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Top 11 Tourist Mistakes in Paris
ABOVE: A laissez-faire approach to traffic control in Paris. Mistake #8: Driving in ParisIf you're intimidated by the thought of driving in Paris, consider yourself lucky: You'll save money, time, and stress by taking the Métro or bus and leaving the driving to Gus.
But avoiding crashes is only half the battle: When you've had your fill of Parisian traffic, you'll need to find a place to park your car. That can be a nuisance, especially if you lose a side mirror or you're obligated to pay damages to your car-rental firm after you've made the mistake of parking on the street. Don't take our word for it--just look at these photos, which illustrate common Parisian parking techniques:
ABOVE: Note the squashed parking bollards between the the minivan and the car behind it.
ABOVE: Another nose-out parker, with the rear bumper jammed against a vehicle that's parked in the wrong direction.
ABOVE: This parking example gives new meaning to the term "post traumatic stress." Next page: Mistake #9: Overspending on local transport About the author:
After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About our site, press clippings, and reader testimonials.
Top photo copyright © Sean Randall. |
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Driving
is hard enough if you're a Parisian who knows the local streets--but if you're
an out-of-towner, having to cope with a road system that incorporates medieval
lanes, angled avenues and boulevards, and frequent roundabouts without lane
markings (see photo above) will put you, your passengers, your car, and other
road occupants at risk.
Durant Imboden