Trip to Paris, France & Italy

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Family is taking a 2 1/2 week vacation to Europe in the beginning of Nov. I've never been to Paris, France before. We plan on seeing the D-Day beaches and then when the rest of the extended family comes in we will be staying a week in Paris. The usual things are on the list to see. Any obscure gems out there in Paris that are worth while that are not on the MAJOR tourist attraction list?

Thanks all, and bad jokes are welcome!

 

[rasczak]

What are you interested in? I feel all of the typical tourist attractions are truly worth visiting at least once.

Notre Dame
Eiffel Tower
Louvre
Sacre coeur
Catacombs

I know my wife and I saw a lot more than this, but at the moment this is one I can think of.

If you are able to get out of the city and head south, then I suggest a villafranche or antibes (picasso). However since you want to see the beaches of normandy, you probably won't be able to make your way out there

 

[_Rick_]

There's also Versailles, the Science museum in the Grand Palais, the science expo up north (Geode in La Villette), with an IMAX cinema and some other stuff, there's the Cimetière Père Lachaise, where all the artists have their resting place...

There's the Sorbonne and the student Arrondissements...
The Gare Montparnasse exhibition is also pretty nice.

If the Eiffel Tower is too touristy, you can also get up the Tour Montparnasse, for the vista. Not quite as easy to get there. Centre George Pompidou might also be interesting.

There's so many things to see, you could spend 16 days in Paris without nearly getting bored.

 

[Yongsta]

Watch out for pickpockets near the Eiffel Tower, my friend got his wallet stolen while on the crowded elevator going up the Eiffel Tower.

I did the standard tourist thing, Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Catacombs, cruise on Seine River, Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, window shopping on the Champs-Élysées.

I had more fun in Rome actually and it was cheaper, the ladies at the bars were much more friendlier as well.

 

[ichy]

If you want something a little off the beaten track you could check out the small museum that's set up where Marie Curie's lab used to be. Last time I checked it was closed for renovation but it may have reopened.

Purchase bread and cheese from a street market, go the the Jardin du Luxembourg, have a picnic.

For a fun overnight trip take the TGV to Rennes, explore Rennes & spend the night there, take a bus to Mont Saint Michel the next day and then come back to Paris in the evening. The inside of Mont Saint Michel isn't all that interesting but the outside is spectacular.

 

[Sheep]

Seconded on Villefranche-sur-Mer or Antibes if you can get there. Also Collioure near the Spanish border falls into the same category as laid back coastal towns that aren't over-run with tourists this time of the year.

 

[Buckeye269]

I had a great time in Florence. Enjoyed it much more than Rome. Visited a small town called san gimignano in Italy and it was by far my favorite city from my trip. It's the ideal Tuscan town located in wine country.

 

[Monster_Munch]

Watch out for pickpockets near the Eiffel Tower, my friend got his wallet stolen while on the crowded elevator going up the Eiffel Tower.

Watch out for pickpockets in all the big tourist cities in Europe. Rome and Barcelona are particularly bad in my experience.

 

[ichy]

Watch out for pickpockets in all the big tourist cities in Europe. Rome and Barcelona are particularly bad in my experience.

Watch out for gypsies. It may not be PC to say it but they're all a bunch of fucking thieves.

 

[God Mode]

Carry dummy wallets with a few euros in them.

 

[_Rick_]

Oh, and when in France: Don't tip!
Unless you are in a tourist trap restaurant.
It's customary to pay the ticket price in France.

Try not to look too touristy, and except at the tourist traps, you should be safe.
I'd recommend to pack lightly, and avoid the classic backpack and camera pack.
If you've got to take pictures, take a small, reasonably good camera, and use satchel style bags for the rest.

You won't need much cash, excepting taxis, nearly everything can be paid with credit cards. (Unless your company rapes you on the exchange rate/foreign fees)


Something to keep in mind: Being in Paris you're within 3 hours by train of 80% of the bigger towns in France, thanks to the TGV network. Also Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt and Amsterdam can be reached relatively fast. The TGV and the density of civilization means you can (for the right amount of money) reach many cultural centers in the vicinity for two-day-visits.

Another tip in the vicinity of Paris: Le Bourget's aerospace museum. A Concorde is on exhibition, as well as Ariane models.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Western/Northern Europeans don't usually tip. Just round up to the nearest Euro. This applies to taxis and restaurants.

You'll be in Paris and Italy. For God's sake, dress up man! Don't dress like a typical fat American tourist. This means no baseball cap, no tennis shoes. Get some comfortable dress shoes. Blue jeans are okay. Nice shirt, sport coat. Europeans dress up much more than Americans.

Women: Be prepared to break your neck in either France or Italy.

Money: Best way to get your €uros is to use a ATM/debit card. You'll get the best exchange rate without exchange fees. Be sure to inform your bank that you'll be abroad. Find out if your US bank has any partnerships with French/Italian banks such that you are charge minimal or no ATM fees. (As a USAA card holder, I am not charged ATM fees in Europe.) Far fewer places accept credit cards in Europe but be sure to have a Visa/MC card handy. Right now, $100 USD buys you 77 EUR as of 9:52 EST. I would recommend withdrawing increments of 75 EUR and deduct $100 from your checking account each time.

