My 14-year old daughter and I are spontaneously taking a trip to France in three weeks. We just booked the flight tonight. (I figure that ten years from now she won%26#39;t wish she%26#39;d done an extra week of 8th grade!) I have been to Paris twice. She%26#39;s never been, but is taking French in school and has a little familiarity with the language and culture. We%26#39;ll be in Paris four nights, in Orleans four nights and Giverny one night.
I want her to come away with a sense of the people, the culture, the food, a different way of life, along with a few of the must-sees -- I%26#39;m thinking the Louvre (maybe just 2-3 hours), the d%26#39;Orsay (probably just head up the fifth floor), the Eiffel (can you still get to the top?). Also, a stop to the essential Laduree for the french toast and chocolate chaud. Other than that, what? Is Marseille worth the time %26amp; trip? Fontainbleu? I%26#39;ve never been. I%26#39;d love to know of some good restaurants, but not too fancy, where you can get food %26amp; service with flair, but not super expensive or exotic. The dollar is not doing great on the euro right now, so it%26#39;s all probably pretty expensive!
My sister is staying at the Marriott on the Champs Elyssee. Any recommendation for a good hotel nearby? (At 500 E per night, it%26#39;s too pricey for us. She%26#39;s staying on Marriott Points.)
FYI another hotel that I have liked in the past is the Hotel de Fleurie in the St. Germain du Pres area.
Our other stop is Giverny for one night and Orleans for 4 nights. Any advice on what to see/do/eat there?
Most of my time spent in France has been in Provence, so I would love any advice that would help us to have the best experience possible. I want her first trip to be memorable!
Calling all hotel %26amp;/or restaurant/cafe recommendations, sights to see, shops to visit, flea markets (like the postcard one I remember on the outskirts of town). I%26#39;m new to the forum and I would greatly appreciate your advice! Thanks in advance!
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Take her shopping at Zara (I like their store on the rue de Rennes), very Euro styles at affordable prices.
The day after Giverney try to make it to the Musee Marmottan in Paris where you will get to see Monet%26#39;s interpretations of the gardens that you have enjoyed while they are still fresh in your minds.
Rent bikes in Vernon (near Giverney) and bike along the trails to the gardens.
Our kids love la Coupole and on a very rare occasion we head to Altitude 95 on the 1st floor of the Eiffel Tower. The crepe places on the rue St Andre des Arts are fun, too.
Marseille is a big city that requires a couple of days to visit.
Fountainbleau is lovely, the chateau interesting and the forest is a great place to explore and do some rock climbing.
A fun day trip is taking the train to Reims and touring the Champagne houses and visiting the cathedral.
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From Orleans you could visit many of the Loire chateaux. Easiest would be with a car, but you could probably get to many of them by bus or train. Blois, Amboise, Chambord, Cheverny and Chenonceau are all within easy reach, all very different one from another, and all delightful.
You could go horse-riding at Chambord, if that would appeal. I think you might be a little early for the son et lumiere shows, though. Also Chartres and Fontainebleau would be an easy drive from Orleans, and both very much worth it. Orleans itself is not terribly interesting, in my opinion, though pleasant enough. There is the cathedral, not one of the most impressive in France, and a decent musee des beaux arts. I%26#39;ve only spent a day there and didn%26#39;t feel a strong urge to return. Did have a nice lunch in the pedestrian area in the old city.
There are a couple of French-style theme parks with a historical base in the area too, I think. Not really my thing so I can%26#39;t tell you much about them but others may be able to.
I wouldn%26#39;t bother with Marseille - too big and too far away, I think. If you wanted to travel almost that far on the TGV (2.5 hours plus) Avignon would be possible, but I think there is more than enough around Orleans to keep you both busy and happy for 4 days.
One of the things I do that somehow gives me a real feel of Paris is to have breakfast not in my hotel but in a pleasant local cafe - not one of the big touristy ones, but the kind of place people stop in at for a quick coffee on their way to work.
Oh, one thought about Orleans - if you do decide to rent a car there, and I definitely would, the car rental place is not, as one might expect, right at the station, but a short taxi-ride away, at least Europcar is. I didn%26#39;t see any sign of any of the others at the station either. And the station you want is Orleans les Aubrais or some such name, not the main Orleans train station. Europcar did say they would have picked me up from the station if I had let them know what train I would be arriving on.
