Paris and Bordeaux
Jan 27th, 2007, 04:53 PM
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Paris and Bordeaux
We are hoping to travel to Paris for the first time in June. We'd also like to see some of Bordeaux. Trip will be a total of 10 - 12 days.... We'd like to see Notre Dame, the Louvre, and some other points of interest, dine in bistros, eat some great bread and pastries and ...
As far as Bordeaux goes, we'd like to see some Medieval towns, maybe go to Chateau Margaux and sample some great wine.
Would love to read your suggestions for hotels, trains / car rental (don't want to drive in Paris or anywhere if we can help it)...any websites / book recommendations would also be appreciated...
Merci !
As far as Bordeaux goes, we'd like to see some Medieval towns, maybe go to Chateau Margaux and sample some great wine.
Would love to read your suggestions for hotels, trains / car rental (don't want to drive in Paris or anywhere if we can help it)...any websites / book recommendations would also be appreciated...
Merci !
Jan 27th, 2007, 06:31 PM
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I am also interested in this thread as I plan on returning to Paris and branching out to Bordeaux as well, in May 2008.
When I was in Paris in mid September, I stayed at the Hotel du College de France in the 5th; and it was within walking distance to Notre Dame.
You could also walk to the Louvre (and it was easier to walk to the Louvre from my hotel than to take the nearest metro).
The hotel was pleasant, staff friendly, and I didn't have any problems there. There was no air conditioning, and the time I was there, it was pretty hot and muggy, so it was a bit uncomfortable at nights because I had packed my flannel pjs. They had a continental breakfast for 8 euros. The cafes close around had coffee and pastry breakfast for 6 to 8 euros. I chose the continental breakfast option for most of the days because you had a choice of bread, croissant, pain au chocolat, as much coffee you want to drink, ham, cheese, yougurt, and cereal and milk. I found that I could eat enough to sustain me until mid afternoon with just a cafe au late, a baguette with cheese and ham; and a pain au chocolate, and maybe a youghurt.
You are within walking distance to the Pantheon (which I hadn't seen), the Notre Dame, Ste-Chapelle and Ile de la City and Ile St Louis. Cross the bridge again, and you can walk over to the Louvre, but it's not just a short walk. It's not too long either, but expect to walk for a bit. You will not need a car in Paris. You could take the RER train from the airport to the city, or you can take the Roissey bus or Air France Bus that will drop you off at Opera in the city; and you can take a metro to your destination or take a taxi from there.
Anything that's not within walking distance is accessible by the metro and it's easy to get round.
I have never been to Bordeaux, so I'll be watching this thread closely for further ideas!
When I was in Paris in mid September, I stayed at the Hotel du College de France in the 5th; and it was within walking distance to Notre Dame.
You could also walk to the Louvre (and it was easier to walk to the Louvre from my hotel than to take the nearest metro).
The hotel was pleasant, staff friendly, and I didn't have any problems there. There was no air conditioning, and the time I was there, it was pretty hot and muggy, so it was a bit uncomfortable at nights because I had packed my flannel pjs. They had a continental breakfast for 8 euros. The cafes close around had coffee and pastry breakfast for 6 to 8 euros. I chose the continental breakfast option for most of the days because you had a choice of bread, croissant, pain au chocolat, as much coffee you want to drink, ham, cheese, yougurt, and cereal and milk. I found that I could eat enough to sustain me until mid afternoon with just a cafe au late, a baguette with cheese and ham; and a pain au chocolate, and maybe a youghurt.
You are within walking distance to the Pantheon (which I hadn't seen), the Notre Dame, Ste-Chapelle and Ile de la City and Ile St Louis. Cross the bridge again, and you can walk over to the Louvre, but it's not just a short walk. It's not too long either, but expect to walk for a bit. You will not need a car in Paris. You could take the RER train from the airport to the city, or you can take the Roissey bus or Air France Bus that will drop you off at Opera in the city; and you can take a metro to your destination or take a taxi from there.
