Things a foreigner dislikes about living in Paris, France

By most definitions of the word, I am a francophile. I love the language and have enjoyed living in France and learning more about its culture. But nowhere is perfect and France is no exception, so let’s explore some things that I dislike about living here (in no specific order).

1. Petty crimes

With a booming tourism sector, many French cities have become victims of their own success with regard to the number of pickpockets, scammers, and thieves. Even as a relatively vigilant person myself, I was scammed out of 300 euros during my first living year here. Violent crimes are rare so there’s no need to be paranoid, but in Paris you do have to be constantly alert about petty crimes.

2. Dog poop everywhere

At least in the Paris region, many dog owners do not pick up after their dog. As a proud dog owner myself, I find this behaviour to be very inconsiderate. Luckily I think I’ve only stepped in crottes de chien once or twice in the last couple of years.

3. Paid toilets

Some public bathrooms require payment of anywhere between €0.80 and €2.00. Usually it is when there is an attendant ensuring the cleanliness of the premises so I assume it goes towards their salary. Sometimes card payment is accepted, and other times cash is required (exact change, even). This alone is reason enough to always carry some cash and change on you.

4. Random holidays in the middle of the week

Where I’m from, public holidays are usually observed on a Monday or Friday, giving people nice long weekends throughout the year. In France, they are observed on the exact day that they land. I guess it’s better than nothing, but who asked for a day off on a random Wednesday? And what about that holiday that landed on a Sunday, when I wouldn’t have worked anyway?

5. Smoking is viewed as normal

Smoking and vaping are not stigmatized in France like they are in North America. It is a way for colleagues to bond, parents to de-stress, and youth to look cool. When there are more smokers, there is bound to be more smoke on the sidewalks. And that isn’t ideal for children, sensitive populations, and people who just don’t like the smell.

6. Reluctance to yield to authorities and rules

This is a personal observation and you may totally disagree with me, but I’ve noticed that people here are more reluctant to yield to authority and rules than in Canada. People strike, people protest, people barricade; pedestrians jaywalk and drivers don’t pull over for the ambulance. Here, it seems like rules are meant to be broken and authority is meant to be challenged. As an outsider, it’s quite shocking to see. On the flip side, this very attitude is probably also how people have held their governments accountable, ensuring a high quality of life over the decades. There are certainly pros and cons to every approach.

7. Horrible seating arrangements in public transportation

France seems to love making strangers sit face to face in public transportation by arranging seats in that way. Whether it’s in the metro, the commuter train, or the bus, you are very likely to find yourself sitting closely across someone at some point, both of you awkwardly trying to not accidentally make eye contact with each other (or just pretending to sleep). The layout also leaves very little room for people to stand during rush hour. Why, France, why?

8. Chaos in supermarkets

Shopping in French supermarkets can be a frustrating experience. For one, the way in which employees restock their shelves is chaotic. They pile tons of cartons of goods in the middle of the aisle in the middle of the day and leisurely transfer the items to the shelves. As such, aisles become difficult for shoppers to navigate, especially during busy hours. Sometimes the boxes are there for hours, and in some aisles they are a permanent feature!

Secondly, it’s not uncommon for things to be labelled with the wrong price. When you get to checkout and inform the cashier of the error, most will just tell you to either cancel the item, or to pay full price and then go to customer service to get a refund. And that’s a perfectly acceptable response here.

9. Tiny elevators

Elevators in France are small, usually fitting no more than 4 people. Smaller residential elevators often only fit two people. It can be pretty awkward when several strangers are squeezed into such a tight space. Maybe it’s to encourage more people to take the stairs and get some exercise? Who knows, but I miss my big American elevators.

10. Hard water

I’m not sure about the rest of France, but in Paris the tap water is very hard (i.e. has a lot of minerals). It leaves visible limescale on metallic surfaces, which isn’t super appetizing to see when you pull out a just-cleaned fork that is covered with water stains. Apparently hard water is also bad for your hair, and I have noticed greater hair loss since moving to Paris. And lastly, though it is technically safe to drink, many people say it also has a weird taste.

11. Parisians don’t realize how lucky they are

All this said, France is a very comfortable place to live with an amazing quality of life. However, Parisians always have a million things to say about why things just suck and sometimes it flat out annoys me. Sure, there’s always room for improvement, but when you already have cheap tuition, subsidized room and board for students, excellent public transportation, free health care, jobs that you can’t be fired from, 5 weeks of vacation, year round access to free museums etc., isn’t there a lot to be thankful for? I certainly think so, and that’s probably why I’m enjoying my life here so much.