Trip to France

[Toc De Mac]

This summer, I'm going with my family to France for six days (and then four days in London). I've been doing some research on where to visit in Paris (as well as some other locations that I've thought of going for day-trips), but I need your help. ;)

If you've been to France or live in France (or even if you don't), I would like to hear from you.

How many days do you think would be suitable for exploring Paris? Based upon that, how many day-trips do you think we should take?

So far, what would seem best (:confused:) is to spend 3-4 days in Paris and then take 2-3 day-trips, depending on how many days we need to visit Paris.

For the day-trips, my thoughts are:

1) Versailles and Giverny
2) Loire Valley (to see the châteaux)
3)* Alsace region (medieval atmosphere, etc.)

*Optional, depending on the number of days spent in Paris.

All input and suggestions are greatly appreciated! :D

[Alizee_is_Scottish!]

You must see and taste the wonderful French culture:

http://www.disneylandparis.com/index2.jsp

http://www.mcdonalds.fr/

And once you fall in love with the country, extend your stay:

http://www.legion-etrangere.com/

I better go before I get a row for going off topic:D

Enjoy your trip!

[atra201]

it is not a trip unless you see alizee

[thats amazazazing]

it is not a trip unless you see alizee

can't believe I got an infraction for voicing my opinion about a comment I thought was idiotic, I never directly insulted mister atra, all I said was his post was pretty stupid. He should try out alizee saudi arabia.

NOW, I insulted him.

[thats amazazazing]

This summer, I'm going with my family to France for six days (and then four days in London). I've been doing some research on where to visit in Paris (as well as some other locations that I've thought of going for day-trips), but I need your help. ;)

If you've been to France or live in France (or even if you don't), I would like to hear from you.

How many days do you think would be suitable for exploring Paris? Based upon that, how many day-trips do you think we should take?

So far, what would seem best (:confused:) is to spend 3-4 days in Paris and then take 2-3 day-trips, depending on how many days we need to visit Paris.

For the day-trips, my thoughts are:

1) Versailles and Giverny
2) Loire Valley (to see the châteaux)
3)* Alsace region (medieval atmosphere, etc.)

*Optional, depending on the number of days spent in Paris.

All input and suggestions are greatly appreciated! :D


my mother says her home town, angers is lovely, and i hear strasbourg is nice.

[paleddy62]

I wish I could be of some help, but when I went to France, I only visited Paris. Now in Paris, I was the typicle tourist. Went to Museums, Attractions (Eiffel Tower, etc.), Shopping Districts, Latin Quarters and also walked in the city...away from the tourist area.

What I did most was walking, walking and walking. However, after seeing alot of the area, I got a weeks pass on one of the River Boats, which helps out a lot to get from one place to another.

Still, being brought up a Catholic and all, I wished I could've traveled to Lourdes where Saint Bernadette is from, and where miracles reported to have occured. However, the train and plane fares were too expensive at the time:blink: ...maybe next time.

[Toc De Mac]

my mother says her home town, angers is lovely, and i hear strasbourg is nice.

Angers may very well be one of the places we go to when visiting the châteaux. I hope it will be, at least.

I heard the same thing about Strasbourg, especially about the Cathedral.

[Toc De Mac]

I wish I could be of some help, but when I went to France, I only visited Paris. Now in Paris, I was the typicle tourist. Went to Museums, Attractions (Eiffel Tower, etc.), Shopping Districts, Latin Quarters and also walked in the city...away from the tourist area.

I think that we are going to visit all of the super touristy attractions as well. Can't pass up such an opportunity. :D And I believe our hotel is in the quarter right next to the Latin Quarter, near St. Germain Des Prés, so it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to explore it. Thanks!

Still, being brought up a Catholic and all, I wished I could've traveled to Lourdes where Saint Bernadette is from, and where miracles reported to have occured. However, the train and plane fares were too expensive at the time:blink: ...maybe next time.

Ah, that sucks... :( You should definitely check it out next time you go.

