Final Planning Questions: Groceries, Restaurants, Metro, Speaking French, Cash

Any recommended apps to help us try to communicate in French while we are in the country?

I would download Google Translate on your phone. It's easy to use and can give you some quick phrases when needed or even translate a conversation.

With regards to cash, I can't speak for France but I can tell you that you can use tap and pay cards just about everywhere. However, I always have some cash on me for things like you talked about; toilets, street vendors (although most street vendors accept cards now). But it doesn't hurt, and you can always try and spend it at the end of your stay. If you can't, just save it for your next trip. :) I usually just hit an ATM when convenient and get about €50 (or the equivalent).

Fresh produce is abundant in France. Paris has larger grocery stores with perfectly good produce as well as smaller produce stands/shops all over the city. Neighborhoods also have weekly open markets where you can find wonderful and fresh produce, among other foods. You are staying in a very central location which will have many options. Pricing will be what the market is in the moment but there are always reasonable options. Summer is a good time for produce (I don't think you say what time of year your trip is?)

For dinners I recommend a brasserie. Brasseries are an affordable option with decent menu choices and almost never a wait for tables. I can't speak to "fancier" options so maybe others will have ideas. As far as tipping, tips are included. You will typically "round up" if you feel like it but tips are included in the bill.

Unfortunately I can't offer advice on the navigo pass. We typically take a taxi from the airport (only use taxis from the official taxi stand) because our flights are overnight and we are tired. In Paris we walk most places, take the bus, and occasionally have taken uber.

For language, Google translate app can help you in the moment. Learn common phrases before going. Youtube has many good videos for this.

I have taken a similar trip and brought some cash in each currency, for spending at cafes, convenience stores, street food, wherever I didn't want to deal with credit and where it would be nicer for the vendor to receive cash. You will be ok cashless and can always go to an ATM machine but I always like to carry some cash. Cash is also better for outdoor markets and cafes.

Communication: from now until your trip, you could use Duolingo or a similar app to practice the basics of French.

you don't need two cabs to the airport -- call G7. tell them you are 5 people and they will send a van cab that will get all of you there. Arrange the cab the day before on the English speaking phone line. You pay 7 Euro to reserve which is well worth it.

There are green grocers everywhere and fruit available in every grocery store which are also everywhere.

PIckpockets are everywhere and so you don't carry valuables in pockets, in backpacks or carelessly held purses. I use a money belt under my clothes in transit then stow in the apartment or hotel safe while in the city and carry just a few things in a cross body purse well under my control (my iphone is in a carry case with this small purse attached so it can't be grabbed from a cafe table. Make yourself pickpocket proof and forget about it. You might want to get one of those small wallets that is worn in a lanyard around the neck and then under your shirt. Traditional money belts are body safes not purses and you don't access them except in private.

I'd do a little research and make reservations for dinner -- the good small places do book out and there is a lot of crappy food.

for budget with a big family group. try Bouillons -- e.g. Bouillon Chartier or Pigalle are the ones I have eaten at -- they are cheap, have a huge menu of traditional French foods so everyone can find something and you can also try more exotic fare like snails at the lowest price -- and they always have a bunch of desserts which kids love. No reservations. The Chartiers have beautiful rooms.

Another budget choice is a good creperie. There are many different savory dinner galettes at these places (the standard 'complete' is ham, egg and cheese -- but there are lots of different types). and sweet dessert crepes. My last one of these involved chocolate, pears and ice cream. Rue Montparnasse has several, but there are creperies all over town. IMHO the street crepe stands are terrible and to be avoided but the restaurants are great.

Everyone needs to learn a dozen politeness phrases in French. Most important is that before starting ANY transaction you say 'bonjour' first -- in a grocery store check out, a bakery, asking directions -- any interaction. If you can say please and thank you and hello and goodbye and 'where is. . .' you are good.

Take 50 years out of an ATM and give everyone in the group at least 10 for walking around money

Wanted to mention that it’s easy and fun to have picnics in the parks - the parks have lots of chairs, which are ok to move around to an extent, so you needn’t sit on the ground.

Food is a part of visiting France. You certainly won't "blow your money" on a memorable meal.
That said, you can still afford a decent meal for 25-30. You just have to do your research and look at neighborhood restaurants instead of touristy ones.

