Paris metro
- Thread starter Rodrat
- Start date
Rodrat,
It should be reasonably OK - it is full of students.
I don't want to worry you unduly but what she might find shocking, if she has not spent time there before, is the constant low-level sexual harrassment which is, I'm afraid, standard for any young woman in Paris - she will be accosted and possibly groped on the metro/buses on a daily basis. When it happens, she should simply make as loud a fuss as possible but will find that most people will shrug their shoulders and consider these behaviours normal, if not desirable. She will be going back to the Stone Age. That said many women spend a year in Paris and enjoy it safely, so long as they use their common sense.
My info on travel methods is out of date but when I lived in France there was a special carte for students and I can't imagine that has changed.
Peter
It should be reasonably OK - it is full of students.
I don't want to worry you unduly but what she might find shocking, if she has not spent time there before, is the constant low-level sexual harrassment which is, I'm afraid, standard for any young woman in Paris - she will be accosted and possibly groped on the metro/buses on a daily basis. When it happens, she should simply make as loud a fuss as possible but will find that most people will shrug their shoulders and consider these behaviours normal, if not desirable. She will be going back to the Stone Age. That said many women spend a year in Paris and enjoy it safely, so long as they use their common sense.
My info on travel methods is out of date but when I lived in France there was a special carte for students and I can't imagine that has changed.
Peter
Darth Vader
From the Dark Side
My daughter has just returned from a year as an au pair in Paris. I'll ask her when she returns from Spain. Yeh comes home with a friend and uses us as a B&B then pops off to Spain! Still she is off to Uni September wah hay!
Cheers,
DV
Cheers,
DV
topa
Sans CDPs
5th is right in between Jardin Luxembourg (beautiful and crowded with kids and their nannies!), Bouleverd Saint Germain and the La Seine. I doesn't get much better without paying a fortune. Although you probably will have to pay one here already. ;-)
For normal getting around (not daily commute) you can buy ten single tickets in a small pack called "carnet" at every small shop/magazine-stand/bar. But of course they also have week/month/year cards, which you need to buy at the larger metro hubs. Pricing is very reasonable, by far cheaper than UK standards. Weekly passes pay off if you do more than 20 rides, can't tell you how soon the monthly/yearly passes pay off.
You can get from any point to any other point within Paris by Metro, no problem. Not sure if commuting 5rd-18th she would have to switch trains at Gare-de-l'Est (or Nord), which might be a little less desirable late at night. Have a look at the Metro plans. (Google).
For normal getting around (not daily commute) you can buy ten single tickets in a small pack called "carnet" at every small shop/magazine-stand/bar. But of course they also have week/month/year cards, which you need to buy at the larger metro hubs. Pricing is very reasonable, by far cheaper than UK standards. Weekly passes pay off if you do more than 20 rides, can't tell you how soon the monthly/yearly passes pay off.
You can get from any point to any other point within Paris by Metro, no problem. Not sure if commuting 5rd-18th she would have to switch trains at Gare-de-l'Est (or Nord), which might be a little less desirable late at night. Have a look at the Metro plans. (Google).
Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
Le Jardin de Luxembourg area is the only "hole" in the metro network. Elsewhere in Paris there is always a metro station within 500m.
PsB
Citizen of Nowhere™
Rodrat,
The 5th is pretty safe. Mix of upper-mid residential areas and tourist areas. She is lucky to be able to live there for a year, even if it's a small place. The 18th can be a bit dodgy in places.
I assume she speaks some French, so she can look at the RATP site for information on Navigo monthly or annual passes:http://www.ratp.fr/fr/ratp/c_20585/titres-tarifs/
She should check out the Navigo, about 50-70€ per month for unlimited access to various zones of the network. If she is a student or less than 26 there seems to be a Navigo R at lower prices.
The 5th is pretty safe. Mix of upper-mid residential areas and tourist areas. She is lucky to be able to live there for a year, even if it's a small place. The 18th can be a bit dodgy in places.
