The France Thread

[texasdago 7573]

Any of y'all flown into or out of Lyon?

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Any of y'all flown into or out of Lyon?

No, but I saw there was a Business Class fare sale with flights in and out of there.  I have flown into Marseille and it was super easy, but it was a flight from Italy, so....

[texasdago 7573]

43 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

No, but I saw there was a Business Class fare sale with flights in and out of there.  I have flown into Marseille and it was super easy, but it was a flight from Italy, so....

You should know by now that my tightwad personality doesn't pay business class for four tickets.  I may pay more for hotels but I like my tickets cheap and dirty (and on a Star Alliance flight)

[Neonmoon 38129]

Ugh, so do I need to make dinner reservations for every night in Paris? I thought I would just find some random places and show up. How dumb am I?

 

 

[texasdago 7573]

13 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

Ugh, so do I need to make dinner reservations for every night in Paris? I thought I would just find some random places and show up. How dumb am I?

 

 

I mean, it depends where you are in Paris and the kinds of places you want to visit. 

BTW, F Lyon... could not find a decent fare or deal with miles so we'll just fly into Geneva and then drive over to France.  

[LonghornJones 837]

Les Bains was fantastic. Great location and amazing hotel bar on the weekend. If you happen to be there on a Saturday (maybe Friday too), the basement transforms in to a nightclub/discotheque, which is only open from 1a-4a. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

3 hours ago, Neonmoon said:

Ugh, so do I need to make dinner reservations for every night in Paris? I thought I would just find some random places and show up. How dumb am I?

 

 

I'd make reservations. 

[LonghornJones 837]

2 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

I'd make reservations. 

agree

[Neonmoon 38129]

So any recommendations? I like nice food and all, but I’d rather not have to eat at fancy restaurants every night. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

1 hour ago, Neonmoon said:

So any recommendations? I like nice food and all, but I’d rather not have to eat at fancy restaurants every night. 

Le Dauphin is a wine bar that has some great food.  It is next door to Le Chateaubriand, and is their more casual wine bar place.  Still, get a res.  They take them online.

A lot of people I know are raving about La Rotonde.  It is an old school place, but I like it.

https://larotonde-montparnasse.fr/

We had a great meal at Le Servan in the 11th.  While reservations are needed, it is definitely not fancy schmancy.  

My favorites in Paris are Montee and Mosuke, but those might be fancier than you want.  

 

[Neonmoon 38129]

38 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Le Dauphin is a wine bar that has some great food.  It is next door to Le Chateaubriand, and is their more casual wine bar place.  Still, get a res.  They take them online.

A lot of people I know are raving about La Rotonde.  It is an old school place, but I like it.

https://larotonde-montparnasse.fr/

We had a great meal at Le Servan in the 11th.  While reservations are needed, it is definitely not fancy schmancy.  

My favorites in Paris are Montee and Mosuke, but those might be fancier than you want.  

 

Thank you much!

 

[Neonmoon 38129]

Just got back. I love Paris.

We stayed in Odeon neighborhood near Luxembourg Park. We went for 8 days and pretty much covered everything. Our favorite things besides the Loire Valley were just getting some wine, baguette, and cheese, and doing a picnic in park or by the Seine. 

Our favorite restaurant was La Cuisine de Phillipe. The Croq au vine was amazing. Georgette, Le Pont Traverse, and Le Petite Lux were good spots too. We didn’t do many high end places. We also visited some tourist traps (because the wife) like Deux Magot and La Cafe se Flore. They were what you would expect. We avoided most super tourist areas to eat except one because of timing, by the Eiffel Tower, Le Champ de Mars. It sucked hard.

It’s hard to say what my favorite place was because some were pretty crowded, and the general public suck, but the Arc de Triumph was cool, however I would put a tie between the Louvre and Les Invalides. The crowds make the Louvre suck, but I could spend weeks in that place looking at all the art. It’s so fucking massive. Les Invalides has Napoleons tomb, but the cooler part is the Musée de Armée, which houses all the war memorabilia for thousand years. Very cool. Also I have been reading Charles de Gaulle’s biography and they had an exhibition on him which was cool. 

Thanks for all the recommendations. 

 Also, I love the Metro. So easy to get around everything. Mass transit in US blows. 
 

 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

Ok, trying to figure out my trip to France in May.  Thinking of a combo of Provence and the Southwest.  Skipping Paris this time around (Biarritz might take the place of our city location this trip since I can also do my shopping there).  

