Category Archives: Paris sidetrips

Paris: Get out of town day trips

19 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by in Paris Day Trips, Paris sidetrips, Paris tips, Paris travel

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versaillSometimes it’s refreshing to break up hustle and bustle metropolis days with a break to the country. I’ve found some of the bus tours cheaper than hiring a guide, private car or taking the train. From my own experience, Paris City Vision has always delivered a first-class experience (and I’m not getting kickbacks), just my personal opinion. Here’s a rundown of the creme-de-la creme:

Versailles small group
$108
Half-Day Tour: Select either a morning or afternoon tour and depart from your Paris hotel bound for Versailles. Your host for the trip will give you recommendations about planning your Versailles visit and provide you with an audio guide for a tour of the palace and gardens.

Weekend visitors from April to October can see the famous fountain shows.

Versailles and Giverney
Guided $206 (all day)
• Skip the line ticket
• Entrance fees to the gardens
• Lunch with drinks

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Economy Versailles: RER from Paris:  A round trip ticket to Versailles by train costs 7,1€ per person. It takes less than 1-1/2 hours to get there. It’s the cheapest way to reach the chateau. Choose RER C; buy your tickets to Versailles-Château – Rive Gauche. The Palace of Versailles is only a 13-minute walk away from the train station. Be prepared to wait in line and spend all day wandering.

Chambord

Loire Valley Castles Day Trip  Chambord, Cheverny and Chenonceau.
Guided, all day $176. (such a deal)
Skip the line tickets, leave at 7:15 from a central Paris location. Guests traveling between November 1 and March 31 will receive a traditional lunch and drink.

Chateaux de Chambord, Chenonceau and Loire Valley Wine-Tasting Day Trip. $180
Wine-tasting at Nitray Vineyards
Eat a gourmet French lunch sourced from fresh, local ingredients

VauxVic

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Fontainebleau & Vaux le Vicomte. $75
Skip the line tickets
Full day excursion to Fontainebleau and Vaux le Vicomte châteaux from Paris by luxury coach. Explore the imperial château in the heart of the forest of Fontainebleau. Visit the stunning Vaux le Vicomte château that inspired Versailles. Audio guide tour of the châteaux and free time to explore the magnificent French-style formal gardens. Leave Paris 9:15

Happy tripping!

 

 

 

 

What do Madame de Sévigné, Victor Hugo, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, and Colette have in common?

03 Friday Feb 2017

Posted by in Paris photos, Paris sidetrips, Paris travel, Paris Walks, Paris Wandering

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vosges

Answer: they all lived here at Place Vosges, in my opinion, the prettiest square in Paris. It is ringed with 36 redbrick-and-stone houses—nine on each side, a salute to early urban planning. To love it is to know it’s history. Definitely a place to bring your sandwich (it’s okay to sit on the lawn), take in the sunshine and feel very far away from the traffic on nearby rue de Rivoli.

Four centuries ago this was the site of the Palais des Tournelles, home to King Henry II and Queen Catherine de Medici. The couple staged regular jousting tournaments, and Henry was fatally lanced in the eye during one of them in 1559. Catherine fled to the Louvre, abandoning her palace and ordered it destroyed. In 1612 the square became Place Royale on the occasion of Louis XIII’s engagement to Anne of Austria. Napoléon renamed it Place des Vosges to honor the northeast region of Vosges, the first in the country to pony up taxes to the Revolutionary government.

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Place des Vosges is structured around two pavilions, that of the Queen at the north part of the square, and that of the King at the south part both built deliberately higher. They are not open to the public; however, you can still visit the house of Victor Hugo, author of “Les Misérables”, which is now a municipal museum. It is free and open daily from 9am to 6pm every day except Monday. To preserve this unity, the place has been protected since the 1960s by the “plan for the preservation and enhancement of the Marais” and no intervention, especially on the façades, can be made without the architect’s agreement.

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Chic restaurants, boutiques and art galleries fill the arcade surrounding the park. A small private door, open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., will give you access to the garden of the stately Hotel de Sully, headquarters of the Center for National Monuments. Be sure to visit their well stocked bookstore. Unfortunately they don’t carry No Worries Paris, but you, of course, hopefully already purchased it before your trip to Paris. Place Vosges and all there is to do and see in the area starts on page 93 and is marked on the walking map.

NoWorriesParis_Christmas

Hungry?  Here are some recommended restaurants

Au Bourguignon Du Marais, 52 Rue François Miron, 75004. Regional dishes from Burgundy.

La Tartine, 24 Rue de Rivoli, 75004

Chez Janou, 2 Rue Roger Verlomme, 75003

Les Cotelettes, Cafe Martini, Cafe Hugo

Soldes (Sales), 6 weeks of them

19 Thursday Jan 2017

Posted by in Paris Fashion Week, Paris guide, Paris photos, Paris shopping, Paris sidetrips, Paris tips, Paris travel, Paris Walks, Paris Wandering

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Paris’s “Winter Sales” began on January 11 and continue through February 21. It’s not just department stores that are having them. The big fashion houses are also in on the discount extravaganza and there are bargains to be had.

