France for our 5Oth Birthday's- Please help with our accomodations
Jan 6th, 2010, 06:43 PM
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France for our 5Oth Birthday's- Please help with our accomodations
My wife and I are planning on traveling to France for our 50th B'Day and would appreciate some help on where to go, what to do, stay etc.
Specifics & proposed agenda:
Flying from San Francisco into Paris via Frankfort begining of September and have 2 weeks scheduled before returning.
Thinking of 3-4 days in Paris- Staying either in 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8th arrondissements
and then maybe traveling to Normandy for 2 days and then maybe 4 days in Chateau de la Loire and then 4 days in Provence visitng the small villages of Provence like Saint-Remy de Provence, Arles, Aix-en-Provence.
We prefer B&B's and love to hike, eat good food and of couse being from S.F. good wine.
Neither of us have ever been to France and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance !
Specifics & proposed agenda:
Flying from San Francisco into Paris via Frankfort begining of September and have 2 weeks scheduled before returning.
Thinking of 3-4 days in Paris- Staying either in 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8th arrondissements
and then maybe traveling to Normandy for 2 days and then maybe 4 days in Chateau de la Loire and then 4 days in Provence visitng the small villages of Provence like Saint-Remy de Provence, Arles, Aix-en-Provence.
We prefer B&B's and love to hike, eat good food and of couse being from S.F. good wine.
Neither of us have ever been to France and any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance !
Jan 6th, 2010, 07:19 PM
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Congratulations of your birthdays. I believe in big trips for big birthdays.
What is your hotel budget for Paris? B&Bs will probably be available in your other destinations, but not so much in Paris.
What is your hotel budget for Paris? B&Bs will probably be available in your other destinations, but not so much in Paris.
Jan 6th, 2010, 07:26 PM
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Your trip sounds wonderful, and what a great way to celebrate the big 50!
Just my opinion, but unless you really are into chateaux, I would spend less time in the Loire and more time in Paris. Other than the chateaux, I found that area of France to be less interesting than most others. And after reaching Paris from SF via Frankfort, you won't get much done that first day even though you're "only 50!"
And others will disagree with me about the Loire!
Just my opinion, but unless you really are into chateaux, I would spend less time in the Loire and more time in Paris. Other than the chateaux, I found that area of France to be less interesting than most others. And after reaching Paris from SF via Frankfort, you won't get much done that first day even though you're "only 50!"
And others will disagree with me about the Loire!
Jan 6th, 2010, 07:32 PM
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Having been to Paris previously I will tell you that it is my favorite city in all of Europe. On our last trip there we stayed ten nights and enjoyed our entire stay.
My comments regarding your plans.
Try not to spread yourself too thin.
I would suggest that you consider the following itenerary.
Four days in Paris...so much to see..even if you just sit and watch people while drinking wine...you will not be bored and you will not regret staying there that long.
Where to start...Muse D'Orsay, Arche de Triumphe (go to top at might) Sacre Couere, Notre Dame. St Chappelle, Eifel Tower, Les Invalides, Pompodou Center the Louvre and on and on!
Train to Beaune for one or two days ...great medieval walled city...great wine...Burgundy...some of the best...no car needed unless you choose to go out among the vineyards...wine tasting centers in the town though.
Train to Lyon...one night...best food in France..nice medieval quarter...and did I say the food is awesome!
Train to Arles and stay there for five days and make it your base but rent a car...you have to have one.......be sure to see Gordes, Rousillion, LeBeaux and Pont du Garde and if you like excitement or sheer terror drive the Ardeche Gorge..no guard rails ...1,000 foot drop offs but spectacular scenery. May want to take the rain to Carcassonne...magnificent little medieval city.
There is one other way to do this trip as well.
Stay one week in Paris...rent a one bed room apartent for a week...then take the TGV train to Avignon and rent a car and a one bedroom aprtment there or in Arles. Much cheaper...go to grocery store and get food for breakfast etc.
BTW..best wines are in Beaune and Provence...Chateauneuf du Pape...for $15 to $20 a bottle in grocery stores...a steal!
Also be certain to get the Orange Carte (I think that's what they call it)...you get Paris transportation and museum access for reduced prices and you get quick entrance to the Louvre etc...do not miss the Muse D'Orsay..great impressionist collection.
