Which day trip from Paris in August: Chartres or Reims?
Jun 10th, 2013, 08:39 AM
#22
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,858
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
YOu don't really see the countryside in either case, at least not much, definitely not going to Chartres.
I would prefer Reims. I don't like champagne at all, either, there are tons of other things to see in Reimes than that, much more than in Chartres. Depends what you want, do you want to see things (like museums, etc) or just wander around.
I would prefer Reims. I don't like champagne at all, either, there are tons of other things to see in Reimes than that, much more than in Chartres. Depends what you want, do you want to see things (like museums, etc) or just wander around.
Jun 10th, 2013, 08:58 AM
#23
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
toneyks: well, surely you must know about Jeanne d'Arc and all the history surrounding her in Rouen, the burning at the stake, etc., so there is that and the famous rue de l'horloge and the lovely pedestrian area of the city and the many fine restaurants. I'm not so familiar with Dijon, having only passed through a couple of times, but it does seem to encapsulate the whole Burgundian experience.
Jun 10th, 2013, 09:13 AM
#24
What to do in Rouen:
- Place du Vieux March - Old market square w/ covered produce market, a park commemorating Joan d'Arc's burning, and a modern church named after her, tall aluminum cross marking spot where she was burned
- Cathedral of Notre Dame - Monet paintings, a landmark of art history. Classic Gothic, Highest sphire in all of France. The first flight of the famous Escalier de la Librairie (Library Stairway), attributed to Guillaume Pontifs (also responsible for most of the 15th-century work seen in the cathedral), rises from a tiny balcony just to the left of the transept. Richard the Lionheart tomb - here or St. Maclou?
- Rue St. Romain - Has half-timbered buildings and lanes worth a look. Look thru an arch back at the Cathedral's spire
- #26 - fayencerie Augy - see clay 'china' being made the traditional way.
- St. Maclou - Gothic church built in 1200, beautiful square, 1/2 timbered houses. Pretty interior worth a look.
- Aitre- St Maclou - Ossuary for plague victims in 1348. Look for the mummified cat in the corner window.
- Abbatiale St. Ouen - cathedral, gardens, and abbey. The Church of St-Ouen is larger than Rouen Cathedral and has much less exterior decoration, so the vast Gothic proportions and purity of its lines make an immediate impact on the viewer.
Flanked by four turrets, the 115m (375-ft.) octagonal lantern tower of St. Ouen Church has been dubbed "the ducal crown of Normandy." The stained glass windows, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, are the most spectacular features of the spare interior. The 19th-century pipe organ is among the finest in France. The Benedictine Abbaye St-Ouen was founded in the 7th century, but the present church is mostly late Gothic. The nave of the abbey church dates from the 15th century, its choir from the 14th (with 18th-century railings), and its stained glass from the 14th to the 16th centuries. It was to St. Ouen's cemetery that Joan of Arc was taken on May 23, 1431, and sentenced to be burned at the stake unless she recanted. She signed an abjuration, condemning herself to life imprisonment, but that sentence was later revoked.
- Old Quarter - Timbered houses
- Old Clock (Gros Horloge) -circa 1528 Renaissance clock
Can tour inside, 100 steps, panorama view over Rouen including Cathedral. Tour several rooms w/ audioguide. Bell rings on the hour - deafening if you’re in the tower!
- Palais de Justice - Flamboyantly Gothic building, once home of Parliament. Pockmarks on side are from bombings during the Normandy invasion. Look for English plaques on the iron fence for info.
- Modern chuch honoring St. Joan d'Arc - Across from where she was burned at the stake in 1431
- Museum of Fine Arts - Caravaggio, Rubens, Monet's Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Joan of Arc Church (Eglise Jeanne-d'Arc)
- Joan of Arc Museum
- Le Tour Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc Tower)- From 1204, part of castle, was Joan's prison before her death
- Ceramic museum -Rouen's famous earthenware, no english translations
My favorite restaurant was La Couronne (1345 House).