Thinking about flying into Paris on May 12 (arrive May 13) then flying out Memorial Day (May 29).  Then this is where it gets fun.  We can either go Bandol/Luberon/Biarritz or Biarritz/Luberon/Bandol.  In either case, there will be three train journeys: (1) Paris and Biarritz; (2) Paris and Marseille; (3) Marseille and Biarritz.  That last one is a doozy.  It is an 8 hour train journey that hugs the coast and cuts across the southwest of France.  We would have a rental car for the time in the Luberon and Bandol, then forego one in Biarritz.  

Still trying to figure out flights.  Also, Formula One and Cannes being in late May is playing into the order as well.

[YChang 3444]

Just got back. Walked past and was curious about the status of Notre Dame’s restoration. 

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by YChang

[ATXhorn17 1617]

Surly hive mind -- I've got 3 nights in Lyon coming up... Any suggestions on places to eat? Vinyards to visit? Day trips or things to see?

[creeper 98]

On 2/21/2023 at 11:36 PM, ATXhorn17 said:

Surly hive mind -- I've got 3 nights in Lyon coming up... Any suggestions on places to eat? Vinyards to visit? Day trips or things to see?

Mere Brazier for high end.  Hit a bouchon or two: Le Garet if you want grittier, Daniel et Denise for something more cleaned up... both delicious.  Beaujolais makes the most sense if you want to visit a wine region, but the Jura and Burgundy are both close and amazing.

[sidis 9828]

On 2/21/2023 at 11:36 PM, ATXhorn17 said:

Surly hive mind -- I've got 3 nights in Lyon coming up... Any suggestions on places to eat? Vinyards to visit? Day trips or things to see?

you will be in the world's greatest food city.  it will not be hard.  bouchons all day every day. 

if you want to take it up a notch, peruse these...

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/auvergne-rhone-alpes/lyon/restaurants

there's a very quick tgv ride from lyon to avignon and châteauneuf-du-pape that i would take if you want to do vineyards for a day trip.

quick trip east to the alps...maybe la clusaz.

southeast into heart of provence.  find a spring festival that is going on somewhere...there's something every week in the spring.

[Chopper 17235]

NYT Style Magazine published a gorgeous article about the food in Paris. Good for planning purposes, I think. Gifted link.

The 25 Essential Dishes to Eat in Paris; We asked five chefs and culinary experts to determine the most delicious and memorable plates in the food-obsessed French capital. Here are the results.

[TexTexTex 104]

Just catching up on the all the Paris threads.  My wife and I are heading to Paris at the end of May for the first time in 15 years and mainly curious on restaurants and which areas to explore in our open times.  @PenelopeWitherspoon seems to be the resident professional, but curious for any and all to pitch in.  I have a tendency to cram pack a schedule which I'm trying to make sure I don't do here, but here's a rough layout of what I have so far.  We've got 4 days in Paris and 3 days in Nice and are staying in the Latin Quarter so most dinners / breakfasts will be around there.

 

Day 1 - Arrive to hotel around 930AM, check out Notre Dame / Saint Chappelle area then either head to Sacre Coure or Champs area depending on how we are feeling after travel day

Day 2 Versailles in the morning open in the afternoon

Day 3 10AM Eiffel Tower Summit, Sienne River Cruise open in the afternoon

Day 4 Open in the morning 11PM Moulin Rouge show (I've heard Pink Mamma is a good trendy restaurant close to this)

Day 5 train to Nice relax in afternoon

Day 6 Explore Monte Carlo

Day 7 Explore Cannes

Day 8 Fly back home

 

Thank you for taking a look!

[texasdago 7573]

Not Paris but we really enjoyed skiing in France/Italy over SB.  Our base was Montgenevre with easy slopeside access to not only Montgenevre but connections to other nearby ski towns in Italy.  Super deal on the ski passes.  Food in Montgenevre was good but the best restaurants were Italian run.  Border to Italy was 5 minutes away where food quality went up and prices went down.  

Also visited Briancon which was an exceptional walled city... very much worth a day.  Adjacent is the ski resort of Serre Chevalier which is really high on my list for a future trip.  I skied there for one day and really really liked it.  So much more to explore.

This trip also confirmed to me that some of the best ski instruction in the world happens through French instructors or at least instructors aligned with French ski schools like ESF.  They're exceptional.  

[Orale 1087]

Bump. Headed to Paris for 10 days solo on the 23rd. I booked train tickets for a day in Tours visiting the Loire Valley castles. I was thinking a day trip to Normandy to see some of the WW2 stuff. I've been to Reims and seen the cathedral and visited Tattinger years ago and enjoyed it. Perhaps a return day trip there. Any other cool day trips people you've enjoyed?

