We here at Grana not only travel the globe to find the world’s best fabrics, but we also just travel a lot, period. Traveling has, and always will be, a core part of Grana culture. With our HQ located in Hong Kong, the world is at our feet and we’re encouraged to explore it as often as we can!
The Grana family often tags on a vacation day here and there, turning weekends into adventures, getaways and learning experiences. Each time someone leaves for a trip, they bring back savvy tips; but what good is a tip if not shared? So, we’re making our tips, your tips.
For this edition of our travel column, we’ve gotten the inside scoop on Paris, France from Christel, our Creative Content and Social Media Director.
Getting Around
Get your Velib on! These handy rent-a-bike stations are all over Paris, and if you’re a short term user all you have to do is follow the instructions on the terminal at the Velib station, choose your bike, enter its number into the terminal, and wait for the green light to grab it and go!
Tip: The first 30 minutes of each ride is for free. If you’re a smart planner, buy a ticket online ahead of time.
The metro is always one of my favourite places to people watch. You don’t get to go the scenic route this way, but I often find human traffic more interesting than being stuck in it above ground.
G7 cabs in Paris are like a super nice uber AND they provide free wifi. If you happen to get in one and access the ‘net, every time a G7 goes past you’ll also connect to that cab’s network – that’s why you’ll get sporadic bursts of likes on that Instagram post of your croissant as you stroll the streets even though you’re on Airplane mode.
Food & Bev
Chic and modern yet somehow incredibly friendly, approachable and chill at the same time, Tannat serves up modern Mediterannean in the 11th. The plates are beautifully put together, and it all tastes even better than it looks. The staff are warm and knowledgeable, contrary to Paris’ infamously questionable customer service. Good value for money and supremely Instagrammable, Tannat is a must-visit.
On the other hand, you must do a drive-by on fast food chain Quick and nom on their signature Quick N’ Toast, which is basically a bacon cheeseburger… ON TOAST. Quick’s tagline on this menu feature claims an “Inimitable style since 1994”, and you know what? THEY CAN HAVE IT WITH THIS ONE. Trust me.
Smart Touristing
Don’t be offended when Parisians are mean to you. They’ll tolerate you infinitely more if you hazard a badly pronounced “Bonjour!” than if you flip them an English “Hello!”
The cobbled streets are trés cute but don’t make you feel so-frenchy-so-chic after you’ve been pounding them for 4 hours so wear comfortable shoes. And take a cue from the French on this: comfortable does NOT have to equate to ugly.
Mehhhh-si, ov-wah!
(Literally, read it out loud. Merci, au revoir!)