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The discounts are deep, 50 to 70% on selected items. Get there when the doors open, when everything is neatly piled and lines less long at the cash register. Some designers have to limit the number of shoppers in their department store boutiques. You’ll always see a queue of just-off-the-jetters who go for the big brand names.

shopperschanel

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Values are waiting in the triangle d’or (Avenue Montaigne, Ave George V, and Rue Francois 1er),  where the finest Haute Couture shops in the world are located. The prestigious houses include: Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Ferragamo, Dolce e Gabbana, Max Mara, Christian LaCroix, Valentino, Prada, Ungaro, Joseph, Bonpoint, Jean Louis Scherrer, Gucci, Pucci, Loewe, Krizia, Bulgari, Calvin Klein, Nina Ricci, Ines de la Fressange, Donna Karan, Celine, Yves Saint Laurent (headquarters), Bulgari, S.F. Dupont, Porthault Linens, Caron, Hermes, Gianfranco Ferré, Givenchy,  Kenzo. Rochas, Courreges, and Balmain. Be prepared to have your purse searched before entering.

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Tired just reading the list? The Georges V (31, avenue George V) to the rescue with a time-out drink at Le Bar or light meal in the L’Orangerie restaurant. The staff are always gracious and welcoming; the flower arrangements will take your breath away. Sidenote: If you’re a guest, free flower arranging classes are offered by their world-renowned flower magician ($200 for non-guests); the staff offer guests  a special morning hour-long jog at 7:30 along the Seine, through the Tuileries (free, once a week), room rates start at $800 a night.

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At 50-70%, even the couture prices may well be beyond your means. Depot-vente (secondhand boutiques) present another choice. Dive into the piles for some amazing bargains all year round:

Mistigriff, 83-85, rue Saint-Charles  75015, https://www.mistigriff.fr 

Chercheminippes, 124 rue du Cherche-midi 75006, http://www.chercheminippes.com.

Didier Ludot,  24 Galerie Montpensier – Jardin du Palais Royal  75001     http://www.didierludot.fr

Kiliwatch, 64 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 http://www.kiliwatch.fr

No_Worries_Paris_ChicTrib

Piscine Molitor: Where the bikini was born

18 Sunday Dec 2016

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bathing

The Art Deco masterpiece Piscine Molitor was built in 1929 to resemble an ocean liner. Surrounding the pool were three levels of cabins with round windows resembling portholes. The indoor pool became an ice rink in the winter and the decks of the outdoor pool were lined with sand. You didn’t go there just to swim, you went to be seen.

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In 1946, the first modern bikini designed by Louis Réard was unveiled. The pool soon became a magnet for all things chic. Sunbathers would lounge among celebrities and starlets, stretched out in white deck chairs and very often topless.

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Ultimately it was referred to as “les Grands Établissements Balnéaires d’Auteuil” (the Great Seaside Establishment of Auteuil) and became the site of various sporting events. Olympian Johnny Weissmuller was one of the first lifeguards.

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By 1989, the pool was in decay and due to safety standards permanently boarded up by the city. Developers proposed to rebuild it as a hotel and parking lot. To the rescue,  a group of citizens founded the “SOS Molitor”.  They  successfully halted demolition and in 1990 the Molitor was listed in the inventory of the French Monuments Historiques program. Sadly, vandalism and poor maintenance took its toll after being protected by the government (see above).

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A new organization called Piscines Molitor was created to obtain funding for the rehabilitation of the site. In 2014, it reopened as a privately owned club adding a 124-room swanky hotel, spa and restaurant.  The clientele is still the same well-heeled crowd. A day pass will run you around $245 and annual membership fees are $4,500. For guests of the hotel, daily fees are, of course, gratuit.

Molitor, 8 Avenue de la Porte Molitor, 75016 Paris

Give a gift of Paris. . .

https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?asin=B00822LOKI&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_QVDvybA2GJME5

 

Paris: make your night magical

10 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Paris guide, Paris sidetrips, Paris tips, Paris Wanderings

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A quick fix to tired feet or general walking malaise can be had for a pittance. Bateaux Mouche prowl the Seine in style and if you don’t mind feeling like you’re on a cattle car smooshed together with a lot of other international tourists, get over it and buy a ticket.

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A ‘bateau mouche’ is a term used generically for such tourist boats on the Seine and does translate literally as “fly boats” (“fly” meaning the insect); however, the name comes from the fact that they were originally manufactured in boatyards situated in the Mouche area of Lyon.

Seine_tours_NoWorriesParis

Time your cruise:  Daytime cruises take about 1-1/2 hours.