[Post Oak 20213]

I have family from Amiens  and the cathedral is astonishing if youre interested. About 90 mins on the train I think.   

[wild_turkey 3159]

I booked train tickets for a day in Tours visiting the Loire Valley castles.

Is there a tour guide service you are planning to use, or just doing it on your own? Do you know which chateaux you will visit?

I have been to Chateau de Chambord, Chateau de Chenonceau, and Chateaux d’Amboise. They were all great, but they aren’t extremely close to Tours, so just wondering your transportation plan.

[gsoda3 3262]

we're going to paris next summer (the week before the olympics).  we've been several times before but haven't been since 2016 and the kids are all at an age now where i have no idea what to do with them.  i don't want to build the entire itinerary around them but it'll probably be smart to incorporate 1 item/day they can look forward to.  so far i have the obvious eiffel  tower, louvre, notre dame, (museum pass?), st chapelle... anything else?  all i can think of are things i want to do.

[gsoda3 3262]

3 hours ago, Orale said:

Bump. Headed to Paris for 10 days solo on the 23rd. I booked train tickets for a day in Tours visiting the Loire Valley castles. I was thinking a day trip to Normandy to see some of the WW2 stuff. I've been to Reims and seen the cathedral and visited Tattinger years ago and enjoyed it. Perhaps a return day trip there. Any other cool day trips people you've enjoyed?

you booked a train ticket from paris to tours and then the company is going to shuttle you around the different chateaus?  that could be hit (if they pace the program to your liking and choose the chateaus you'd want to see) or miss (crowded, try to cram too many chateaus into one day, take you to expensive tourist traps).  what i'd recommend is renting your own car in tours and driving.  they're short trips from chateau to chateau in that area and it allows for you to stop whenever you want.  some chateaus i found weren't worth stopping for more than an hour, others i could spend half the day in them.  if you have questions about specific chateaus post em here, i've been to lots of them and it seems there are a few others who have also.  

[mycox 582]

3 hours ago, Orale said:

Bump. Headed to Paris for 10 days solo on the 23rd. I booked train tickets for a day in Tours visiting the Loire Valley castles. I was thinking a day trip to Normandy to see some of the WW2 stuff. I've been to Reims and seen the cathedral and visited Tattinger years ago and enjoyed it. Perhaps a return day trip there. Any other cool day trips people you've enjoyed?

I just got back from France Monday. Landed at CDG and decided to book a train to Dijon and Lyon because it's an easy train ride. Dijon is nice for a 1 /12 -2 day stay.  Lyon is also good for 2 nights.

Another good day trip is Epernay for some champagne tasting.

[Orale 1087]

31 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

 

Is there a tour guide service you are planning to use, or just doing it on your own? Do you know which chateaux you will visit?

I have been to Chateau de Chambord, Chateau de Chenonceau, and Chateaux d’Amboise. They were all great, but they aren’t extremely close to Tours, so just wondering your transportation plan.

 

Good question. I hadn't gotten that far. I'll have to look into that more. 

29 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

you booked a train ticket from paris to tours and then the company is going to shuttle you around the different chateaus?  that could be hit (if they pace the program to your liking and choose the chateaus you'd want to see) or miss (crowded, try to cram too many chateaus into one day, take you to expensive tourist traps).  what i'd recommend is renting your own car in tours and driving.  they're short trips from chateau to chateau in that area and it allows for you to stop whenever you want.  some chateaus i found weren't worth stopping for more than an hour, others i could spend half the day in them.  if you have questions about specific chateaus post em here, i've been to lots of them and it seems there are a few others who have also.  

Good idea. I'll look into rentals. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

3 hours ago, Orale said:

Bump. Headed to Paris for 10 days solo on the 23rd. I booked train tickets for a day in Tours visiting the Loire Valley castles. I was thinking a day trip to Normandy to see some of the WW2 stuff. I've been to Reims and seen the cathedral and visited Tattinger years ago and enjoyed it. Perhaps a return day trip there. Any other cool day trips people you've enjoyed?

Jealous.  I have always said I want to go back to Paris in the fall, and use it as a base to explore.  Maybe in a few years.  Trying to get some bucket list trips out of the way first since I tend to spend WAY too much when I am in Paris.

On day trips, Chantilly, Giverny, Chartres, Amiens.  All of those are on my list.  

Heading to Lille right before Christmas for a weekend break before hitting London for work.  So you could add that.  

[George 492]

Bump…Im working my way through the thread, but wanted to pile on here in the meantime.