I assume she speaks some French, so she can look at the RATP site for information on Navigo monthly or annual passes:http://www.ratp.fr/fr/ratp/c_20585/titres-tarifs/
She should check out the Navigo, about 50-70€ per month for unlimited access to various zones of the network. If she is a student or less than 26 there seems to be a Navigo R at lower prices.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
Heed the advice of the rabbit stickers and tell her to keep her fingers clear of the doors.
She has found a large one bed for €500 a month. The owner lives in the uk and is renting direct rather than through an agent. I was a little suspicious as the price seems very cheap as the flat has one bed, a living room,kithen and proper bathroom. However, he us having the lease drawn up by his solicitor and sent to us for signing which I would assume most scammers wouldn't bother with. I will be interested in whether it is in english and drafted by a uk solicitor as I beleive for it to legal under French law it has to be in French and prepared by a notary.
Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
Perhaps any legal recourse/redress would be under English law given that all parties are from the UK and presumably all signing would take place in the UK.
I imagine he is doing this to avoid French tax - i.e. it is au noir - and I doubt if it is very legal at all. But 500 is not too bad assuming the place is half-way decent.
Worst comes to worst, how much does she stand to lose if she is given a month's notice and he keeps the deposit?
I wouldn't worry too much about a Plan B - it is a very fluid rental market and we and our friends never had much difficulty finding new accommodation if we had to.
Peter
PsB
Citizen of Nowhere™
Interesting situation. French law is absurdly protective of tenants so that may be another reason why the owner prefers to write a British lease. Under a French lease once a tenant is in there it would take a couple of years to evict him/her in the event that he/she doesn't pay the rent. Of course if your daughter keeps quiet and pays the rent regularly she may end up with a de facto French lease anyway: best of both worlds. I'm not a lawyer but I would say this seems low risk for your daughter as long as the initial deposit is not huge.
You're right, it is not enforceable, the lease has to be in French to be binding and is subject to French Law. There are also taxes, one to be paid by the tenant and the other by the landlord, who also has to pay tax on the rent. To avoid problems, your daughter needs to open an account with EDF for electricity, as the electricity bill is accepted as proof of residence far more than a tenancy agreement. She'll also need to register with the health authorities.
Buses rather than the Metro are a good option, and from memory there's one that runs from the 5th to Pigalle. She's entitled to the Carte Navigo, which you can renew every month. She's also entitled to a discount card on the trains. Note that she'll need to show proof of residence, as in an electricity bill, to get both those.
Buses rather than the Metro are a good option, and from memory there's one that runs from the 5th to Pigalle. She's entitled to the Carte Navigo, which you can renew every month. She's also entitled to a discount card on the trains. Note that she'll need to show proof of residence, as in an electricity bill, to get both those.
I beleive utilities are included. When you say taxes, is this similar to council tax and if so, is a student not exempt?
She is getting an Erasmus grant which also includes travel costs once she has paid the first £150. To be honest, with her student loan and the allowance she receives from us, she will be better off than she is in Leeds. Life of Riley.
She is getting an Erasmus grant which also includes travel costs once she has paid the first £150. To be honest, with her student loan and the allowance she receives from us, she will be better off than she is in Leeds. Life of Riley.
She'll pay the tax d'habitation, which is what all residents pay whether renting or owners.
If the utilities are being paid for, a letter in French from the landlord stating that she is renting the property from him is strongly advised. She'll need it when opening a bank account, not to mention for the healthcard, carte navigo etc.
If the utilities are being paid for, a letter in French from the landlord stating that she is renting the property from him is strongly advised. She'll need it when opening a bank account, not to mention for the healthcard, carte navigo etc.
It turned out to be a scam. Fortunately, he sent a lease which looked full of legal stuff but was a plie of poo. My wife is a property solicitor so saw through it in a nano second. My daughter has found out that a friend was nearly scammed by the same person on two different websites. Back to the drawing board. I would love to get hold of this arsehole preferabley with a baseball bat. Not so much for being scamming scumbag but for really upsetting my daughter.