Summer in Europe, reloaded
October 19, 2024 11:31 AM
I have tickets in and out of Paris, with a couple of weeks there. No itinerary yet. It'll be a solo trip for me, a mid-thirties woman.
So far all I have is Promenade Plantée and Éretat. Please recommend places to go and things to see and food to eat. Some specifications below the fold.
- I'm happy to club in another country. I'd like it, in fact.
- I like museums and books and history and beaches. I've been to the Le Louvre and I don't think I want to revisit; it was sorta overwhelming.
- I like wine.
- I'm happy to do offbeat stuff as long as there's some mode of public transport to get to and fro.
- I don't want to spend a LOT of money. Exchange rate continues to be awful (south asian here).
I'd be grateful for any and all recommendations. Many thanks.
- I'm happy to club in another country. I'd like it, in fact.
- I like museums and books and history and beaches. I've been to the Le Louvre and I don't think I want to revisit; it was sorta overwhelming.
- I like wine.
- I'm happy to do offbeat stuff as long as there's some mode of public transport to get to and fro.
- I don't want to spend a LOT of money. Exchange rate continues to be awful (south asian here).
I'd be grateful for any and all recommendations. Many thanks.
They do have the best of the public catacombs, if that's your thing, and the audiotour means you don't have to go in any kind of group. It is expensive (€23) but there is also an interesting list of free admissions.
posted by DarlingBri at 12:48 PM on October 19
posted by DarlingBri at 12:48 PM on October 19
Musée d'Orsay is probably the next must-see museum in Paris after the Louvre and is a much more manageable size, if you haven't been there. Since you like books, Shakespeare & Co is also worth a stop, and it's centrally located so very easy to get to.
Depending on the sort of history you're interested in, you might consider catching a train to Bayeux, and from there visiting the beaches of Normandy that were the site of the D-Day landings in WWII. I was honestly surprised at how affecting it was to see these, and they're also quite beautiful beaches in their own right with only an echo of the war visible (although of course not the sort of beach where you'd lay out a towel and sunbathe). While you're there you can also see the Bayeux tapestry. Also, I had the best cider I've ever had in Normandy.
The best wine I had in France I found by taking a local train out to the countryside near Lyon and hiking from the station to a small winery. I bet this strategy could also pay off near Paris if you don't mind the walk, though I couldn't recommend any specific wineries in that area. Note that once you get outside the city it's much more likely that people you encounter will speak only French. But even if you don't speak French (I didn't) a couple phrases, some cheerfulness, and gestures can get you through sampling some wine and getting a couple of bottles to take back.
posted by egregious theorem at 1:11 PM on October 19
Depending on the sort of history you're interested in, you might consider catching a train to Bayeux, and from there visiting the beaches of Normandy that were the site of the D-Day landings in WWII. I was honestly surprised at how affecting it was to see these, and they're also quite beautiful beaches in their own right with only an echo of the war visible (although of course not the sort of beach where you'd lay out a towel and sunbathe). While you're there you can also see the Bayeux tapestry. Also, I had the best cider I've ever had in Normandy.
The best wine I had in France I found by taking a local train out to the countryside near Lyon and hiking from the station to a small winery. I bet this strategy could also pay off near Paris if you don't mind the walk, though I couldn't recommend any specific wineries in that area. Note that once you get outside the city it's much more likely that people you encounter will speak only French. But even if you don't speak French (I didn't) a couple phrases, some cheerfulness, and gestures can get you through sampling some wine and getting a couple of bottles to take back.
posted by egregious theorem at 1:11 PM on October 19
My personal favorite is a very small museum - the Museum of Magic. It has a unique collection of antique magician pieces and the history of magicians. I found it lovely.
posted by ichimunki at 4:13 PM on October 19
posted by ichimunki at 4:13 PM on October 19
I’m a fan of the small (and free) Musee Carnevalet, which has wonderful old store signs, and the very nice Cluny museum of the Middle Ages which has the lovely Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
posted by PussKillian at 4:21 PM on October 19
posted by PussKillian at 4:21 PM on October 19
Musée national Gustave Moreau has a reciprocal relationship with Musee d'Orsay (& a couple other musees), so if you have a chance i highly recommend
additional sources: i was literally talking about the Moreau museum earlier this week with a friend & they said it was one of their favorite museums. also, Moreau features significantly in the work of Marcel Proust [hyperallergic]
posted by HearHere at 10:35 PM on October 19
additional sources: i was literally talking about the Moreau museum earlier this week with a friend & they said it was one of their favorite museums. also, Moreau features significantly in the work of Marcel Proust [hyperallergic]
posted by HearHere at 10:35 PM on October 19
I always recommend the Saint Denis basilica - royal tombs and the Best stained glass windows (yeah, yeah, Sainte Chapelle, I like Saint Denis better). Go on a Friday morning to enjoy the open market on the square in front of it too.
posted by I claim sanctuary at 10:42 PM on October 19
posted by I claim sanctuary at 10:42 PM on October 19
Seconding the Musee d'Orsay and the Middle Ages museum. You're already planning to hit up the Promenade Plantée, and I definitely and enthusiastically recommend that.
