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What to See and Where to Stay in 15 days in France?

What to See and Where to Stay in 15 days in France?

Old Mar 13th, 2014, 02:44 PM
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What to See and Where to Stay in 15 days in France?

My 17 year old son was admitted to the Paris Opera Ballet summer program from July 7 - July 17 this summer. My wife and 19 year old son will fly into Paris on the 9th, spend a couple days in Paris, and then are looking for somewhere to go from the 12th to the 16th. We've been to Chamonix, Talloires and Annecy before (back around 2002 without our kids) and are considering going there again. We wanted to see, however, what other places/areas may be recommended for about a 3 day trip outside of Paris.

When we return to Paris, we will spend a few more days in Paris after our son's program concludes before leaving around the 19th to go somewhere else, most likely Provence, which we also have been to before without our kids.

We would love any suggestions for other places to spend our time outside of Paris and, especially, places to stay that won't break the bank (preferably around $200/night).

Thank you!

Steve
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Old Mar 13th, 2014, 03:36 PM
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I would consider Strasbourg - part of France but with a differnt flavor - a strong German influence. Strasbouerg is a charming city, you can easily visit Colmar to see the sights there and take a daytrip to some of the small wine villages in between.
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Old Mar 17th, 2014, 07:15 AM
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Thanks, nytraveler! I'll definitely check out Strasbourg. For my sons, this will be their first time in France. Are there other areas you think they should see first?
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Old Mar 17th, 2014, 09:38 AM
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I think a couple other areas might be worth considering. One might be Normandy or part of Brittany area. The World War II area is pretty fascinating and do-able in 3 days. Or you could go to Mont Saint-Michel and go to Dinard or St. Malo.

Another option is La Rochelle and then go down to the beach areas south of there towards Bordeaux. We own a house in St Palais sur Mer and the advantage of the Atlantic side is that things are more affordable than the Mediterranean side and a bit less crowded in July and really very few US tourists. There is a nice older villa called Ma Maison de Mer that I think is probably in that price range in St. Palais. Here is a TA listing of it to give you an idea of what the area looks like:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...Charentes.html

IMO, if you go to either of those areas, it would be best to take a TGV either to St. Malo for Brittany or La Rochelle for Charente and rent a car from there-otherwise access would be hard for a 3 day trip.

Have fun-what a cool thing for your teenager to be in the ballet program by the way
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Old Mar 17th, 2014, 11:01 AM
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jpie,

I appreciate your response. We were intending to take the TGV to Provence at the end of our trip and to rent a car there, and we will plan to do the same with anywhere else we go. I've wanted to see Mont Saint-Michel so maybe going that direction will be nice. Maybe rent a car before leaving Paris and stopping in Giverny on the way?
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Old Mar 17th, 2014, 12:41 PM
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Yes you could definitely do that. You could make it a circle route if you like-leave Paris and go to Giverny then over to Mont St Michel by the "northern" route and then come back via Le Mans and stop in Chartres and see the cathedral-you should be able to catch Malcolm Miller giving his tour.

http://www.cathedrale-chartres.org/f...ticle-254.html

And if you don't want to drive out of Paris you could take the RER to CDG to pick up a car. But I have used the Hertz under the Carrousel du Louvre and that is pretty easy to get out from and has a nice selection of cars:

Hertz 99 Rue de Rivoli Musée du Louvre Paris 75001

Let us know what you decide. My husband and I leaving the US in early May to return to France (we are dual nationals). I really miss it-we have been in the Peace Corps for the past two+ years in Mexico, so we are anxious to get back to France. I think regardless of where you chose, you will have a magical trip since it is a first visit for your sons.
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Old Mar 17th, 2014, 02:57 PM
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I think all of this are good ideas -- Normandy and Strasbourg. And of course, you could go to Dijon area for a few days, that's not too far.

Congrats to your son for getting into that program, the POB is one of the best companies in the world, I think. I love their productions.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 08:36 AM
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Thanks, jpie and Christina! What do you think about Loire Valley compared to the other options? I went there when I was a kid and I remember thinking it was pretty cool.

Christina, my son is extremely excited! POB has only had a summer program since 2013 and it is fairly exclusive. His girlfriend attended last summer and is returning this summer.

Steve
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 01:55 PM
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The Loire is nice too-but as you know much more about the castles and biking. Both areas will be crowded. If you are really interested in driving then the circle route I mentioned above might be fun and have a bit more variety and you would get to the sea, but otherwise it really comes down to personal choice and what you think you and your son would enjoy the most.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 02:25 PM
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I have no suggestions but wanted to offer my congratulations to your son, he must be very talented. How fantastic!

Recently I watched an 8 or maybe 10 part tv series on the Paris Opera ballet students. I really enjoyed it.

Budding Stars of the Paris Opera Ballet School. You might be able to watch it online if you are interested.
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Old Mar 18th, 2014, 04:24 PM
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Congratulations to your son! What a great opportunity.

We loved the Loire Valley. We stayed in Amboise and attended the son et lumiere at the castle. I think the kids would love it. It is basically a play, performed by all local residents. There are fireworks, live animals, circus acts. It all takes place at night with the castle as a backdrop. It is only scheduled during June, July and August. It is on for July 12 and 16 this year. We loved it.

Here is the website:
http://www.renaissance-amboise.com/i...14c09b3b66f249
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