High season (April to September)
10•15am – 11•00am – 11•30am – 12•15pm
1•00pm – 1•45pm – 2•30pm – 3•00pm
3•30pm – 4•00pm – 4•30pm – 5•00pm
5•30pm – 6•00pm – 6•30pm – 7•00pm

Low season (from October to March)
11•00am* – 12•00 – 1•00pm – 1•45pm
2•30pm* – 3•15pm – 4•00pm – 4•45pm – 5•30pm*
6•15pm – 7•00pm – 7•45pm – 8•30pm* – 9•20pm
Extra departures on weekends from 10:15am
A minimum of 50 passengers is required for the boat to leave the quay

Fares: It’s  best to go directly to their site. Lunch and dinner cruise prices can change. Click here: http://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en/tarifs.php  The company has nine general cruise boats and 6 restaurant boats.

Board here: Pont de l’Alma
75008 Paris
Metro: Alma – Marceau

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“Nighttime is probably the right time to be with the one you love” when you’re in Paris. The boats blast the banks with light and all the monuments look pretty sensational. Seasick prone? Not a problem, the super wide hulls are totally stable. Best seat, front row…but of course. Shimmery and golden as they glide the river, this boat ride is a nice time-out. Of course there are other boats that basically cruise the same route, but this one has been on the job since 1949. Experience counts.

Once you’re rested, refreshed and ready to hit the town, get back on track with No Worries Paris, best walking guide for the city of light.

Stitching together the very fabric of a Paris neighborhood

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by in Paris shopping, Paris sidetrips, Paris Wanderings

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evelyne

I’ve procrastinated long enough. Time to get back to my Paris blog, knowing for certain that my dear friends in town are rallying  back to their daily routines.

Taking you to the 10th makes me a little queasy, but I have a story to share. It takes you to a tiny atelier on rue des Vinagniers, number 49, where Evelyne Lohier “brodeur a Paris depuis 1923” creates one-of-kind embroidered pieces.

The official name of Evelyne’s shop is “Tete de Linotte.” Linotte in English is Linnet, a seed-eating European finch of the family Fringillidae, sometimes referred to as a house finch in the United States. “Linotte” is also a French idiom for birdbrain, featherhead, airhead, flibbertigibbet, pea brain, big goof. It wasn’t until that evening when I was looking at her business card that I fully got the play on words. However, I found Evelyne quite the opposite: commited, passionate, and focused.

embroidery

The shop is small. But step inside and you’ll find a room to converse and look at a wide array of fabric brooches, embroidered purses, gloves, scarves. A small metal industrial embroidery machine, once belonging to Evelyne’s grandmother, commands the corner along with bobbins of thread and fabric.

bobbinsEmbroideryParis

Passion for her craft fueled our two-hour conversation. We are on the floor as she pulled out sample after sample of various techniques. Elaborate tissue patterns two generations old, still with blue powdered pin tracks, were pulled out of large ancienne cardboard jackets.

frenchEmbroidery

A binder of her work for haute couture and ready-to-wear  demonstrated Eveylyne is not some artsy crafty hobbiest, but a seasoned artist who has carried on her craft professionally in a time-honored tradition.

embroiderypatternParis

She graciously was not in a hurry to get back to her work. She knew I would want a photo and quickly neatened up the work area. Her demonstration made it look easy. I looked at her hand as she guided the cloth to write the world “summer” with a sweet flower at the end of the “r” to jazz it up. Voila! The visit ended on a high note as she whisked me away to another artist two doors down who makes the beads she incorporates into her creations. More on that later.

embroideredglovesParis

Go to her website and check out the upcoming outdoor shows she shares with other artists. http://www.tetedelinotte/fr.com

Tête de Linotte
, 49 rue des vinaigriers,  
75010 Paris bobinedelinotte@gmail.com,  métro: Gare de l’Est / Jacques Bonsergent

 

Bringing the kids to Paris? Take a sidetrip to Disney

15 Sunday Mar 2015

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Disneyland Paris is located a short twenty miles east of the city. The resort covers 4,800 acres and encompasses two theme parks, several resort hotels, a shopping, dining, and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the original theme park of the complex which opened in 1992. Walt Disney Studios Park is the second park built in 2002 dedicated to show business, themed after movies, production, and behind-the-scenes.

All you need to know

For park hours, package deals, transportation and places to stay click here

For ticket prices and direct purchase click here

For advice and tips from Trip Advisor users click here

RER Paris to Disneyland Paris
A single one way ticket, a billet Ile-de-France, from central Paris to Disney costs 7,60€ (as of January, 2015). You can buy these tickets from any metro or RER station ticket window or from the automated ticket vending machines (using coins or smart-chip enabled credit cards) within stations. You can start your journey from any Metro / RER station within central Paris (Zone 1) using this one ticket and simply transfer to the RER A train line if you’re not already on it. You don’t need to buy a separate ticket just for the metro portion of your trip. The normal metro ticket t+ will not work for this trip since Marne la Vallée / Parc Disney is in Zone 5.