visiting FRANCE

[PINOY_E90]

i want to visit France (Paris) for 1 week with my wife for our anniversary... aside from paris, what other cities can we visit in France or maybe another country close enough to visit for 1 or 2 days via train... fyi... we're never been to Europe... thanks

[SchlauCow]

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france

France is nice, but be prepared for some cunty attitudes in the bigger cities... my empirical evidence for this is via observation and spending some time there. There are many smaller cities who are very appreciative and humble due to our involvement in WWII -- there are even American graveyards and historical monuments you can check out (Cantigny comes to mind).

Also, give Nice a try.

Other countries, that's easy -- Go visit Amsterdam, and roll over to Germany and at least try some of that good beer.

Europe is amazing, and once you're in Germany, you'll be amazed how wonderful and respectful their drivers are... can't say the same about Americans.

Have fun.

[pmeloche]

You could spend six months in France and it would still not be enough. But for a week in Paris and then a day or two outside Paris I would suggest either Normandy or the city of Bordeaux. Paris will be deserted in July and August so you should have a good time.

Good luck.

[matthewk]

Originally Posted by pmeloche

You could spend six months in France and it would still not be enough. But for a week in Paris and then a day or two outside Paris I would suggest either Normandy or the city of Bordeaux. Paris will be deserted in July and August so you should have a good time.

Good luck.

Absolutely go to Bordeaux.... While in Paris - these are the typical things that I think first timers should do

Laduree (macaroons)
Guy Savoy (one of the best meals of your life)
Orsay (Museum)
Louvre (Museum)
Galeries Lafayette (Shopping)
Food Store at the Le Bon Marché
Cafe de Flor (if you're into coffee, get the days special eclair, go in the evening and sit outside to people watch)
Walk down Avenue des Champs-Élysées
Take the boat tour down the Seine River
Eiffel Tower (the lines here are maddening, make a reservation for dinner and take the private elevator)
Climb all the steps to the Sacre Coeur

I could go on and on about Paris, not one of my favorite places, but somewhere everyone should go. The above poster is right, you could spend six months there and not see all of it, it's like New York that way..

Do you have a hotel picked yet. I would recommend the Hilton Arc De Triomphe. I typically only stay at SPG properties, but got stuck at that Hilton once and found it VERY reasonable and it's a really nice hotel..

[Joekerr]

+1 on Germany - I did a driving vacation when I was working in Amsterdam to Germany, then Luxembourg, then Paris, then to Belgium, and back to Amsterdam.

Paris was just ok. Belgium I had higher expectations for and maybe it was just because it was last on the trip I didn't appreciate it as much...not sure. But Germany was excellent (stayed in Stuttgart so south Germany), and honestly, Luxembourg was pretty good too. Would recommend both.

[dziqsek]

When being in France i would hit straight to Monaco... Trust me worth to be there at least for 1-2 days.

Belgium and Germany not so interesting to see , but Holland, Dennmark , Spain , Greece Itali and Portugal is worth to see..

And yes one week in Europe is def. not enought !

[Patrick303]

Nice is beautiful as well. Beautiful beaches, nice restaurants, and exotic hotels on the waterfront.

[DMan11389]

I just went to Nice and Monaco last week and had a great time. We spent a smaller portion of our trip there and drove to Florence, Tuscany and Rome for the rest.

Nice and Monaco are beautiful. The beaches are very nice, but be prepared that there's no sand, only rocks, which hurt like hell to walk on. There's tons of great food and it plenty of quaint little shops and streets to walk. If you consider going, we stayed at the Hotel Elysee Palace. I'd give it a B+. It was very nice, but a little pricey for what you get (although that's the norm for Europe).

And yes, be prepared for some shitty attitudes, even in the smaller cities, unless you speak perfect French.

[dziqsek]

http://thundafunda.com/33/World-tour...20pictures.jpg

Heading to Monaco prepare yourself for seeing the most expensive cars like Murcielagos, Veyrons, Zondas, Ferraris , Maybachs etc at every street, they are as common as ford focus in US ;0 And yes prepare for really high prices that are very vommon on west-south europe.

If you are Jewish I can recommend you visit Auschitz-Birkenau in Poland, not a perfect place to be but historical things there are fenomenal... Im visited it every year since 2005 and everytime im discovering another great piece of history and im not jewish.

[PINOY_E90]

Thank you guys for great info on places and hotels. We will visit south of france then, maaybe 2 days. Keep them coming