Have a wonderful trip - she is a very fortunate girl, your daughter!
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I%26#39;m leaving next week with my 13 yr old son and just can%26#39;t wait. One of the ideas I have read is a boat ride on the Seine River, especially at night. I%26#39;m also thinking of going to Versailles; maybe on the weekend when the fountains play their music. Much luck and fun with your daughter.
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I just want to say thanks to all who have replied to my post. I just found/joined this site and I%26#39;m amazed at how generous you all are with sharing your insights and experiences. I%26#39;m sure that we%26#39;ll have a great time.
I%26#39;m still a little up in the air on where to stay in Paris. Last time I stayed at the Hotel de Fleurie in St. Germain area. I would like something quaint and fairly centrally located, not too extremely touristy (e.g., I don%26#39;t think we%26#39;ll be doing a lot of power shopping, more just wanting to experience %26quot;a day in the life.%26quot;) I%26#39;ll have two nights on the front end where I can stay anywhere. Then, two nights before coming home where I%26#39;ll need to be near my sister who is staying at the Marriott on the Champs Elysses. I realize that this will be more of the big city experience that I%26#39;m less fond of.
So, any advice on a place near the Champs Elysses or also another district for the front end of our trip?
Any other favorite haunts or must sees?
Again, many thanks.
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How wonderful you are taking your 14 year old to Paris.
Why not try to get a short term apartment rental to give your daughter a feel for Parisian life.
I am taking my 14 year old daughter for Thanksgiving this year and we have rented a wonderful apartment for the week.
They often have a few nights here or there that aren%26#39;t booked and we found that the accommodations are 5 star but for half the price of a small hotel room.
Go to www.parisperfect.com
These people are amazing to work with and will provide you with a full packet of information on the must do%26#39;s and see%26#39;s and really want you to have that %26quot;local%26quot; experience.
The thing that is really amazing is that each apartment has a view of the Eiffel Tower....about 1 or 2 blocks away.
The neighborhood is one of the best in paris and evidently very safe.
Have a delightful time!
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I like the way you think, solstice!
You ask about a hotel, saying that you want somewhere to experience a %26quot;day in the life.%26quot; To my way of thinking the 4th arrondissement (Marais) is the best way to get a feel for %26quot;real%26quot; Paris close in to the center. I%26#39;d recommend the Grand Hotel Jeanne d%26#39;Arc, except that I think your chances of getting a room there on such short notice are very slim. There are other hotels in a variety of price ranges not far away. Let me know if you want any more suggestions, and what price range you are thinking of.
Just a word about why I suggest the 4th. You are right in the middle of what is still a lively, middle-class Paris neighborhood, though it is becoming slowly more touristy. Most of the other central areas you tend to be rubbing shoulders either with other tourists, or with the upper echelons of Paris society both.
From the Jeanne d%26#39;Arc you are just a block away from a street with nice but ordinary Parisian shops where nice (but ordinary???) Parisians shop for their fruit and vegetables, their bread and their wine, and so on. There are several nice (but ordinary) cafes full of French chatter rather than polyglot tourist-speak.
There are plenty of good restaurants all around, in every price range most of which have fewer tourists than Parisians as customers. And there are good museums close by (Carnavalet, Picasso, Cognac-Jay, etc.) and still you can easily walk to most of what you would want to see. The islands are next door, the Latin quarter just a short walk across the river.
Only the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, and Champs Elysees are a bit farther away than you would probably want to walk, though you could if you had a mind to.
So I really urge you to look at the 4th rather than any of the other central arrondissements.
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Soltice,
How wonderful to take your 14 year old daughter to France.
While in Paris you and your daughter must not miss a visit
to Pere Lachese Cemetery. No, it%26#39;s not weird. It will give
her a sense of the great people buried there. Off the top
of my head some of them are:
Edith Piaf, Isadore Duncan, Bellini, Getrude Stein, Alice B Toklas,
Moliere, Yves Montond and 100-200 others (then there%26#39;s Jim Morrison). A tour will provide you with a one of a kind opportunity. You might want to buy a map as you enter.
There are two metro stops; take the second one.
Enjoy
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