First visit to France in November

Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 10:37 AM
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First visit to France in November

Good afternoon! I am visiting France for the first time in November with my boyfriend. I will arrive early afternoon November 7th, and depart the 16th.

I would like to spend a few days in Paris and then venture out. I am not sure what to expect this time of year or where to go! We are only looking to spend the first 4 days in Paris. I know not a lot of time but we plan to come back again.

Our trip is 6 weeks away and I would like to plan accommodations, train tickets, etc.

Our current thought is to enjoy Paris, explore Normandy, Loire and perhaps fit in a day trip to Champagne. Suggestions for the best way to go about this?

We could go South as well but it seems we can fit in more the other itinerary.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 12:52 PM
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I'd go south - the weather in Northern France can be funky in November and days getting predatorily short - often grey and wet - I'd take the 2.75 hour train ride to the Avignon area and base there for some days - so so many neat places in a short radius of this very lovely old city. Arles, Les Beau, St-Remy, the Pont du Gard (Roman aqeduct) all can be reached by public transit but a car would be so neat in this area.

Normandy could be a day trip from Paris if you just want to see the D-Day Landing beaches - head to Bayeux and take mini-bus tours to them - stay overnight perhaps in Bayeux - a nice old town with famous cathedral and Queen Matilda's Tapestry in a museum - woven by William the Conqueror's wife to document the 1066 Norman Invasion of England.

If you want to stay in this area a few days you can head to Mont Saint Michel by train from Bayeux - then return to Paris via TGV trains from Rennes (buses from Mont Saint Michel coordinated with trains).

But then I'd head south for what could be very fine weather and some of the most popular tourist places in all of Europe.

Trains are great - for lots of good info on them and planning a train trip check out these IMO superb sites: www.budgeteuropetravel.com (their free online European Planning & Rail Guide has lots of suggestions of places in France that can be reached by rail); ww.ricksteves.com and www.seat61.com (good info on discounted train tickets which must be booked as far in advance as possible as they are sold in limited numbers - hard to change or refund from a specific train so be sure of your times.

www.voyges-sncf.com is the French National Railways site but www.capitainetrain.com is a competitor selling the same tickets on the same trains and is from all accounts much easier to get to work for Yanks. Discounted tickets can save a ton of money over full fare tickets on TGVs (trains going up to nearly 200 mph - often duplex or double-deckers so book a seat on the top deck to see the best views of the lovely French countryside.

There are at most modest discounts on the train to Bayeux/Mont Saint Michel but any TGV train (like from Rennes to Paris) can result in huge savings by doing the discounted ticket route - just show up and you'll spend two or three times as much for the exact same seat.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 02:36 PM
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The Loire Valley in November is or can well be pretty grim - I know I have lived there off and on for years at that time of year. If you want to see some great chateaus the Val de Loire is renown for then consider doing it as a day trip from Paris to Tours where you can hook up with half-day or daylong minibus tours of a few of the world-famous great chateaus - take the TGV train to Tours, from whose station area several such tours, reasonably priced, commence and return you to the train.
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 07:08 AM
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Our current thought is to enjoy Paris, explore Normandy, Loire and perhaps fit in a day trip to Champagne. Suggestions for the best way to go about this?>

OK if want to do that - take train from Paris Saint Lazare to Bayeux - stay there a day or two

take train to Pontorson and shuttle bus to nearby Mont-Saint-Michel

Take train to Tours and head to Amboise a perfect base for the chateaus.

Take train back to Paris.

For Champagne take train to Reims - sumptuous cathedral and nice town plus all the famous wine houses to tour. Less than an hour by train from Paris Gare de l'Est.

But again the weather is grim at that time of year - Paris can be enjoyed in any weather but Normandy and Loire not so much IME.
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 07:47 AM
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Agree with Palenque--your best bet for good weather at that time of year is the south--but beware the sirocco.
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 08:55 AM
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If we go South instead what would you recommend? Essentially we would leave Paris November 10th and return the 15th as we fly out the 16th. From my understanding some things will be closed November 11th for Armistice Day. Will this include rail stations for travel?
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 10:16 AM
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If you go south as to Provence, plan to return directly to CDG via TGV so you don't waste a day.
Another possibility would be to go directly to Provence from CDG upon arrival, spend 4-5 days, then end your trip in Paris. It is easy to get to CDG from your Paris hotel even for an early flight on your departure day. This type of plan consolidates your time with less transferring to hotels and losing those half days=-=or more.
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 01:51 PM
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http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the..._and_a_mistral

Yes I had to look up sirocco and then wondered what was the difference between it and the famous mistal winds Provence is known for - the mistral I think blowing down from the north thru the Rhone Valley.
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 05:18 AM
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Thank you for your feedback. I think we may try to do a day tour in Tours, and then go South for a few days before departing.

