J.D. Miller

Family of 4 heading to France in Feb. 2000. Trip of lifetime before kids go to college. The idea: Paris, then Nice (or environs), then skiing. Problem: We know nothing. Any advice?

elaine

Hi <BR>Give us some idea of your budget (hotels, etc), and the total length of your trip. Also, there must be some things that you absolutely want to see or do; what are they? <BR>I can help you on Paris; if you'd like to receive my file, email me.

Sandy

Hi Elaine, <BR> <BR>We're three women trying to imitate the "Loons" and fighting over who can be Elvira. We're going to Paris and the Normandy area around Mar 15 for 8 days (our spring break). We would love to have a copy of your Paris notes and any other helpful advice you can give us. <BR> <BR>Thanks a million, <BR>Sandy

cherie

My husband took me to Paris for my 40th. My birthday is in February. Our French friends advised him against it because they said everyone is depressed in February....come later in the spring. Boy were they wrong!!!Its great! No crowds. Blue skys and freezing days. Some rain; one day we even had the most beautiful little snowflakes in the sky but the ground was dry. Wear warm clothes. (We took furs) I know this isn't done anymore, animal rights, etc. But we were warm and the only problem was going home on the subway, the Gendames rode along with us to the suburbs, thinking they should "follow those Eskimoes". The subways at the last ride of the evening were a bit iffy because in the Winter, the homeless go down to sleep across the waiting area chairs where its warm. This made the subs a bit dangerous, and the subpolice patrolled them late at night especially. Other than that, the museums are uncrowded and we were able to get in to see lots of things we left out of previous trips. There is so much to Paris you just can do it all.

Miane

My recommendation as a French native and seasoned traveler: <BR> <BR>If you're traveling as a family, rent a place vs book a hotel, it's cheaper and more comfortable. Theer are some good agencies around. One i'd recommend is www.rentvillas.com, few properties but they know their stuff. <BR> <BR>PARIS: Central Paris is divided in 20 districts ("arrondissements"): I'd recommend that you stay in any from 1st to 8th, the best ones being 4th to 6th. You can find some budget hotels but the rooms will generally very small with awkward bathrooms, if any. hence the apartment recommendation, ideal to unwing after daily excursions. Paris has plenty to offer, from museums to entertainment, to great city walks. Check the Paris tourist office website for ideas: www.paris-touristoffice.com. <BR>Paris is a fairly compact city and you can --will be enticed to-- walk throughout. It also has an excellent public transport system and i'd definitely advise you not to try to navigate the city by car! <BR> <BR>NICE: I'd recomend that you don't stay in Nice proper but cvlose to it and enjoy the beautiful provencal countryside, where you would have no problem finding villas for rent. From there, you car drive throughout Provence/Cote d'Azur and enjoy all its incredible sights! There are high speed trains between Paris and the Coast several times a day, which take you there within 4 hours, then I'd recommend you hire a car at the station, which will give you freedom to explore. You can hire cars from the US on www.autoeurope.com = good value for money. <BR> <BR>SKI: From Nice, you can easily drive to the French Alps which offer many winter stations --book in advance, though, and pick a station high enough as sometimes there isn't much snow at that time of the year. <BR> <BR>Let me know if you need more info, and enjoy! Miane <BR> <BR>