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Trip to France - some advice please!

Ken1951

Ken1951

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We're planning a trip to France in September to last about three weeks. We're starting in Paris for about 10 days and have most of that fairly well decided upon. Guided tour of the Louvre for two days, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Ste Chapelle, Versailles, and Giverny. Possibly more I can't remember at the moment. Then the train to Reims and renting a car there. We're particularly interested in a tour of some Champagne caves after seeing them in an episode of Murders In. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best of the caves to tour? We're also going to Annecy, Lyon, Arles, Avignon, and I want to go out with a guide birding in the Camargue area. At this point the caves recommendation is an interest as I can't really seem to figure it out online. Any other advice will of course be appreciated.
 
Haven't visited any caves but we had a wonderful time touring the Loire valley a few years ago on a motorcycle. Lots of awesome food and plenty impressive chateaux's and interesting villages to look at.
Da Vinci's house in Amboise was a highlight for me. Life size working models of some of his inventions in the grounds etc.
Highly recommended.
 
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In Lyon, Confluences Museum, Lumière Museum (about cinema history), Saint Jean and Saint Paul district.
In Camargue, visit Arles and Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer

In Saint Jean district in Lyon
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Hi,

Arles has a nice antique theater but with limited time, I would rather skip Arles and instead go to Nîmes (where I grew up, half an hour driving from Arles) as Nîmes has a nicer antique theater, plenty of famous Romans monuments.
 
Ken1951 said:
Then the train to Reims and renting a car there. We're particularly interested in a tour of some Champagne caves
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Ruinart in Reims - they have the most spectacular cellars (UNESCO World Heritage site) and top quality wine. They have organised tours. Veuve Cliquot are also in Reims - high quality big name and organised tours .

Visit of the Crayères | Ruinart

Visit the historic Ruinart cellars, classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site ➤ Guided tour - Guided tasting
www.ruinart.com www.ruinart.com

Veuve Clicquot - Visit our Cellars

Discover the remarkable heritage of Veuve Clicquot in the heart of Reims with one of our once-in-a-lifetime tour and tasting.
www.veuveclicquot.com www.veuveclicquot.com

Epernay is the other main town of Champagne with large producers like Pol Roger, Moet, Mercier. (Moet and Mercier are close together and have organised tours).

I would highly recommend visiting some
Independent and smaller grower-producers who grow their own grapes and make their own champagne. Just so many to mention. They are family business and often make more interesting wine - you'd need to contact them to make an appointment in advance as a courtesy (and alway avoid lunch - 12-2!).

Not sure how much time you want to spend in Champagne but it has three areas to explore by car.

La Montagne de Reims ( Pinot Noir grapes)
La Vallée de la Marne (Pinot Meunier grapes)
La Côte des Blancs (Chardonnay grapes)

PM me and I can give some more suggestions - we've been many times.
 
About wines near Camargue, there is Château de Campuget in my home village when I was a kid, that is very good. Some years ago their wines were served at l'Élysée (the equivalent of the white house in France).
 
The wine. Jeez. If I win the lottery I will most likely be spending several months touring just vinyards. Sacre bleu.
 
vicenzo_del_paris said:
Hi,

Arles has a nice antique theater but with limited time, I would rather skip Arles and instead go to Nîmes (where I grew up, half an hour driving from Arles) as Nîmes has a nicer antique theater, plenty of famous Romans monuments.
Click to expand...
+1 on Nimes. Lovely place and the 2000 year old amphitheatre is spectacular.
 
Ken1951 said:
We're planning a trip to France in September to last about three weeks. We're starting in Paris ...
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Centre Pompidou?​

What about music? Philharmonie de Paris? Jazz Cafe? Music Salon?

hipparis.com

Live Music and Art in Paris: Off the Beaten Path

Where to go when you want to wander outside the comfort zone to hear and experience the unexpected? Here are our picks for some of the most exciting places, off the beaten path, in The City of Light to experience live music and art. Let the magic of live performance transport you while rubbing...
hipparis.com
 
I'll chime in more later but we have a place in Avignon, my partner organizes adventures to Provence (http://www.cuisineprovencale.com/) having lived there 20 years before I found her in Michigan. Contact her though her site and get solid recommendations for authentic experiences in that region. I'll be in the region early October offering workshops and in residence in Les Baux in October for a month.
 
