Travel
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
Yo, trying to rebook our European super trip
Any parts of Paris to avoid or is all that shit way overplayed
We used to stay right on the 5/6 arrondissement border area for weekends away. Brilliant spot with fast direct connection from Gare du Nord, awesome well priced 3 star boutique hotels, walking distance to see sights along the Seine, close metro stations to take you directly to the west of city.
Best part for us was that you are right on the doorstep of an area of cafes, bars and restaurants. Really vibrant spot that you can wander into and grab a feed/drink. Really felt like you were right in amongst it. -
@mariner4life said in Travel:
Yo, trying to rebook our European super trip
Any parts of Paris to avoid or is all that shit way overplayed
I always liked staying in the Latin Quarter. Reasonable accommodation, lots of varied food options
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
Yo, trying to rebook our European super trip
Any parts of Paris to avoid or is all that shit way overplayed
It's not overplayed, but all the tourist area's are fine. Like all Euro cities you need to keep your wits about you, but if you are going through all the tourist traps / museums etc you'll be fine.
Having just come back from a week in France, I strongly recommend though to do Paris quickly for what you want (Eiffell, Louvre etc) then get the fuck out of there. Rural France is awesome. Totally awesome. All the towns have the same as you get in Paris (French food, French arrogance, French charm) but in a much more relaxed, beautiful, quiet setting. Totally worth a look.
We were around Bordeaux wine region and had lunch in Aubeterr-sue-Dronne & Sant Emillion. Both beautiful and stunning.
Side note - here is my medium Bavette.
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If you are basing yourself in Paris you can still use the rail and TGV networks to get places fast. I went on a champagne tour in Rheims, Normandy, and Amiens in two separate trips to France, each one was only 2 or 3 hours by fast train. But I'd say staying outside big cities is pretty cool, like MR. I drove around France years ago, stayed in a little village outside Nice. Food was so much better than the city
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@MajorRage said in Travel:
@mariner4life said in Travel:
Yo, trying to rebook our European super trip
Any parts of Paris to avoid or is all that shit way overplayed
It's not overplayed, but all the tourist area's are fine. Like all Euro cities you need to keep your wits about you, but if you are going through all the tourist traps / museums etc you'll be fine.
Having just come back from a week in France, I strongly recommend though to do Paris quickly for what you want (Eiffell, Louvre etc) then get the fuck out of there. Rural France is awesome. Totally awesome. All the towns have the same as you get in Paris (French food, French arrogance, French charm) but in a much more relaxed, beautiful, quiet setting. Totally worth a look.
We were around Bordeaux wine region and had lunch in Aubeterr-sue-Dronne & Sant Emillion. Both beautiful and stunning.
Side note - here is my medium Bavette.
This! Paris, like many a metropolis, is a shithole. Rubbish on the streets, homeless/vagrancy has risen massively, beggars, lawlessness (though the tourist areas are generally well policed to provide a level of assurance to tourists).
Once you get out of Paris and find out what the rest of the country has to offer, you'll never go back; unless there is something specific in an art gallery/museum/historical building that you must see.
Much like London isn't a true reflection of England/UK, Paris is not a true reflection of France.
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It's just 3 days to show the kids Paris then on to Italy
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
It's just 3 days to show the kids Paris then on to Italy
How old are the kids? If they are older and you are planning to see some museums or other monuments, I'd recommend buying museum passes
https://www.parismuseumpass.fr/t-en
It gets you into heaps of places such as the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, and Versailles Palace is included so it is a good deal. And IIRC there is a special lane so you don't queue with those buying tickets
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
It's just 3 days to show the kids Paris then on to Italy
We did a hop on/off bus around Paris a couple of years ago with kids and they loved it. It is a quick way to drive past a lot of the landmarks and work out which ones you want to spend more time at. Also stayed in a 3 star hotel in Montmarte which is a good location for views of the city. If kids are old enough a day trip out to some of the WW1 war cemeteries is a worthwhile experience
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Is it possible to travel to England or France unvaccinated? Very unclear/old info online.
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@mariner4life said in Travel:
It's just 3 days to show the kids Paris then on to Italy
We did a hop on/off bus around Paris a couple of years ago with kids and they loved it. It is a quick way to drive past a lot of the landmarks and work out which ones you want to spend more time at. Also stayed in a 3 star hotel in Montmarte which is a good location for views of the city. If kids are old enough a day trip out to some of the WW1 war cemeteries is a worthwhile experience
I went out to Normandy and Amiens. Took tours there, highly recommended
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@muddyriver said in Travel:
Is it possible to travel to England or France unvaccinated? Very unclear/old info online.
I would have thought so. Covid19 is barely a thing there now
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Yeah Lille being so easy to get to is a bit of a favourite to hit for a relaxing weekend.
Ypres is a nice weekend town if you like heading that way. Especially if you want to have a gander at the WWI sites with NZ connections and haven't done that before.
Can recommend this place to stay. Very nice. Free beer in the mini bar.
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had a week in Paris with Mrs NZZP a few years ago and absolutely loved it. It's one of my favourite cities to wander around in; so pedestrian friendly, so many things to see and do.
Broke the week up with a trip out to vaux-le-vicomte. Just an incredible castle in an incredible setting.
But agree, rural France is something else. One of the many things I love about the French is how seriously they take eating and drinking... if I lived there, I'd be a 300 pound monster, but full of happy cheese.
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@mariner4life did we ever find out if @Snowy had family in Oz? Harder to dig basements in sandy conditions I'd imagine!
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I see Air Asia is advertising transtasman flights from November. Hopefully other players will reenter the market soon and help push the cost down
Upvote the shit out of that. Trying to get back for an event in Late November ... Prem Econ is like 3k. If I go to Sydney instead it's like 1.2 - 1.5k.