[RMJ]

What I did most was walking, walking and walking. However, after seeing alot of the area, I got a weeks pass on one of the River Boats, which helps out a lot to get from one place to another.
Ever heard of metro ? :blink:

[paleddy62]

Ever heard of metro ? :blink:


LOL...i sure did...but while me and my partner were checking out the info...it was quite confusing. We are from a small pacific island that has none of the transportation systems like Paris. Also, we no nothing about the French language. We almost tried the Metro, but became too confused regarding transfer points...so we ended up walking from Bastille area to downtown everyday. All in all it was a fun trip.

[garçoncanadien]

people if u need French help while in Paris ask me freely, i shall do what i can :)

[Piblokto]

For the day-trips, my thoughts are:

1) Versailles and Giverny
2) Loire Valley (to see the châteaux)
3)* Alsace region (medieval atmosphere, etc.)

:D

These are good choices. Versailles is very close to Paris. 20mn by suburban train. For les Chateaux de la loire, there are many bus day trips like this one : http://www.parisvision.com/product.php?langid=en&catid=2&prodid=45. I don't know if this one's good but you'll find a lot in any tourist office or over the net... Or just ask at your Hotel.
Alsace is a beautiful region. This is where my family came from about a century ago. But one day's too short to visit it. Though Strasbourg's only 2 hours away from Paris by the new East European TGV, Alsace is more than Strasbourg, and if you want to see the best parts of it (Colmar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colmar), la route des vins (http://www.visit-alsace.com/winstub/vins_ang_road.html)) you really need a car and a bit more than one day...

[Twitch]

Hmm, this might sound strange but if your only in Paris for that amount of time you might want to skip the Louvre and experience the rest of the city and area, sure most tourists go there but because it is so usually packed with people, especially after the Da Vinci code, you would have to spend most of the day there and you wouldn't see very much. Yes the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are there but they are very far apart and in the case of the Mona Lisa it is quite small and behind glass, so you can get a better look at it from a high quality gift shop print than the real thing.

Personally when I go to Paris I am going to check out the Musée d'Orsay before the Louvre because of its large Impressionist collection, but only because of a preference of that movement over the Louvre's more classical works. But to go to Paris and not see the palais du Louvre would be unfortunate (although some say without the Tuileries Palace it is architecturally incomplete). But if you must go inside here is a quick guide to help you survive it. http://gofrance.about.com/od/parisattractions/ht/louvre.htm

But being jammed in a tourist filled museum all day (and I have a BFA lol) is not how I would want to occupy an entire day when I am only in France for 6. I would plan a 1 to 2 week stay in Paris if I was going to the Louvre, but that's because of the BFA. Anyway hope you have fun on your trip.

[RMJ]

You can see all the interesting stuff in Louvre in 6 hours. No need to spend 16 hours there.

And if art happens to be passion, then those 16 hours would be worth the trip alone.

[Toc De Mac]

These are good choices. Versailles is very close to Paris. 20mn by suburban train. For les Chateaux de la loire, there are many bus day trips like this one : http://www.parisvision.com/product.php?langid=en&catid=2&prodid=45. I don't know if this one's good but you'll find a lot in any tourist office or over the net... Or just ask at your Hotel.
Alsace is a beautiful region. This is where my family came from about a century ago. But one day's too short to visit it. Though Strasbourg's only 2 hours away from Paris by the new East European TGV, Alsace is more than Strasbourg, and if you want to see the best parts of it (Colmar (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colmar), la route des vins (http://www.visit-alsace.com/winstub/vins_ang_road.html)) you really need a car and a bit more than one day...

Thank you for your suggestions! :D

I agree with you about Alsace. Strasbourg isn't even the reason I suggested to my mom that we should go there. It was because of the cute, medieval-looking villages throughout the region.

[Toc De Mac]

Hmm, this might sound strange but if your only in Paris for that amount of time you might want to skip the Louvre and experience the rest of the city and area, sure most tourists go there but because it is so usually packed with people, especially after the Da Vinci code, you would have to spend most of the day there and you wouldn't see very much. Yes the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo are there but they are very far apart and in the case of the Mona Lisa it is quite small and behind glass, so you can get a better look at it from a high quality gift shop print than the real thing.