When we were last in Paris we spent the morning at the D'Orsay and then had a 2 hour lunch cruise on Le Calife to give our feet a break (and to get out of the rain!)

It's a small boat, food was decent and the staff couldn't have been nicer . Goes from Porte des Arts - 15 min walk from the D'Orsay. Important to plan some rest time!

Calife

calife.com calife.com

We also really enjoyed Sacre Coeur and a lovely walk back to the centre (took 40 mins) and a fab restaurant called Fleur de Pavé (1 Michelin star - four course set lunch is €58) - handily its opposite the Flagship Devialet store.

Last thought on Paris - Gallerie Lafayette is the most beautiful department store I've ever been in - really stunning inside .. and you'll need to buy gifts !
 
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Mal said:

Centre Pompidou?​

What about music? Philharmonie de Paris? Jazz Cafe? Music Salon?

hipparis.com

Live Music and Art in Paris: Off the Beaten Path

Where to go when you want to wander outside the comfort zone to hear and experience the unexpected? Here are our picks for some of the most exciting places, off the beaten path, in The City of Light to experience live music and art. Let the magic of live performance transport you while rubbing...
hipparis.com
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The Pompidou will be renovated, starting next summer (2025), and this will take 5 years at least. In fact, some spaces have already closed. By the time you arrive, the building will probably be clad in scaffolding, in order to get rid of asbestos. Information about the timeline is contradictory, even on the same page of its website: https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/temporary-closure-for-works/renovation-programme
 
Ken1951 said:
We're planning a trip to France in September to last about three weeks. We're starting in Paris for about 10 days and have most of that fairly well decided upon. Guided tour of the Louvre for two days, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Ste Chapelle, Versailles, and Giverny. Possibly more I can't remember at the moment. Then the train to Reims and renting a car there. We're particularly interested in a tour of some Champagne caves after seeing them in an episode of Murders In. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best of the caves to tour? We're also going to Annecy, Lyon, Arles, Avignon, and I want to go out with a guide birding in the Camargue area. At this point the caves recommendation is an interest as I can't really seem to figure it out online. Any other advice will of course be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Drink local wines!

Tillman
 
Ken1951 said:
We're planning a trip to France in September to last about three weeks. We're starting in Paris for about 10 days and have most of that fairly well decided upon. Guided tour of the Louvre for two days, Musee d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Ste Chapelle, Versailles, and Giverny. Possibly more I can't remember at the moment. Then the train to Reims and renting a car there. We're particularly interested in a tour of some Champagne caves after seeing them in an episode of Murders In. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best of the caves to tour? We're also going to Annecy, Lyon, Arles, Avignon, and I want to go out with a guide birding in the Camargue area. At this point the caves recommendation is an interest as I can't really seem to figure it out online. Any other advice will of course be appreciated.
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Great destinations. If there ist time try to visit the far west in the Bretagne meeting the wild atlantic coast. Since twenty years we had vacation there every year. WIne, that is gambling. We had good and bad luck. Finally we took well known good wine from Germany to France. But try it by yourself. Oh, keep always the car speed limit since the fine is not low as I experienced. Speed limit is 80 km/h on roads which is too low for a German driver.
 
SSS said:
Great destinations. If there ist time try to visit the far west in the Bretagne meeting the wild atlantic coast. Since twenty years we had vacation there every year. WIne, that is gambling. We had good and bad luck. Finally we took well known good wine from Germany to France. But try it by yourself. Oh, keep always the car speed limit since the fine is not low as I experienced. Speed limit is 80 km/h on roads which is too low for a German driver.
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80kms/h is only on few small roads. It has been reverted back now to 90kms/h on many of them.
"Interstate" roads are 110kms/h and highways 130 kms/h.

I concur about Brittany where I am now located for past few years. Beautiful sea landscape !!!!
 
vicenzo_del_paris said:
80kms/h is only on few small roads. It has been reverted back now to 90kms/h on many of them.
"Interstate" roads are 110kms/h and highways 130 kms/h.

I concur about Brittany where I am now located for past few years. Beautiful sea landscape !!!!
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Good to know that it is now 90 km/h. Will travel next week to Brittany.
 
SSS said:
Good to know that it is now 90 km/h. Will travel next week to Brittany.
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There are still some of them at 80kms even in Brittany, it depends on their location. But once again, it is only if you don't use highways and interstates
 
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