Anything that's not within walking distance is accessible by the metro and it's easy to get round.
I have never been to Bordeaux, so I'll be watching this thread closely for further ideas!
Jan 27th, 2007, 06:58 PM
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Is it specifically the city of Bordeaux you want to see or the wine region? You can train or fly directly to Boredeaux (city), and there are car rental agencies at the airport. But if you aren't planning on spending time in the city, I would recommend getting off at Libourne and picking up your car there, thus avoiding the traffic. There is some beautiful wine country to drive through towards St. Emilion. The Dune du Pilat is a very fascinating natural phenomenon if you're in the area. There are also some small towns of interest nearby like Cadillac and Créon with its bastide and a nearby abbey in ruins, but for my money I'd drive towards the Périgord/Dordogne for castles etc. You still get the vinyards and excellent wine/cuisine.
Jan 28th, 2007, 05:05 AM
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Hi W and L,
Good advice from Klondike.
Starting in Paris, I suggest taking the TGV to Libourne (see www.voyages-sncf.com for 25E PREMS fare)and renting a car )see www.autoeurope.com).
We stayed at www.chateau-de-roques.com/accueil_a.htm
not far from St. Emilion, visited Bordeaux and Arcachon (fantastic oysters) as well as SE and the wine country.
See my trip report for details:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645
Photos at http://tinyurl.com/sjch4
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-pla2au
Enjoy your visits.
Good advice from Klondike.
Starting in Paris, I suggest taking the TGV to Libourne (see www.voyages-sncf.com for 25E PREMS fare)and renting a car )see www.autoeurope.com).
We stayed at www.chateau-de-roques.com/accueil_a.htm
not far from St. Emilion, visited Bordeaux and Arcachon (fantastic oysters) as well as SE and the wine country.
See my trip report for details:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645
Photos at http://tinyurl.com/sjch4
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-pla2au
Enjoy your visits.
Jan 28th, 2007, 05:13 AM
#6
hi, Wengenlover [great name, by the way!]
As usual Ira has told you all you need to know, including finding your hotel for you.
WE toured this area a very long time ago, and found that we could just turn up at some chateau; at others you needed to have booked in advance, which we hadn't done. we had one very nice ad hoc tour given in french by a very helpful girl only to find out at the end that she was english too! so we had stretched our french for nothing.
If you drive up to the very end of the pointy bit at the northern end of the gironne, on the west bank, there was a very nice outdoors restaurant which my husband enjoyed a lot. Unfortunately I was suffering from toulouse tummy so was unable to partake. I'd like to think that it's still there, waiting for me...
Have a great time, Ann
As usual Ira has told you all you need to know, including finding your hotel for you.
WE toured this area a very long time ago, and found that we could just turn up at some chateau; at others you needed to have booked in advance, which we hadn't done. we had one very nice ad hoc tour given in french by a very helpful girl only to find out at the end that she was english too! so we had stretched our french for nothing.
If you drive up to the very end of the pointy bit at the northern end of the gironne, on the west bank, there was a very nice outdoors restaurant which my husband enjoyed a lot. Unfortunately I was suffering from toulouse tummy so was unable to partake. I'd like to think that it's still there, waiting for me...
Have a great time, Ann
Jan 28th, 2007, 05:28 AM
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If you want to go to Margaux, you would be better off staying in the Medoc, not in St. Emilion. Here is a sampling of tours offered on the excellent web site of the Bordeaux Tourist Office.
http://www.bordeaux-tourisme.com/pl/...d=68&lg=uk
http://www.bordeaux-tourisme.com/pl/...d=68&lg=uk
Jan 28th, 2007, 09:44 AM
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Thanks all... We are most interested in touring the Chateaus and vineyard...Since we'll probably fly in and out of Paris would you recommend seeing Paris at the beginning or end of the trip ? Thanks so much again...
