5 things every student must do while studying abroad in Paris

Paris, the city of love, the city of lights, the city of life! There is so much to do and so much to see that as a student studying abroad it can seem a bit overwhelming. We have got you covered. After spending 3 months studying abroad in Paris, here are 5 things you must do while you are in one of the best cities in the world.

1. Spend a Whole Afternoon in the Park

In Paris, life moves at a different speed. You will find parks and cafes packed in the middle of a week day. Professionals get shorter work days and longer lunch breaks which is incredible for mental health. Spending an entire afternoon in a park is a great place to people watch and meet new people. Bring some food, and chill out under a tree or on one of the famous green chairs. Some of the best parks to do this at are Tuileries and the Luxembourg gardens. I spent so much time here over the three months I was there and I miss it every single day. I crave the elegance of the slowed lifestyle and the happiness it provides to working professionals. Something amazing about relaxing in a park in Paris is that you can tell that everyone else in there is feeling the same thing as you, that is that there is no where else in the world that they would rather be than here.

2. Hit the Museums

This one may be obvious, but definitely essential. Museums are such an amazing pert of Paris. I was fortunate enough to have access to all of the museums through my school program, and actually got to spend classes in them learning about the amazing artwork and artists that created them. Museums are a great solo activity as a young person traveling around Paris. you can put in your head phones and listen to a good playlist while wandering around for hours. It became a form of therapy for me while I was there. There is something about being in a museum that makes you feel so small. Being surrounded by the most famous artists in the world and some of their greatest creations really puts life into perspective and makes all of your problems feel so small. It is a great experience that every student studying abroad in Paris should feel.

3. Find a Balcony

You need to spend time on a balcony in Paris. They are not hard to find at all because most of the buildings in the city have them. You will get the most amazing insta pics and see the greatest views of the streets of Paris. You could stay up there for hours admiring the streets filled with some of the most fashionable people in the entire world. At times, especially on the weekends in Paris, it is incredibly difficult to walk on the streets because of all the tourists. Did you know there are more tourists in Paris than residents? The city of Paris is very small and landlocked by a large freeway that stops any expansion from happening. There are also no skyscrapers in Paris, it is against the law to build above 6 stories so there is no room for vertical expansion either. Therefore everyone living in the city is pretty tightly crammed in. A balcony may be the perfect spot for you to get close enough, but not too close to the streets, especially on the weekend in height of tourist season.

4. People Watch at a Cafe

I have previously mentioned people watching, but there is no where better to people watch in the entire world than at a cafe in Paris. Parisian people do this as a hobby, sitting at a cafe for hours with a pack of cigarettes and multiple espressos. All of the cafes in Paris face outwards on the street like the one pictured. this encourages and almost forces people to watch the streets and hangout for long periods of time. This idea of sotting facing out rather than across from someone who you are dining or drinking with, is so unique to Paris and an essential experience while you are there.

5. Go on a Date

Paris the city of love! You must go on at least one date while you are there. I am going to share a quick story to inspire your romantic adventures in this lovely city.

It was May 2022 I was visiting a friend in Italy over a long weekend. my home base for the past 3 months had been in Paris where I was doing a program studying abroad. I happened to be seated in a middle seat on the airplane on the way back to Paris which I was not happy about. As the flight attendants started to take drink orders and ask if we wanted biscuits, there was an obvious language barrier. The man sitting next to me spoke both Italian and English and stepped in to help me translate. My phone was dead at this point and we started having a great conversation for the rest of the flight. He shared with me that he is a cardiovascular surgeon from Rome, now living in New York City and commuting to Paris for business. I asked him for recommendations for Greece as I had a trip planned there next weekend and he gave me an entire itinerary but my phone was dead, so he had to get my number to send it to me. Later that night he asked me to get drinks before he left back for New York I agreed. Let us just say that the night ended with him and I riding around the Eiffel Tower on a moped jamming to footloose. Anything can happen in Paris, especially when it comes to love!