matt miller

My soon to be wife & I will be travelling to France, Belgium, and Spain for three weeks at the end of October for our honeymoon. We plan to spend 11 days in France and Belgium the following way. We will spend 6 nights in Paris; then we will take an early train to the Loire Valley Monday morning where we will spend 1 day & night in Amboise. On Tuesday we will take another early train to Brugges, arriving in Brugge at about 1:30 p.m. We will spend the remaining day in Brugge, spend the night, then leave for Dijon/Beaunne on Wednesday, November 1, about 1:30 p.m. We will arrive in Dijon at 6:00 p.m., and spend Thursday, Friday, and Saturday roaming around the area. Finally, we plan to take a night train from Dijon on Saturday (7:00 p.m.ish) to Madrid. With this tentative plan in mind, I have the following questions: <BR>(1) Has anyone stayed at the Hotel Castex in Paris? Is it in a good location, clean, etc.; Any suggestions for a splurge dinner? Are there any places we should stay away from? Is the Marais/Bastille neighborhood the best area to stay in? <BR>(2) Can I survive in the Loire Valley without a car? Does anyone have any suggestions about getting around without a car? Is Amboise the best base for one day and night? Can I still enjoy the area with this limited amount of time? Any romantic places to stay (75-100 a night)? If I stay in Amboise, is Tours worth a couple of hours? <BR>(3) With this plan, we will be in Brugge for about 24 hours. Is this enough? Should I scratch the Loire Valley? Has anyone been in Brugge during a national holiday (November 1 is All Saints Day)? Are places still open? Suggestions for places to stay (50-75 a night). <BR>(4) Any suggestions for renting a car in Burgundy? Do I need one or can we survive without one and still enjoy the countryside and vineyards? Is Beaunne the best base or should I stay in Dijon? Suggestions for places to stay (60-100 a night) and eat? <BR> <BR>In advance, I truly appreciate everyone's comments. Thank you.

Don

1- Marais is not my favorite in Paris, Champs Elysee or Opera is. <BR>2- I would get a car there and look around some. It is a short beautiful drive to Versailles and take train to Paris. <BR>3- 1 night is enough to see Brugge. It will be packed with tourists all the time. <BR>4- We loved Beaune. Stayed at an old vineyard that was lovely outside of there- Les Paulands. Food was super and wine was great and cheap! Check out http://www.chateauxethotels.com/index_uk.lasso <BR>

Lori

Hi Matt, <BR>Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I just returned from Burgundy and really enjoyed it. We spent 4 nights in the countryside - 3 just outside of Beaune, 1 in Gevrey Chambertin, and 1 in Dijon. Beaune is small and can be enjoyed in one day, Dijon is a city and can also be covered in one day. If you want to visit vineyards, you must have a car (although I heard that there were some tours out of Beaune - check with the tourist office). We drove all over the place - as far south as Santenay up to Dijon. Good luck, and post here if you have any questions about the region.

Diane

If it were me, I'd cut Paris down by two nights, spend an additional day in Loire Valley, and an additional day in Brugge. Loire Valley is best seen with a car. Amboise is a wonderful base. Brugge is busier on weekends than midweek, although November will be on the cold side.

Anna

I like Diane's idea of adding on 1 day in the Loire Valley and also in Brugge. I visited these areas in September and posted a trip report here. I'll try to send it up... <BR> <BR>I liked the Marais neighborhood. We didn't stay there, but I enjoyed Rick Steve's walk through it. We stayed at the Hotel Leveque on rue Cler, which was a good value. The Jewish Quarter was really neat and we had a great falafel at Mi Va Mi. <BR> <BR>We stayed at the Hotel La Rosaraie in Chenonceaux. It would be a neat place to stay at for your honeymoon and fits your price range. The owners are very nice and they have a great restaurant. http://www.charminghotel.com/ I definitely would rent a car for the Loire Valley. We visited Clos St. Luce (where da Vinci lived) in Amboise, Chateau du Chenonceau, and the chateau at Chamboard. Chenonceau and Chambord are supposed to be the best of the Loire and they both were spectacular. <BR> <BR>In Brugge we stayed at the Hotel Adornes. There website is a little difficult to navigate, but it will give you a good idea of the hotel, it should be in your price range. http://www.proximedia.com/web/adornes.html The rooms were nice and the staff was very helpful. We had great dinners at Tom's diner and t'Zonneke which were recommended by the hotel staff. The hotel also has free loaner bikes. We really enjoyed the food and beer in Belgium. I think an afternoon and one night would be too rushed especially with the travel time. <BR> <BR>Congratulations and have a great trip!

Bernadette

Please, rent a car as soon as you get out of paris. <BR> <BR>Spend as much time in the country as possible. Do not tie yourself down to time and days if at all possible. Cheverny (sp) is also a wonderful chateau. We loved staying at the St Pierre in Samur. Stay off the main highways take the N's or smaller roads. <BR> <BR>Buy sandwiches and go down a small roads and enjoy the views. <BR> <BR>We are almost 50 and enjoyed the risk and freedom of doing it as we went along.

MarleenCornelis

I can give you the address of a beautiful small Bed&Breakfast in Bruges : Hanna Jaszyck, Carmersstraat 16, 8000 Brugge, Belgium <BR>tel : 00 32 50 34 17 35 <BR>Furniture is hand-painted and the house dates from the 17th Century. No e-mai, the man who runs th place is not so young anymore, but the place is absolutely charming and they serve a wonderful breakfast <BR>price : about 65 USD:night in double room <BR> <BR>You should also visit Antwerp(45 minutes away from Bruges). Antwerp has a beautiful cathedral and is known for its medieval character and its 16-17th century painters such as Rubbens, Breughel, Van Dijck, Jordaens. <BR>Also the port and the diamond business are worth a visit. <BR>Place to stay : Marleen's B&B (within walking-distance of historis town) offering 2 beautifully furnished rooms with private shower and bathroom, private sitting-room and kitchen and lovely little garden. Price : 35 USD in double room (superb breakfast included). <BR>Address : Van Trierstraat 27 in 2018 Antwerp, Belgium tel. 00 32 3 216 20 24 <BR>e-mail : [email protected] <BR> <BR>Bruges is more an open air museum : crowded with tourists and therefor rather expensive to stay. <BR>Antwerp offers more variation and is better value fo money to stay. <BR>I would suggest to stay in Antwerp and to visit Bruges on a day-trip.