Travel Destinations
sightseeing destinations in Paris, around Paris, outside France, within France
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Sightseeing Using Trains in Île-de-France
Exploring nature, art or history in the Greater Paris area just got easier. The simple search words “impressionists transilien and bike” in a search engine, points directly to the correct and simple-to-use new page “Sightseeing with Transilien . While searching transportation information on the Chantilly Racecourse, I found an interesting Australian website: Rome2Rio. They provide info on TER, RER, taxi, car, etc. The SNCF radio pop-up window starts playing to put you in the mood. If you hold a monthly or annual Navigo pass visit Use Navigo for Weekend and Holiday Advantages if you want to tour in zones 1 through 5 around Paris. Then take your pass and enjoy some of these…
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Paris Day Trip to Enghien-les-Bains
The spa town, Enghien-les-Bains, began as the Prince of Condé's hamlet in 1689. While on a walk near the "pond" in 1766, Abby Louis Cotte happens upon the sulfurous waters. Once the waters are taken to heal an ulcer in the leg of Louis XVIII in 1823, the hamlet becomes a popular destination. The National Assembly declares ts official birth date of 1850. From Gare du Nord, the trip takes less than 15 minutes (seven miles from Paris) to Enghien-les-Bains....
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Guédelon is About Building a Fortified Castle
We headed down for a weekend visit with friends in Ravière. On the way, between Burgundy and the Loire Valley lies the region of Guédelon (gay-de-lone), “a land full of tastes, color, culture and literature, history and memories.” We had visited Saint-Amand-en-Puisaye and the pottery museum a few years ago. This time, I found there is more to this region for families and even adults without children than I never knew existed. A place my husband always wanted to visit was the building site of Guédelon. Often when visiting fortified castles, they have been standing since the thirteenth century in various shades of disrepair or renovation. If you have never seen…
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2-for-1 Museum Tickets with Eurostar Ticket
Hold on to your Eurostar ticket when traveling between France, England and Belgium. Having completely forgotten about the 2-for-1 museum-Eurostar partnership myself, we paid full price for a Natural History Museum exhibit on mammoths. Read more about these entry ticket benefits in Paris Good Deals for a Boat, a Train and 4 Museums.....
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Day Trip Basics and Ideas
To help plan your trip pick up or download a map! At the RATP (metro) ticket offices or the Paris Tourist office, ask for “Touristes Grand Plan Touristique”. The map is available in French, English, Spanish and German. and includes easy to read maps of the RER, locations, photos, descriptions, addresses, type of site, metro, RER or Tramway to take. Once in the towns, you can use your Ticket +t Paris metro tickets on the local bus to reach the attraction. Using the train – SNCF-Transilien is the regional train system. Chartres is possible to visit in a day. Betsy, a flight attendant, sends along this information for a layover visit:…
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Louis Braille’s Home Is A Museum
Louis Braille is the man who took the blind out of the dark ages and into the living world of readers. His home in Coupvray (Seine-et-Marne) has been a museum since 1956 and lies just outside Paris. He was injured in 1812, at the age of three, while reaching up for one of his father’s saddle making tools. The tool pierced his eye, causing an infection, and blinded him. By the age of five the infection, which had spread to the other eye, caused total loss of his sight. While studying at the Royal Institute for the Blind in Paris he developed the Braille writing system of six raised points…
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Castles (Châteaux) Around Paris
These are castles in the Paris region. Malmaison Château Petite Malmaison Château Château de Pierrefonds Compiègne, the Imperial City Château d’Écouen – Museum of the Renaissance Château Vaux le Vicomte Château de Fontainebleau Domaine de Chantilly What Colleen’s Paris has to say: Day Trip to Chantilly Travel from train to Château Vaux le Vicomte
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Vaux le Vicomte Taxi
Vaux le Vicomte Less than an hour away from Paris lies the Château Vaux le Vicomte. A few years ago, someone recommended a particular taxi driver. The taxi driver is still picking up the passengers and is one of the numerous alternatives to reach the château. To get from the train station in Melun to the château you can take the shuttle bus or you can call Matias Enrico (from Portugal) at 06 07 94 07 21. He works for Radio Taxi Melunais… Lynn sent me this information: “When I told him to pick us up at a certain time (from the Château), he was there; he was charming and spoke English.” (He…
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Mont Saint-Michel
Paris to Mont Saint Michel A reader asked for advice on how to reach Mont Saint Michel from Paris without driving. To answer questions on Normandy, I would suggest the official FranceGuide Web site (government). I have no experience or reader comments on travels to Normandy with a group. The FranceGuide Web site has a section for Normandy and train information for you to check out. Here is a Web site – WhyGo France that talks about getting to Mont Saint Michel from Paris. Fat Tire Bike Tours in Paris offers day trips – I know their bike tours are great; they are definitely a company to consider. The Mont Saint-Michel official tourist office Web site includes the current tide…
