France in spring: help planning

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

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

Location looks pretty good for local attractions (Louvre etc) and for getting subway/train to farther away.

---

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.

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hutash

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.

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.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

Oh, so this is what it's like to have money. Ah, Paris.

---

No, this is what it's like to travel hack and jump on deals when they show up.

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.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

Oh, so this is what it's like to have money. Ah, Paris.

---

WTF?
Dude didn’t use any advice and booked on points.
He’s not at the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet's.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

Oh, so this is what it's like to have money. Ah, Paris.

---

It's not expensive to travel to Europe if you do it right. I do it a lot now, and I ain't rich.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by plugboots

WTF?
Dude didn’t use any advice and booked on points.
He’s not at the Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet's.

---

I am reading all the input - I'm not ignoring the advice. I started the thread to ask for help on planning the trip - with a focus on where to go, what to see/do.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hutash

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.

---

Thanks. Was your Delta flight booked through as one ticket? (same ticket for your starting city to NYC, and then on to Europe?) That should count for the free checked baggage.

In Dec./Jan., my wife and I flew Delta to Yurp. I flew non-stop SLC-AMS with no baggage charge. My wife flew SLC-AMS-FRA and then FRA-ATL-SLC with no baggage charge.

Make sure the whole itinerary is coded through Delta, or whichever airline has the best luggage allowance for your trip, even though there is a ton of code sharing now. Do the research.
Also, tell us more about what you are leaning towards so the info can be less random.

French guy here : Just a few tips, from the top of my head :
If your Hotel is the one rue de Bercy, it's not the most charming area. But, for drinks / eating the Marché d'Aligre nearby area is real nice, up to métro Charonne. Lots of cafés, little restaurants and deli within walking distance.
Next door, you've got Ground Control, a former rail depot turned terrace / food court / concert venue. A very nice spot in spring for a drink or a quick bite.
You'll be also close to la Promenade Plantée, or Coulée Verte, a park built on a former railway. Like the New York High Line but better. (The station has been replaced by the fugly Bastille Opera and looked like the Musée d'Orsay, also a former railway station). It goes from the Bois de Vincennes up to Place de la Bastille.
While you're at Bastille, and if you did enjoy the Bateau Mouche, a cruise on the Canal St Martin is really cool, if a little long thanks to the many locks. It will take you underground and through some iconic views of Paris, up to La Villette, in the north, a great place for a show, a concert, or an art exhibition. Get a late cruise and enjoy the evening there, with dinner or a drink at la Petite Halle or on the last floor of the Philarmonique.. You may want to book your show early, though.
Actualy, you may want to book everything early : The Eiffel tower, Versaille, the Louvre... You should get your tickets in advance and skip the lines. (For some Museum - Beaubourg, Rodin...- you can buy your ticket for the same day. Super convenient when the line is long : Just grab your smartphone and beat all the other tourons...).
Commute by Métro or Vélib. Paris is now very bike friendly.
Oh, yes : Grab a picture rue Crémieux, early in the morning. It's next door.

As for the rest of France... Lots of good advices in the thread. You could blast through the country, chinese style, or choose a spot and skip the rest. Pretty difficult to give advice without knowing more of your interests.
Now, since we're on TGR, I guess you like mountains... The Pyrénées are beautiful and often overlooked. For instance, you could spend a great week between the Basque Country and the vallées of Béarn. Great scenery, great food, great history, nice people... and few tourists compared to other regions. But I may be biased, that's where my family comes from...
You'll need a car, though. The train is super convenient, but you'll definitely need a car to explore the countryside.

^^^Yeah, what do you know just because you live there. Some us us have been there twice, so obviously experts:fm:

LOL, some day I would love to meet you in person and share some French or California wine

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by philippeR

Lot of good insider Beta.

---

Soooo, are you our contact for drugs and sex parties? Asking for myself.

Drugs fueled orgies ? That's when I show my age and ask you to PM Rontele...
I'm always good for a glass of wine, though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by philippeR

Drugs fueled orgies ? That's when I show my age and ask you to PM Rontele...
I'm always good for a glass of wine, though.

---

Preferably au Les Deux Magots, of course.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hutash

^^^Yeah, what do you know just because you live there. Some us us have been there twice, so obviously experts:fm:

LOL, some day I would love to meet you in person and share some French or California wine

---

That 'Merican wine is disgusting.... merde....grape juice, and not fit to pass through French lips. Just ask the folks at Chateau Montelegna and Stag's Leap.:fmicon:
Seriously though, spend some time between Biarritz and Balboa. ...you may never come back

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Buster Highmen

Preferably au Les Deux Magots, of course.

---

Obviously.
(I still can't believe I've missed the pun then...:nonono2:)

Thanks again everyone, especially phillipeR! Good idea on booking tickets in advance. I'll work on that.

