small village near Paris
Nov 20th, 2011, 08:51 PM
#41
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Hi,
if you're still searching for another destination... I would suggest you Chartres. One hour from Paris, cathedral, media library, parks, train station are only steps away if you stay in city center.
There will be interesting events on September like the Light Show, summer evening festival.
Read more about Chartres here and tell us what you think
http://www.discover-chartres.com
Good luck!
if you're still searching for another destination... I would suggest you Chartres. One hour from Paris, cathedral, media library, parks, train station are only steps away if you stay in city center.
There will be interesting events on September like the Light Show, summer evening festival.
Read more about Chartres here and tell us what you think
http://www.discover-chartres.com
Good luck!
Nov 23rd, 2011, 04:31 PM
#42
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I have thougt of Chartres, but it seems like a large city to me. Maybe there are some small towns around there.
I seem to be taking one step forward and two steps backward in my search. The small towns I have found seem too small with no museums, libraries, etc. and the large places seem to be too sterile and too large. Back to the drawing board for me.
I seem to be taking one step forward and two steps backward in my search. The small towns I have found seem too small with no museums, libraries, etc. and the large places seem to be too sterile and too large. Back to the drawing board for me.
Nov 23rd, 2011, 05:04 PM
#43
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Back in the '60's I found the Alliance Francaise (http://www.alliancefr.org/en) in Paris to have been a great help in learning the language. All classes were in French and were well thought- out, focussed and taught. No English allowed. The environment was good and long-term friendships were formed. Students were there to learn/improve their French and the stimulus to improve was pervasive. Lots of rentals in the area. Maybe consider that, followed by a stay in a village. Good luck.
Nov 23rd, 2011, 05:08 PM
#44
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Small towns are just that. They are small and if they have one or two museums that would be a lot for a small town. As I mentioned earlier, you'll have to compromise on something. Did you consider any of the places I mentioned in my earlier post and look at the pix and descriptions in my trip reports? Chartres is not at all a large city. It borders somewhere between large town and small city. Yes, there are small towns near Chartres and I show pix of them in my report but you'll be back to the same dilemma, they are small towns and won't have lots to do. Nearby to Chartres is the town of Maintenon (about 20km from Chartres). It is also covered in my report and is smaller than the town of Coulommiers you had considered. It has a wonderful château and is charming. It is also on a rail line to Paris. At the end of RER line B you might look into Saint-Rémy-les-Chevreuse.
http://www.saintremyleschevreuse-tourisme.com/english/
Look into Dourdan: http://www.dourdan-tourisme.fr/
Malesherbes: http://tinyurl.com/7bhx9lv
Lastly, look at this trip report I just wrote. Check out Crépy-en-Valois: http://tinyurl.com/6snrf3q
http://www.mairie-crepy-en-valois.fr/index2.php?id=10
Believe me, I'm not out of suggestions but I'm trying to illustrate that small towns by definition aren't going to have lots to do.
http://www.saintremyleschevreuse-tourisme.com/english/
Look into Dourdan: http://www.dourdan-tourisme.fr/
Malesherbes: http://tinyurl.com/7bhx9lv
Lastly, look at this trip report I just wrote. Check out Crépy-en-Valois: http://tinyurl.com/6snrf3q
http://www.mairie-crepy-en-valois.fr/index2.php?id=10
Believe me, I'm not out of suggestions but I'm trying to illustrate that small towns by definition aren't going to have lots to do.
Nov 24th, 2011, 10:03 AM
#46
can just chime in with my recent experience in Italy? I stayed in a small town in southern Tuscany where my language school was situated. WE had 4 hours lessons in the morning, a long pause for lunch, and then an activity in the late afternoon/evening.
even so, I was pretty bored with the town by the end of the week, so if I'd not had all those activities to do, I'd have been climbing the [roman] walls. Nor was there a great deal of opportunity to speak italian with the locals, over and above the ordering of food, buying the odd postcard etc.
Honestly, i really think that you ought to be looking at language schools and/or larger towns like Chartres or Tours, so that you can do day trips to Paris or elsewhere with ease.
even so, I was pretty bored with the town by the end of the week, so if I'd not had all those activities to do, I'd have been climbing the [roman] walls. Nor was there a great deal of opportunity to speak italian with the locals, over and above the ordering of food, buying the odd postcard etc.
Honestly, i really think that you ought to be looking at language schools and/or larger towns like Chartres or Tours, so that you can do day trips to Paris or elsewhere with ease.
Nov 26th, 2011, 12:36 AM
#49
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I'm with FrenchMystiqueTours, Chartres is not at all a large city (about 40.000 habitants) but indeed it's a capital of Eure et Loir Department. Perhaps that's why you thought Chartres is a large city.
Tourists come to Chartres firstly because of its cathedral (UNESCO World heritage). I think it would be the precious monument you'd love to visit. The you can visit Maison Picassiette, the old city and other monuments.
It has the biggest aquatic and rink complex in France and will be the host of European Swimming Championship next year on November.
What you should not miss on September: Chartres Light Show (of course!), Light festival, summer evening festival.
Filibus will be a useful transportation if travel inside Chartres and the smaller cities within the border.
