Is Paris overwhelming?

Of the cities - foreign and domestic - that I've visited, Paris is at once the most sublime, awesome, and accessible. So my advice to you is simply, don't worry about it, just enjoy everything!

It is only overwhelming in the emotional sense, if you have a connection to things French. The historical core and the major sites are in a fairly compact space---we walked to all of them over the space of a few days.

Just decide what you want to see, figure out a path between your favorites, slow down, and enjoy.

That movie is also one of our favorites. Most of the sites that interest tourists, especially first time ones, are near the river. If you stay near the river (the Latin Quarter is our favorite), you won't feel the sense of overwhelming "cityness." We did get the "big city" feeling when we took a bus to Montmarte and from there a cab back to the Opera Garnier. Otherwise, it was certainly no more overwhelming "city-wise" than Portland---probably less so. From the Latin Quarter you can walk to the Eiffel Tower (1.5 miles), the Louvre, Notre Dame, the Marais, and some nice parks. Go---you will love it. (Go Ducks!)

Kathy,

While Paris is a LARGE city (the size is easy to see from the Eiffel Tower or the top of the Arc de Triomphe), it doesn't feel overwhelming at all. I find the neighborhoods quite "comfortable" and so far, the size hasn't been an issue for me at all.

Happy travels!

Kathy,, look where I am from,, thats right, Victoria,, the little city on Vancouver Island. I do not find Paris particularily big cityish overwhelming. Several reasons, first,, to me a really big city has alot of sky scraper type buildings,, in central Paris most buildings are old and so definately not modern sky scrapers.

Second, the sidewalks seem nice in wide on several main boulevards, so you don;t feel all squished in like in some cities.

I suggest you find a nice little hotel ( or apartment if you wish) in a nice little neighborhood,, I love the 4th, 5th and 6th,, and just set about getting to know your little area. Don;t build a crazy busy itinerary that has you rushing about on the first day or so. Just visit the sites closest to you at first. Walk to them, stop for a drink at a cafe, poke your head in a few stores,, even the little food stores are so interesting.

Taste Paris in small nibbles,,you don;t have to consume it all at once.

As Rick says, assume you will be back.

With the exception of Montmartre, most of the Parisian neighborhoods of interest to tourists sit within walking distance to each other... although some of the walks are quite long. To a commuter, Paris is a massive city, but to the typical tourist, fairly compact and manageable.

Never overwhelming, always interesting. Just choose what you want to see. Easy to get from one place to another. To get from one sight to the next, walk, bus or Metro. Easy as pie. The problen of "big City" only comes into play when you try to see everything at once.

Pick what is of interest, spend your time accordingly. BTW, don't be intimidated by the Metro, it is easy.

I agree with other posters, use the Metro and do not be intimidated even if you speak no French like me (a few major words like TY, sorry, etc. will do to get you by and at least you tried); I just smile when I ask assistance and I never met a rude person in my travels. If you can see the color coded train lines and the "you are here" type of indicator, you will be fine. The maze of the train tracks which is several layers below street level is another thing but just read the signs and where it points to, after a day or so you will get the hang of it.

Thank you all SO much! I am so glad I posted that question. This is very relieving. I appreciate you all putting it in terms that I could relate to. I'm excited again.

I agree with Eli, Paris is a big city but different then NY and LA. Paris is pedestrian friendly (as long as you can cross the roads) and everything is small and close to each other (relatively). It can be a bit disorienting coming out of the metro stations sometimes, but I found having a compass to orient myself helped with that.

Hi Kathy,
The best way to see Paris is with a plan of attack.
Decide what your must see and make a list. Using a map discover which sites are close together and plan to see them in the same day. Allow time for wandering down side streets. Rick Steve has a guide book with excellent suggestions for Paris for 3 or 7 days.

Paris is not overwhelming...unless you try to drive in it. I strongly recommend against that. It is a charming city that you will probably fall in love with. I did.

