SemiMike

I've celebrated twice in the city - including once right on the parade route, and once slightly off one of the bridges after the review stand. I now wonder if there is a different experience nearby, in a smaller city. I'd like it easily reachable by RER, so I'm thinking maybe Versailles or St. Germain-en-Laye. Any experiences or advice here? Thanks.

kerouac

One of the most important things to know is that since Paris obviously dominates the region and always does its principal festivities on the 14th, quite a few of the suburban towns do their fireworks and related festivities on the evening of the 13th, especially when July 14th falls in the middle of the week, as it does this year. People like to go wild when they don't have to go to work the next day, and a lot of people will have to go to work on Thursday July 15th.

TDudette

One of the most important things to know is that since Paris obviously dominates the region and always does its principal festivities on the 14th, quite a few of the suburban towns do their fireworks and related festivities on the evening of the 13th, especially when July 14th falls in the middle of the week, as it does this year. People like to go wild when they don't have to go to work the next day, and a lot of people will have to go to work on Thursday July 15th

kerouac, your reply was covered with the ad gray box so I copied/pasted here to read it. Would Nice be too large a city for your criteria, SemiMike?

SemiMike

TDudette, not too big, but too far away - looking for something for an easy day trip from Paris.

Christina

I'ts just like in the US for our national holiday. I live in DC metro area, so since they do theirs 7/4, a lot of surrounding towns do theirs 7/13 or something. The experience is about what you'd expect. Smaller towns never have as grand a display as the national one. So of course it will be a different experience than Paris, how could it not be.

And forget parades, of course. The national parade is simply magnificent, you are never going to find anything remotely like that (anywhere, I'd say). This is a national holiday, after all, it's not just for fun floats or stuff like they do in the US. Which is why it is a military parade.

Nice is not a smaller city and not nearby. I was there when they had that terrorism event on national day, no thanks.

If you do want a bigger city farther away, I've been in Marseille for their fireworks/natl day and that was super great as they do it right at the inner port and it was nothing like the madhouse in Paris, actually. Of course I had a hotel only a few blocks away so I could easily walk down to it but it wasn't claustrophobic or anything.

St Germain en Laye does have them, though, 7/13.

I'll admit I don't know what ad gray boxes people are always talking about, I've never seen a single one of them when I look at or write on Fodors. There is no box on kerouac's post on my computer.

kerouac

I suppose it should be mentioned that the military parade in Paris is back on this year, after being cancelled last year. Best seen on television.

lavandula

When we were in Rennes for July 14 a couple of years ago I found out that in that city they typically don't celebrate Bastille Day much because they didn't agree with the politics of the original day ... and indeed many shops were open and there wasn't much happening. So if you are thinking about celebrating Bastille Day in a regional city or town it might be worth finding out about the local attitude. And similarly ... if anyone can expand on this I would be very interested. It didn't spoil our time there but I had never thought that feelings over Bastille Day would run so deep or still be relevant!

Lavandula

schnauzer

We were in Lyon years ago, all revved up.. nothing but a few fireworks late at night. Quelle disappointment!

bilboburgler

how many hours away?

SemiMike

bilboburger, something close for an easy day trip, so reachable by RER preferred. I am just wondering if there is a non-major-city experience which might be interesting in its own way.

kerouac

A number of cities have already announced the cancellation of their fireworks, generally due to viewing areas that cannot be enclosed and checked for covid protocols, which is required for any group in excess of 1000 people even though a lot of the other restrictions were loosened as of today. Big groups are still considered to be potential clusters to be avoided at all costs.

billandcindy

On July 14 in 2017, the year Trump attended the parade in Paris, we went to the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, a bit west of Paris (via Metro), and the nearby Mémorial de L'Escadrille La Fayette -- the latter celebrates the contribution of American pilots who died fighting for France at the beginning of WWI. But, you could also go to any of the many places discussed in Annabel Simms's 2 books, An Hour from Paris and Half an Hour from Paris. We are particularly fond of Sceaux, just south of Paris (via RER B), especially the gardens and museum in the Parc de Sceaux, which we have visited several times. St. Germain-en-Laye, which you mentioned, did not grab us, though the castle there is huge and the view of Paris from its grounds is interesting.

bilboburgler

try Meaux, Sceaux, Senlis, Chartres, Provins all pretty in their own way and on the RER