Going to France this weekend. Suggestions?

[RedWolf]

Hi Everyone,

I've recently discovered that I'm being sent to France for two weeks on business (flying out on Saturday night - March 13th). This will mean that I'll have an entire weekend to mysef for sight seeing etc.

I haven't had a lot of time to do much research but I've never been to Europe at ALL and would like to make the most of this all expense paid trip.

Besides the Eiffel tower does anybody have suggestions as to what I could see to amuse myself? (I'm probably not going to have a rental car so it's best if I can get there via public transportation). Oh yeah - I'm staying in Versailles.

As a Canadian of dutch descent the Normandy landings have great historical significance so I would love to get to Juno Beach but not sure if it'll be possible without a car. Does anybody know?

Thanks in advance! (Not sure if this is the proper forum for this kind of question but i figure it's "off topic" enough)

 

[Toasty]

Yeah, burn in Hell, you lucky bastard .

 

[naervod]

Hey,

France is a great country, and I love Paris. I think there is too much to see/do there to last more than a weekend, but my favorites from my trip were:
-Musee D'Orsay
-The Louvre and the Tuileries (sp?) Gardens
-Arc de Defense
-Arc d'Triomphe
-Just walking around town experiencing French culture is fun. If you can go to a creperie, crepes are excellent French cuisine.
-There are many gardens and such to walk through, and you can take a cruise on the Seine, that is always nice for a nighttime activity.

I have actually been to Juno Beach as well, and there is a nice little museum there. I think the best call would be to take the train to Caen (be sure to visit the museum there, it is excellent (I think it is like the Peace Museum or Peace Memorial, or something like that, it has a bunch of different flags in front of it). After taking a train to Caen, I would suggest renting a car and driving to the coast of Normandy, which is maybe an hour or an hour and a half from Caen. Also, if you can, visit the American cemetery at Omaha Beach, it is very moving.

Hope this helps,
Naervod

 

[stratego]

visit Marla-Singer

 

[Zarn]

I'm sure there are many castles, museums, and cathedrals throughout France to visit. Of course, it is best to wait for a French poster to 'arrive'.

 

[Serutan]

Some suggestions : (BTW, you couldn't begin to see much of
Paris over a weekend, let alone the rest of the country).

1. Chartres Cathedral. The train from Paris to Chartres goes
through Versailles, so that's no problem. Very impressive
inside and out.

2. The Louvre. In its way, its as staggering as the Grand Canyon.

3. Napoleon's Tomb (Les Invalides). Actually, I think his tomb is way
overboard; in the same building is the much simpler and more
moving (to me) tomb/memorial to Marshal Foch.

4. If the weather is good, just take the Metro to some point
near the city center and start walking.

 

[Achinz]

The Marais district is great for atmosphere

From Sacre Couer you get a beautiful vista of the city (the film "Amelie" has an amusing scene from that spot)

For books and the classic intellectual Parisian streetscape, walk along Boulevard St Germain.

By the Seine browse among the many stalls of old posters and prints and books and then have a contemplative wonder in Notre Dame Cathedral.

The Pompidou centre for modern art and a large art bookshop.

Montmartre for the theatre and musicals district eg the famous Moulin Rouge.

So many things to do - no time to be bored.

 

[Achinz]

As a postcript:

It's not widely known that you can get a wonderful free panoramic view of the inner city (almost 360 degrees) from the roof of the department store, Samaritaine. Here's a photo to whet your appetite:

 

[Ægir]

Get lost and go around randomly on the metro. I had some great fun doing that when I went to Paris last year. Though that plan might not work if you're traveling solo but it does afford you the chance to just kinda absorb the culture.

I remember there being nice little shops and restaurants in the Quatier Latin which you might want to check out. It's pretty lively there at night.

Watch out for hoverers (is that a word?) who hang around the more famous landmarks. By the Eiffel Tower there were all these peddlers who were selling little Eiffel Tower keychains. By Notre Dame there's a bunch of begging gypsies. And my least favorite of all were these guys who hang around La Basilique du Sacre Coeur who will grab your arm, tie a bracelet on your wrist, and then make you pay some ridiculous amount for it (I believe the guy who grabbed me wanted 10 euros for some friendship bracelet).

Despite any of this the city of Paris is one of the best places that I've ever visited. It's just so vibrant. I don't mean to discourage you with that stuff but rather to let you know what I saw when I was there so that you can have a heads up.

Eh, what do I know? I'm just a dumb kid.

 

[Pangur Bán]

Rheims is beautiful!

But you'd be better off just buying a Lonely Planet guide, and that's more likely to point you to what you want than us dudes.

 

[u-gene]

You're staying at Versailles and don't know how to amuse yourself? I wish I had that kind of problem.
The Marais quarter is worth walking around. There is a piece of the fortress wall remained from the XII century. The medieval atmosphere of Marais is really beatiful. You must see the Vosges square as well. Shame they destroyed Temple a while ago.