My wife’s side gig (makeup artist) has opened up an opportunity for her to travel to Paris in less than a month, and we’ve never traveled beyond US/Mexico unless it was on a cruise.  Paris has never really been on our radar, so beyond the major tourist attractions, we don’t have much of a feel for stuff we should take in and no French language skills to speak of. 
 

We’re departing DFW Saturday afternoon (2/24) and non-stop to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport arriving at 9am Sunday. Seems this might not be best for jet lag, but preferred the non stop option.  We fly back on 3/5 around noon. 
 

we haven’t booked accommodations yet but we’re eyeballing an AirBnB that sits in the 4th across from the Hotel de Ville which seems to be close to the train station. 
 

guess we’re just looking for general recommendations. I’d expect to have some days to myself while she works but the schedule is up in the air. How do we kill 9 nights in Paris?  I’m not opposed to day trips. We like general touristy stuff and she loves art. I’m a picky eater, so that’s got me on edge…we’re not Surly 1% but I’ve got $9k in spiff money to throw at this thing (2400 gone for flights…main cabin extra…not sure I can justify the bump to next level) to help with some expense, and who knows if we ever get back over there. 
 

any stupid international travel bs to be aware of?  Assuming a combination of euros and a CC will be sufficient for paying for things. I was worried about wife’s passport…it expires like 39 days after our return, which is within the 30 day window France seems to require. 
 

open to some romantic shit for the misses, including checking out one of the cabarets. 
 

Appreciate it!

[Mo Horn 8842]

58 minutes ago, George said:

Bump…Im working my way through the thread, but wanted to pile on here in the meantime.

My wife’s side gig (makeup artist) has opened up an opportunity for her to travel to Paris in less than a month, and we’ve never traveled beyond US/Mexico unless it was on a cruise.  Paris has never really been on our radar, so beyond the major tourist attractions, we don’t have much of a feel for stuff we should take in and no French language skills to speak of. 
 

We’re departing DFW Saturday afternoon (2/24) and non-stop to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport arriving at 9am Sunday. Seems this might not be best for jet lag, but preferred the non stop option.  We fly back on 3/5 around noon. 
 

we haven’t booked accommodations yet but we’re eyeballing an AirBnB that sits in the 4th across from the Hotel de Ville which seems to be close to the train station. 
 

guess we’re just looking for general recommendations. I’d expect to have some days to myself while she works but the schedule is up in the air. How do we kill 9 nights in Paris?  I’m not opposed to day trips. We like general touristy stuff and she loves art. I’m a picky eater, so that’s got me on edge…we’re not Surly 1% but I’ve got $9k in spiff money to throw at this thing (2400 gone for flights…main cabin extra…not sure I can justify the bump to next level) to help with some expense, and who knows if we ever get back over there. 
 

any stupid international travel bs to be aware of?  Assuming a combination of euros and a CC will be sufficient for paying for things. I was worried about wife’s passport…it expires like 39 days after our return, which is within the 30 day window France seems to require. 
 

open to some romantic shit for the misses, including checking out one of the cabarets. 
 

Appreciate it!

Don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but according to this the passport needs to be valid for 90 days beyond your departure date. You might be able to expedite a new one. 

https://fr.usembassy.gov/passports/passport-validity/

[wild_turkey 3159]

I’m by no means an expert, but these are the Paris things that come to mind for me:

-Eiffel Tower, either go up in it or just hang out on the Champ de Mars reading a book and looking at it
-Seine river boat cruise
-Hang out on banks of Seine for an evening picnic and drink wine from the bottle
-Louvre
-Musee d’Orsay
-Musee d’Orangerie
-Tuileries Garden just bum around
-Versailles and the garden (not my fav but ymmv)
-Fat Tire bike tours are touristy but fun
-Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées
-Moulin Rouge or Crazy Horse

Day trips could be Normandy, Champagne, or Loire.

Eat good food and drink good wine. Whether you like haute cuisine and Michelin stars or just casual cafe fare, allow yourself to indulge in a bit of everything. Splurge on some meals you wouldn’t normally eat at home.

If your lady is into shopping and the finer things, look out.

[George 492]

4 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

Don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but according to this the passport needs to be valid for 90 days beyond your departure date. You might be able to expedite a new one. 

https://fr.usembassy.gov/passports/passport-validity/

Awe damn…I messed up the post. She’s got the 3 months, not 6 months that some require. Should be good.

[Chopper 17235]

26 minutes ago, George said:

Awe damn…I messed up the post. She’s got the 3 months, not 6 months that some require. Should be good.

First rec, learn some very basic French. Greetings, thanks, how to order coffee and breakfast, the basics at any restaurant or hotel. It won't take much effort on your part but it will make your trip much more rewarding.

