I would like to believe that going to Paris is every woman’s dream. In my case, I cannot remember the exact details of how or when I started daydreaming about this place. All I know was when I was doing my bucket list for the first time, Paris was definitely included, but little did I know that on the year when I celebrated my 30th birthday will be the same year for my Paris dream to come true. Paris is always a good idea.
Paris is always a good idea.
– Audrey Hepburn, Sabrina
Yes, I am that girl with the Eiffel tower wallpapers in my closet and on my phone. That, London and New York and a lot more. So when the opportunity came knocking at my door, YES was the only answer. I am humbled by the opportunity to visit and stay in France for almost 2 weeks, thanks to my husband and his awesome work. 🙂
With less than 6 weeks of preparation such as securing the visa, booking flights and hotels, completing the winter clothing needed and doing research about the country, I think we did a great job and we got everything covered. I will give you a glimpse of our travel details as we go on.
To start with, one should be aware if you are required to apply for a visa or not. In case you are like us who need to secure a Schengen visa, here are some of the basic things that you need to know:
SCHENGEN VISA
A Schengen visa allows the visa holder to travel any or all of the 26 European countries included in the Schengen Area Member States:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Liechtenstein
Who needs a Schengen Visa?
If you hold a passport from any of the countries listed below which are non-members of the Schengen Area, then it is a must that you apply for a Schengen Visa.
| Afghanistan | Guinea | Peru |
| Algeria | Guinea-Bissau | Philippines |
| Angola | Guyana | Qatar |
| Armenia | Haiti | Russia |
| Azerbaijan | India | Rwanda |
| Bahrain | Indonesia | Samoa |
| Bangladesh | Iran | Sao Tome And Principe |
| Belarus | Iraq | Saudi Arabia |
| Belize | Jamaica | Senegal |
| Benin | Jordan | Sierra Leone |
| Bhutan | Kazakhstan | Solomon Islands |
| Bolivia | Kenya | Somalia |
| Botswana | Kiribati | South Africa |
| Burkina Faso | Kuwait | Sri Lanka |
| Burma/Myanmar | Kyrgyzstan | St Lucia |
| Burundi | Laos | St Vincent & The Grenadines |
| Cambodia | Lebanon | Sudan |
| Cameroon | Lesotho | Suriname |
| Cape Verde | Liberia | Swaziland |
| Central African Republic | Libya | Syria |
| Chad | Madagascar | Tajikistan |
| China | Malawi | Tanzania |
| Colombia | Maldives | Thailand |
| Comoros | Mali | Timor-Leste |
| Congo | Marshall Islands | Togo |
| Cote D’ivoire | Mauritania | Tonga |
| Cuba | Micronesia | Trinidad and Tobago |
| Dem. Rep. Of Congo | Tunisia | |
| Djibouti | Mongolia | Turkey |
| Dominica | Morocco | Turkmenistan |
| Dominican Republic | Mozambique | Tuvalu |
| Ecuador | Namibia | Uganda |
| Egypt | Nauru | Ukraine |
| Equatorial Guinea | Nepal | United Arab Emirates |
| Eritrea | Niger | Uzbekistan |
| Ethiopia | Nigeria | Vanuatu |
| Fiji | North Korea | Vietnam |
| Gabon | Northern Mariana’s | Yemen |
| Gambia | Oman | Zambia |
| Georgia | Pakistan | Zimbabwe |
| Ghana | Palau | Kosova |
| Grenada | Papua New Guinea |
Source: www.schengenvisainfo.com
Take note, however, that you can’t just apply for a visa in ANY Schengen country. If you’re traveling to more than one country, the rule is: your visa application should be lodged at the embassy/consulate of the country that constitutes the MAIN destination of your trip…
The excerpt above was from a travel blog named smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com that I came across with while searching for details on Schengen visa, you may click here for more details on Schengen visa in her blog. 🙂
It is worth to highlight that along with your visa application and other documents, you must also include:
- your travel itinerary
- confirmed plane ticket/s and hotel reservation/s and
- a travel insurance of at least worth of €30,000.
The waiting time for the visa approval normally takes 5 working days and up. Some may take as long as 3 weeks or even more. Fortunately, we received ours after 5 days. 🙂
AIRLINES
We were originally looking at Emirates as we were very satisfied with their service when we traveled to London. But due to a big difference with the fare rates, we opt to get Singapore Airlines with the 13-hour, non-stop flight. Overall, the quality of service was highly commendable, but we came to an agreement that, if in the future, we will be travelling for more than 10 hours, a non-stop flight should be considered last.
CURRENCY
- France is using the Euro.
- It comes in the form of notes and coins.
- the denominations for coins are €2, €1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c, and 1c
- the denominations for notes are €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500.
TRAVEL TIPS:
- It is better/preferred if you bring the smaller bills with you.
- For security reasons, you may want to just bring a small amount of money in your wallet/purse (probably around 30-40 euros).
- Our biggest denomination during our travel was 50 euros. In cases, that you may need to withdraw from their ATM, the machine gives you the choice to have a mix of smaller bills (20s and 50s, etc.).
Click here to see my review for Hotel Antin Saint Georges, Paris. 🙂
Sources: www.schengenvisainfo.com www.schengenvisa.cc/