Also get pre fixe menu for dinner or lunch...cheaper.
Enjoy!
My comments regarding your plans.
Try not to spread yourself too thin.
I would suggest that you consider the following itenerary.
Four days in Paris...so much to see..even if you just sit and watch people while drinking wine...you will not be bored and you will not regret staying there that long.
Where to start...Muse D'Orsay, Arche de Triumphe (go to top at might) Sacre Couere, Notre Dame. St Chappelle, Eifel Tower, Les Invalides, Pompodou Center the Louvre and on and on!
Train to Beaune for one or two days ...great medieval walled city...great wine...Burgundy...some of the best...no car needed unless you choose to go out among the vineyards...wine tasting centers in the town though.
Train to Lyon...one night...best food in France..nice medieval quarter...and did I say the food is awesome!
Train to Arles and stay there for five days and make it your base but rent a car...you have to have one.......be sure to see Gordes, Rousillion, LeBeaux and Pont du Garde and if you like excitement or sheer terror drive the Ardeche Gorge..no guard rails ...1,000 foot drop offs but spectacular scenery. May want to take the rain to Carcassonne...magnificent little medieval city.
There is one other way to do this trip as well.
Stay one week in Paris...rent a one bed room apartent for a week...then take the TGV train to Avignon and rent a car and a one bedroom aprtment there or in Arles. Much cheaper...go to grocery store and get food for breakfast etc.
BTW..best wines are in Beaune and Provence...Chateauneuf du Pape...for $15 to $20 a bottle in grocery stores...a steal!
Also be certain to get the Orange Carte (I think that's what they call it)...you get Paris transportation and museum access for reduced prices and you get quick entrance to the Louvre etc...do not miss the Muse D'Orsay..great impressionist collection.
Also get pre fixe menu for dinner or lunch...cheaper.
Enjoy!
Jan 6th, 2010, 09:40 PM
#7
Better to base yourself in Avignon, then day trip to Arles, St. Remy, Aix, etc. That's what we did this last trip in September and did not regret it.
In fact you might want to follow our general game plan unless you have a real need for Normandy first trip. Because September is, IMO, the best time to still get the southern warmth and incredibly warm Mediterranean dip in the sea (as a fellow west coaster, we know how cold the Pacific is!), you should at least consider heading to the Cote d'Azur. A great way to celebrate your 50th, with dinner up at St. Paul de Vence's Colombe d'Or on the terrace.
Brief description of our route:
LAX to Paris, 4 days.
TGV train to Nice, 4 days. Rent car
Day trips to Monte Carlo, Juan les Pins, Cap Juan.
Drive to Avignon, with lunch in Ste. Maxime
4 days Avignon, with side trips to Arles and St Remy (same day). Drop off car.
TGV train to Paris. Paris 3 days.
Depart to L.A.
Only new spots for me were Avignon, Arles and St. Remy and we were in Arles at the end of their Festiva, which was great, because I love, love, love paella, music, and dancing in the streets. Good fun!
And what's better than a hearty bowl of bouillabaisse and a decent glass of wine after a relaxing morning sunbathing or collecting seaglass sitting in bathwater on the beach? A life you only read of in Henry James novels!
In fact you might want to follow our general game plan unless you have a real need for Normandy first trip. Because September is, IMO, the best time to still get the southern warmth and incredibly warm Mediterranean dip in the sea (as a fellow west coaster, we know how cold the Pacific is!), you should at least consider heading to the Cote d'Azur. A great way to celebrate your 50th, with dinner up at St. Paul de Vence's Colombe d'Or on the terrace.
Brief description of our route:
LAX to Paris, 4 days.
TGV train to Nice, 4 days. Rent car
Day trips to Monte Carlo, Juan les Pins, Cap Juan.
Drive to Avignon, with lunch in Ste. Maxime
4 days Avignon, with side trips to Arles and St Remy (same day). Drop off car.
TGV train to Paris. Paris 3 days.
Depart to L.A.
Only new spots for me were Avignon, Arles and St. Remy and we were in Arles at the end of their Festiva, which was great, because I love, love, love paella, music, and dancing in the streets. Good fun!
