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Unique excursion/experience in Paris
Hello,
My husband and I are going to Paris in February 2014. I am trying to figure out a unique experience or excursion that I can give my husband for Christmas. He is very into wine, good food, and history. Any ideas would be great. I don't really have a budget at this point & am open to anything. Thanks! |
These suggestions are not unique but may be of interest.
Give him a walking tour that includes some food markets where you can shop and taste. Context private tour or one of the free tours given by locals. Choose an area that is away from the tourist path. Eiffel Tour back stage tour. Tour of the market that moved from Les Halles (can't remember the name but it's now outside Paris). Cooking class where you shop, cook, and eat. |
Arrange for a private picnic in one of the more secluded areas of the catacombs.
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O Chateau has several interesting tastings, meals, etc.
A day trip to Reims with appointments at a few champagne houses would be nice and quite easy to do on your own. |
Cooking class with Catherine Reed could be enjoyed by both. They are fun and hers are presently said to be well thought of.
If to Reims..maybe stay overnight..a great hotel town center and a nearby lovely dining spot we did last winter. Easy train. I will aalso be in Paris end of Jan to end of March..never know what the weather might be..but makes no real difference! a bientot... Joan |
It isn't a huge event, but an evening concert at St. Chapelle is magical.
Dinner at Jules Verne was our once in a life time dining experience. You could do lunch , costs less but you miss the evening views. |
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...05551756622730
http://www.springparis.fr/restaurant/ How about a romantic dinner in old cellars far below the Louvre - at this famous Daniel Spring restaurant from the famous Chicago chef. |
How about a guided Food Tour?
Google "food tour" for some suggestions. ((I)) |
Have you been to Paris before?
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http://www.eiffeltowerrestaurant.com/
Dinner at the Eiffel Tower restaurant high above Paris at night? |
YOu cannot have a "picnic" in the undergroudn, wet tunnels of the catacombs, but I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to do that.
The food market outside Paris that replaced Les Halles is Rungis and you can order special tours of that, that would be a good idea if this person is actually interested in cooking, not just eating. Here is info on that and possible tours http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/10...france-marche/ There are various specialized tours you can find that different operators do, such as bakeries, food shops, restaurants, chocolatiers, etc. Here are some http://www.contexttravel.com/city/pa...-walking-tours |
<i>YOu cannot have a "picnic" in the undergroudn, wet tunnels of the catacombs, but I can't imagine why anyone in their right mind would want to do that.</i>
Why not? Find someone who offers Urbex tours and have them arrange it. As for why to do it? Because it's a <b>UNIQUE EXCURSION/EXPERIENCE</b>? |
Thank you all for your responses. These are all great ideas. Yes, I have been to Paris before, but my husband has not.
Have any of you had good experiences with day tours to Champagne? |
Hi Sparkchaser
Could you let me know the website of Urbex Tours? They sound interesting! |
TPaxe, that's not the kind of thing that gets publicly advertised.
Send me an email: [email protected] |
OK, sent you a message!
Also fun thing to do is biking around the Rue de Bretagne area and then over to the Canal St Martin. |
We've gone to Reims on our own. We took an early morning train, walked to the cathedral from the train station and pent quite a bit of time looking at the cathedral and all of the exhibits in it, walked around town, caught a taxi to Le Crayeres for lunch then taxied to Ruinart for a tour of the caves and a tasting. We could have fit another champagne house visit into our schedule. We took the train back to Paris.
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We did a private chocolate walking tour. Was wonderful and very tasty!
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Lunch at La Maison Fournaise on the Ile des Impressionistes.
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The only thing I would look into is whether what you want to do in Champagne is open on the day you would like to go. When I looked into it for another off season trip it seemed like many cellars, etc. were open for visiting only on weekends.
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I believe that O Chateau offers a Champagne day trip. You might also check out David Liebovitz and his calendar for food tastings, etc...also, check Paris by Mouth for their wine tours, etc...
Maybe a private tour of Opera Garnier? |
A friend and I went to Reims on our own this summer, and really enjoyed it. Be sure to check in advance to see what days/times the tours are. Ruinart was closed the entire time we were in Paris, so that wasn't an option for us. We took an early morning train and then took the bus to Taittinger. That afternoon we went to Lanson and took the light rail back to the train station. We visited the cathedral and ate lunch in between. I've copied below an email that I got from a friend who organizes wine tours in France.