Search the internet for "cheap eats Paris" and you'll find a bunch of websites with different recommendations. From personal experience you can also make a helluva picnic out of just a fresh (no more than 3 hours old) baguette, and any combo of cheese, a fresh avocado and a chocolate bar. In general crêperies will offer the most bang for a buck/euro (crêpes aka galettes can be sweet or savory). Boulangeries will offer not only baguettes but inexpensive sandwiches.

The Pompidou Centre near Les Halles is a one of a kind museum and cultural center. It's the location of the national center for modern art (meaning 20th century and beyond -- Matisse, Picasso, Mondrian, Warhol and many others) and I'd have it on my list along with the Louvre. If it's a nice day the Centre also has a viewing deck that offers incredible views of Paris. The Musée D'Orsay is awesome as well particularly because of the space (old railroad station) it fills as well as for the impressionist masterpieces. Going to the top of Arc De Triomphe to get a great view followed by a stroll down Champs-Élysées is a good half day at least.

If you want to watch a movie or 2 to get excited about your trip consider Midnight in Paris, Paris Je T'aime, or Amélie. They're all English language films.

The Louvre is open until 9:45pm on Friday nights. When they offered two late nights a week it was worth it to avoid the crowds by planning to stay when everyone else goes to dinner. I'm not sure if this holds when there's only one late night a week but it's not peak tourist season so I'm guessing it would still be the quietest time to go.

Paris is amazing. February's weather is probably not ideal but still should allow a walk along the Seine River at night. Or a winding walk through Montmartre. It's really all the evening entertainment you need. Plenty of pubs and cafes to hit up.

 

[ramirezut 63]

Quote

 

We like general touristy stuff and she loves art. I’m a picky eater, so that’s got me on edge…

 

It's a wide net for Paris but you will generally find tons of museums as mentioned before in this thread. Aside from the classics like D'Orsay & Louvre, my wife and I liked Petit Palais museum. Much less crowded than the larger museums and has a great collection of French art. I believe they're also open late on Sat/Sun. There is a great bistrot about 10min walk away called Savy. They serve classic French dishes like steak frites, beef burgundy, and duck confit. Probably not too out there for your palate. 

I'm a big fan of the St. Germain\Latin quarter area. There are some nice bars with live music (i.e. jazz) and great wine bars. There's also an excellent tapas bar called Freddy's (worth a wait). Also a very cool street market/shops off Rue Mouffetard. 

[texasdago 7573]

Drink wine "from the bottle" ?  

[mchookem 16336]

posting some of this here, copied from the Italy thread, bc suddenly i'm hitting both (along with Germany) and i have no idea what i'm doing 😄 we're going mid-May.

family trip, Germany first. we're doing some WWII sites, renting a car and heading to Normandy. my French exchange student lives in Brest, she's going to meet us somewhere, i think we're just going to tour some of the countryside around there, i still need to do research on what to see (other than WWII sites which my dad is planning). at least 2 days in Paris (we actually love cities)... then we were going to just drive back to Frankfurt and fly home... but then my mate said something about 'too bad we're not going to visit Italy' and I was like...pause... actually, we can do whatever we want to do lol.

so now dad and sis will take car and head back to Germany/home and we're gonna add another 4-5 days and probably fly home from Rome. i'm already on top of booking the train Paris>Rome.

i mean i figure we will likely never be back there again so there are some musts in Paris and Rome. Florence seems to be the other stop folks recommend the most. 

anyways...we've been talking about this trip for a few years, but not actually doing anything for it. then my dad had shoulder surgery, then fell and broke his leg last summer or we might have done it in the fall. bottom line... i purchased one-way tickets Denver>Frankfurt last weekend, so this is happening one way or another 😆😮 

i'll be perusing both threads from the beginning in the coming weeks...i really want to keep this pretty relaxed without a hard itinerary, but i know train tickets and some sites will need prior purchase. downloaded the Trainline app, felt super fancy 😋

j'ai etudie' le francais pour sept ans, en l'ecole secondaire et a l'universite'. je sais assez pour dire 's'il vous plait, parlez lentement?' 😄 je vais essayer...meme si c'est terrible 😆 

Edited February 1 by mchookem

[Sensitive Ponytail Man 9]

If you're visiting the Dday beaches it's probably worth a side trip to see the town of Bayeux, with the highlight being the tapestry.  The audio tour of the tapestry is magical.  We did it twice in a row.   The adjoining museum upstairs is really interesting too.  There's also a military museum on the outskirts of town that's kind of a hike but fairly interesting.   As far as the beaches, of course you'll want to see the American Cemetary and Omaha.   I did not make it to Utah.  I also found the town of Arromanches-Les-Bains worth a visit, with a little museum and lookout point onto the artificial port.   You could spend days in the area.  We used the Rick Steves guidebook to figure out what to do.  Or, just driving along the coast from town to town is a nice way to spend a day.   The weather can be really shitty in the Spring (and obviously into June) but there's so much to do and see you don't have to let it mess things up.   Rick Steves recommended some small guided van tours of the beaches.   We looked into those and almost did one, but in the end just decided to wing it.