Personally when I go to Paris I am going to check out the Musée d'Orsay before the Louvre because of its large Impressionist collection, but only because of a preference of that movement over the Louvre's more classical works. But to go to Paris and not see the palais du Louvre would be unfortunate (although some say without the Tuileries Palace it is architecturally incomplete). But if you must go inside here is a quick guide to help you survive it. http://gofrance.about.com/od/parisattractions/ht/louvre.htm

But being jammed in a tourist filled museum all day (and I have a BFA lol) is not how I would want to occupy an entire day when I am only in France for 6. I would plan a 1 to 2 week stay in Paris if I was going to the Louvre, but that's because of the BFA. Anyway hope you have fun on your trip.

Thanks! :)

I'm not sure whether we're going to go to the Louvre (due to the number of people there) or, as you suggested, go to an alternate, less crowded museum.

[Piblokto]

Thanks! :)

I'm not sure whether we're going to go to the Louvre (due to the number of people there) or, as you suggested, go to an alternate, less crowded museum.

I'm afraid every museum is crowded in this season, but the Louvre and Orsay (http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/overview.html?S=0) (my favorite because les impressionistes are there) are worth waiting in a line for an hour...

LOL...i sure did...but while me and my partner were checking out the info...it was quite confusing. We are from a small pacific island that has none of the transportation systems like Paris. Also, we no nothing about the French language. We almost tried the Metro, but became too confused regarding transfer points...so we ended up walking from Bastille area to downtown everyday. All in all it was a fun trip.

And I agree with Paleeddy, the metro is convenient to go from one point to another, but walking is the best way to discover a city even when you don't come from an remote island in the Pacific. And unlike London or Berlin, Paris is small.

[isabella]

i' ve been in paris (may 2007) for 4 days.
it was amazing! i really want to go for the second time.
i was travel with a group and a travel leading.
we have seen much but not all i want see.
i think you must go minimum 3 days, the best i hink is 4 days.
i have some must-go tips for you: :)

- tour montparnasse above you have a amazing view of paris! absolutely a must do!!!
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/uk/

- ofcourse the tour eiffel.certainly at 22.00 pm. the eiffel tower will sparkle on this time. that' s beautiful too.
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

- i think it' s nice too to visit the castle of versailles. i don' t have done this. i' ve been to vaux le vicomte. that' s a smaller castle but nice too. versailles is based on this.
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/

- when you love shopping galleries lafayette. i' ve been there to spot alizee, without succes..but it' s the most beautiful shopping house i' ve ever seen.
http://www.galerieslafayette.com/international/index.do

that was the must-do list.
but here i have a list with other things for you:D

- pont alexandre III not really a touristic attraction but a nice bridge:D
- the student district (i' ve forget the name of it) it' s nice to walk there and to eat. (there are much restaurants, when you go to eat, some of them will throw with placards or with flowers)
- boat excursion seine nice too do, you see some of paris at a funny way.
http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/

travel tip:
when you have to travel to castle' s or something (near) paris. you can easy pic the metro. it' s a bit difficult. but when you have a metro map it' s easy.
http://www.comby.org/acces/images/RER-map-PARIS.jpg

have a nice trip!:) ;)

[isabella]

i want to go to paris again.
but i have to change the plans by my parents(they don' t want to travel this year). :D
i must look for a travel by myself they have said. but i don' t know where!:confused:
do anybody have some website' s for me, or tips how i can tell y parents ???

[Toc De Mac]

i' ve been in paris (may 2007) for 4 days.
it was amazing! i really want to go for the second time.
i was travel with a group and a travel leading.
we have seen much but not all i want see.
i think you must go minimum 3 days, the best i hink is 4 days.
i have some must-go tips for you: :)

- tour montparnasse above you have a amazing view of paris! absolutely a must do!!!
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/uk/

- ofcourse the tour eiffel.certainly at 22.00 pm. the eiffel tower will sparkle on this time. that' s beautiful too.
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk/

- i think it' s nice too to visit the castle of versailles. i don' t have done this. i' ve been to vaux le vicomte. that' s a smaller castle but nice too. versailles is based on this.
http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/

