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Thanks again everyone! These are useful.
Re: types of things of interest - cities are fine, countryside too. Metro is fine. We've taken trains/metro and wandered around Florence, Venice, Prague, Budapest, Tokyo, and a bunch of US cities. No concerns about using public transport.
I think we're going to try to set up a self guided bike tour for a week or so, split the rest with Paris and surroundings.
I don't drink wine, Mrs C does - but not enough to build an itinerary around it.
I'm not a city person but there is something about Paris. The best thing to do is just walk until you need a drink/bite and stop in a cafe, rinse/repeat. I'll second the recommendation to use the metro, it's fast and easy. I've never experienced the famous French attitude towards Americans, every Parisian we interacted with was helpful and friendly.
We've been twice and never spent more than about $80 a night on hotels, but decent location and clean is all I care about. Stayed in the Latin Quarter and the Pigalle, preferred the Latin Quarter.
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I visited Languedoc-Roussillon last Fall. It's reachable by train from Paris. Not as touristy (or expensive) as Provence. It borders the Mediterranean, but also has some lovely hill towns & mountains. The Rhone River forms the eastern border & the Pyrenees/Spain the western border. Major wine region! We rented a car, driving/traffic wasn't bad, you get used to the roundabouts pretty quickly! :-)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/337053039794196/
https://gr-infos.com/gr-en.htm
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No open spaces in n Paris?
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Well, I’ve been to Paris 20 something times. I almost always stay at Le Hotel Bourdonnais. It’s a long story, but now I like it, it’s not a rip off, and my wife runs around the Champs de Mars and the Seine in the morning, it’s right next to a metro stop, etc.
Orsey and Rodin make a nice 2-fer, since they’re close to each other, then do something else. Marmottan is great, as is L’Orangerie, (it’s small, so a quick one). I actually am not a big Louvre fan cuz I don’t like bloody religious art. I like the castle/moat stuff they dug out below.
I like food. We often go hunt out a restaurant/bakery/patisserie and then do something nearby based on its location. We did the Bateau Mouche once, it was fine not our thing really, but it knocked off jet lag first morning once. I have no idea how into food you are, so I won’t go there. I also like to buy shit not available in the US. You may want to research things like that if that seems cool to you.
Try to visit the Catacombs. Total trip. Very cool but creepy.
The idea that Paris has no green space or urban design is bullocks. There are numerous incredible urban parks, waterways, and cemeteries. Go to any urban planning graduate school in the US or Europe and you're gonna spend a bunch of time talking about Haussman who radically reworked Paris and transformed thinking in urban design for over a century.
I'll echo that Sacre Coeur is an impressive site. If you happen to be left-leaning and of a literary persuasion -- David Harvey's essay on it make it all the more impactful.
How do you feel about drugs and sex parties? Because there was a brilliant mag at BBI-Euro last year from Paris that can probably lead you to the goods?
if you have never been to London or Paris go to London before Paris,
becuz London is quaint but Paris is grand ... London would be disappointing after Paris
a country road in France or the middle of Paris it delivers IME
Les Invalides is cool if you want to see Napoleon's Tomb, his stuffed horse, and how DeGaulle won WWII with help from the Resistance.
Having been there a number of times, and after travelling to other parts of the world that are "Touristy" a few tips.
When you do the Louvre and the Orsay, hire a guide. I know it sounds silly, when you can walk around and see all the stuff, but if you get a good guide they can cater to what you want to see, know the best spots in each museum, and many times they are art or history students or graduates and can give you a way better understanding of what you are looking at. We now do this at any major site(Vatican, Colusiem, etc) and it really makes the experience better.
Just walk around and snack as you go. If you are looking for a quaint little restaurant, we eat here every time we go and have sent many friends there as well. Never a bad review http://www.lepetitpontoise.fr/en/
Learn to use the subway, it makes getting around super easy if you don't want to walk everywhere.
Don't be afraid to be a tourist. Go up the Eiffel Tower, take a water taxi, buy a bottle of wine and drink it down on the canal, ride the Ferris wheel.
we did the "Free walking tours" in Yurp, just goggle free walking tours where ever you are
They are not really free cuz you are expected to tip but the guide is trying his best to make you happy cuz if his tour sucks you won't give him the tip.
You will usually get a grad student talking his way thru school who speaks good english so they are also good for local info
We liked Dijon a lot, easy train access, killer museum Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, history of the Dukes of Burgundy, great restaurants, cool public market and train access to the Cote d'Or wine towns of Nuits St. Georges, Chambolle Musigny, Gevrey Chambertin, Volnay and Beaune.
Old Dijon has cool medieval buildings and streets.
I was mostly comparing it to London in my mind. I lived there for a while. Every other block there was a small/medium sized park. I personally prefer London, but Paris is really special. Central Paris has very little green space in comparison. My sister lives in Sceaux, just about a 25 minute metro ride, one stop from Orly. Now THAT area has a ton of green space.Quote:
Originally Posted by doebedoe
Thanks again everyone! I booked a hotel for 5 nights in Paris -- staying at a Marriott Courtyard on points (really good redemption value), close to the Gare de Lyon railway station. 100K points + 28 Euros total.
https://www.marriott.com/hotels/trav...-gare-de-lyon/
Location looks pretty good for local attractions (Louvre etc) and for getting subway/train to farther away.
Enjoy. Beautiful city.
I stayed 1 block from there for a few nights last spring (CitizenM, which I would recommend). The neighborhood lacks some of the cool charm of the Latin Quarter or Le Marais but you just can't beat the access to transit and I wouldn't hesitate to stay there again (especially if I was catching a train out of Paris heading south). Between Gare de Lyon, Gare d'Austerlitz, and the Quai de la Rapee metro stations, you can get to just about anywhere of interest in just a few minutes on the metro. There are also some good restaurants within a few blocks like A La Biche Au Bois.Quote:
Originally Posted by El Chupacabra
I guess you have to check Paris off the bucket list.
But personally rural, small city/town and really small town France is where the country is seen at it's best. Accordingly don't rule our renting a car.
Limousin and l'Hérault would be my go to areas for not a big city and a not skiing trip to France.
Oh, so this is what it's like to have money. Ah, Paris.
Grab a bottle of wine some cheese and a blanket and hit the lawn to watch the sunset and the lights come on the Eiffle Tower. Toiristy, but a pleasant way to send an evening.
Don't forget the cured pig. Of any sort.Quote:
Originally Posted by hutash
And do this any time of the day. It's one of the best things to do in Europe.
Oh, and a baguette. Every picnic in Paris must have a baguette.
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But, remember, no takeout coffee. Big no no in Paris.
First time in Paris, first day, if it's nice, take a tour bus, sit in the upper deck. You'll get a great overview if the town, then come back and check out places in detail.
No takeout Starbucks on the upper deck, though.
No, this is what it's like to travel hack and jump on deals when they show up.Quote:
Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn
Flights were $38 + 30K Skymiles each. Delta had a flash sale.
Beware of Delta and luggage. The fuckers wanted to charge me different rates since I had to connect in New York. Half the flight was domestic rates and half international which basically meant I had to pay for first checked bag, but it was free for the NY to Europe leg...bastatds.
...and yes, lots of baguettes and cured meats. I know you arent a wino, but the cheap wine in France is damn good. 5-10 euro easily gets you a $20-30 US wine.
Go to Normandy. The train from Gare St. Lazare takes about 2 hours and you can pick up a small tour when you get to Bayeux. It is worth the day.