1) Food distribution chains are much shorter in Paris than in most cities in the US. Many merchants, those at the public markets for example, generally only sell that which is in season. Here is a list of the food markets in Paris.

2) Breakfast in France is typically a café/croissant or similar. If you really want breakfast, go to Breakfast in America on rue des Ecoles.

Whenever I dine at a restaurant (not necessarily at a café), I reserve. I would also like to be able to dine for 25€ to 30€, and it was possible 5 years ago. That’s simply unrealistic today. Perhaps 20€ to 25€ pp at a crêperie, but not at a restaurant, where you can now expect to pay 35€ to 40€ per person, without drinks. Where I go regularly, restaurant prices have risen 30% in the last 18 months. Prices have risen dramatically everywhere. Last year´s 1.10€ baguette, now costs 1.40€.

Luckily, you are staying in the 5th, where there are still some dining bargains, to wit:

Le Paradis des Amis - just down from your hotel at 72 rue Gay Lussac

narro

Au Bon Coin

La Forge

Orphée - you can share plates here and all are fabulous

Lilane

These restaurants, all in the 5th and walkable from your hotel, are owned by the chef in the kitchen, who uses fresh ingredients and prepares what he serves at the restaurant.

Please respect the local culture. Tipping is neither expected nor required, nor is there a place to add a tip when using your credit card. If you have cash, you can leave a few euro coins, nothing more.

3) The Navigo Découverte card and weekly pass will cost 35€. I stopped buying these a long time ago, because I rarely used them. I walk everywhere. For rainy days or cross-town travel, purchase a Navigo Easy card (2€) and load 10 tickets t+ for 16.90€. You can still purchase the paper tickets t+ at 2.10€ each.

I generally trust taxi drivers, except those at Gare du Nord. I would arrange in advance for a car. Drivers are not tipped. Consider downloading and configuring a VTC app, in order of preference: Bolt, FreeNow, Uber.

4) Everyone with whom you have contact will speak English.

5) I rarely use cash, mostly for purchasing baguettes or pastries. If you need cash, use your debit card at a bank ATM such as: BNP, la Poste, HSBC, or LCL.

I have a family of 5 (2 teens and 1 pre-teen) and was pleasantly surprised at how affordable dinners were in Paris. We were consistently spending right at 100e or even less, and that was with a bottle of wine for the adults. We stayed between the gardens and the Pantheon, so not too far from where you will be, and stuck to casual places like Polidor and Au Père Louis. We were staying in an apartment, so I would go to boulangeries and a local chain grocery store (I believe it was Carrefour) for our breakfast needs.

I spent hardly any of the Euros I carried around (had to visit the duty free store at CDG to dispose of them), but I was still glad to have them for peace of mind.

I would schedule one taxi through G7 for your departure. They have Mercedes vans that are more than adequate for 5.

My conversational French is awful. But I had studied up enough to decipher the menus and directions. Apps are probably sufficient for that part. I would still make an effort to try to start out in French in most transactions. The only time I ran across a language barrier was at the Stade de France when we went to see the national team play. My French was better than the concession worker's English (which is in no way a compliment to me), so it took a minute to order. Pretty much everyone I encountered in the heart of the city was conversational in English and seemed happy to bail me out after I gave it a go in French.

just FYI. Cab fares cover 4 persons and luggage so that 5th person will mean an additional charge of 4 Euro or thereabouts.

"Everyone else I encountered in the heart of the city was perfectly fluent in English and seemed happy to bail me out after I gave it a go in French."

This is quite an overgeneralization. Most servers at a restaurant are going to have enough english to get your food order right - but don't expect them to be fluent.

Try to learn some food items in French. The fresh fruit and vegetables experience will be better if you ask in French.
Learn kilos vs pounds. 2.2 pounds per kilo. 2 or 3 slices of lunch meat is about 100 grams (thinly sliced)
Whatever you do....do NOT serve yourself from a fresh food stall. Start with a Bonjour greeting, then point at the item and say how much you want. The seller will choose the best and bag it up for you.
If you want 5 apples, just hold up 5 fingers. If you want strawberries for 5 people, then look at or wave at your group and hold up 5 fingers.
Of course, with your data access, get one of the kids to translate it on the phone for proper sentences or complicated requests.