[mchookem 16336]

i'm still researching and planning... but may i just say, AirBnB prices for countryside/actual seaside places in and around Normandie (i.e. Caen, Asnelles, Colleville-sur-Mer, etc) are... absolutement incroyable 😮 i'm sure late May is still low season and the weather won't be ideal... but still, holy crap at the quality you can get for...not a lot of money, i'll just put it like that. i mean, 'super hosts' and 'guest favorites' even. wow.

 

and i think about how much we have paid for 3-4 nights in Port A or South Padre over the years 😆😊

[texasdago 7573]

On 2/7/2024 at 4:26 PM, mchookem said:

and i think about how much we have paid for 3-4 nights in Port A or South Padre over the years 😆😊

...and if I remember correctly, some of the cleaning fees are more reasonable, as well.  Yeah, the value you get in Europe is amazing sometimes.  

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

I just saw some nice 2k business class flights from NYC to Paris.  It really is a shame I have barred myself from a trip until I have been to three more countries (my rule was no visits to Paris until I have been to at least 10 new countries).  I have been to 7 since making that rule, and will most likely knock the last three out this year.  

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

On 2/1/2024 at 1:45 AM, mchookem said:

posting some of this here, copied from the Italy thread, bc suddenly i'm hitting both (along with Germany) and i have no idea what i'm doing 😄 we're going mid-May.

family trip, Germany first. we're doing some WWII sites, renting a car and heading to Normandy. my French exchange student lives in Brest, she's going to meet us somewhere, i think we're just going to tour some of the countryside around there, i still need to do research on what to see (other than WWII sites which my dad is planning). at least 2 days in Paris (we actually love cities)... then we were going to just drive back to Frankfurt and fly home... but then my mate said something about 'too bad we're not going to visit Italy' and I was like...pause... actually, we can do whatever we want to do lol.

so now dad and sis will take car and head back to Germany/home and we're gonna add another 4-5 days and probably fly home from Rome. i'm already on top of booking the train Paris>Rome.

i mean i figure we will likely never be back there again so there are some musts in Paris and Rome. Florence seems to be the other stop folks recommend the most. 

anyways...we've been talking about this trip for a few years, but not actually doing anything for it. then my dad had shoulder surgery, then fell and broke his leg last summer or we might have done it in the fall. bottom line... i purchased one-way tickets Denver>Frankfurt last weekend, so this is happening one way or another 😆😮 

i'll be perusing both threads from the beginning in the coming weeks...i really want to keep this pretty relaxed without a hard itinerary, but i know train tickets and some sites will need prior purchase. downloaded the Trainline app, felt super fancy 😋

j'ai etudie' le francais pour sept ans, en l'ecole secondaire et a l'universite'. je sais assez pour dire 's'il vous plait, parlez lentement?' 😄 je vais essayer...meme si c'est terrible 😆 

In Paris, skip going to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Tickets are almost impossible to get (hearing lots of horror stories), plus, the pictures you take, don't you wan the tower in them?  Last time we were there, we did a private boat tour on the Seine.  It involved copious amounts of Champagne, a cute captain, and a lot of fun.  I highly recommend doing this vs. the big tourist boats.  This is who we used (https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/194776?adults=1&checkin=&checkout=&children=0&infants=0&pets=0&currentTab=all_tab&federatedSearchId=&searchId=&source=wishlist)

While I think the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsay are musts, they eat up a lot of time.  Buying tickets in advance helps.  Also, try and plot your route through to hit the highlights.  Pro tip, the Mona Lisa is really small, and there are much better paintings in the main gallery leading to this small one where she sits.  I love Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, the Coronation of Josephine by Jacques Louis-David, and of course both the Venus de Milo and the Nike of Samothrace.  If impressionists are more your bag, the Musee d'Orsay is outstanding, but same advice.  Pick what you want to see and plan your route.  You can do both in one day if you plan well.  Pick one for the AM, one for the afternoon, and do lunch at Les Deux Colombes (which is a bit of a long walk, but the view!).

