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Northern France Vacation - What to see, tips.

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EIClone

Well-Known Member
Nov 21, 2011
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My wife and I are taking a vacation trip to Northern France in October. We are spending 3 1/2 days in the Normandy area and then 2 1/2 days in Paris. We are planning the Normandy beaches and also the obvious things in Paris. we will have a car, except in Paris the last couple days.

You guys are always very good at sharing what you liked. Any thoughts on places to visit and see? TIA.
 
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EIClone said:
My wife and I are taking a vacation trip to Northern France in October. We are spending 3 1/2 days in the Normandy area and then 2 1/2 days in Paris. We are planning the Normandy beaches and also the obvious things in Paris. we will have a car, except in Paris the last couple days.

You guys are always very good at sharing what you liked. Any thoughts on places to visit and see? TIA.
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Be sure to visit some of the German fortifications near the coast. The one with the railgun was great. I think the gun was a K5.
 
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EIClone said:
My wife and I are taking a vacation trip to Northern France in October. We are spending 3 1/2 days in the Normandy area and then 2 1/2 days in Paris. We are planning the Normandy beaches and also the obvious things in Paris. we will have a car, except in Paris the last couple days.

You guys are always very good at sharing what you liked. Any thoughts on places to visit and see?
Click to expand...
The museum in Caen is a must see.
 
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i wish I had more time there to give you some solid advice. I saw the Tour de France stage last year that started in Switzerland. If you have a chance to get to the French and Swiss alps do it. Might be the most picturesque place I’ve been to.
 
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Your wife will probably hate it but I'm willing to go instead.

I really enjoyed watching Rick Steve's episodes to research and get ideas for our trips. We did one day in Paris on out way back from the UK and it was really fun but of course not much time. Toured the D Orsay museum, lots of van gogh and Monet, definitely worth it. Saw louvre and notre dame from the outside.

Go to the Eiffel at night, especially if you can do midnight. It sparkles at midnight and it's the most romantic thing you'll experience.
 
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One of my favorite places to visit. Stayed in Bayuex. I wish I remembered the name of the tour, it was done by an English guy who knew everything about WWII. Don't forget to visit Mont st michel.
 
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We were in Paris for one night and found a restaurant called Pianovins. It was a small, intimate place, seats about 30. One of the best meals I have had. It was a 7 course tasting menu and was fantastic. We asked them to pair wines with the dishes and it was amazing. Worth looking into if you are into that sort of thing..
 
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Plan ahead. A lot of places are closed one day a week and the French love to strike. Girlfriend and I took the train to palace of Versailles and when we got there it was closed because of a strike. We bought the museum pass that helps you skip lines.

Eifle tower
Louvre
Orsay
Arc de triumph
Notre dame
Napoleon’s tomb
Pantheon
Basilique de sucre
Moulin rouge

Don’t have to see everything. Just visit again.

There are so many good restaurants. Just pick one that looks interesting.
 
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Be sure and see prison where Marie Antoinette was held - you can tour and see her actual cell before beheaded. And a block down the street is one of the most beautiful Cathedrals in Paris- St Chappell- be sure to go up stairs to second floor.
 
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I was just in Paris in September. My recommendations for a super-short 2.5-day trip, in order, would be:

- Catacombs (buy tickets ahead)
- Take a boat cruise on the Seine - if you don't have time to go to a lot of things, this will give you a great view of the city
- Sainte Chapelle
- Eiffel Tower - visible form the boat cruise. I personally wouldn't go up it
- Wander through Le Marais and Montmartre
- Take a TootBus hop-on-hop-off or similar that goes by Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, some of the more landlocked areas
- Eat all the crepes, croissants, cheese, and chocolate

There are so many amazing museums. But it's really subjective - not everyone loves art, and not everyone loves all kinds of art. I thought d'Orsay and L'Orangerie were more enjoyable than the Louvre, just because I really like impressionism, surrealism, pointillism, and Cubism. I wish I'd had time to go to the Picasso museum and out to Givenchy to Monet's water lilies bridge. But with 2.5 days and museums taking a while, you'll really want to make sure you research what is at each, select accordingly, and then budget time.

Similarly, I loved Versailles, but it's going to take pretty well a whole day to travel there, tour, and travel back, so you'll want to prioritize accordingly.

My biggest recommendation is to use something like Google Maps or Sygic.com to plot out your prioritized items, group events based off of geographical proximity, and budget accordingly. Keep in mind that Paris sort of shuts down on Sunday, so always check what is open which days.
 
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Catacombs are great if you don’t get freaked out by piles of bones. The Cluny museum is underrated. it’s an old monastery built on top of a Roman bath house crammed full of medieval art. If you want to get more adventurous head out to the suburbs. High density immigrant communities with amazing food, art galleries, and culture. Very unlike traditional Paris but worth a visit.
 
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