Jan 28th, 2007, 11:06 AM
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Since you can get right on the TGV at CGD, I'd go to Bordeaux or Libourne right after landing. Libourne is easier to get in and out of with a car, but of course Bordeaux has a lot more in the way of sightseeing.
For many if not all of the famous wine châteaux you will need reservations. Some do not allow any visitors at all. In addition to the Bordeaux Tourist Office (which is indeed wonderful), check out the Maison du Vin, which is one or two storefronts down from the Tourist Office: Here's further information on that: http://www.whatsonwhen.com/events/~38330.jml
I'm sure there are medieval castles in the Médoc and around Bordeaux (they're everywhere in Europe), but if it's really medieval architecture you want to concentrate on,I agree you should head into the Dordogne. Bordeaux is almost entirely 17th-18th century.
Here's an overview of Bordeaux I put together after visiting that city many times:
Bordeaux itself is a marvelous city, albeit it one that doesn't attract too many Americans. The old-city pedestrian area fanning out from the rue Ste-Cathérine (off the Place de la Comédie) is a maze of streets full of small versions of the major department stores, many specialty shops, cafés, and restaurants. In summertime there are often musicians and street performers entertaining crowds in this area.
You'll definitely want to visit the Grand Théatre, arguably the most beautiful theatre in Europe; the Esplanade des Quinconces, the cathedral, the Musée des Beaux Arts, and the old merchants' quarter, the Quartier des Chartrons, with its beautiful 18th-century architecture. Be sure to wander around the Place du Parliament, but with the exception of Chez Philippe (a marvelous seafood restaurant), don't eat at the tempting array of restaurants there - they exist pretty much to pull in Americans who walk up from cruises on the quai and are quite uniformly mediocre and overpriced - too bad, because the square itself is lovely. There's a fresh market right behind the square on Saturdays.
To help you get oriented to the surrounding area, I'd suggest you stop at the very helpful Tourist Office at 12 Cours du 30 juillet in the center of town. The Maison du Vin at 30 Cours du 30 Juillet can give you boodles of information on the local wine châteaux and tours thereto, if you want to do that, or you can get information for going yourself.
Don't overlook the attractions east of the city, either. Arcachon is a lovely seaside town where all the wine widows built their mansions in the early part of the century. Have lunch there on the water and slurp some of the best oysters in the world, then stop for an ice cream at the stand on the boardwalk - some of the best in France. Try to find time to see the Dune du Pylat also - certainly one of the wonders of France. Go out to Cap Ferret and take the little train around the dunes, then stop at one of the casual cafés along the water where the oyster beds are lined up and have a glass of good white wine and some more oysters.
:
Restaurants
Bordeaux overflows with great restaurants, and wine bars, of course.
Some of our favorites are:
Bodega-Bodega, 4, rue des Pillers-de-Tutelle (tapas and typical Andalusian food - I know, not what you came to France for, but it's nice after a few days of foie gras and confit de canard);
Chez Dupont, 45, rue Notre-Dame, a lively bistro with hearty meals like pot-au-feu and fricassée of sea scallops in morille sauce;
le Bistrot d'Edouard, 16, place du Parlement (an absolutely delightful square, but don't just walk into any restaurant here - most of them are tourist traps with terrible food), serving SW France specialties);
Restaurant le Port de la Lune, 59, quai de Paludate
Restaurant Gravelier, 114, cours de Verdun
la Boîte à Huitres (for the freshest shellfish with white wine or champage - it's literally a hole in the wall), 8, rue de la Vielle-Tour
Didier Gélineau, 26 rue du Pas-Saint-Georges.
La Tupina: 6, Porte de la Monnaie - bistro-type food in a classic Bordelais atmosphere. Local specialties. Moderate to expensive
Le Clavel-St-Jean, 44, rue Charles-Domercq. Wine bar (one of the few where you can order by the glass), modern décor, varied and delicious menus. Moderate.
Le Chapon Fin, 5, rue de Montesquieu. Bordeaux's hallmark restaurant. Traditional Bordelais cuisine, beautifully prepared. Expensive.
