hulal

II'm looking for the most interesting way to travel from London to Paris while still being able to see some of the England and French countryside. I was thinking train or car to the ferry to Calais. Any thoughts?

sofarsogood

My thoughts are -

If it's your own car you can drive and take the Eurotunnel or a ferry across to Calais and explore anywhere you want at leisure.

If you're thinking of hiring a car to do this then you need to find out if you're allowed to take the car out of the UK, and if so what are the one-way drop off charges (if you're not returning to the UK).

If the purpose of your trip is simply to get to Paris in a reasonably efficient way then do what most others do in 2015 and take the Eurostar.

flanneruk

There really isn't very much countryside to see in France between the Channel and Paris. Not quite true: there's quite a lot of lovely stuff - but you've got to divert off all the direct routes, and none of it's visible from any trains. There are some terrific small towns - but, again, most almost inaccessible by train from Calais without a colossal amount of palaver, back-doubling and train-changing. Allow at least three days.

If it really matters to you to see what's between, you have to hire a car somehow. If you're travelling from London to somewhere way SE anyway, dawdling through NW France is worthwhile: if you've got a limited amount of time to visit London and Paris, wasting it on the journey between is potty since they're both so stuffed with things to see and the direct train's only just over two hours.

Seeing then highlights of Kent is easier (its universally pretty countryside is far more accessible than the odd pretty bit of prairie-like Picardy). But it'll usually be easier to visit on daytrips from London than by trying to fit it into an otherwise pointless cross-channel car journey.

janisj

Do you mean to take several days between London and Paris -- or are you imagining a one day jaunt that gets you there but sees pretty bits in between?? Makes a HUGE difference.

If a one-day journey, then taking the Eurostar is the ONLY option that makes sense. On the train you will see a teensy bit of pretty countryside in Kent including an oasthouse or two in the distance. On the France side . . . well that is a good time to nap or have a meal since the views from the train are totally meh.

If you have a few days -- then I'd spend 2 or 3 touring around Kent. Then take the Eurostar from Ashford to Paris.

If you have a week or more, then you could tour around Kent, drop the car, take a ferry across, rent a car in Calais and spend a few days touring Picardy/Normandy. Either train drive on to Paris.

So -- it depends on how long you have . . . .

PalenQ

Canterbury is on the way to Dover - a nice stopping point and base from which to hop to Rye and similar dreamier smaller towns- then boat over to Calais and maybe spend a day in Lille - but yes janis poses a pertinent question - in a day take the Eurostar train or else you spend all day traveling on trains or ferries or buses from ferry terminals to train stations -

how many days do you have and if only one - then the Eurostar is the only sensible option and you of course will see some lovely Kent countryside from the train windows and a signature French countryside - though northern Francs is also in some ways a blighted rust belt.

Book tickets way ahead of time for Eurostar trains to save tons of money - www.eurostar.com.

hulal

Thanks for all your great advice. We have 2weeks and I have made some adjustments to our travel plans. We will fly directly to Pairs where we will spend 5 nights. I've been there a few times but this will be my husband's first. Gosh, I get the impression that the northwest part of France would not be the choice. Any suggestions as to where else, not too far travel from Paris, to experience France's beauty and culture?

Mimar

So are you planning daytrips from Paris? Or a detour en route to England?

If the former, poster FrenchMystiqueTours supplies an exhaustive list of daytrip options in this thread: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-542820-2.cfm.

hulal

straight to Paris, no visit to England

PalenQ

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-542820-2.cfm

Trains are great to all those places - for lots about French trains and a bit about getting to those places by rail: www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com

PalenQ

Great easy day trips:

Chartres and its world-famous cathedral and nice regional town - try to take Malcom Miller's iconic tours of the cathedral.

Reims - great cathedral - where French monarchs were crowned traditionally and of course world-famous Champagne Houses' caves to tour and taste a bit of the bubbly at the end or buy right from the proprietor.

Giverny and Monet's House and water gardens - Train to Vernon - 3 miles by cab or foot - sweet old sleepy village too.

Auvers-sur-Oise where Van Gogh spent his last months doing so many paintings of local scenes - not there is a reproduction placed right at where he executed them - including the one in cornfields with a brooding sky and crows flocking around many claim was Van Gogh's picture of his own state of mind as he soon killed himself - you can see the small room and blood-stained bed at the Hotel Ravoux (?) still and again a sweet village with its own chateau that hosts a multi-media exposition of life of the Impressionists who came her in the late 1800s.

So so many others but these are my four favorites - I hope FrenchMystique adds her/his exhaustive list of day trips from Paris.

Normandy and the D-day beaches are but a few hours by train - hook up with a mini-bus tour and easily done to see the main beaches and military cemetery, etc. (Train to Bayeux - 2 hrs each way)

Mont-Saint-Michel is a longer day trip - about 3 hours each way by TGV train and bus but of course a real gem.

hulal

Thanks to everyone for their advise. We decided to fly into Paris, spend a week there and then take a train to Bordeaux and rent a car to drive a week back to Paris.