Items of interest: sightseeing, some museums, historical sites, cities, countryside... Leaning towards a self-guided bike tour in Loire area currently, maybe 4-6 days. I think we will want to focus on two or maybe three areas at most -- so, Paris, plus ___, and maybe plus ____. Not trying to cover the entire country in a whirlwind drive-by tour.
Of less interest: fine dining, winery tours, fancy hotels.
Not for this trip: traveling to Alps or Pyrenees, or beaches. It's May, so thinking warm springlike places.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by hutash

LOL, some day I would love to meet you in person and share some French or California wine

---

I can recommend some quality Napa Valley champagne. Perhaps with a screw-top as well, for easy chugging!

I'll 2nd the Normandy suggestion...

YMMV, but I had great luck in with AirBnB in the Loire while bike touring. A few of the places we stayed offered a home-made meal option (note these are often "private room in house") which was in both cases exceptional and a nice way to get a local vibe.

Pro tip: in the countryside search for local market days in nearby towns -- or plan your biking to stop along at one. They are just farmers markets, but they are very pleasant. Awesome produce, lots of cheese, local wines. Usually set on a town square where you can drink coffee on a terrace and pause for a bit.

Bike touring in rural france during the summer everything closed at lunch for a couple of hrs so if we didn't buy bread/sausage/cheese before taking off at breakfast nothing was open for lunch altho it could be different in spring

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

No, this is what it's like to travel hack and jump on deals when they show up.

Flights were $38 + 30K Skymiles each. Delta had a flash sale.

---

Whoa, that's great!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by XXX-er

Bike touring in rural france during the summer everything closed at lunch for a couple of hrs so if we didn't buy bread/sausage/cheese before taking off at breakfast nothing was open for lunch altho it could be different in spring

---

It's always refreshing to go back to France and be reminded that it's possible to exist without 24/7 availability of everything.

And that bread is supposed to go stale.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

It's always refreshing to go back to France and be reminded that it's possible to exist without 24/7 availability of everything.

And that bread is supposed to go stale.

---

And the bread is pretty much worshipped in France

Somewhere along the Canal du Midi 2007 ish I woke up in a campsite, its a holiday but an ancient white bread truck shows up so there is fresh bread, the guy inside is all dressed in white with the hat, an ancient transistor radio hanging on the wall is scratching out Edith Piaf " Non, je ne regrette rien " and I'm in a time warp from the 60's

so french

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

Thanks again everyone, especially phillipeR! Good idea on booking tickets in advance. I'll work on that.

Items of interest: sightseeing, some museums, historical sites, cities, countryside... Leaning towards a self-guided bike tour in Loire area currently, maybe 4-6 days. I think we will want to focus on two or maybe three areas at most -- so, Paris, plus ___, and maybe plus ____. Not trying to cover the entire country in a whirlwind drive-by tour.
Of less interest: fine dining, winery tours, fancy hotels.
Not for this trip: traveling to Alps or Pyrenees, or beaches. It's May, so thinking warm springlike places.



I can recommend some quality Napa Valley champagne. Perhaps with a screw-top as well, for easy chugging!

---

We loved Aix en Provence. We found it necessary to have a car though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stuckathuntermtn

Oh, so this is what it's like to have money. Ah, Paris.

---

Plenty of poor people in Paris.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by XXX-er

And the bread is pretty much worshipped in France

---

Liberté, égalité, fraternité, glutené

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Liberté, égalité, fraternité, glutené

---

Man... I fucking LOVE gluten. :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by skaredshtles

Man... I fucking LOVE gluten. :D

---

Go to Italy then. Bread AND pasta.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Benny Profane

Go to Italy then. Bread AND pasta.

---

I was just there. And yeah... it's a gluten-lover's paradise.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

Check out discoverfrance.com for self-guided bike tours. They provide the bikes, the route (with detailed cue sheets and maps), the accomodation, and food (except lunch). They take your baggage from A to B, it’s impeccably organized, and you aren’t part of a large group ( just you and Mrs C) so you can leave when you want, choose your own pace, stop for lunch and sightseeing.... well you get the picture

Check out discoverfrance.com for self-guided bike tours. They provide the bikes, the route (with detailed cue sheets and maps), the accomodation, and food (except lunch). They take your baggage from A to B, it’s impeccably organized, and you aren’t part of a large group ( just you and Mrs C) so you can leave when you want, choose your own pace, stop for lunch and sightseeing.... well you get the picture

I second the suggestions you’ve had to see the many excellent museums, galleries, churches etc. And also, the advice to just walk and be in Paris - it’s unique. Check out the Rue Montorgueil, for example, or wander around the Marais. If it’s raining, try the many covered arcades (galeries) https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/themed-guides/Paris-a-fabulous-heritage/visiting-parisian-outdoor-heritage/the-unique-charm-of-parisian-covered-passages

Does anyone have experience flying into Orly? We haven’t booked the flight or lodging but will spend 2 nights in Paris before heading to Avignon. Is it better for 2 of us to just take a taxi from Orly? Trains/busses aren’t as convenient as from CDG.