Visiting France. Tips?

I lived there for two years.  Parisiens are as rude as any other folks from large cities (New York anyone?) but they'll really appreciate your attempts at French, however bad that may be.

Some of the older buildings/cafes may present some problems re space, and the toilets may be a challenge (many old cafes still have "Turkish toilets" aka hole in the floor), but it's all part of the charm lol.

Take comfy shoes, a sense of humour and a warm smile and you'll have a great time.  Share your pics when you come back, pleaee!

i don't remeber any booths in Europe.  It is mainly a US thing.  My husband and found the showers to be extremely small.  Like RV small.  The larger showers were in hotels where the shower/bathroom was down the hall and shared by several rooms. We did not have any problems that the shared bathrooms were full.  

I took pain meds and needed them for blisters on my feet.  Take blister pads, the kind where you cut out a hole where the blister is, and the surrounding area has upraised bandage, (mole-skin) so the blister does not rub.  I had comfortable shoes.  Have fun.

I have been living in Belgium for the past 15 years, am married to a Frenchman and spend way too much time in France!  Paris included.

I am sure you will have a fantastic time and I also doubt you will find people being openly rude or making comments on your size. If they do, it will be in French so you can decide to skip it.  You may find people stare - especially in the subway or in elevators.  That is a very French thing (they do it to anyone) so remember to let it roll off.  Best advice is to keep it down - they tend to find Americans loud and therefore inconsiderate and or obnoxious.  The French pride themselves on discretion and savoir faire.  

I have been MO and skinny over here and skinny wins every time.  But even at 129 pounds I am only really average and hardly seen as thin to them.  That said - the french LOVE to show off their glamorous side and are beyond proud of their city of lights.  You will all love it I am sure.  Nothing can compare!

Cafes and Bistros can be tricky to navigate - sit on the outside of the table (not against the back wall as tables get pushed together frequently with only a sliver of space to squeeze through.  Also know that you will climb a lot of stairs, walk a gazillion steps and that elevators in small hotels can be quite small.  Anything set up for tourists will be user friendly, no question.

PM me if you want any more advice or are worried about something else more specific.  Happy to share my experiences!

We visited Paris for our 25th anniversary and I was over 300 pounds. I didn't experience any 'fat shaming' at all, and I didn't get stuck in anything anywhere (my absolute biggest fear)

i also have mobility problems because of my lymphedema in my legs and was able to get a free rental wheelchair in all the museums!

i don't speak French (Spanish is my second language) but practiced a few phrases, mostly along the lines of 'sorry, my French is bad, do you speak English? And they were usually helpful after that. Oddly, because I speak Spanish I am able to read French, but because they don't pronounce all the letters in the words I can't understand spoken French, lol.

we had an absolutely fantastic time, and I'm hoping to go back once I've lost the rest of this weight. So go, have fun and don't worry, there is so much to look at, and so many tourists from everywhere, no one will single you out at all.