On shopping, Goyard no longer does appointments, so you have to queue.  However, you can still get a deal there and in LV compared to the US.  Not many other deals to be had (Hermes and Chanel do a good job of managing FX and arbitrage opportunities with their pricing).  If you are more interested in vintage finds, let me know.  I have been compiling a list of places.

On restaurants, I loved MoSuke last time I was there.  Mory Sacko has opened a new place as well (Lafayette's).  Also, many people raved about Les Parisiens, which is also on my list for next trip.  

Those are my highlights in 5 minutes or less.  

[locodos 5387]

Normally I'd recommend hiring a guide directly, but Context Tour of Muse D'Orsay was fantastic.  5/5   

https://www.contexttravel.com/cities/paris/tours/musee-dorsay-tour-crash-course  

IMHO a tour at the grand museums will vastly improve your experience.   Pay experts for their knowledge and passion.   You will see things at the museum you would not find or know about in a lifetime of just wondering around looking at placards.

In the Louvre skip the Mona Lisa Disney like line.  I'd just walk by the passage to the left and take a glance as you walk by.   You'll get about as close and even if you wait in line, it's not like you get to stop and take a look anyway...  they keep the cattle moving. 

 

Where to stay in Paris?  we loved staying on Ile Saint-Louis (and more generally you want stay closer to Notre Dame, or at least so I've been told)

[mchookem 16336]

so far i've booked a renovated seaside farmhouse literally a 15 minute walk across the road from Utah beach memorial. this will put us within two hours (or much less) from the American cemetery, Omaha beach, Bayeux, La Cite' de la Mer, Mont Saint-Michel, and who knows where else. we're doing 3 nights here, seems like a good place to use as a home base for a few days and omg is it lovely!! 🤩

dad and sister did finally get their roundtrip tickets, yay! 😜 having a hell of a time getting them to engage in actual itinerary planning, no surprise 🙄 so i'm now working on the first week or so in Germany by myself...overnight spots likely Kitzigen/Wurzburg, Munich (Dachau), Stuttgart/Heidelberg... then crossover to France at Strasbourg and head west. do we have a Germany thread too?? i'll look...i'm open to any suggestions on any of the above, or that general region (south/southwest) of Germany. i've got a few old ass castles on the list 😁 but if there's something we shouldn't miss in the area lmk!

dad keeps talking about the Eagle's Nest, which should be reopened for the season by the time we're there. it's...something. but given the map and our timeline, i think we'll let them do the swing over there after they drop us off, when they are on their way back to Frankfurt. i mean i think i'd prefer an extra day or two of museums and delicious food with an evening stroll around the Champs Elysee to seeing Hitler's hideyhole at this point 😊

 

Edited February 13 by mchookem
east is not west dammit

[texasdago 7573]

On 2/12/2024 at 10:22 AM, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

In Paris, skip going to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Curious... do they still let you walk up the stairs?  We did years ago... didn't have to wait in line for the elevator because we just took the stairs to the various levels... even though I got really dizzy doing it LOL.  

Never mind... here's the answer... https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/visit/take-stairs-and-discover-eiffel-tower-new-way#:~:text=While the Tower has a,the public for safety reasons.

[locodos 5387]

6 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Curious... do they still let you walk up the stairs?  We did years ago... didn't have to wait in line for the elevator because we just took the stairs to the various levels... even though I got really dizzy doing it LOL.  

Never mind... here's the answer... https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/visit/take-stairs-and-discover-eiffel-tower-new-way#:~:text=While the Tower has a,the public for safety reasons.

Take the metro to Abbess and take the stairs instead of the elevator...  good times. 

Paris is the city of lights stairs

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

4 hours ago, locodos said:

Take the metro to Abbess and take the stairs instead of the elevator...  good times. 

Paris is the city of lights stairs

Ummm, no.  Find the elevator and wait.  Over 180 big, fucing stairs.  No thanks.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19101]

4 hours ago, texasdago said:

Curious... do they still let you walk up the stairs?  We did years ago... didn't have to wait in line for the elevator because we just took the stairs to the various levels... even though I got really dizzy doing it LOL.  

Never mind... here's the answer... https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/news/visit/take-stairs-and-discover-eiffel-tower-new-way#:~:text=While the Tower has a,the public for safety reasons.

Honestly, the elevator ride is cool.  We waited in a 45 minute line to go the tip top.  We did have champagne up there, but that was all.  Did it once on one trip to Paris in 2016 with my mom.  I never went up it before or after.  Better to see it in the shots.

