What time(s) of the year will you be there? winter? spring? summer? fall? Where are you coming from? What kind of climate are you used to back home?

What kind of housing will you be in? Will you be doing the cleaning? Is it your own apartment (possibly with roomates)? Or are you staying with a host family? Or a dorm?

Is there something that you think you may have a hard time finding in Europe?

How long will you be in Paris? Do you have an ATM card? A savings and/or checking account?

I am moving there at the end of august and I will be living there for four years. I have my own apartment. I dont know if there will be stuff that will be hard to find, i haven’t been to europe in three years. i have an american checking/ savings account and an american atm, but dont i need to have a french bank account? I am from Tennessee, so I am used to a lot of heat and no snow.

Well, there’s only a limited number of things that you can feasibly bring with you on the plane. I would buy toiletries and everything else when you get there. Bring as many clothes as possible, and the household stuff buy in Paris.

Of course you can use your American checking account, but it might be worth trying to get a French account since the foreign bank fees might end costing a bit of money.

Very little will be “hard to find” but you won’t be able to hop in the car and run to Walmart at 3:00 AM, so I’d try to have enough stuff that I could get accustomed to my new neighborhood before I had to do tons of shopping. Shopping may take a little more time and planning than you’re used to. Pack toiletries and household goods like you’d pack for a 3 or 4 week trip unless you absolutely have to have a specific brand. Take enough clothes that you don’t need to shop right away. Don’t overdo on taking clothes — you can always buy it, but sizing differences, more tailored styles, etc. may mean it takes a fair amount of shopping to find clothes that really work for you. If you take a couple of suitcases it’s highly probable that you have more way more clothes with you than your French friends own.

Is your ATM card also a debit visa or debit mastercard? You can get by with an ATM card for awhile, but you are sure to make large enough purchases that you’ll need a debit or credit card in the course of living there. I would think that you’d want a French checking account at some point, but it may take some time to establish one — you may have to be in your apartment long enough for it to be a “permanent address.” Talk to your bank about what options they suggest.

Winter will be cool and wet — snow is a rare event in Paris. You may find it feels colder than winter in Tennessee because it’s cloudy, rainy and the days are shorter, but actual temperatures may be very similar. Summers will be noticeably cooler and less humid than you’re used to, but it’s fairly likely that your apartment won’t be air conditioned.

I think you know the best answer here, there are some standard luggage packs that you should take: clothes, toilet objects and of course money. If you wonder about the money you should know that Paris is an expensive city so the more money the better. As for clothes you should only take what you like to wear best, you won’t need pods there are high chances that you will change the dressing style once you live in Paris. Congrats for your achievement, living in Paris is a big deal!

You have to live in Paris for at least 5 years before you can even think about wearing a beret or walking around with a baguette under your arm. You should get a french bank account (take some I.D> and proof of tenancy such as your apartment lease, phone bill, etc.). La Banque Postale (owned by the French Post Office) is the largest with the most branches and because it is state owned generally has the lowest fees – which is handy if you plan on doing some travel in France.

One thing to keep in mind is that French Law is very favorable to Renters, so do not hesitate to sign a long term lease. Your Landlord can’t break the lease, you on the other hand can, with a simple 3 months notice. A Small Unfurnsihed 2bdr Appt in Paris (Okay but not Swanky area) will cost approx 1500€ (60m2). I’m also moving to Paris next year.

€1500 for a 60 sq m. apartment? That’s really expensive.

I live in a 32 sq. m. place in a decent neighborhood (near Bastille), and rent is €600/month.

I like to spend my vacation in Paris…