Day trip from Paris to Orleans - feasible?
Sep 6th, 2005, 08:51 PM
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Day trip from Paris to Orleans - feasible?
Greetings all,
I'm treating my father to Paris for 11 days in October. He's from NOLA and would like to visit Orleans while in France. Is this a feasible day trip from Paris? We speak polite French phrases only and would not be comfortable driving. I'm hoping someone knows of a tour company that might have day trips to Orleans...?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for any advice you might offer.
Lydia
p.s. And thanks also for your kind comments in my previous post about our itinerary!
I'm treating my father to Paris for 11 days in October. He's from NOLA and would like to visit Orleans while in France. Is this a feasible day trip from Paris? We speak polite French phrases only and would not be comfortable driving. I'm hoping someone knows of a tour company that might have day trips to Orleans...?
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for any advice you might offer.
Lydia
p.s. And thanks also for your kind comments in my previous post about our itinerary!
Sep 6th, 2005, 11:33 PM
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Why bother with a tour company?
There are trains roughly every hour from Austerlitz, taking about an hour and costing around €30 return. Get yourself a decent guide book (the green Michelin is just fine), get on a train and walk round. Don't worry about booking seats, since you're travelling in the opposite direction from the commuters: leave when you feel like, and come back when you've had enough.
There are trains roughly every hour from Austerlitz, taking about an hour and costing around €30 return. Get yourself a decent guide book (the green Michelin is just fine), get on a train and walk round. Don't worry about booking seats, since you're travelling in the opposite direction from the commuters: leave when you feel like, and come back when you've had enough.
Sep 7th, 2005, 04:10 AM
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Sep 7th, 2005, 01:52 PM
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Thanks! I'll check into that. Are the trains fairly accessible? Father's kind of elderly and doesn't get around as easily anymore. I guess that's why I was thinking about an organized tour of some sort where someone else would be responsible for the transportation aspects. We're doing Paris Visions tour for the Leonardo Loire Valley trip, and likely using them also for Versailles because of the potential mobility issues.
If we did the self-tour train route, are there taxis at the depot typically? Walking blocks is feasible. Miles at a time would be a pretty high expectation for us.
Thanks again!
Lydia
If we did the self-tour train route, are there taxis at the depot typically? Walking blocks is feasible. Miles at a time would be a pretty high expectation for us.
Thanks again!
Lydia
Sep 7th, 2005, 03:16 PM
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Getting on the train requires managing one or two steps; assuming you can help your father, he shouldn't have a problem. There should certainly be taxis at the Orléans train station.
What a nice idea!
What a nice idea!
Sep 7th, 2005, 04:21 PM
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I'd opt for the train too. It's an easy ride. There will be taxis at the train station.
On the east side during the train ride you'll see an elevated train track that runs for several miles outside of Orleans then abruptly ends. I've always assumed it's the test track for the TGV.
I like the former mayor's office in Orleans. It's full of beautiful woodwork and old furniture.
I particularly liked the cathedral. It has a stained glass window from WWII in it. It's very unusual to see dough-boys in stained glass.
The fine arts museum is nice too.
On the east side during the train ride you'll see an elevated train track that runs for several miles outside of Orleans then abruptly ends. I've always assumed it's the test track for the TGV.
I like the former mayor's office in Orleans. It's full of beautiful woodwork and old furniture.
I particularly liked the cathedral. It has a stained glass window from WWII in it. It's very unusual to see dough-boys in stained glass.
The fine arts museum is nice too.