On my first trip there, I also booked a tour through Paris Greeters - these are free and very personal, but amateur, tours. Paris Greeters is a group of volunteers who offer to take people on walks in Paris giving people the perspective of a local. I ended up matched with a retiree who showed me around Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb just over the west border with Paris; he'd lived there all his life so he was pointing out everything from "the houses on this street were all built by architects who were friends and decided to plan the whole street out" to "this was my grade school" and "here's an architectural note about these houses" and etc. You can mention your preferences for a tour (like, if you specifically want something that focuses on food or "places where movies were filmed" or something) and a volunteer who can do that hits you up with a proposal, and you work things out amongst yourselves.
The main palace of Versailles itself was only sort of "meh" for me. Only portions of it are open to the public; I was honestly more intrigued by a temporary exhibit they had up that addressed France's involvement with the US Revolution. But the Little Trianon complex, also on the grounds of Versailles, was fascinating; the Little Trianon was the domain of the Queen, and part of the grounds there included The Queen's Hamlet, a little fake village where Marie Antoinette liked to hang with her friends and everyone pretended they were little country villagers. You can't go inside any of the houses without booking a tour, but it's fascinating to walk around these little cottages and think about how they were play-houses.
If you're into food, you may want to read through this page - it's by a Parisian food blogger who is delightul, and has written several cookbooks and food guides. She has a hard-copy book called "Edible Adventures in Paris"; the restaurant recommendations are probably out of date by now, but it also has a lot of general advice for restaurant and food culture (i.e., etiquette for how to ask for the check in a restaurant, tips for how to eat out on a budget, etc.).
And honestly, just rambling through the streets made me very happy.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:25 AM on October 20
On my first trip there, I also booked a tour through Paris Greeters - these are free and very personal, but amateur, tours. Paris Greeters is a group of volunteers who offer to take people on walks in Paris giving people the perspective of a local. I ended up matched with a retiree who showed me around Boulogne-Billancourt, a suburb just over the west border with Paris; he'd lived there all his life so he was pointing out everything from "the houses on this street were all built by architects who were friends and decided to plan the whole street out" to "this was my grade school" and "here's an architectural note about these houses" and etc. You can mention your preferences for a tour (like, if you specifically want something that focuses on food or "places where movies were filmed" or something) and a volunteer who can do that hits you up with a proposal, and you work things out amongst yourselves.
The main palace of Versailles itself was only sort of "meh" for me. Only portions of it are open to the public; I was honestly more intrigued by a temporary exhibit they had up that addressed France's involvement with the US Revolution. But the Little Trianon complex, also on the grounds of Versailles, was fascinating; the Little Trianon was the domain of the Queen, and part of the grounds there included The Queen's Hamlet, a little fake village where Marie Antoinette liked to hang with her friends and everyone pretended they were little country villagers. You can't go inside any of the houses without booking a tour, but it's fascinating to walk around these little cottages and think about how they were play-houses.
If you're into food, you may want to read through this page - it's by a Parisian food blogger who is delightul, and has written several cookbooks and food guides. She has a hard-copy book called "Edible Adventures in Paris"; the restaurant recommendations are probably out of date by now, but it also has a lot of general advice for restaurant and food culture (i.e., etiquette for how to ask for the check in a restaurant, tips for how to eat out on a budget, etc.).
And honestly, just rambling through the streets made me very happy.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:25 AM on October 20
Etretat is several hours from Paris. The falaises are amazing, but if you are going there, you should also go to Omaha Beach, Mt-St-Michel, and the Bayeux Tapestry. Renting a car for those couple days will greatly reduce your reliance on trains.
If the reason for Etretat is Monet, go to the Orangerie in Paris and Giverny (just outside Paris; there are day tours). I felt Giverny was incredible. We were there in late May, so everything was in bloom.
The chateaux of the Loire Valley are also amazing. If you are into Tintin at all, check out Cheverny, the visual inspiration for Marlinspike/Moulinsart. Like Normandy, a car will make this easier, but I think there are charter bus tours from Paris.
posted by basalganglia at 7:48 AM on October 20
If the reason for Etretat is Monet, go to the Orangerie in Paris and Giverny (just outside Paris; there are day tours). I felt Giverny was incredible. We were there in late May, so everything was in bloom.
The chateaux of the Loire Valley are also amazing. If you are into Tintin at all, check out Cheverny, the visual inspiration for Marlinspike/Moulinsart. Like Normandy, a car will make this easier, but I think there are charter bus tours from Paris.
posted by basalganglia at 7:48 AM on October 20
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posted by theora55 at 12:12 PM on October 19