And what's better than a hearty bowl of bouillabaisse and a decent glass of wine after a relaxing morning sunbathing or collecting seaglass sitting in bathwater on the beach? A life you only read of in Henry James novels!
Jan 6th, 2010, 10:03 PM
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>>And others will disagree with me about the Loire!<<
Not me - I agree. Chateaux are A+, countryside is C-. If you want an efficient schedule with the most "bang for the buck", visit Versailles while based in Paris, skip Normandy & the Loire, and follow WVs "other" itinerary or surfergirl's suggestion for Avignon/Provence/Nice. Except fly to/from SFO - not LAX.
We've vacationed for 32 weeks on the Cote d'Azur & Provence. I developed a 27 page itinerary that describes my favorite "stuff". E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.
Stu Dudley
from San Mateo/formerly from San Francisco
Not me - I agree. Chateaux are A+, countryside is C-. If you want an efficient schedule with the most "bang for the buck", visit Versailles while based in Paris, skip Normandy & the Loire, and follow WVs "other" itinerary or surfergirl's suggestion for Avignon/Provence/Nice. Except fly to/from SFO - not LAX.
We've vacationed for 32 weeks on the Cote d'Azur & Provence. I developed a 27 page itinerary that describes my favorite "stuff". E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy.
Stu Dudley
from San Mateo/formerly from San Francisco
Jan 6th, 2010, 10:29 PM
#9
Stu, Wow! I can't even think of how many times I've been to the south since me and my best friend hitched down there in Feb. '73 fo the carnival from Grenoble where we were living. You have so beat me on 32 weeks!
Nice remains one of the few almost completely "one-way" cities in which, since '73 there hasn't been a driving visit where I, or any other driver in our party hasn't exclaimed "I'm only GOING one way!" after the major driving screw up in which someone in the party shouts out in horror: "Yikes! This is a one way street!"
Ah, the south is certainly dreamy. One of my best memories is celebrating France winning the world cup from a balcony in Le Cannet, then racing down to Cannes to dance and cheer along the main promenade.
Nice remains one of the few almost completely "one-way" cities in which, since '73 there hasn't been a driving visit where I, or any other driver in our party hasn't exclaimed "I'm only GOING one way!" after the major driving screw up in which someone in the party shouts out in horror: "Yikes! This is a one way street!"
Ah, the south is certainly dreamy. One of my best memories is celebrating France winning the world cup from a balcony in Le Cannet, then racing down to Cannes to dance and cheer along the main promenade.
Jan 7th, 2010, 02:16 PM
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This is the apartment that DH and I are renting in St. Germain:
http://www.haveninparis.com/rental/VieuxColombier.php
http://www.haveninparis.com/rental/VieuxColombier.php
Jan 8th, 2010, 06:05 AM
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My husband and I rented an apartment on Ile St. Louis from At Home Abroad...found at iloveparisapartments.com and LOVED it. Very centrally located and easy to walk to most things and easy access to the metro to get to Versailles, Montmartre, etc. We did a day trip on the Eurostar to London, which I do NOT recommend...not enough time to see London and I really missed Paris the whole day. Must do's: river cruise at night (with or without dinner), Notre Dam, Versailles, Luxenbourg Gardens, plenty of walks of discovery through Marais, St. Germaine and Latin Quarter. Check out tomsguidetoparis.com. You'll love it, it's amazing.
Jan 8th, 2010, 06:45 AM
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Hi All,
>Neither of us have ever been to France and any advice would be greatly appreciated. <
Too much jumping around.
Paris is worth a week.
You can then choose 1 (maybe 2) place in France to visit for the other week.
>visitng the small villages of Provence like Saint-Remy de Provence, Arles, Aix-en-Provence.<
Those are not small villages. Graveson is a small village.
We very much liked our stay at the Cadran Solaire, in Graveson.
http://www.hotel-en-provence.com/uk/index.php
You might find my trip report helpful: Ira Returns From 22 Loverly Days in Europe - Sep, 2009
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm
Enjoy your visit.
Why are you flying into Frankfurt in order to get to Paris?
From whence are you returning to the US?
>Neither of us have ever been to France and any advice would be greatly appreciated. <
Too much jumping around.
