Latin Quarter, Paris

Rue Montorgeuil, Paris

Are you looking ahead to a trip to France in 2018? I hope that during the last year Oliver’s France has given you plenty of ideas for where to go and things to experience. There are probably enough fascinating places in France for a lifetime of vacations!

Better get started as soon as you can!

To help you with that goal I’d like to tell you about a couple of resources I have written. As you know, I don’t send you ads or fill your mailbox with spam. But I wanted the opportunity to give you more details about the content of the books on the sidebar of this website, as you read the posts.

Two helpful resources for your travels to France… Magical Paris: Over 100 Things to do Across Paris, and Real French for Travelers. Magical Paris has been fully updated and includes 30 extra pages of things to do, compared to the previous version.

You may wonder how is Magical Paris is different from so many other travel books available from famous publishers or writers. I’ll tell you, then you can make up your own mind!

• Most travel books about Paris cover only about 4 or 5 districts in Paris, where all of the most touristy monuments are found. You’ll probably want to go there, but what if you want to get away from the tourist crowds and see what Parisian life is like too? There are 20 districts in Paris and there are things to see and do in EVERY one of them. Magical Paris covers all 20 districts in Paris. You can discover any neighborhood of Paris you want to.

• Most travel books are confusing to read. They include way too much information and it’s difficult to zero in on just what you need. Magical Paris breaks the city down into easy-to-follow sections, so you won’t feel intimidated trying to get around.

• Most travel books were written by part-time visitors or teams sent out by corporations to gather information. It can get a bit sterile. I lived in Paris and its suburbs for 12 years and I give you insider tips. Some of the places I suggest won’t be found in any Paris tour book with a big name on it. I was a local, and it shows in the pages.

• Most travel books are heavy to carry and expensive to buy. Magical Paris is not either one. It will be a great (lightweight) companion and guide for your trip to Paris next year (or later), or a wonderful gift to someone you know who is planning a trip to France.

You can get your copy of Magical Paris: Over 100 Things to Do Across Paris.

La Sorbonne, Paris

Another essential resource will help you speak and/or understand some French while you are visiting France. If you are able to understand and say simple phrases in restaurants, museums, or on the streets, this will greatly enhance your experience and help you enjoy yourself. You’ll get to the next layer of culture during your visit.  Real French for Travelers is not a phrase book, where you have to memorize phonetic sounds and hope you are understood. It is not meant to make you fluent, either. It is a helpful tool so you’ll learn the basic structures of phrases. It provides a good foundation for both navigating through your trip and building further in the language if you want to. You’ll quickly see how helpful it is to know some French. And you’ll receive a warm response from the locals!

In addition to 35 short, concise lessons, you’ll find

• 13 Helpful dialogues covering travel situations
• 15 Traveler-specific vocabulary lists
• A guide for pronunciation and accents
• Short articles in English that help with culture and French travel (restaurants, people, telling time, pros and cons of different modes of travel, such as train vs. car, and shopping facts and tips, including a French clothing size guide.)

Along with travel-context vocabulary lists and realistic dialogues, there are French grammar exercises and an answer key. This book is a helpful must if you plan to be a repeat France traveler! Or if you want to ease into the French language with short, easy-to-understand chapters.

Learn more or get your copy of Real French for Travelers.

Joyeuses Fêtes et Bon Voyage!