- Place du Vieux March - Old market square w/ covered produce market, a park commemorating Joan d'Arc's burning, and a modern church named after her, tall aluminum cross marking spot where she was burned
- Cathedral of Notre Dame - Monet paintings, a landmark of art history. Classic Gothic, Highest sphire in all of France. The first flight of the famous Escalier de la Librairie (Library Stairway), attributed to Guillaume Pontifs (also responsible for most of the 15th-century work seen in the cathedral), rises from a tiny balcony just to the left of the transept. Richard the Lionheart tomb - here or St. Maclou?
- Rue St. Romain - Has half-timbered buildings and lanes worth a look. Look thru an arch back at the Cathedral's spire
- #26 - fayencerie Augy - see clay 'china' being made the traditional way.
- St. Maclou - Gothic church built in 1200, beautiful square, 1/2 timbered houses. Pretty interior worth a look.
- Aitre- St Maclou - Ossuary for plague victims in 1348. Look for the mummified cat in the corner window.
- Abbatiale St. Ouen - cathedral, gardens, and abbey. The Church of St-Ouen is larger than Rouen Cathedral and has much less exterior decoration, so the vast Gothic proportions and purity of its lines make an immediate impact on the viewer.
Flanked by four turrets, the 115m (375-ft.) octagonal lantern tower of St. Ouen Church has been dubbed "the ducal crown of Normandy." The stained glass windows, dating from the 14th to 16th centuries, are the most spectacular features of the spare interior. The 19th-century pipe organ is among the finest in France. The Benedictine Abbaye St-Ouen was founded in the 7th century, but the present church is mostly late Gothic. The nave of the abbey church dates from the 15th century, its choir from the 14th (with 18th-century railings), and its stained glass from the 14th to the 16th centuries. It was to St. Ouen's cemetery that Joan of Arc was taken on May 23, 1431, and sentenced to be burned at the stake unless she recanted. She signed an abjuration, condemning herself to life imprisonment, but that sentence was later revoked.
- Old Quarter - Timbered houses
- Old Clock (Gros Horloge) -circa 1528 Renaissance clock
Can tour inside, 100 steps, panorama view over Rouen including Cathedral. Tour several rooms w/ audioguide. Bell rings on the hour - deafening if you’re in the tower!
- Palais de Justice - Flamboyantly Gothic building, once home of Parliament. Pockmarks on side are from bombings during the Normandy invasion. Look for English plaques on the iron fence for info.
- Modern chuch honoring St. Joan d'Arc - Across from where she was burned at the stake in 1431
- Museum of Fine Arts - Caravaggio, Rubens, Monet's Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Joan of Arc Church (Eglise Jeanne-d'Arc)
- Joan of Arc Museum
- Le Tour Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc Tower)- From 1204, part of castle, was Joan's prison before her death
- Ceramic museum -Rouen's famous earthenware, no english translations
My favorite restaurant was La Couronne (1345 House).
Jun 10th, 2013, 09:14 AM
#25
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rouen is by far not one of France's most romantic cities and has a paucity of things the average tourist is interested in - besides the famous cathedral that Monet put on canvass so so many times in all types of light - the facade that is - but it is a rather ordinary French regional town - OK not bad but you'll be much more pleased with either Chartres or Reims than Rouen IMO.
Jun 10th, 2013, 12:18 PM
#27
What to do in Reims:
- Champagne Houses
- Reims Cathedral (Notre Dame) - 26 Kings were coronated here, Chagall stained glass windows
- St. Remi of Reims Basilica and adjacent abbey
- Tau Palace (Palais du Tau) - former Archbishop’s Palace houses artifacts from the cathedral..little English info
- Musee de la Reddition (Surrender Museum) - Eisenhower's headqtrs, where Germans signed document of surrender in 1945. WWII artifacts
- Porte de Mars (Roman gate) - remains of 2nd C. Roman gateway to the city
- Pedestrian zone
- Bibliotheque Carnegie (Carnegie Library) - Beautiful Art Deco building houses public library, worth a quick look. Mosaics, onyx-laden entrance hall, and Jacque Simon chandelier, peek in the reading room door to admire the stained-glass windows. Gorgeous wood-paneled card-catalogue room
- Art Deco on Place Drouet d'Erion - long, street-like square marking the commercial center of town. Square's centerpiece is fountain w/ a winged figure of victory at top, celebrates the major rivers of the district.