I arrived in NYC yesterday and it is my first time here. I have been in cities my whole life, and have never experienced anything quite like this. I am staying on the 29th floor of my hotel and all I can hear is nonstop traffic and the almost constant sound of horns honking. Every now and then there is a siren to break up the monotony. Would I come back here again? Sure. I doubt I will see everything I want to see in my 6 days here. Will I dream about coming back here? No, not like I dream about when I can return to Paris.

Kathy, we experienced Paris for the first time last summer and it was far from overwhelming. Try some off beat things to do. We sat, for a very hot afternoon, in Père Lachaise (a famous cemetery). It was so peaceful. Many famous people are buried there too! You can find Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and Gertrude Stein, along with many others. We also sat on the banks of the Seine and ate crepes at midnight beneath La Tour Eiffel. Fantastic! We are returning for a couple of days this summer and then moving on to other locations. Enjoy the experience.

I agree with the others - Paris is not overwhelming in the way New York can be. It is quite large, and it has lots of really grand buildings, but it seems to be built on a very human scale. It's a city of neighborhoods and interesting streets. I liked it way more than I thought I would.

While I love Paris, any city big enough to have it's metro/subway system is gonna be overwhelming. But I mean that in a good way...it means that there's more things to see, more things to eat, more things to do at night etc. The energy you get from actually being in any big city, should over come any fear of "overload" very quickly:)

I know I already posted a Thank You but I have to say it again ~ I am loving all of these posts!! We are going in mid-May and I'm so excited now. I do have the RS book with the Paris itineraries and I wrote down the Pere LaChaise cemetery from the movie I watched ~ it looks incredible. I am going to print out all of these posts to take with me, and have my daughter read them too. Thank you Thank you Thank you. And don't be afraid to keep them coming! :) I'm glad they helped others as well.

Kathy, Paris is amazing! It maybe overwhelming in the sense that there is so much you would want to see and do but make a plan, realize that you can't see everything you possible want to the first time you go, get familiar with the metro, and off you go! When are you going?

kathy--thanks so much for posting this. i had the same question, as i hate NYC (and i live less than 2 hours away) and was afraid i might be overwhelmed in paris as well--and we're going to be there for two weeks. thank you kathy for posting this and everyone else for replying--you've made more than one person feel better!

Paris is simply wonderful. It is very different from London or New York City -- more of a laid back feel. It is actually a very relaxing place to be. In fact, we plan to end our next trip there to relax before coming home.
The best advice I can give you is the same I received a long time ago -- Just enjoy being in Europe. Forget about trying to see all the sights. Do what you can do comfortably, and just enjoy being there. It works. You are going to love Paris.

I too am thankful for the question, and for the answers! Like you, I wondered about being overwhelmed, and now will follow the advice of the previous posters. Thanks! And thanks too everyone for the positive comments.

I thought the movie was pretty dark but I felt very comfortable in Paris, even though it was just me and my teen-aged daughter and we are from a fairly small town. As others have said, the typical tourist areas are close together and because of the layout and architecture, it has a welcoming feeling.

One tip: if you do start to feel overwhelmed, take a taxi instead of the Metro, bus or even walking, especially when you're tired. (The Metro at rush hour was the one time I felt totally out of my element.) Sitting back and letting someone else take over can do wonders to relieve the stress of being in an unfamiliar place, in my experience.

Most of the places you will want to see are fairly close to the river. One great way to get around is by using the batobus. It is a boat-bus with multiple stops on both sides of the river at the most popular tourist places. It is fun to be on the river and definitely nicer than being underground on the metro. You can buy a one day pass, or do what we did and get the five day. It cost only a few euro more than a one day. Do go on the river at night. It is fantastic. I wouldn't bother with a dinner cruise though. They are expensive and the food, from what I understand, isn't very good.

My second visit to Paris (June 08) was fantastic, was with my son his friend and wife. We were there four days and loved it. The locals went out of their way to help, the food was great but as most big cities it was expensive. We definately would go back, a big improvement from 30 years ago.
Dean