Safety: Don't be a dork. Don't use a money belt. I travel with a money clip containing 100 EUR cash max along with my US driver's license and various other cards (ATM, credit, health insurance, etc.). I make photo copies of these and leave them and my passport in the hotel room. I keep the money clip in my front pants pocket.

Hotel: Hotels in nice neighborhoods in Paris are expensive. I recommend avoiding the extra 10 EUR/night/person fee for breakfast. Every corner of every Parisian neighborhood has a bakery and a cafe next door. Enjoy these. Save money.

I have traveling extensively throughout Paris and Italy and can offer various recommendations. Paris is HUGE! Get familiar with the Metro system. You'll spend a few days alone just scratching the touristy stuff off your list. The Eiffel Tower is indeed tourist trap hell. The Musee d'Orsay is a better experience in my opinion than the Louvre. I also highly recommend the Marais district as well as the Montmartre area. But the oft-overlooked area of Belleville is also worth the visit and a way to leave the tourist hordes behind. But by far my personal favorite Parisian neighborhood is the Latin Quarter, especially around Rue Mouffetard.

I also made a day trip to Omaha Beach and the American Cemetery. It can be done in a day if you leave Paris early. I traveled from Paris to Bayeux and took a taxi from there. But if you want to do it right, I would head out there, rent a car, and consider staying over night in a B&B. There is a lot to see and the public transportation is pretty much nil. Either you rent a car or pay for taxis. They restrict the public transportation options on purpose so as it funnel tourist traffic into expensive tour groups.

As for Italy, I have spent time in Venice, Udine (where I have family), Bellagio on Lake Como, Milan, Modena, and Cinque Terre. I have not yet been to Florence or Rome.

 

[_Rick_]

Seconding Mouffetard. Been there recently when passing an evening before a meeting in Paris; many students hanging out there, plenty of internationals, very nice ambiance...great place to be. Also good (and reasonably affordable, if you consider the Paris-tax) food and drink.

Oh, Rouen is also a nice day trip, only slightly more than an hour in a cheap train leaving from Gare Saint-Lazare.


Actually, what matters more than what you see, is what you eat.
Check your budget and see if you can't afford a night out in a (two-)star restaurant. Good french cuisine can be quite exceptional.

 

[ViviTheMage]

museums, lots of awesome museums

 

[ichy]

Oh, and when in France: Don't tip!
Unless you are in a tourist trap restaurant.
It's customary to pay the ticket price in France.

Rounding up and maybe throwing in an extra Euro is certainly appreciated for good service, but certainly no need to go beyond that. I wish it was the same in the US.

 

[Bacstar]

What are you interested in? I feel all of the typical tourist attractions are truly worth visiting at least once.

Notre Dame
Eiffel Tower
Louvre
Sacre coeur
Catacombs

Second this list. I did exactly this during the 5 days I was there last year. Catacombs was the stand out.

 

[waggy]

Family is taking a 2 1/2 week vacation to Europe in the beginning of Nov. I've never been to Paris, France before. We plan on seeing the D-Day beaches and then when the rest of the extended family comes in we will be staying a week in Paris. The usual things are on the list to see. Any obscure gems out there in Paris that are worth while that are not on the MAJOR tourist attraction list?

Thanks all, and bad jokes are welcome!

I'm jealous! you lucky bastard. I want to go vacation in Europe and going to the D-day beaches and other places.

maybe when the kids are older heh

 

[Sheep]

You won't need much cash, excepting taxis, nearly everything can be paid with credit cards. (Unless your company rapes you on the exchange rate/foreign fees)

One addendum to this: If you're booking regional train travel on the fly (TGV or other trains between cities), the vast majority of U.S. credit cards do not work in the SNCF automated kiosks since our cards don't have a chip.

You'll either need to pay with coins at the kiosks (no bills accepted) or stand in typically LONG lines to see a station attendant who can process a payment with your U.S. credit card. I always made sure to be carrying around 20 euro in coins for this reason while on vacation in the south of France last month.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Carry dummy wallets with a few euros in them.

Yeah, I think I might do that with a little message

"you and I are both lucky because if you would of grabbed my phone or my real wallet, i would of fucking killed you"

EDIT: or "gps tracker installed"

 

[iamwiz82]

One addendum to this: If you're booking regional train travel on the fly (TGV or other trains between cities), the vast majority of U.S. credit cards do not work in the SNCF automated kiosks since our cards don't have a chip.

You'll either need to pay with coins at the kiosks (no bills accepted) or stand in typically LONG lines to see a station attendant who can process a payment with your U.S. credit card. I always made sure to be carrying around 20 euro in coins for this reason while on vacation in the south of France last month.

This is actually true for a good portion of Europe. Either they will want a card with a chip or won't accept credit at all. Ask if the place takes swipe cards before buying things if you do not have cash.

 

[SandEagle]

you have the worst username on this forum. please change it.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

you have the worst username on this forum. please change it.

who does?

 

[Aikouka]

who does?

I do believe that he's referring to you.

It actually reminds me of the time when I actually said "B-Try" instead of "Battery". :$

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

I do believe that he's referring to you.

It actually reminds me of the time when I actually said "B-Try" instead of "Battery". :$

Kustom Kettle days?

edit: day of defeat (not source day of defeat) rather i should say