Hotels
We like the Hôtel Etche-Ona Hôtel and its sister hotel, the Bayonne. Both are owned by the Parinaud family, and both are three stars, but they are vastly different - the Etche-Ona is very old-Basque in style, with massive carved furniture, whereas the Bayonne is starkly modern. Both are within a stone's throw of the Place de la Comédie and the pedestrian area.
Bordeaux itself is a marvelous city, albeit it one that doesn't attract too many Americans. The old-city pedestrian area fanning out from the rue Ste-Cathérine (off the Place de la Comédie) is a maze of streets full of small versions of the major department stores, many specialty shops, cafés, and restaurants. In summertime there are often musicians and street performers entertaining crowds in this area.
You'll definitely want to visit the Grand Théatre, arguably the most beautiful theatre in Europe; the Esplanade des Quinconces, the newly cleaned-up cathedral, the Musée des Beaux Arts, and the old merchants' quarter, the Quartier des Chartrons, with its beautiful 18th-century architecture. Be sure to wander around the Place du Parliament, but with the exception of Chez Philippe (a marvelous seafood restaurant), don't eat at the tempting array of restaurants there - they exist pretty much to pull in Americans who walk up from cruises on the quai and are quite uniformly mediocre and overpriced - too bad, because the square itself is lovely. There's a fresh market right behind the square on Saturdays.
To help you get oriented to the surrounding area, I'd suggest you stop at the very helpful Tourist Office at 12 Cours du 30 juillet in the center of town. The Maison du Vin at 30 Cours du 30 Juillet can give you boodles of information on the local wine châteaux and tours thereto, if you want to do that, or you can get information for going yourself.
Don't overlook the attractions east of the city, either. Arcachon is a lovely seaside town where all the wine widows built their mansions in the early part of the century. Have lunch there on the water and slurp some of the best oysters in the world, then stop for an ice cream at the stand on the boardwalk - some of the best in France. Try to find time to see the Dune du Pylat also - certainly one of the wonders of France. Go out to Cap Ferret and take the little train around the dunes, then stop at one of the casual cafés along the water where the oyster beds are lined up and have a glass of good white wine and some more oysters.
:
Restaurants
Bordeaux overflows with great restaurants, and wine bars, of course.
Some of our favorites are:
Bodega-Bodega, 4, rue des Pillers-de-Tutelle (tapas and typical Andalusian food - I know, not what you came to France for, but it's nice after a few days of foie gras and confit de canard);
Chez Dupont, 45, rue Notre-Dame, a lively bistro with hearty meals like pot-au-feu and fricassée of sea scallops in morille sauce;
le Bistrot d'Edouard, 16, place du Parlement (an absolutely delightful square, but don't just walk into any restaurant here - most of them are tourist traps with terrible food), serving SW France specialties);
Restaurant le Port de la Lune, 59, quai de Paludate
Restaurant Gravelier, 114, cours de Verdun
la Boîte à Huitres (for the freshest shellfish with white wine or champage - it's literally a hole in the wall), 8, rue de la Vielle-Tour
Didier Gélineau, 26 rue du Pas-Saint-Georges.
La Tupina: 6, Porte de la Monnaie - bistro-type food in a classic Bordelais atmosphere. Local specialties. Moderate to expensive
Le Clavel-St-Jean, 44, rue Charles-Domercq. Wine bar (one of the few where you can order by the glass), modern décor, varied and delicious menus. Moderate.
Le Chapon Fin, 5, rue de Montesquieu. Bordeaux's hallmark restaurant. Traditional Bordelais cuisine, beautifully prepared. Expensive.
Hotels
We like the Hôtel Etche-Ona Hôtel and its sister hotel, the Bayonne. Both are owned by the Parinaud family, and both are three stars, but they are vastly different - the Etche-Ona is very old-Basque in style, with massive carved furniture, whereas the Bayonne is starkly modern. Both are within a stone's throw of the Place de la Comédie and the pedestrian area.