- when you love shopping galleries lafayette. i' ve been there to spot alizee, without succes..but it' s the most beautiful shopping house i' ve ever seen.
http://www.galerieslafayette.com/international/index.do

that was the must-do list.
but here i have a list with other things for you:D

- pont alexandre III not really a touristic attraction but a nice bridge:D
- the student district (i' ve forget the name of it) it' s nice to walk there and to eat. (there are much restaurants, when you go to eat, some of them will throw with placards or with flowers)
- boat excursion seine nice too do, you see some of paris at a funny way.
http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/

travel tip:
when you have to travel to castle' s or something (near) paris. you can easy pic the metro. it' s a bit difficult. but when you have a metro map it' s easy.
http://www.comby.org/acces/images/RER-map-PARIS.jpg

have a nice trip!:) ;)

Thank you very much for all of your great tips! :D

[RMJ]

i think you must go minimum 3 days, the best i hink is 4 days.

4 days is enough for nothing.

I was about 20 days in Paris last year and that wasn't even close to enough to see even fraction of it.

[Cooney]

4 days is enough for nothing.


Au contraire :-P Four days is enough to realize you need to come back for more!

Actually, I've never been to France, or any of mainland Europe. Spent a month studying in England, but was busy with training and school all the time, so didn't get to travel around.

[Piblokto]

4 days is enough for nothing.

I was about 20 days in Paris last year and that wasn't even close to enough to see even fraction of it.

Right. Even a lifetime is not enough to see everything. But 4 or 5 days are better than nothing and the question is how to turn these few days into a pleasant experience.
And my advice could be : get a guidebook, a good map, good shoes, keep your eyes and mind wide open and walk...

Toc de mac, if your hotel is by the quartier latin, you may have a few samples of what the place looks like here : http://www.francebalade.com/paris/paris5.htm

[RMJ]

Right. Even a lifetime is not enough to see everything. But 4 or 5 days are better than nothing and the question is how to turn these few days into a pleasant experience.
Yes, better than nothing. But he said the best. Which it obviously isn't. It's way too short time to experience city like Paris.


And my advice could be : get a guidebook, a good map, good shoes, keep your eyes and mind wide open and walk...
Guidebook is indeed handy even tho it sounds like lame tourist thing. But the fact is that finding addresses of places you want to go isn't always easy without any reference. In that those books comes handy. Another choice is to have laptop with internet connection available.



The best map is the free map given out many places. Sponsored by lafayette (the older map is better than the new one, new is slightly more confusing). It's simple and shows all the needed info (metro stations, metro lines, street names, and couple basic, well visible, attractions (helps finding yourself from the map if you aren't sure where you are or where you are going)). If you need to find some specific address quickly, then more specific map book is handy, but that's rarely needed (especially on first trip, when you prolly want to see the most well known attractions).



Good shoes = ownage

Don't even think buying new "good" shoes just before the trip. take old ones, or you gonna regret it. Shoes needs to be "burn in" before they can be used for trips like that.

[espire]

RMJ, how many times have you been to France? You sure know what you're talking about!

[Toc De Mac]

Thanks Piblokto and RMJ for your advice! ;)

[SupaKrupa]

He goes almost every weekend !! :p (Lucky bastard hehe)

[RMJ]

I have been there only 3 times. But more is coming soon. Maybe couple times at the latter part of this year.

[isabella]

4 days is enough for nothing.
I was about 20 days in Paris last year and that wasn't even close to enough to see even fraction of it.

ok you're right, i mean its enough to have a quick look on it...but when you want to do all, you have to go much longer, there's too much, you have to choose...but i saw he has not 20 days time, so i think it's the best to go 4 days, too have a look on the most "important" things.

[Piblokto]

An interesting site showing 360° QuicktimeVR panoramas of Paris :
http://fromparis.com/html/panoramas.php

[Toc De Mac]

Wow Piblokto... that's awesome XD!

[Tye]

Wow Piblokto... that's awesome XD!

That is awsome! Now I want to go to Paris even more!:)