Beyond Paris
Day trips and the rest of France, plus the trains that get you there.
Getting from Paris to Florence (& vice versa)
Hitting the highlights of Europe during one holiday is a common theme for many travelers, and having both Paris and Florence on your agenda helps you accomplish your goal.
Getting from Paris to Milan (& vice versa)
While Paris is on almost everyone's must-see list, Milan is not. One major reason one might head for Milan after Paris - aside from the fact that both cities are fashion and shopping capitals - is…
Getting from Paris to Switzerland
Switzerland is known for its spectacular scenery, particularly the mountains. The capital city of Berne boasts an incredibly well preserved old-town; while Geneva is the capital of arts and culture.
Getting from Paris to Zurich (and return)
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland , located in the north part of the country on Lake Zurich.
Getting from Paris to Geneva (and return)
Geneva is Switzerland’s second-most populous city and is one of world’s major centers of diplomacy.
Getting from Paris to Munich (and return)
Munich is the capital of Bavaria, well known for the annual Oktoberfest beer celebration. It also has a very important culture scene and excellent museums.
Getting from Paris to Prague (and return)
Prague is one of the largest cities in Central Europe and has recently emerged as one of the trendiest vacation destinations.
Getting from Paris to Frankfurt (and return)
Europe is a small continent; which is definitely part of its charm, since you can easily travel across two or tree countries in a single day.
Getting from Paris to Brussels (and vice versa)
Although there's plenty to do in see in Paris alone, and a lifetime's worth of things to explore even if you stay within France, most travelers like ticking off lots of destination boxes in one trip.
When to Buy Eurostar Tickets
There's certainly no shortage of things to do in Paris - you're not likely to get bored very quickly or need to go elsewhere to entertain yourself - but if you can't resist the pull of a day trip to…
Getting from Paris to Berlin (or vice versa)
The days of the months-long Grand Tour of Europe may be well in the past, but hopping from one country to another is still high on the must-do list of many travelers - this is especially true for…
Getting from Paris to Barcelona (or vice versa)
Taking a dream trip to Europe often means hitting the highlights of several countries in one go - and these are places that are not always very close together.
Getting from the Paris Airports into Paris (and vice versa)
Paris is a big city, and it's one of those destinations that is blessed with more than one airport.
Disneyland Paris Introduces the "New Generation Festival"
Young backpackers experiencing the wonders of Paris for the first time may not think about a day trip to Disneyland Paris , but fast-forward a few years to when those same intrepid travelers have…
Spring vacation in Amsterdam
We all seen that this winter was cold and snowy and most of Europe … and it’s not over yet.
Paris Day Trips: Bayeux
The town of Bayeux is an easy and pleasant day-trip from Paris, and can be combined with a stop at the Normandy beaches.
Paris Day Trips: Provins
You know what a good qualification for a day-trip destination from Paris is? When that destination is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Chateau Fontainebleau: Paris Day Trips
Located just 67 km southeast of Paris, Fontainebleau is a small town that grew up surrounding the beautifully preserved Fontainebleau Chateau.
Paris Day Trips: Chartres
There are some places that are famous for one particular sight or attraction - so famous that, even if there wasn't anything else worth seeing and doing in that place people would still go.
Renting a car in Paris? Do it at Versailles.
Talk to anyone who's spent any length of time visiting Paris and they will, probably to a person, say you should not - under any circumstances - rent a car in Paris .
Getting from Paris to Giverny
Technically located in Normandy, Monet’s House and Gardens in Giverny is situated about 55 kilometers east of Paris.
Getting from Paris to EuroDisney
Although I admittedly will never understand why anyone would feel compelled to cross the Atlantic to visit EuroDisney , I also understand that there must be something awfully potent in that Disney…
Getting from Paris to Versailles
A short half an hour or so southwest of Paris, it is easy to take a day-trip to Versailles from the City of Lights.
Getting from Paris to the South of France
Once you're in Paris, it's hard to not feel the allure of the Mediterranean Sea and the French Riviera , or long to smell the lavender of Provence .
Getting from London to Paris: A run-down on the 5 options
Whether you are kicking off your Europe backpacking trip in London, found a way better deal on a flight through London isntead of the French capital, or are just planning to include both of these…
Getting from Paris to Rome (and Vice Versa)
Plenty of people who are planning their first trips to Europe can't fathom the idea of skipping any of the great European capitals.
