I am planning on going to the Louvre on the first Sunday of June. This will be my first trip to France, and after reading some comment threads on here, I would like to know what is suggested for visiting the Louvre. Should I try to get there early in the morning or wait until later in the afternoon like around 4. Will there be less of a crowd around 4 in the afternoon to see the Mona Lisa? Any help is greatly appreciated.
I would also like to know what the attitude is there towards Americans. I read somewhere that it is not as bad as it used to be. Do most people speak English? Thanks again for the help.
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First Sunday of June is free so expect museum to be crowded.
I would go when it first opens.
Attitude re. Americans is an old subject that appears frequently on the board. Do a search.
I think the attitude depends on the Americans. Not all of them are likeable LOL.
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Yes, that is what I figured about both topics. Thank you for the info.
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From what I hear the french are like Americans, everyones different.
Some people dont like tourists here just as some french people dont like tourists there(Tho I find this odd considering if it was not for America,Britain and Canada they would be part of the Reich right now)
Most of the people I have talked to have been very nice, they especially like it if you are atleast attempting to speak french.
Please and thank you, hello and goodbye. Go a long way.
If you meet any rude french people just start speaking German :P should brighten their day.
As for the Louvre im tolddont go on the first days of opening and go during midday.
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Get to Louvre as early as you can. The Mona Lisa will always be crowded. So if you want to see it close and alone, then go early and go to the Mona Lisa first. Louvre is huge - so plan what you want to see before you go there. We had a list of things we wanted see.It is huge - be well planned.
I dont think the French attitude is all that bad. It depends on the person. Some people are rude and uncourteous. I asked the lady sitting at the helpdesk in front of louvre if she knew english(I asked her in French). And she replied rudely - %26#39;Yes we also know English%26#39;. I didn%26#39;t find that nice. But just dont care. Most people are nice. I wanted to speak more french..but I figured they also wanted to try speaking English. Many people could speak English,though not fluently.Dont worry too much.. just go have fun.
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Thank you all. I guess I really should have read up as much about the attitudes as I did with the rest of my trip. I looked through the other forums, and have full confidence that the rudeness is not something to worry about.
I checked on the museum and will see the basics, but also will check out the roman artifacts which are in the same complex as the Mona Lisa. I think those are the only major things I want to see, and of course the artifacts along the way. And most likely will get there bright and early a little before the museum opens. We have to do it on Sunday, since we are leaving on Wednesday and have Versailles on Tuesday, and not too much time to see other things. Saving money on the ticket was just a bonus.
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I understand from others on this forum that the free Sundays at the Louvre are extremely crowded and not worth the savings. I don%26#39;t have first hand experience of this however. It might be worth spending the money to go at a different time. It is open late on Wednesday and Friday evenings, and the admission is reduced to I believe 6 euros after 6:00 p.m., when it is apparently much less crowded.
With respect to attitude towards Americans, did you happen to see the %26quot;What Would You Do%26quot; episode on ABC news with two actors pretending to be obnoxious American tourists in Paris? It seemed the French weren%26#39;t at all bothered by them, but the other tourists were appalled. Here%26#39;s a link:
abcnews.go.com/WhatWouldYouDo/story…
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Sorry sarcasm28, I just read the end of your last post and realize now that you can%26#39;t go on Friday or Wed. evening. Please disregard!
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%26lt;%26lt;some french people dont like tourists there(Tho I find this odd considering if it was not for America,Britain and Canada they would be part of the Reich right now)%26gt;%26gt;
I think that this may be an example of the sort of attitude that the French might find difficult to accept from visitors to their country. Being expected to be grateful all the time may not come naturally to them.
As a Brit I have never found any problems with French people, and we were at war for centuries.
Sarcasm28: many people in the tourist industry and elsewhere speak English; but of course %26#39;most people%26#39; in France don%26#39;t speak English.
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%26lt;%26lt;Some people dont like tourists here just as some french people dont like tourists there(Tho I find this odd considering if it was not for America,Britain and Canada they would be part of the Reich right now)%26gt;%26gt;
If we want to go back in history, you could also say that if it weren%26#39;t for the French, America might still be a British Colony! They were allies of the revolutionaries, giving both financial and military assistance. The treaty that ended the war and recognized the soverignty of the United States was, I believe, signed in Paris!
I think most tourists try to be respectful and most natives try to be helpful wherever you are in the world. It%26#39;s the few bad eggs on either side of the equation who end up feeding misconceptions.
Happy travels!
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THANK YOU Harmony and Brittravller,, for your posts.
NCreptile.. ,, not well done at all.. go back in history a bit further.. how soon some of you forget...
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