Then you have Transbeauce and train lines if you wish to travel to near cities like Maintenon or Bonneval. Train line to Paris in every hour.
I've been living in Chartres since a couple of year ago and personally, for me Chartres remains a small city.
So ask me anything about Chartres if you want to know more.
Tourists come to Chartres firstly because of its cathedral (UNESCO World heritage). I think it would be the precious monument you'd love to visit. The you can visit Maison Picassiette, the old city and other monuments.
It has the biggest aquatic and rink complex in France and will be the host of European Swimming Championship next year on November.
What you should not miss on September: Chartres Light Show (of course!), Light festival, summer evening festival.
Filibus will be a useful transportation if travel inside Chartres and the smaller cities within the border.
Then you have Transbeauce and train lines if you wish to travel to near cities like Maintenon or Bonneval. Train line to Paris in every hour.
I've been living in Chartres since a couple of year ago and personally, for me Chartres remains a small city.
So ask me anything about Chartres if you want to know more.
Nov 29th, 2011, 12:59 PM
#50
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Thanks for your comments Feily. We much appreciate local contributions to this forum and look forward to other insights and advice you might share with us. I visited Chartres earlier this year and enjoyed the walk from the cathedral down along the river and back up through the old town.
Nov 30th, 2011, 08:06 AM
#53
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Feily,
Chartres is very beautiful, I have been there and seen the cathedral, but it is a little too large for where I would like to stay. Would you be able to recommend a town nearby that would fit my need(wants) by the train station and city center that has a few things to offer;;grocery store, bank, library, etc.
Chartres is very beautiful, I have been there and seen the cathedral, but it is a little too large for where I would like to stay. Would you be able to recommend a town nearby that would fit my need(wants) by the train station and city center that has a few things to offer;;grocery store, bank, library, etc.
Nov 30th, 2011, 03:32 PM
#54
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I already did recommend such a place, called Maintenon. Read the report about it here: http://tinyurl.com/33bksux
And in the same report you'll also discover Epernon and a really great town called Rambouillet. Sizeable grocery stores don't exist in small towns because there are not enough people to support them. People in small towns have to drive to larger towns to get to a grocery store. Small towns may have a library but don't expect to find a large or varied collection of books. If a small town has a museum (rare) it probably wouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes to examine its collection.
If there is anyone on this forum who has extensively explored the Île-de-France region within an hour's train ride in any direction from Paris it is me. I'm happy to help you and I've put a lot of effort into trying to assist you but if you don't check out some of my recommendations and consider some of the advice I and others have given or give me any feedback it makes me feel like I'm wasting my time.
And in the same report you'll also discover Epernon and a really great town called Rambouillet. Sizeable grocery stores don't exist in small towns because there are not enough people to support them. People in small towns have to drive to larger towns to get to a grocery store. Small towns may have a library but don't expect to find a large or varied collection of books. If a small town has a museum (rare) it probably wouldn't take more than 20-30 minutes to examine its collection.
If there is anyone on this forum who has extensively explored the Île-de-France region within an hour's train ride in any direction from Paris it is me. I'm happy to help you and I've put a lot of effort into trying to assist you but if you don't check out some of my recommendations and consider some of the advice I and others have given or give me any feedback it makes me feel like I'm wasting my time.
Nov 30th, 2011, 03:46 PM
#56
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I told you earlier I have been to Crécy-la-Chapelle and Coulommiers but I have not been to Mouroux and I doubt that anyone else has either. Crécy sounds to me like it is what you are looking for. It is charming, the train is very close to the downtown, it has a grocery store, an adequate supply of shops/cafés etc., a good market and it has some interesting history (art related) associated with it.
Nov 30th, 2011, 03:49 PM
#57
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And here's a link to a report you can read about Crécy-la-Chapelle.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...de_France.html
My own report about Crécy, Coulommiers and that general area will be done in a week or two and if you are interested I'll provide you with a link to it.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...de_France.html
My own report about Crécy, Coulommiers and that general area will be done in a week or two and if you are interested I'll provide you with a link to it.
Nov 30th, 2011, 06:51 PM
#58
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FMT - be assured that regardless of what learningfrench decides you haven't been wasting your time - your reports and the generosity of your advice have added another dimension to this forum and the threads to which you have contributed are a valuable resource to many I'm sure. (so, learningfrench - by all means please take your time deciding 
and let us know what you decide and how you get on)
and let us know what you decide and how you get on)
Dec 4th, 2011, 12:28 PM
#60
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Well, I think I have found a place! Carriers-sur-Seine. It is 25 min. from the train station, but right in the town. I will be using the town more than the train, and then I can take a bus or walk(25 min.) Now that I have made this decision, I can go back to studying my French!
Thank you all for your input, I really appreciated it. If I did not respond quickly, it is because I don't do Facebook or Twitter, and don't like being on the computer that much. FMT-your articles were interesting and I appreciate all the time you took to write to me.
thank you
Thank you all for your input, I really appreciated it. If I did not respond quickly, it is because I don't do Facebook or Twitter, and don't like being on the computer that much. FMT-your articles were interesting and I appreciate all the time you took to write to me.
thank you