Hanky Panky at Versailles
Known to many as the 'Sun King' Louis XIV's gilded 17th-century palace, the ultimate example of royal luxury, Versailles served initially as a country lodging for R&R, primarily hunting - but also as…
Spend Halloween at Disneyland Paris
You might not automatically associate the Halloween holiday with Paris, but if you think about spending Halloween at Disneyland Paris , that might make a little more sense.
Versailles
No matter how many times we visit the Chateau de Versailles , I'm continually dumbstruck by the sheer mass of this palace, home to France's most illustrious king - the 'Sun King' Louis XIV.
Day Trips from Paris
Even though Paris is one of the world's great cities, sometimes you just need a day away from The City of Lights. If you're staying in Paris long enough, taking a day trip from Paris is a great idea.
Daytrips from Paris: Revisiting Norman artists
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008 Once you get a taste of Impressionism at the Musee d’Orsay , the Orangerie, or the Musee Marmottan in Paris, there’s no substitute for getting out to the Norman…
IHT's Worst Run-On Sentence of the Year?
For some of us Americans in Paris, The International Herald Tribune is a crucial link with news back home. My husband purchases his copy daily.
Weird French Laws
Every so often, you'll hear a story about a hapless traveler getting caught by the police in some far-flung place, committing some crime they didn't even know was a crime because it's certainly not a…
12 Weird Citroen 2CV Cars
When it comes to automobiles, the Italians are world-famous for making cars sexy and sleek, and the Germans are well-known for their precision engineering.
Six Days in France: Day 5 - Norman countryside
Photos by Chris Card Fuller ©2008 For truly urban creatures, spending one day wandering around in the mud at Mont Saint Michel might be enough.
Paris Day Trips: Chateau de Versailles, Monet's Garden
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008 If you're spending three or more days in Paris, you may want to consider a day trip.
India Tourist Visas in Paris
Paris is a good place to start any number of trips, including a trip to India. Round-the-world travelers know that price for tourist visas (just gasoline prices) have gone through the roof.
Endives and Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis
Endive.fr If you haven't already heard the news, Dany Boon's film "Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis" a humorous portrayal of a town in France's northern Picardy region (also referred to as Pas de Calais),…
Visiting the Reporters' Memorial in Bayeux
Among the many sights in Bayeux worth making the trip for, here's one you may not know about - it's the Reporters' Memorial.
Day Trips from Paris: Visiting Norman Artists
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008 My favorite Monet and Daubigny paintings are snow scenes. Spending a weekend in Normandy in April can be full of surprises, particularly SNOW.
The Romance of Trains
Photo by Chris Card Fuller 2008 If you asked me where the most romantic place was in Paris, I would have to say the train station, especially on a Sunday night.
Paris Plus Amsterdam
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2008 If you're planning on spending two weeks in Europe, the hardest part of your trip may be deciding which cities will best complement one another.
Dakar Rally
Even if the Dakar cross-country hadn't been cancelled, it wouldn't have begun in Paris. Once known as The Paris-Dakar Rally, it hasn't begun in Paris since 1995.
Christmas Eve - No Room at the Inn
"Gimme Shelter!" Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 Even as much as one loves being in Paris, when you're a student and far from home during Christmas vacation, the prospect of being alone in Paris for…
The Year We Ran Away for Christmas
It wasn't totally spontaneous because we had talked about taking off for Europe during the previous summer - my next door neighbor and me. But talk is cheap.
Buying French Champagne
Christmas is almost here and even before New Year's Eve approaches, you may already be thinking about champagne. Wondering how to choose a good French champagne?
Dancing while Val d'Oise Burns
Here is the sad irony. Over the past weekend (Nov 24-25 '07) while in Val d'Oise, families and friends mourned the loss of two teenagers in a motor scooter collision with a police vehicle, in Paris,…
Mushrooming in France
Normally, on an October Friday in Paris, I'd be thinking about heading south to the Loire Valley to spend the weekend with friends - in the serious pursuit of mushrooms.
Back to the Seventies: Oui or Non!
Yes or Non. Even the Chartres cathedral town is not immune to tagging. Whether or not you agree that tagging should be considered as an art form of the era, there is no doubt that 'tagging' or…
France's 2nd Patron Saint: The Little Flower, St. Therese
Basilica of St. Therese in Lisieux, Normandy Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 After Lourdes, St.
Packing for Paris: Get your Act together on La Brea!
Carry-on Packing Tip: If you have tight connections of if you're trying to do a RTW trip with strictly carry-on, be prepared.
Sarkozy Sought 'L'Amerique Profonde' - Come again!