- Champagne Houses
- Reims Cathedral (Notre Dame) - 26 Kings were coronated here, Chagall stained glass windows
- St. Remi of Reims Basilica and adjacent abbey
- Tau Palace (Palais du Tau) - former Archbishop’s Palace houses artifacts from the cathedral..little English info
- Musee de la Reddition (Surrender Museum) - Eisenhower's headqtrs, where Germans signed document of surrender in 1945. WWII artifacts
- Porte de Mars (Roman gate) - remains of 2nd C. Roman gateway to the city
- Pedestrian zone
- Bibliotheque Carnegie (Carnegie Library) - Beautiful Art Deco building houses public library, worth a quick look. Mosaics, onyx-laden entrance hall, and Jacque Simon chandelier, peek in the reading room door to admire the stained-glass windows. Gorgeous wood-paneled card-catalogue room
- Art Deco on Place Drouet d'Erion - long, street-like square marking the commercial center of town. Square's centerpiece is fountain w/ a winged figure of victory at top, celebrates the major rivers of the district.
Jun 10th, 2013, 12:36 PM
#29
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That would be world's first airplane race - Bleriot edging out a Yank.
http://www.airspacemag.com/history-o...e-of-1910.html
http://www.airspacemag.com/history-o...e-of-1910.html
Jun 10th, 2013, 08:49 PM
#30
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I visited both Chartres and Rouen on my last trip. I liked Rouen, but I loved Chartres. The cathedral there is one of my favorite things I have ever toured. Although the climb to the top is a little treacherous due to a lack of rails, the views up there are just spectacular. The exterior of the cathedral is just amazing and I loved how the back has a medieval castle feel to it. The back terrace is also very special with great views. My wife and I enjoyed sitting there and talking for quite some time and it was very peaceful. Like another poster said, I also loved the areas around the canal and all of the windy streets in the old town. Chartres is my favorite day trip I have taken from Paris. And if you do go, make sure you bring or rent binoculars to examine the stained glass. They will really enhance your experience. I haven't been to Reims yet.
Jun 10th, 2013, 09:57 PM
#31
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 653
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
toneyks--
Rouen has been effectively addressed by others. Currently they are holding their every-five-years Armada, when ships from many countries sail up the Seine for a week-long naval festival. Their Beaux Arts museum has a special exhibition of 100 impressionist paintings related to reflections and water.
Dijon has a structured walk--owl symbols embedded in the sidewalks--and is a very beautiful city, with little damage to historic buildings from WW2. It's distinctive pain d'épice is a special treat.
We visited them on two separate trips to Paris after we had already been to Chartres, Giverny, Versailles, Reims, etc.
There are detailed descriptions of the history and tourism opportunities for all of those cities and more available on the Internet.
Rouen has been effectively addressed by others. Currently they are holding their every-five-years Armada, when ships from many countries sail up the Seine for a week-long naval festival. Their Beaux Arts museum has a special exhibition of 100 impressionist paintings related to reflections and water.
Dijon has a structured walk--owl symbols embedded in the sidewalks--and is a very beautiful city, with little damage to historic buildings from WW2. It's distinctive pain d'épice is a special treat.
We visited them on two separate trips to Paris after we had already been to Chartres, Giverny, Versailles, Reims, etc.
There are detailed descriptions of the history and tourism opportunities for all of those cities and more available on the Internet.
Jun 11th, 2013, 07:26 AM
#33
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,552
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just to throw fuel on the fire, you can look at the thread below for info about many of the most popular days trips from Paris. Keep in mind that train tickets for any place accessed by a TGV train, and even some Intercités trains, will be cheapest if bought up to 3 months in advance. The thread below will cover those places not accessed by TGV where train ticket prices are fixed, and cheapest:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#45081076
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic....html#45081076
Jun 12th, 2013, 09:06 PM
#35
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,556
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
@FMT : Well done ! (...and thank you. I've saved the list for myself too, lol)
@toneyks : If you need any help with options for your day trip, FMT is an amazing and trustworthy resource. Look him up via google (or click on his name for his web addy way down at the end of the page that comes up).
@toneyks : If you need any help with options for your day trip, FMT is an amazing and trustworthy resource. Look him up via google (or click on his name for his web addy way down at the end of the page that comes up).