The easiest wine-related day trip from Paris is to Champagne, which is less than an hour away by fast TGV train. The Champagne houses are large and well-equipped for visitors, and the visits are impressive. Some of the interesting Champagne houses like Moet et Chandon are in the town of Epernay, but the train goes to Reims, so it makes more sense to visit the firms that are in Reims if you don’t have a car. The cathedral in Reims is large and quite historic, worthy of a visit. After you do the cathedral and a Champagne house or two, the only other attraction that I find compelling is the Musée de la Reddition, which was Eisenhower’s HQ at the end of WWII, and it’s where the Germans surrendered to Eisenhower. In terms of choosing which Champagne tour(s) to try in Reims, the splashiest promotion that lures a lot of people is to Pommery, but I would skip that one – it’s very commercialized. Ruinart is a good tour – it’s the oldest one. Taittinger is good. And visiting Lanson can be special – it’s smaller, and on many days you can go into the production areas and watch the bottling machinery operating up close, which very few houses let you see. However the production side is not open to visits every day, so it pays to check with them for the day you want to go. You could combine a Champagne trip with a visit to the World War I battle sites near Verdun about 70 miles east of Reims. You’d need a car to get there, though. The history of trench warfare is grim but interesting. |
Lunch or Dinner at Taillevent. Will set you back $$$$$$ and will need to bring a coat and tie but food that is incredible only match by the service. It is classic traditional 3* (now only 2*) french meal. We go there every time we are in Paris. a real treat. Need to make reservations before you arrive in Paris (the hotel can help) or on line. Here is the link.
http://www.taillevent.com/ |
Bookmarking . . .
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If you do have a car and don't mind being a designated driver to Epernay, you will find a lot of smaller family-run Champagne wineries, and that can be a great experience of its own.
The big champagne houses are really quite magnificent (G.H.Mumm, Moet Chandon at Reims, Mercier at Epernay) - walking through long underground caverns filled with bottles, hearing the explanations about Champagne production, and, of course, the tastings - is quite an experience. Have fun! |
Trains run frequently with a designated driver to both Reims and Epernay.
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That comment made me chuckle, Pal! Well said!
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We've enjoyed several tours of Champagne houses. I think that one only needs to tour the caves only once if it is a day trip. You can visit a second or third for tastings but most of the cave tours are similar. I liked the art in Pommery.
We've been there with a car and without. I actually liked not having a car better and using taxis once in Reims....less worry about how much champagne the driver is tasting |
I would love to know a little more about the suggestion of lunch at La Maison Fournaise, I looked it up and it sounds like a really nice thing to do, how would you get there? Is it an area you would have a pleasant walk around then enjoy lunch at the restaurant?
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If he likes history consider one of Context Travel's walking tour. They have an incredible variety and use very well qualified guides, often graduate students or academics.
They will run any of them as a private tour. There's everything from food to wine, to architecture and history. http://www.contexttravel.com/city/pa...-walking-tours |
Maudie - To get to Maison La Maison Fournaise you take RER A to Chatou-Croissy and then walk less than a kilometer to the restaurant. Look at google maps and you'll get the instructions to walk between the two. If you're going out there I would make a day trip out of it and visit the Château de Malmaison (where the Empress Josephine lived) in the adjacent town of Rueil-Malmaison and combine it with a lunch at La Maison Fournaise. The old downtown of Rueil-Malmaison is worth a visit as well. Look at the tourist office website for Rueil-Malmaison for the logistics of getting there and getting around as well as what to see and do. Stop at the tourist office when you arrive and they'll answer all your questions and help you plan your day.
http://www.rueil-tourisme.com/EN/ You can also look at this thread which discusses getting to Rueil-Malmaison and dining at La Maison Fournaise: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...de_France.html |
Many thanks FrenchMystique, sounds like it could be an interesting excursion, though the restaurant gets some pretty brutal comments for its food. I will check out the information you have provided. Much appreciated.
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I have eaten at La Maison Fournaise several times. I wouldn't call myself a gourmand like some on this forum, but I do like good food and have never had a bad meal there. It's really just ordinary, good bistro-type food, much of it very palatable. If you're a Michelin restaurant addict, I suppose you'd scoff at it, but it's no worse than you'd get at some famous Paris haunts like La Coupole. Anyway, it's the setting that makes it special. I don't think anyone should go there expecting haute cuisine.
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We too just like good food, certainly not gourmands! Just mum and pop type places. It sounds like it might be a lovely days outing. DH wanted to go back to Monets Garden but this might be just perfect.
Thanks for your replies. |
There would be virtually nothing to see in Giverny in February, except for Monet's house of course.
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See the house from the outside of course as the house is only open Mar 29 - Nov 1 this year according to the official site.
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Make a reservation at the Pre Catalan restaurant in the Bois de Boulougne. Go for lunch. It's a lot cheaper than dinner would be.
See my piece on my lunch there in 2001 if you want to read about my experience. I guarantee that is unlikely that my experience will ever be repeated by anyone: http://altecockertravels.weebly.com/...-in-paris.html |
Maybe a half day Michael Osman walking tour (February can't be too busy), plus he could give some ideas.
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What an experience, lauren! You were truly blessed; thanks for sharing it with us all, Di
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