Going to be jumping over the ocean and heading to France in two weeks (2nd-10th) to take advantage of a buddy who is doing a work rotation overseas. His wife is actually leaving next week and spending 2 weeks. My GF and I will be joining them and then flying back with his wife.
He's set up in his own apartment in Chateauroux (which is smack dab in the center of the country) with a car and we will be spending the 3rd and 4th in Paris. A drive out to LeMans is on the list as both of us are into racing.
The rest of the time is completely up in the air so wondering if anyone here had any suggestions on where to go/what to see. Pretty much north/south/east/west are all options. We've talked about trains to Geneva, going down towards Cannes/Monaco/Nice, heading out to Normandy beaches, staying local and drinking wine. Let's hear what ya got!
When you go to Normandy, I suggest getting a paid tour.
You can see the sights, sure. But some of the tours will find some of some very key ones.
We used these guys when they were called Battlebus- http://www.ddayhistorian.com/
Great tour.
You have a week, of which 3 days are already shot (first two in Paris, one for packing up). I would say the desire to see LeMans already sticks you with a direction. That's your fourth day set. Why not each pick something in that direction, one day for you and one for the GF. The final day should be for whatever comes up along the way.
I'll be sure to have the fries also :D
Yeah, the days in Paris I think we'll do Notre Dame and Versailles. I've been told the Louvre and Eiffel Tower are slightly over rated but if we can catch them on a week day might be able to work out something. Going north west I'd be interested in both Normandy and Mont St Michel.
Thanks for that tour recommendation, anyone have thoughts also on that on what it would be worth getting a full tour of verses trying to cover an area on our own? Any off the beaten path sites to check out? I've been trying to track down any of the Anthony Bourdain shows that cover any part of France to get ideas also.;
In reply to johndej:
If you want Bourdain- you'll eat plenty in Paris. He's done at least two shows from there- seems like a weeks worth of dinner.
For a Normandy tour, it's kind of what part of D-day you are interested in. We had two days there, did one of US overview that ended at Omaha Beach and then one for Band of Brothers- since I've always been interested in airborne.
Theoretically, you can visit Utah and Ohmaha on your own- and the time at the American Cemetary is more alone time. But for the latter, plan on some time there. Before you go, call your parents/aunts/uncles/Grand whatevers and find out if you had any relatives that landed there. Very somber and sobering time there.
The one reason I suggested the one tour is that they pick everyone up at a central location instead of going to each hotel- which gives you more time to tour. At least they did back in '07 when we were there.
Lots of stuff to see.
Food wise- we stayed in Bayeux (which survived the war), and found some very local places (no english). Great food, very different than Paris.
Lyon is awesome. The French consider it the gastronomic center of the universe. Try a quionel. It's a relatively short TGV ride away from Paris. I also did a trip to chamberie(sp?) in the alps.
The Tower at night is awesome (on a clear day) but the line sucks as does the other people. I geeked out on the engineering put into it. Very glad we did it though. Buy the tickets online ahead of time to avoid some of the lines.
Versailles is outside of Paris and you really need a whole day to do it. I've heard its worth it.
the Louvre is essentially a mall and crazy, we just took the train there and walked around in the mall to cool off and then later we went outside to take some great pictures in the courtyard (especially at night, it was bloody hot during the day when we went.)
Of course my Wife wanted to do some shopping so we hit the high end stores on the main drag. It was still fun because we found a Renault cafe where there was an R5 Turbo on display and the Mercedes store had a fun interactive display of their big V8 AMG engine, plus it was a great respite from the heat :)
We took the TGV from London to spend a couple of days there, but were kind of glad to be back in the UK afterward. Paris is expensive, dirty and it smells of urine in their underground (because the bathrooms aren't free, so folks just pee in the tunnels). The people were nice though and the history you could see was still impressive.
02Pilot
HalfDork
10/20/14 11:42 a.m.
Paris to Normandy is not a short drive, and the last I checked train service it fairly limited compared with most of France. You can swing north from Le Mans to Normandy, but it's still a haul.
A tour is a good idea if you're not comfortable with navigating foreign roads, but it's pretty easy to get around Normandy and hit the major locations (a car is mandatory for Normandy IMHO). There's tons of material online to help plan your trip. Staying in Bayeux is highly recommended, as it is central to the region.
For other regions, or at least the major cities you mentioned, take the train. It's faster and cheaper than driving, and you don't have to worry about parking.
watch rick steves' europe france shows before you go.
make sure you have no flight transfers in liberia.
NOHOME
SuperDork
10/21/14 10:12 a.m.
Do a quick study of the french road-signs. Know the rules of the roundabouts.
In my estimation, France is one of the countries with the least English language compatibility. I read and speak French at a half decent level so not a huge deal, but even I run into the odd challenge. France is all about the scenery and the food. The Mediterranean bits don't do much for me. As someone who is a bit of an anti-tourist, I like the residential areas of Paris away from the tourist attractions, this allows me to see how people live in the city, but be aware that you can be in a "Bad" hood pretty quick.
Please drive over the Millau Viaduct and report back.
My German friends tell me that Parisians are the only disagreeable thing about France. The rest of the country, every last bit, is wonderful and amazing. And Paris is...well Paris so putting up with the people is worth it.
