hope your move up the coast went well and that you love your new home. Thanks again for all your help! Take care.
Peace,
Kara
—
I was so pleased to be able to help Kara – if you have a question, please do let me know and I’ll do my best to answer it, just like this one about winter in Paris :-)
cheers
Teena
How can I fix a Visa card problem in Paris?
Lynne wrote to me recently asking if I had any suggestions for her daughter’s Visa card problem in Paris.
Teena,
My daughter is currently studying abroad in Paris. She is having trouble with many of the merchants not accepting her American Visa credit card.
Do you know of a prepay loadable card that she can easily put money on to use? or do you have another solution than her hitting the ATM and carrying Euros everywhere?
Lyn
Teena’s reply to “Visa card problem in Paris”
Hi there Lynn,
I’m sorry to hear your daughter’s had problems. I was in Paris a year ago with my Australian Visa card and didn’t have any problems, but to avoid lots of fees I also made sure to have 100-200 euro on me in cash at all times.
I did go to my bank before I left Australia and tried a pre-paid debit card which could be used as a credit card too — that worked out well, but the fees were quite high.
Just a thought — smaller merchants might have to pay high fees to accept credit cards, so they probably only accept cash.
If your daughter doesn’t like to carry much cash, perhaps she could try Traveller’s Cheques / Travelers’ Checks, but to be honest I haven’t used those for year, and she may have the same problems trying to cash them with smaller merchants.
Has your daughter met any other girls her age living in Paris who might offer suggestions for her?
Finding out how others cope in the same situation might be helpful.
As long as your daughter is careful not to flash her open wallet around, and keeps it in her handbag in FRONT of her as she walks along the streets, she shouldn’t experience any difficulties with cash.
I’m sorry I don’t have any other solution for you, but do let me know how she gets on, if she tries one of these suggestions or comes up with a much better one.
What a wonderful adventure for her to have – wouldn’t it be lovely if we could all meet up for a latte in Paris one afternoon? Ahhhhh bliss!
Ciao for now, best of luck!
Teena
Your Say
I hope Lynne’s daughter has now solved this tricky issue when shopping in Paris.
Have you ever had a Visa card problem in Paris? I’d love to hear from you if you have any tips or suggestions. Thanks!
Teena
Annual Sales in Paris in June
The annual sales in Paris are held in summer and winter, and the dates are strictly controlled by the Government.
If you happen to be in Paris in June, as you walk around the shops and stores you’ll notice the word “SOLDES” everywhere — which means “SALE”.
When are the summer sales in Paris?
The 2013 summer sales begin on June 26th and go to July 30th, 2013.
When are the winter sales in Paris?
The 2014 winter sales in begin in Paris on January 8th and go to February 11th, 2014.
What’s on sale in these annual sales in Paris?
You name it, you can find it:
- fashion
- jewellery
- clothing
- shoes
- handbags and bags
- fashion accessories
- just about whatever your little heart desires.
Where to find the Sales / “Soldes”
Walk along the popular streets and int he arcades, you’ll find so much being offered at a discount prices inshops and stores all over Paris, in large stores and small trendy boutiques, in department stores, little designer stores in the suburbs to major designer labels and internationally known designer stores.
Make a day of it – go with friends, plan where to have lunch (off the main streets to avoid the shoppers in crowds) and enjoy yourself whilst shopping the annual sales in Paris!
Best pet store in Paris
I found the best pet store in Paris for animal lovers
I came across a wonderful shop and the best pet store in Paris which I’ve seen:
- gorgeous toys
- bedding
- furniture
- jewellery, gift baskets
- clothing, raincoats
- collars (with jewels!) – fantastic!
The name of the store is PATTE A STRASS (Pawprints & Jewels) and can be found on Rue St Denis – I stumbled across this colourful inviting place one Sunday after I’d sampled the brunch in a restaurant close by.
I have a cat (Ms Mooshie) and most of my friends either own cats or dogs, so I’m always interested to look at pet paraphernalia – and I oohed and aahhed over so many things in this store :-)
Here’s the owner – Guy – talking about his store:
httpv://youtu.be/W1bh8Q6BQFU
And a few photos I took:
Inside the store was an Aladdin’s Cave of marvellous goodies for your cat and dog – and it’s obvious that Guy – the owner of the store – loves animals – I was probably there for at least a half an hour chatting and browsing, a delightful treat on a drizzly Sunday.
I fell in love with the little dog and cat sofas and beds – so cute!!
If you’re an animal lover and you’re in Paris, do drop in and say hello to Guy – tell him Teena sent you, and spend some time browsing in this wonderful place:
Pattes a Strass
Accessoires de Mode pour Chiens et Chats (Fashion accessories for dogs and cats)
169 Rue Saint-Denis
75002 Paris, France
Map to the best pet store in Paris!
[mappress mapid=”35″]
Shopping on a budget in Paris
Shopping on a Budget in Paris for everyone
Guest post by Marvin
When you’re shopping on a budget Paris can seem like a very expensive city, and it can be tricky to find reasonable prices. You need to be a little bit savvy, and think outside of the box, do a little research and implement your findings. A few ways you can save are:
Window shop
I know the idea of only looking at the shops in Paris seems ludicrous. If you don’t live there, what are the chances of you ever visiting again? The trouble is that Paris is a very expensive city to shop in, so window shopping might be the only sensible option for you. You don’t have to stay in the hotel playing partycasino.com and updating Twitter to keep yourself from spending. Just only buy if you really want it.
Get creative
If you allow yourself to use your imagination, you might find there are some pretty creative ways for you to save money. For example, you could take the ferry to France or England, instead of the plane or train. Perhaps you can use your smarts to get deals on accommodation. The opportunities are there, you just need to find them.
Stay out of the centre
The most expensive hotels in Paris tend to be located from the 3rd to 7th arrondissements. Check out some of the other areas of Paris. Not necessarily the suburbs. The hotels near Montmartre for example, tend to be cheaper. Maybe you should think about vacation rental deals too? Here are some ideas >>
Picnic
Instead of eating out at a restaurant in Paris, why not take a picnic out to one of the parks? You get to experience the views, without the expense of a three course meal in the centre. Obviously you cannot go to Paris without experiencing French food, but you don’t need to spend on every single meal. Space it out. Check out some of the famous French food I love.
When using the Paris Metro, instead of buying a new ticket for every journey, try buying a carnet, which is a packet of 10 Metro tickets. That way you don’t have to buy them each time you travel.
I hope you’ve found these tips to be useful, please write (post a comment below or send a Tweet or come chat on the Facebook page) and let me know if you have other ideas for shopping on a budget in Paris.
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