Paris is worth a week.
You can then choose 1 (maybe 2) place in France to visit for the other week.
>visitng the small villages of Provence like Saint-Remy de Provence, Arles, Aix-en-Provence.<
Those are not small villages. Graveson is a small village.
We very much liked our stay at the Cadran Solaire, in Graveson.
http://www.hotel-en-provence.com/uk/index.php
You might find my trip report helpful: Ira Returns From 22 Loverly Days in Europe - Sep, 2009
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm
Enjoy your visit.
Why are you flying into Frankfurt in order to get to Paris?
From whence are you returning to the US?
Jan 8th, 2010, 06:59 AM
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We're planning our 4th trip to Paris in 5 years so I'm another vote for spending a full week in Paris!
I've done an enormous amount of research on eating well in Paris and if you're interested, I'm happy to share recommendations for our great finds, mostly mid-priced bistros and gastro-bistros but also fine dining and a few super casual and inexpensive but delicious places. I have pages of recs. Email me if you're interested! Happy 50th! It's great on this side (especially in Paris!)
I've done an enormous amount of research on eating well in Paris and if you're interested, I'm happy to share recommendations for our great finds, mostly mid-priced bistros and gastro-bistros but also fine dining and a few super casual and inexpensive but delicious places. I have pages of recs. Email me if you're interested! Happy 50th! It's great on this side (especially in Paris!)
Jan 8th, 2010, 06:34 PM
#17
Yes, Loire overrated. Since you're from San Fran area, unless you go to San Simeon yearly to genuflect at the opulence, you'll find the Loire overrated. Save the 4 days, and add it to the Dordogne/Provence area; it's wonderful. You'll still be stretched for time. And, there are chateaux there as well.
But then, we don't know your likes/dislikes.
But then, we don't know your likes/dislikes.
Jan 9th, 2010, 07:38 AM
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Thanks everyone for your thoughts, given this we will probably changes some things around and stay 5 days in Paris
then go to Normandy for 2 days then 6 days in the Provance area, skipping Loire.
Any other reccomnendations on lodging in these areas?
Ira- The reson we are going in/out of Frankfort is due to our airline, United. We are using points to fly and this route will allow us to sleep to/from.
then go to Normandy for 2 days then 6 days in the Provance area, skipping Loire.
Any other reccomnendations on lodging in these areas?
Ira- The reson we are going in/out of Frankfort is due to our airline, United. We are using points to fly and this route will allow us to sleep to/from.
Jan 9th, 2010, 08:07 AM
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allie,
Definitely think you are wise to choose Normandy. If you have any interest whatsoever in WW2 history, it is an amazing experience. We stayed two days and it was enough. I highly recommend a guided tour. We used Battlebus and were very happy. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and we learned a lot even though we're fairly well read in that department. We based in Bayeux and would also recommend that, as Battlebus meets in Bayeux. We took the train from Paris and it was a breeze. Stayed in B&B based on Trip Advisor reviews. We ate at Hotel Reine Mathilde twice because the food was so good, and also Le Domesday on the downhill side of the Cathedral. We had the most wonderful pizza and salads in Bayeux. Surprise of the trip was the Bayeux Tapestry- it is actually incredibly interesting. It only takes about an hour to do and I recommend it.
As for Paris, completely agree with everyone else that it's impossible to get bored there.
Happy 50th!
md
Definitely think you are wise to choose Normandy. If you have any interest whatsoever in WW2 history, it is an amazing experience. We stayed two days and it was enough. I highly recommend a guided tour. We used Battlebus and were very happy. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, and we learned a lot even though we're fairly well read in that department. We based in Bayeux and would also recommend that, as Battlebus meets in Bayeux. We took the train from Paris and it was a breeze. Stayed in B&B based on Trip Advisor reviews. We ate at Hotel Reine Mathilde twice because the food was so good, and also Le Domesday on the downhill side of the Cathedral. We had the most wonderful pizza and salads in Bayeux. Surprise of the trip was the Bayeux Tapestry- it is actually incredibly interesting. It only takes about an hour to do and I recommend it.
As for Paris, completely agree with everyone else that it's impossible to get bored there.
Happy 50th!
md