Keuka Lake Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 Upstate NY Wine Country PHoto by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 Norman style chapel and crypt at Keuka Lake French influence in Upstate NY Photo by Chris Card…
New Cheap Flight Route to Paris
Featured in The Da Vinci Code as Le Bourget airport of yesteryear, the Art Deco era Shoreham Airport (Brighton) is SKYSOUTH'S home.
Le Coq de la Maison Blanche - not just Calf's head
You may remember that i mentioned in a previous post that finding Paris restaurants that feature traditional French dishes - is not as obvious as you might think.
More Tete de Veau
First, I should probably offer some apologies to any vegetarian Paris Blog readers (I know you are out there) and if you would prefer to skip these entries all together - I'll understand.
Paris Train Travel
It's so easy to take a train from Paris. The trains normally leave on time. It's easy to get to most train stations by using the Metro station or bus lines.
French lesson on vacation
"Je suis venue chercher l'Amerique profonde", says Nicolas Sarkozy during today's press meeting, reports Le Parisien That would translate to "I was looking for the real America, the back country." I…
En Vacances-French Vacation
"Learning to vacation a la francaise" Photo by Reme Aldana There's no vacation like French vacationing.
Fashion Tips for Presidential Hopefuls
Yesterday I mentioned some of the fashion foibles that hampered Segolene Royal's campaign.
Michael Moore in Paris
Be sure to take a look at Whytraveltofrance.com's post on Sicko I'd been planning to see Michael Moore's latest documentary on heatlhcare even before I realized that France would be one of the four…
Reflecting: On the Eve of July 4th
"Why do you Americans hate us?" "Why do the French hate Americans?" In the past few years, I have heard both of these feelings expressed.
Always Talk to Strangers in Paris
We were hanging out at the Les Cars Air France shuttle at Montparnasse which is located on rue Commandant Mouchotte exit from the Montparnasse train station.
Planes, Trains and Talking with Strangers
In the last week, we've been on a number of planes and trains, and I have to admit, train travel is more conducive to talk.
Show me the way Home
Photo by Chris Card Fuller © 2007 All good things must come to an end, but do you want to end your trip to Paris sleeping on an airport floor? It shouldn't end this way, you say . . .
Trivia Question answered
What breed of horse was chosen by Napoleon for his cavalry? Answer: The Breton breed Breton breed horse at the Beaulieu farm in Normandy Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 French Horse breeds Thanks to…
Getting Wheels
Peugeot.mainspot.net (Go to this site to learn more about the World Rally) We have wheels today.
Let's Go for a Swim
Exploring Santini Land – Issy-les-Moulineax There are plenty of good reasons to go to Issy-les-Moulineax – the first reason being that it’s incredibly easy. Hop on the Mairie d’Issy Metro Line #12.
Parisians in Normandy: Cool in Caen
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 Paris is a very beautiful city, but Parisians are too stressed out. They're impatient. People are way more 'cool' in Caen.
Trivia Question for the Day: Horses, Pigs, and Cows
What breed of horse did Napoleon favor for his cavalry? Today we visited a farm which raises this breed, one of several French breeds which until recent years risked being lost forever (I don't use…
Where do you meet Parisians?
Aujourd'hui newspaper recently reported that France's rural villages populations are increasing, and judging by the number of Parisians that I've met outside of Paris, the new statistics don't…
Nature vs. Naturisme
With the first real day of summer sun (not including the extraordinary April summer-in-spring this year), Parisians are heading toward the beaches – or Paris plage for those obliged to stay in town…
Bar-Isis, Isis Bar?
If Paris has a Buddha Bar, why doesn't it have an Isis Bar? Especially if the city's name may even originate from Bar-Isis. Maybe London's Isis Bar will have to consider jumping across the channel.
Confusions in French
Be prepared to be embarrassed, once, twice, a million times, in your efforts to speak - and understand French.
French Newspapers - Why I read 'Le Parisien'
Le Parisien or L'Aujourd'hui as the national publication is called, may not be considered a highbrow newspaper like Le Monde , but I've gotten into the habit of picking up this newspaper which I can…
The Ship Came In
Stuff and more stuff. How nice to be a tourist and travel light. Not all Paris travelers arrive so wonderfully unencumbered.
Leonardo, You Should be in Caen, not Cannes!
Cannes may be the hot spot for Hollywood habitues, but Leonardo, if you really want to look at climate change, you should be in Normandy.