[mchookem 16336]

since this trip is now covering four countries (Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy) and potentially one more (Ireland, we have friends doing 'slow travel' for a year who have to leave the Schengen area for a few months so are spending the summer in GB and will be in Dublin when we finish in Italy, debating popping over there before we head home)...should i start a thread? 🤔 i'm not a big thread starter but it might be easier than thread hopping...maybe?

[Neonmoon 38129]

They keep the lines moving for tip top, but yes, it’s a cattle car experience until you get up there. 

We walked stairs down from mid level to avoid wait for elevators again. Wasn’t too bad. 

[George 492]

On 1/26/2024 at 1:09 PM, George said:

Bump…Im working my way through the thread, but wanted to pile on here in the meantime.

My wife’s side gig (makeup artist) has opened up an opportunity for her to travel to Paris in less than a month, and we’ve never traveled beyond US/Mexico unless it was on a cruise.  Paris has never really been on our radar, so beyond the major tourist attractions, we don’t have much of a feel for stuff we should take in and no French language skills to speak of. 
 

We’re departing DFW Saturday afternoon (2/24) and non-stop to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport arriving at 9am Sunday. Seems this might not be best for jet lag, but preferred the non stop option.  We fly back on 3/5 around noon. 
 

we haven’t booked accommodations yet but we’re eyeballing an AirBnB that sits in the 4th across from the Hotel de Ville which seems to be close to the train station. 
 

guess we’re just looking for general recommendations. I’d expect to have some days to myself while she works but the schedule is up in the air. How do we kill 9 nights in Paris?  I’m not opposed to day trips. We like general touristy stuff and she loves art. I’m a picky eater, so that’s got me on edge…we’re not Surly 1% but I’ve got $9k in spiff money to throw at this thing (2400 gone for flights…main cabin extra…not sure I can justify the bump to next level) to help with some expense, and who knows if we ever get back over there. 
 

any stupid international travel bs to be aware of?  Assuming a combination of euros and a CC will be sufficient for paying for things. I was worried about wife’s passport…it expires like 39 days after our return, which is within the 30 day window France seems to require. 
 

open to some romantic shit for the misses, including checking out one of the cabarets. 
 

Appreciate it!

We’re two days back from our trip, and man…we had a hell of good time despite a few self-inflicted fuck ups.

Wife got her wallet lifted and lost her cash/cards/license on day 3. She got silly on the metro we think, and someone grabbed it. Shit happens…didn’t let it ruin our trip and just rolled with it. I had all of our required/important stuff (passports, whew!) tucked away.

We never felt unsafe as we traversed the city, so I don’t really put this on ‘Paris’ and would just say strap in / zip in your shit and keep it close (obvious stuff).

We spent the first half of our trip over by the Louvre at Hotel da Vinci. It was tight but nice…the staff were phenomenal.

It was rainy most days of our trip, but it wasn’t that bad. We hit the Mark Rothko exhibit at the Louis Vuitton Foundation and did a Louvre guided tour (worth it). Got to see the highlights there but didn’t see a fraction of the place.  We intended to go back, but never made it. 

Took the train up to Versailles and was in awe at the size of the place and the beauty of it all. Every room decked out floor to ceiling and just massive.  That’s one thing that I wasn’t expecting, I guess…the size of the various places you come across. Not to mention the age of it all. The golf carts were awesome to traverse the gardens, but most of it was still winterized or being prepped. Can only imagine what it would be like in the spring/summer. 

Went to a couple of cabaret shows, ballet and had a couple of good meals…went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and a few other touristy sights. Nice benefit of suspect weather and time of year meant there weren’t really a ton of lines or huge crowds to fight anywhere. 

we moved to the InterContinental Le Grand for the last 4 nights and holy shit at the change in square footage. Pricy step up but worked out great for my wife’s photoshoot. 

I took the day trip to Normandy on Sunday while she did her thing. That was probably the highlight of my trip. The weather turned beautiful that day and I had a great tour guide and co-passengers. 

tour stopped at Point du Hoc to see the bunkers and get the story of the Rangers who captured it, a ‘cider tasting’ and an old farmhouse/orchard (picked up a bottle of Calvados), Omaha Beach and the Operation Overload Museum, and ended at the Normandy American Cemetery. Watched the flag lowering and Taps then rolled back to Paris. 

We spent our last day wondering around a few areas and finally got up to Montmartre. Weather was perfect and that area was exactly what I had in mind when I through about a Paris neighborhood. The artists were all out and the area was hopping. Stairs fucking sucked though…saw the elevator thing after we’d made it up to the top. All in all a great last day. 

we didn’t get to do everything we thought we wanted to do, but that’s ok. Now we have a reason to go back!