France was mostly cashless on our recent trip. You may want some Euros since some small shops require a 5, 10, or 15€ minimum to use a credit card. Some pastry or ice cream shops were cash only. When we made our lodging reservations, if there was a breakfast buffet included option we took it. By eating a good breakfast we didn’t need to stop for lunch; a pastry and drink was sufficient.

For dinners we probably averaged 45-55€ for the two of us on most nights. We were mainly in small towns with the exception of Metz and Colmar, so Paris May be slightly higher. On a few occasions we bought ingredients at a market and had dinner on our hotel room terrace or balcony. What surprised me was the cost of wine at restaurants in both France and Germany; 7-9€ per glass. I’m more used to the 2-3€ per glass one pays in Spain.

There is a mixed grocery store that sells fruit and veg a short distance south of your hotel.
Go to google maps put in your location and search grocery stores.

Brasseries are usually pretty affordable offering good quality filling meals. We stayed not too far from you and found numerous brasserie options.
We never made a rez but there were only two of us. None of them appeared very crowded.

Some of the better bouillons are:
Le Petit Pharamond, Le Bouillon Montmartre, and Le Bouillong République. Cafés can also be budget friendly, menus are always posted outside so you can see what they have and prices before you sit down.

I agree with Alexander, it is not at all true that everyone in the heart of Paris is fluent in English. Many don’t speak any English at all and you shouldn’t expect any French person to speak English, or “bail you out”.

As mentioned, Google Translate is excellent.

I never need cash in Paris other than coins for restrooms.

As janet said… learn polite phrases and always be sure to say Bonjour/Bonsoir Monsieur/Madame before speaking to anyone.

We do splurge for taxis when we arrive somewhere with luggage. The only public transportation we take when we have luggage is the Heathrow Express in London.

Maria gives good advice about market stalls BUT keep an eye on what they give you. They don't necessarily 'choose the best' -- they may see a chance to unload the stuff that won't travel to tomorrow's market. A rather common technique is for the rotten fruit to be given the obvious tourist -- the strawberries with 10 minutes left in them or bad ones on the bottom, the overripe melon. Not often -- but not rarely does this happen. You do have to pay attention. In grocery stores you help yourself AND you weigh the produce yourself and get a weight sticker before going to check out.

It is not difficult to communicate with little French and a few politeness words and gestures BUT many people don't speak English and that has been true of the butcher shops, market stalls etc. It is helpful to look up the words for what you want, or just point and indicate how much. If buying pate or cheese the vendor will put the knife on the block and then you motion for more or less -- or you can gesture that you want a demi demi kilo i.e. a quarter kilo or just agree to what the person has chosen with more or less signs push hand up or down. I shopped in markets successfully long before I had very many words at all.

Two points I'd like to add:

1. Everyone doesn't speak English, and everyone you encounter won't speak English. Chances are hotel desk staff, airport employees, museum front desk staff, and some restaurant staff will speak some English -- some of them quite well. Beyond that, the probability of encountering someone who speaks English drops off substantially. This is especially true outside Paris and tourist hot spots. In more remote parts of France, such as rural Bourgogne, chances of finding an English speaker are quite low.

2. Not all grocery stores require customers to weigh produce and apply the price sticker to it. Most do, but not all. Others weigh at the checkout, as (I assume still is) commonly done in the U.S., and some have a central weigh station in the produce area where you wait in line and hand your stuff to a store employee working the scale, who proceeds to weigh and apply a sticker to each item of produce (or sack of produce), which you then carry to the checkout (caisse) to pay. The best bet is to look around, see if there's a digital scale with printer in the produce area, watch what other people are doing, and then follow suit. If there is a digital scale, it will have pictures and words, with products listed alphabetically according to their French name, so if you don't know the French term for it (champignon, mange-tout, navet, etc.), you'll have to go through the photos to find a match.

The RER Luxembourg train station is on Boulevard St. Michel, so only a short walk from your hotel.
You can use your Navigo or other passes on the RER to connect from there to bigger stations with Metro Lines.
Don't forget the buses!
They are an excellent way of getting around and also very easy to use with your passes.
There is a Franprix grocery store further west along B. St. M, and a Monoprix grocery store downhill from there toward the river.
Around you are many markets on different days, and lots of cafes and restaurants.
Rue Mouffetard has plenty food and small grocery options.