Notre-Dame is nice but beware pickpockets! On the same island the Dophin square is really charming. Saint-Chapelle and Conciergerie are also very impressive.

The Latin quarter is lovely. There are plenty of narrow medieval streets there. St. German des Pres, Pantheon, Sorbona, Cluny - I think you'll enjoy being there.

In short, there are too many places to visit in Paris not to mention its suburbs like Fontenblau (sp?), Chartres etc. The weekend will not be enough, trust me.

 

[Thorgrimm]

I would say go to Germany instead!



Cheers Thorgrimm

 

[Kinniken]

If you really have only a week-end, I would advise against leaving Paris. Visiting the Peace Memorial in Caen for exemple is certainly great, but it will take you the day (there is something like 3 hours of train between Paris and Caen). The D-Day beaches will take even longer, since you will need to take a countryside bus to them.
Since you are in Versailles, you absolutely must visit the Palace of Versailles. Take a guided tour of the inside, and do not forget to walk around the parc.

In Paris, there are all the classics... Depending on how much time you get there, you might not be able to see everything, but the biggest things to see are:
-The Eiffel Tower
-Notre Dame, especially if you have never seen a big cathedral. The Sainte Chapelle on the same island (L'Ile de la Cité, the historical heart of Paris) is also wonderful.
-Les Champs Elysées, with l'Arc de Triomphe at the end
-Le Louvre (it's Paris main art and historical museum, you might want to spend some time there. Among many other great paintings, it has da Vinci's la Joconde)

Obviously, those are only a very small number of the "must-see", and there are plenty more I should add, but in a week-end this should already keep you busy

 

[Achinz]

Originally posted by calgacus
But you'd be better off just buying a Lonely Planet guide, and that's more likely to point you to what you want than us dudes.

Speak for yourself

Some of us have first hand experience of visiting Paris and France more than once FYI and we know there're resident Frenchies here. He says he has no time for research and I'd say he's got some useful handon info already and the local Frenchies haven't even begun to make their presence felt

Edit: one Kinniken just modified my last point a bit

 

[RedWolf]

Hi again,

Thanks for all the wonderfull suggestions. I do realize that a weekend isn't nearly enough to see everything worth seeing but when it's all free I can hardly complain.

As for renting a car - I probably won't be renting a car. I'm a little apprehensive about driving in an unknown country and I'd rather just avoid that generally. As well I can't drive an standard transmission and don't figure I'll be able to rent a automatic.

Anyway keep them coming - I don't fly out until saturday afternoon (the 13th).

Oh yeah - one more thing. Can i easily get from Versailles to Paris via train/subway?

Thanks again!

 

[Kinniken]

Sure, Versailles is not linked to the subway/RER network but you will be able to take the train from Versailles to Paris Monparnasse, which is part of the subway network.
You can get info on timetables on http://idf.sncf.fr/GB/default.htm (in English). The journey last about 25 minutes.

 

[MrPresident]

A cafe with a view of the Effiel Tower and a couple of hours of free time.

 

[Achinz]

Paris is quite a safe city. But a bit a preparedness never goes astray. In addition to Ægir's tips, I'd like to add some from first hand observation (friends' bad luck).

Be careful going into the toilets of railway stations. There's a ploy where a group of young people block your path into the entrance and while you're distracted pick your pocket. It's happened at the Gare du Nord. So never have your wallet in your pockets and be aware of the classic block and distract tactics.

Also can happen in the Metro platforms although the gendarmes do patrol for professional pickpockets working as a team.

Repeat: Just a precautionary note - You'll definitely enjoy Paris.

 

[Marla_Singer]

Welcome in France mon ami !

Will you be alone in Paris ? If you tell me when your plane is arriving and at which terminal I could meet you there ! Well that's up to you, maybe you like better to be alone.

I agree with Kinniken. There are many things to visit in Normandy but you won't have the time needed unfortunately. You should stay in Paris. I'm sorry.

Versailles is a must see. The city is beautiful and the palace is outstanding, you just can't go there without visiting it. The only bad thing about Versailles is that the RER C is an awful line which means you'll spend some times to wait for the train.

Anyway, you should spend most of your time in Paris itself. Many posters already told you what to do there. I would be glad to take you by car to your place in Versailles so that we could talk about it together, feel free to send me a private message, that's up to you.

 

[Marla_Singer]

Originally posted by Kinniken
Sure, Versailles is not linked to the subway/RER network but you will be able to take the train from Versailles to Paris Monparnasse, which is part of the subway network.
You can get info on timetables on http://idf.sncf.fr/GB/default.htm (in English). The journey last about 25 minutes.

What are you saying ? The RER C is at less than 10 minutes by foot from the Palace of Versailles... well it's true that the RER C isn't "truely" an RER since it's a bit a shame to call it "express".... but anyway, that's still possible.