Day 2 of the First 100 Days
Day 2 of the First 100 Days On a rainy day in the Département de l’Eure at an exhibit of antique cars and baby carriages, I didn’t expect we’d be drinking aperitifs with one of Nicolas Sarkozy’s…
Hot Soup for the final days of Les Saints de Glace
“Stay in bed tomorrow. Have breakfast in bed. And don’t go out for any reason.” That was Lydie’s advice during our visit today in Caen, Normandy. You can get from Paris to Caen by train in app.
Rain in Paris, Rain in Normandy
Cabourg under stormy skies Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 In May, some Parisians head south and others head west toward Normandy and the Channel.
Waiting for our Ship to Come In
It's a weird feeling when all your STUFF is in transit. For a number of years, we have been - and still are SDF (which in French means Sans Domicile Fixe) Without a fixed domicile.
The Heart and Soul of France: France's Mairies
Tomorrow, all attention will be focused on the vote for France’s new president, but the heartbeat –and the soul of France is found in its mairies (town halls).
Reporters Memorial in Bayeux
There are few memorials in the world dedicated to reporters. One exists in Arlington, Virginia and one exists in Bayeux, Normandy, the only one of its kind in Europe.
May 1st - Smooth Sailing out of Paris
We have an annual ritual of picking up a leased Peugeot at Peugeot Sodexa. Concerned about the May 1st holiday, we picked up our Peugeot Sodexa yesterday at their main offices which are located in…
Electric Car Power in Paris: 1899
www.musee-chateau-compiegne.fr May 1st, 1899. A driver called the Red Devil (because of his red hair) reached the speed of 105.99 km per hour in Camille Jenatzy's electric Jeauteuad at Acheres, just…
Baby Power
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 Park in Boulogne-Billancourt Today, during a visit with a friend in Boulogne-Billancourt (another neighboring town of Paris), a friend who's expecting her first…
The Forgotten Train Station
Trivia Question for the Day: How many train stations are there in Paris? This is a handy thing to know, especially if you plan on taking a train into Paris - and expect friends to meet you at the…
Maybe those UFOS were Flying Bells?
First, before doing anything, take a minute to visit this amazing site. I was looking for an image of flying bells and found this: bisqwit.iki.fi/jutut/povray.html One of the best things about…
When do I shut up?
How does a writer, artist, musician, or film director survive physically and spiritually within a repressive society? In a totalitarian or Fascist regime?
Identified Aliens - Then and Now
The unidentified aliens in the post Abducted by Aliens were the Robot from Fritz Lang's 1927 film Metropolis and film archivist James Card visiting the Cinematheque Francaise in the 1970s.
UFO - Need to Know?
Photo by Chris Card Fuller ©2007 "Beam Me Up from the Bois, Scotty!" Apparently the France aerospace site(CNES) is the first to open its UFO 'sighting' files which go back for the past 30 years.
Seduction Tips from Madame de Pompadour?
One of my favorite Paris Blog readers directed me to Arts & Letters Daily (thanks Mark) and in my search for essays on France, I fell upon this juicy morsel: Alykhan Velshi's essay for the New…
Please, steal these paintings!
With the news of the stolen Picassos, I decided it was time to check on the status of two paintings from my 'Cubist' period circa 1970s which I had left in the basement in a very prominent location -…
Say what? Eh bien, quoi?
Bon weekend. Le look. C'est le top. In case you haven't noticed in some parts of the world French and English are merging. Big time.
Vive La Crepe!
Photo by Chris Card Fuller Not only are crepes delicious, but for students in Paris (or Normandy and Brittany for that matter) going out to a creperie is an inexpensive change from normal student…
Monet's Garden Then & Now
<img id="image568" src="/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2007/02/giverney_1.jpg" alt="giverney_1.jpg" / Photo by Chris Card Fuller The National Geographic Traveler Pari s…
Is Fear Keeping you from France?
Is fear of flying, fear of not understanding French, fear of trying to speak French, or simply fear of being regarded as the ugly foreigner keeping you from booking a flight to Paris?
Starting in Paris
Last year at this time, we were just returning from ten days in Mali and Gambia. Paris is a great city for the starting and finishing point for more laborious kinds of treks that demand some…
French History - Sunday Trivia Challenge
Who said this upon receiving the news of the French revolution? "They will soon weary of this liberty,and then they will become as gentle and obedient as lambs.
My Best Friend in Paris
Heidi Loewen is American but if anyone epitomizes the 'joie de vivre' in the truest French sense of the word, it would have to be Heidi.
Trivia Questions
What is the name of the tree that Thomas Jefferson wanted to introduce to the United States? He noted that this tree was prevalent in southern France during his journey.