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I've searched the forums where Paris is featured on the title,but I've still got some questions.
I'm going to a summer school programme(IESEG) in July,for a month,along with some Taiwanese fellows from our school.On Monday there was this lady who went to the same summer school last year sharing her experience over there,and she mentioned that in addition to the plane tickets and the tuition,she spent about 2500 euro dollars in that specific month.I was like "you have got to be ****ing kidding me" after I heard the number.
I understand that Paris is much,much,much,much more expensive than Taipei,but is it really necessary for a college student,who wouldn't even need to worry about where to stay because the school over there provides nice dorm(it's already paid),to spend 2500 euro on eating and shopping?
I personally HATE shopping,I think it's the most time-consuming and pointless thing in the entire world,especially when you're in a foreign country.When I went to Southern France and Spain last year,I was only interested in the cathedrals,museums,and simply walking on the beautiful streets.
Anyway my question is about the price over there,is 1500 euro enough for me to live through a month in France without starving?I'm not gonna have my meals in some fancy restaurants(actually I think I'll just skip all kinds of restaurants and just manger le pain,le fromage,et jambon).Instead,I think I'll focus on the traffic and the tickets of tourist-y tourist attractions(I heard that there's this special foreign student ID card for museums in Europe...?),would that be too naive?
Another question is that I'll have to decide if I'd come back home by group in the end of July or not.A long European trip doesn't come along very often so this is a very special opportunity,and since I don't really have anything urgent to do in August,I'm thinking about staying in Europe after the summer school is over.
Is it wise for a first time visitor to spend...maybe a couple of weeks in Europe alone?I don't think I'll stay in France since I'm also very interested in her neighbors or her neighbors' neighbors(Belgium,the Netherlands,Germany,Switzerland,Austria etc.).There might be some problems because I would not have any dorm to stay in and I'll probably have to carry a huge suitcase all the time(unless I sent the suitcase back to Taiwan in the first place),it doesn't sound very convenient,and of course,I'd need to bring more money if I choose to stay.
Btw I only speak (awful) English and VERY basic French,don't know a single German or Dutch word .
All sorts of advice and suggestions are deeply appreciated.Merci beaucoup .
1500 should be decent if you're not in to shopping or eating high end. I wouldn't worry about it too much at all if you have a place to stay. Students probably get less than that in a month and then only have a few hundred € to work off of after rent anyways. Actually, the more I think about it, that is actually pretty good money for a month. I would hate myself if I spent it all.
Will you have the money to travel around for a few weeks afterwards though? Or is that included with your 1500? If so, you can probably still squeeze some travel in if you're budget oriented, if not, then of course you should stick around and check out some neighbouring areas. I am a very cheap traveller and I don't really know what it is standard to spend on these types of things. I would probably try to spend about 600-800€ in a month, then use the rest to travel as long as I could before running dry.
Location: Near Tours, France about 47°10'N 0°25'E
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Originally Posted by Greysholic
Bonjour le monde.
I've searched the forums where Paris is featured on the title,but I've still got some questions.
I'm going to a summer school programme(IESEG) in July,for a month,along with some Taiwanese fellows from our school.On Monday there was this lady who went to the same summer school last year sharing her experience over there,and she mentioned that in addition to the plane tickets and the tuition,she spent about 2500 euro dollars in that specific month.I was like "you have got to be ****ing kidding me" after I heard the number.
I understand that Paris is much,much,much,much more expensive than Taipei,but is it really necessary for a college student,who wouldn't even need to worry about where to stay because the school over there provides nice dorm(it's already paid),to spend 2500 euro on eating and shopping?
I personally HATE shopping,I think it's the most time-consuming and pointless thing in the entire world,especially when you're in a foreign country.When I went to Southern France and Spain last year,I was only interested in the cathedrals,museums,and simply walking on the beautiful streets.
Anyway my question is about the price over there,is 1500 euro enough for me to live through a month in France without starving?I'm not gonna have my meals in some fancy restaurants(actually I think I'll just skip all kinds of restaurants and just manger le pain,le fromage,et jambon).Instead,I think I'll focus on the traffic and the tickets of tourist-y tourist attractions(I heard that there's this special foreign student ID card for museums in Europe...?),would that be too naive?
Another question is that I'll have to decide if I'd come back home by group in the end of July or not.A long European trip doesn't come along very often so this is a very special opportunity,and since I don't really have anything urgent to do in August,I'm thinking about staying in Europe after the summer school is over.
Is it wise for a first time visitor to spend...maybe a couple of weeks in Europe alone?I don't think I'll stay in France since I'm also very interested in her neighbors or her neighbors' neighbors(Belgium,the Netherlands,Germany,Switzerland,Austria etc.).There might be some problems because I would not have any dorm to stay in and I'll probably have to carry a huge suitcase all the time(unless I sent the suitcase back to Taiwan in the first place),it doesn't sound very convenient,and of course,I'd need to bring more money if I choose to stay.
Btw I only speak (awful) English and VERY basic French,don't know a single German or Dutch word .
All sorts of advice and suggestions are deeply appreciated.Merci beaucoup .
1500 euros is clearly enough to live in France. Most french people live with less than that... The minimum salary is below.
Obvisouly, with 1500 euros you won't live in luxury place, nor going to restaurants every day or travelling everyday. But if you look for a temperary co-location with other students, go to youth hostels, it will be ok.
Envoy your trip to our beautilful country. I'll advise you to not stay in Paris, and travel to provinces. Paris is a beautiful city but it doesńt at all reflects was France is really about. Paris is just one side of the country.
If you did not went there, I'll advise you to visit the Loire Valley (well, that's where I live): the castles are must see, but also the cities of Blois, Amboise, Tours, Chinon, Saumur, Angers, ect. Are beautiful towns to visit, with a rythm of life that has nthing to do with the frenetic Parisian way of life.
You can visit the numerous vinyards, and taste local products (andouillettes, rillons, etc)
I'd definitely explore more parts of France,not just Paris.I think I'd carry 1500 euro with me,if I decided to stay in Europe in August,I'd ask for more from my parents lol,if the money isn't enough.
1500€ is way enough.. I know many people living with 1200€ inside Paris and they need to pay a rent while you don't.
But if you want to travel in Europe as well as visiting Paris it may not be enough. You could easily travel in one or two European cities, but for more you would need to check your budget. Hotels+transports are expensive in summer. To travel you should look into carsharing websites, it's less expensive than trains and planes.
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