<p>I have to decide between Paris and Berlin for my study abroad program.</p>
<p>Which place should I choose? Keep in mind language doesn't matter.</p>
<p>What are the pros/cons of each compared to the other? Where would I have the most fun? How do the respective environments differ?</p>
<p>Thanks alot</p>
<p>I don't know much about Berlin, to be honest. I've never been to Germany, although I hope that is going to change next summer. Perhaps someone who has been there will be able to give you an account of their time. However, I was in Paris for a month this past summer so I can give you my account of that.</p>
<p>I absolutely loved Paris. I really did not ever want to leave. There is soooo much to do there, and you can get student discounts for basically everything (including my favorite, Friday night after 6pm free Louvre hours for youths under 26!). I still did not see everything I wanted and I was there for a month. I really loved the arrondissement we stayed in as well, we were in the 6th which in on the Left Bank. It is very close to the Latin Quarter (which is the 5th arr.) so there's alot of stuff there to do too. I admit I did not go to every single arr., of which there are 20, but on my next visit I am making it a priority to find something interesting in every one and visit it. </p>
<p>The Paris metro system is also extremely efficient and an excellent way to get around the city. It takes maybe 20 minutes to get from Montparnasse (in the 14th) which is directly south of where we were, to Montmartre which is in the northern part of Paris (right bank, 18th arr.), and that is during rush hour. The only problem is they are not air conditioned, but then, hardly anything in Paris is, so you get used to it. I imagine if you went not in the summer it wouldn't be too bad. Even in the summer though, the weather was lovely and alot cooler than where I live (Alabama... everyone here was suffering through 95F temps while I was cool and comfy in 72F temps in Paris... this is in July). The only problem is that if you really want to do some clubbing, Paris may not be the place because the metro closes down before 1am on weeknights and around 2:15 on weekends. So, unless you are close enough to walk home, you've got to wait for ages on the noctilien (night bus). Crazy times. </p>
<p>However, I really just fell in love with the city and everything about it from buying ham and cheese (and butter) sandwiches on the corner from the Indian guy, to being able to be basically anywhere in the city in under 1/2 an hour even in rush hour, to the variety of stuff in Monoprix (one of the big grocery chains) that we can't get at home such as 36 centime (about 70 US cents) bottles of 1.5 liter water and the fact that Ben and Jerry's was 6.50 euros (over 9 dollars). Also apparently French people love American and British music because that's all that was playing in H&M and Monoprix every time we went in, which was practically everyday. </p>
<p>Another interesting fact about Paris is that they either don't have any traffic laws or they are just ridiculously uninforced; you have to be there to really understand it, but people will just stop in the middle of the lane, turn around by pulling into the sidewalk, drive motorcycles on the sidewalk. Fortunately, about everything on the road there is the size of a love seat except for buses and delivery trucks/vans.</p>