The idea of going straight to CDG is a great idea so we are not wasting time and very doable as fly out early afternoon the 16th.

Can anyone comment if EVERYTHING will be closed November 11th? I have no idea how this holiday works.
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 06:34 AM
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Train strikes are endemic in France - I would not trust the train system 100% to get from from Avignon to CDG the same day as a flight. Always IME stay in your departure city the night before - train strikes happen several times a year it seems - one for a week or more last June - well that's my advice anyway.
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 06:58 AM
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Of course, the trains will be running on 11 November. See http://en.voyages-sncf.com/en/ for timetables and reservations. Practically all touristical activities will be open. Shopping will be somewhat limited. It is like a Sunday.

The Mistral is a cold wind that might blow from the North. It is cold and gusty but makes brilliant blue skies. So, for sightseeing, a day with Mistral is not bad, at least, if you have a windproof jacket. Southern France will be much more agreeable than Northern France in November. The best weather will be at the Côte d'Azur. East of the Esterel Mountains (Cannes and further eastwards) the Mistral will stop. And there is much to see and to do in this area.

Otherwise, you have got good advice.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 06:05 AM
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I have one other question.....for now. We are looking at flats for our visit. I wanted to stay in arrondissement 5 or 6 however we found a flat in arr. 2 that seems perfect with good reviews. How do you feel about this area for a first time visitor?
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 06:35 AM
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Arr. 2 is very central - you are close to many tourist attractions. Actually, in Paris it is only important to stay close to a Metro station (which is practically everywhere).

If you want to get an idea of the neighbourhood, use Google Earth and type the exact adress. Then you will get an aerial view, street view and - what gives most information - pictures which have been taken in the neighbourhood. Be aware that houses in Paris do often look shabby from the outside, but inside you may find golden taps.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 07:29 AM
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The second arrondissement is an excellent and central location but if you want good advice then you should post links to any apartment you are considering. Even within a central location an apartment can be affected by street noise, proximity to bars/noisy areas, construction etc.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 07:45 AM
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http://www.vrbo.com/467227#

http://www.vrbo.com/389440#

These are practically side by side. But exact location is not given due to the nature of VRBO.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 08:36 AM
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The location of those apartments can only be described as being near rue Montorgueil but not near the Louvre. Nonetheless that neighborhood is fine and you are just a few blocks from rue Montorgueil (an excellent and lively market street), further from the Louvre though. If those are your final two choices I'd just go with the one you like best as the locations are identical. All the street photos for these places are of rue Montorgueil. Based on just the photos I liked apt. #2 better.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 09:02 AM
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I don't think your have time to do what you want, even though I wouldn't go to Normandy or Loire in November, anyway. YOu say you only have an 8 day trip, you want to spend 4 in Paris, and then explore 3 other regions, also? In only 4 days? That's impossible, especially since Champagne and Loire are in opposite directions. And people usually mean Mont St Michel when they say Normandy, which is pretty far away. If not, there is plenty to see closer to Paris. I wouldn't go in November, though, except to some cities/towns. If you mean Champagne as a day trip from Paris, that gives you only a couple days in Paris itself. You said you were arriving in the afternoon, so that day will be taken up by getting settled, at least the daytime. If you arrive very early (noon-1) and don't have time consuming details with this apartment rental business, you can do some sightseeing that afternoon later on, of course.

It gets dark pretty early in November, the sun sets at 5 pm.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 09:21 AM
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Christina- You mention you wouldn't go in November except to some cities/towns. Do you care to share those recommendations?
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 09:46 AM
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They're the same owner as well. The descriptions for both are identical. The second is a good location. We stayed there our first trip in 2006. Stayed in the 7th in 2011. Coming back to the area for next April's trip.
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Old Sep 29th, 2014, 10:07 AM
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I haven't even looked at your whole itinerary but if you are looking for easy day trips to do from Paris then you can check this link:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#55885554
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