For many if not all of the famous wine châteaux you will need reservations. Some do not allow any visitors at all. In addition to the Bordeaux Tourist Office (which is indeed wonderful), check out the Maison du Vin, which is one or two storefronts down from the Tourist Office: Here's further information on that: http://www.whatsonwhen.com/events/~38330.jml
I'm sure there are medieval castles in the Médoc and around Bordeaux (they're everywhere in Europe), but if it's really medieval architecture you want to concentrate on,I agree you should head into the Dordogne. Bordeaux is almost entirely 17th-18th century.
Here's an overview of Bordeaux I put together after visiting that city many times:
Bordeaux itself is a marvelous city, albeit it one that doesn't attract too many Americans. The old-city pedestrian area fanning out from the rue Ste-Cathérine (off the Place de la Comédie) is a maze of streets full of small versions of the major department stores, many specialty shops, cafés, and restaurants. In summertime there are often musicians and street performers entertaining crowds in this area.
You'll definitely want to visit the Grand Théatre, arguably the most beautiful theatre in Europe; the Esplanade des Quinconces, the cathedral, the Musée des Beaux Arts, and the old merchants' quarter, the Quartier des Chartrons, with its beautiful 18th-century architecture. Be sure to wander around the Place du Parliament, but with the exception of Chez Philippe (a marvelous seafood restaurant), don't eat at the tempting array of restaurants there - they exist pretty much to pull in Americans who walk up from cruises on the quai and are quite uniformly mediocre and overpriced - too bad, because the square itself is lovely. There's a fresh market right behind the square on Saturdays.
To help you get oriented to the surrounding area, I'd suggest you stop at the very helpful Tourist Office at 12 Cours du 30 juillet in the center of town. The Maison du Vin at 30 Cours du 30 Juillet can give you boodles of information on the local wine châteaux and tours thereto, if you want to do that, or you can get information for going yourself.
Don't overlook the attractions east of the city, either. Arcachon is a lovely seaside town where all the wine widows built their mansions in the early part of the century. Have lunch there on the water and slurp some of the best oysters in the world, then stop for an ice cream at the stand on the boardwalk - some of the best in France. Try to find time to see the Dune du Pylat also - certainly one of the wonders of France. Go out to Cap Ferret and take the little train around the dunes, then stop at one of the casual cafés along the water where the oyster beds are lined up and have a glass of good white wine and some more oysters.
:
Restaurants
Bordeaux overflows with great restaurants, and wine bars, of course.
Some of our favorites are:
Bodega-Bodega, 4, rue des Pillers-de-Tutelle (tapas and typical Andalusian food - I know, not what you came to France for, but it's nice after a few days of foie gras and confit de canard);
Chez Dupont, 45, rue Notre-Dame, a lively bistro with hearty meals like pot-au-feu and fricassée of sea scallops in morille sauce;
le Bistrot d'Edouard, 16, place du Parlement (an absolutely delightful square, but don't just walk into any restaurant here - most of them are tourist traps with terrible food), serving SW France specialties);
Restaurant le Port de la Lune, 59, quai de Paludate
Restaurant Gravelier, 114, cours de Verdun
la Boîte à Huitres (for the freshest shellfish with white wine or champage - it's literally a hole in the wall), 8, rue de la Vielle-Tour
Didier Gélineau, 26 rue du Pas-Saint-Georges.
La Tupina: 6, Porte de la Monnaie - bistro-type food in a classic Bordelais atmosphere. Local specialties. Moderate to expensive
Le Clavel-St-Jean, 44, rue Charles-Domercq. Wine bar (one of the few where you can order by the glass), modern décor, varied and delicious menus. Moderate.
Le Chapon Fin, 5, rue de Montesquieu. Bordeaux's hallmark restaurant. Traditional Bordelais cuisine, beautifully prepared. Expensive.
