Does living in the world’s most romantic city involve strolling along the Seine, serenading one’s lover at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, eating croissants on the Champs-Élysées and wearing a beret? Or is Paris a bureaucratic nightmare full of arrogant snobs and rip-off food? Veronica Stivala speaks to two Maltese people living in the city of light.

Sandro Zerafa

Jazz musician Sandro Zerafa moved to Lyon in 1998 and then to Paris in 2000 where he has been living since.

The fact that he is a jazz musician is probably a good enough explanation as to why he emigrated to the world’s jazz capital.

“In France, the music scene is heavily centralised in Paris,” he says. “There is a huge divide between Paris and the rest of France, which is a pity, since some cities like Lyon have huge potential. But most musicians and artists continue to gravitate towards the capital, creating a considerable brain drain.”

For someone who has lived in Paris for 14 years, Zerafa knows the city well and has learnt how to avoid getting ripped off. Expressing his love for the cafes in Paris, Zerafa admits that the majority of French bistros in the capital are quite mediocre. Paris, he explains, remains a gastronomic capital. “However, unless you know the good addresses, you are most likely going to get ripped off.” His favourite haunts include his old neighbourhood Belleville, where he lived for 10 years, and most of North-Eastern Paris, which is not at all touristy.

“All these areas are now becoming heavily gentrified,” he says.

Zerafa also likes the area around Palais Royal, most of the 11th district, and some areas in Montmartre. The best thing about living in Paris for Zerafa is its “human size”. Commuting is not a nightmare.

“I find Paris to be less stiff than London,” he says, and even prefers the stereotypical arrogant Parisian to the over-courteous British.

Although Paris is definitely less swinging than New York or Berlin, Zerafa loves the cultural diversity in Paris.

“It is a beautiful city full of opportunities, even though like any big city the quality of life is not great.”

Speaking of which, France is notorious for its bureaucracy and paperasse is a way of life. Zerafa left for France before Malta joined the EU, so he had to go through the nightmarish procedures of obtaining residence and work permits.

“That blank look of a civil servant behind a counter stating that you have a missing document (after eight hours of waiting) and that you have to come back can drive you insane,” he says.

Not speaking the language was also an issue for Zerafa.

“It took me two years to learn how to correctly pronounce ‘pain’ and ‘vin’, which are two indispensable words in everyday French life,” he says.

“There is something about the French language, that it sounds really awful and not understandable when it is not correctly pronounced. After 16 years of living in France, I can now understand that.”

His advice for anyone thinking of moving to Paris is, perhaps predictably, to learn the language. “Paris can be hard in the beginning and the language barrier does not make life easier.”

Martina Portelli

Martina Portelli left Malta in early August 2012 to read for a Masters degree in European Affairs in Paris.

She admits that she has always felt drawn to the French capital, its charm, history, eclecticism, and cultural diversity, so when she came across a Masters in European Affairs at the prestigious Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, she decided to try her luck and apply. Fast forward to a few months later, she became the first (and so far only) Maltese student to enrol there.

Portelli’s love for the city is almost tangible as she describes her favourite spots such as the stretch of the Canal Saint Martin in the 10th arrondissement which, she says, is great for a stroll. Her description of her food haunts will have your mouth watering.

“Most of my go-to places are in the vicinity: great coffee and brunch at Holybelly, the quirky Le Comptoir Général – part-museum, part-bar, part-record store – while the bakery Du Pain et Des Idées is one of my absolute favourite bakeries in Paris. Their escargot chocolat pistache is divine.”

Portelli is so in love with Paris that she struggles to pick her favourite thing about living there. However, she eventually reveals that: “If I tried to roll all that into one I would say that it’s the joie de vivre – the ability of most Parisians (or at least, those who I know) to find pleasure in what they’re doing, especially if it involves eating, drinking or cooking with friends. It’s all about appreciating what you have and all that’s available to you, and in Paris, that’s a lot!”

As with Zerafa, the downside is the curse of the dossier. For every single administrative thing – from opening a bank account to renting an apartment – you need to compile a dossier, which is a file with various bits of information, though what needs be included is not always clear. Portelli admits that reliable information is not so easy to come by. When she first moved it felt like one long bureaucratic wild goose chase.

“But I survived,” she says.

Portelli had studied French for over eight years before the move to Paris, so she considered herself quite proficient. Until she actually lived in France.

“You quickly realise that spoken French is far removed from textbook French, as is the case with most other languages, but you get used to it just as fast.”

Her advice for someone contemplating moving to Paris?

“Keep in mind the small but essential details, like the fact that to rent a place you need a French bank account, but to open a bank account you need a fixed address. And always say ‘bonjour’ as you enter a shop and ‘merci’ when you leave – it’s an unwritten rule. All a bit complicated, but worth it!”

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.