Hotels
We like the Hôtel Etche-Ona Hôtel and its sister hotel, the Bayonne. Both are owned by the Parinaud family, and both are three stars, but they are vastly different - the Etche-Ona is very old-Basque in style, with massive carved furniture, whereas the Bayonne is starkly modern. Both are within a stone's throw of the Place de la Comédie and the pedestrian area.
Bordeaux itself is a marvelous city, albeit it one that doesn't attract too many Americans. The old-city pedestrian area fanning out from the rue Ste-Cathérine (off the Place de la Comédie) is a maze of streets full of small versions of the major department stores, many specialty shops, cafés, and restaurants. In summertime there are often musicians and street performers entertaining crowds in this area.
You'll definitely want to visit the Grand Théatre, arguably the most beautiful theatre in Europe; the Esplanade des Quinconces, the newly cleaned-up cathedral, the Musée des Beaux Arts, and the old merchants' quarter, the Quartier des Chartrons, with its beautiful 18th-century architecture. Be sure to wander around the Place du Parliament, but with the exception of Chez Philippe (a marvelous seafood restaurant), don't eat at the tempting array of restaurants there - they exist pretty much to pull in Americans who walk up from cruises on the quai and are quite uniformly mediocre and overpriced - too bad, because the square itself is lovely. There's a fresh market right behind the square on Saturdays.
To help you get oriented to the surrounding area, I'd suggest you stop at the very helpful Tourist Office at 12 Cours du 30 juillet in the center of town. The Maison du Vin at 30 Cours du 30 Juillet can give you boodles of information on the local wine châteaux and tours thereto, if you want to do that, or you can get information for going yourself.
Don't overlook the attractions east of the city, either. Arcachon is a lovely seaside town where all the wine widows built their mansions in the early part of the century. Have lunch there on the water and slurp some of the best oysters in the world, then stop for an ice cream at the stand on the boardwalk - some of the best in France. Try to find time to see the Dune du Pylat also - certainly one of the wonders of France. Go out to Cap Ferret and take the little train around the dunes, then stop at one of the casual cafés along the water where the oyster beds are lined up and have a glass of good white wine and some more oysters.
:
Restaurants
Bordeaux overflows with great restaurants, and wine bars, of course.
Some of our favorites are:
Bodega-Bodega, 4, rue des Pillers-de-Tutelle (tapas and typical Andalusian food - I know, not what you came to France for, but it's nice after a few days of foie gras and confit de canard);
Chez Dupont, 45, rue Notre-Dame, a lively bistro with hearty meals like pot-au-feu and fricassée of sea scallops in morille sauce;
le Bistrot d'Edouard, 16, place du Parlement (an absolutely delightful square, but don't just walk into any restaurant here - most of them are tourist traps with terrible food), serving SW France specialties);
Restaurant le Port de la Lune, 59, quai de Paludate
Restaurant Gravelier, 114, cours de Verdun
la Boîte à Huitres (for the freshest shellfish with white wine or champage - it's literally a hole in the wall), 8, rue de la Vielle-Tour
Didier Gélineau, 26 rue du Pas-Saint-Georges.
La Tupina: 6, Porte de la Monnaie - bistro-type food in a classic Bordelais atmosphere. Local specialties. Moderate to expensive
Le Clavel-St-Jean, 44, rue Charles-Domercq. Wine bar (one of the few where you can order by the glass), modern décor, varied and delicious menus. Moderate.
Le Chapon Fin, 5, rue de Montesquieu. Bordeaux's hallmark restaurant. Traditional Bordelais cuisine, beautifully prepared. Expensive.
Hotels
We like the Hôtel Etche-Ona Hôtel and its sister hotel, the Bayonne. Both are owned by the Parinaud family, and both are three stars, but they are vastly different - the Etche-Ona is very old-Basque in style, with massive carved furniture, whereas the Bayonne is starkly modern. Both are within a stone's throw of the Place de la Comédie and the pedestrian area.
