As we talked about in another thread, here's a place to list the things we'd like to see for France on the website. Remember folks - people will need to step to write these pieces; you'll know, I'm a French Virgin
Here's currently what we have in Trip Planning:
Recommended Books and Maps
Guidebooks: Recommended guidebooks.
Maps of France: Recommended maps to use for planning a trip to France, with links for purchasing maps.
Memoirs: Recommended memoirs and novels.
Bill Thayer's Recommended Books: Recommended books about France.
A Book Tour of Paris for Teens: Recommended reading about Paris for teenagers.
Travel Consultant and Tour Guides
Travel Consultants: Using a Travel Consultant, lists of travel agents / consultants
Tour Guides: Lists of tour guides
Where to Stay and When to Go
Where to Stay, Paris: Descriptions of the arrondissements of Paris and where to stay, by Thomas DiPiero
Where to Stay, France: Suggestions on where to go in France
Where to Stay, Provence: Suggestions on where to go in Provence
Maps to help you plan
France Maps: Maps of the regions - Chamonix, Loire Valley, Provence, Riviera, Paris, tourist destinations
Maps of France: Recommended maps to use for planning a trip to France, with links for purchasing maps.
Moving to France
Overview of Purchasing Real Estate in France: Buying a home in France and an explanation of the Compromis de vente
Resources
Resources: Links to websites with travel information for France
Here's what we have in Travel Notes:
Food/Cooking
Epiphany - Gallette des Rois: Making and eating this special cake served in January for the Epiphany holiday, Kevin Widrow, January 2006 NEW!!
Visiting Food Shrines in France (and one in Italy): Cheese, cooking and oyster museums in France, pasta museum in Italy, Martha S. Taccarino (to_italy), November 2005 NEW!!
Postcards from France Postcards from France: Short vignettes about events in France.
A hike in the Luberon,
lunch at Oustau de Baumanière,
American Thanksgiving in Provence,
the Apt market,
why I want to be a dog in Arles,
King Albert's Hut.
Miscellaneous
Canal Boats: Taking a canal boat vacation in France.
Travel Notes by Region Paris
Where To Pick a Flower in Paris: Public Restrooms, where to find them, locations near main tourist sights, September 2005 NEW!!
Travelers Tips for Paris: Favorite views, museums, tipping, ATMs, transportation, etc., March 2005
Paris and its Gay Village: All about the Marais, the center of Gay Paree, March 2005
Hemingway's Steps Through Paris: Walking through Paris, seeing Hemingway's favorite places, July 2004
Paris Museum Pass: All about the pass and other information for Paris.
Paris, Tea & Wine: Wine bars and tea shops in Paris, June 2004
Provence
Provence and Cote d'Azur (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
Travel Notes for Provence: We have several pages of notes for Provence. The Wood Family Best of Provence - Activities for Kids, Food for Kids, Hiking in the Luberon - plus Markets of Provence, Cistercian Abbeys, One Man's View - Things to Not See in Provence, Things to do in and around Nice.
Hiking in the Luberon: Basics for hiking, how to plan your trip, details for four hikes, Wood Family, November 2005 NEW!!
Languedoc-Roussillon
Foods of Narbonne, in the south of France: Narbonne is in Languedoc region. Southwest France
The Dordogne Region: The Dordogne is in the southwest of France, June 2004
Walnuts in the Périgord: All about walnuts in the Perigord (the Dordogne), June 2004
Walnut Wines and Liquors: Things to do with all those walnuts, June 2004
French Alps
Chamonix, in the French Alps: Chamonix is a mountain town near the borders with Switerland and Italy, in the Alps, June 2004
Northern France
Crémant – The Bubbly of Alsace: The Alsace-Lorraine region is in the northeast corner of France, bordering on Germany. This article discusses the wine of that region. June 2004
Lace of the Queens – Queen of the Laces: Lace making in the town of Alençon in the Normandy region, June 2004
Here's what we have in Instructions:
Transportation
Trains in France: How to use the TGV, types of tickets, purchasing online through the SNCF website.
Driving in France: Coming soon!
Restaurants, Cafés
Restaurants: How to order in restaurants, sample menus, what to expect.
Cafés: How to order in cafés, sample menus, what to expect.
Learning French
[
Language Lessons: Learn some French for your trip. This section gives you some basic French language lessons: how to count, how to order in cafés and restaurants, how to make reservations, plus a pronunciation guide.
All About Phones
European Cell Phones: Options for using a cell phone in Europe.
Computers, Electronics
Our Europe Trip Planning section has information that is common to countries across Europe.
Internet Access: To access the Internet in Europe, use Internet Cafes or take your computer with you.
Bringing your Electronics to Europe: For most electronics (camera chargers, computers, etc.) all you need is are plug and phone adapters.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,
Quirky and artistic France - the things you see in the streets, from the mass rollerblade through the streets of Paris to interesting store fronts and public art.
Multicultural France - there are entire guidebooks (in French) on international, "exotic" or multicultural France (especially but not only Paris). Remember, multicultural does not mean just North or West African or Vietnamese, but also Anglophones and continental Europeans, Latin Americans and people from just about everywhere in the world. These cultures are transformed in the French context - Vietnamese or Chinese food doesn't taste the same in Paris, in New York or in Sao Paolo.
The history of travel and holidays in France - from le Grand tour (includes Italy as well) to the first congés payés when ordinary French people could take to the roads - this has led to the development of extraordinary "structures" for family tourism such as les villages vacances familles. The history of travel also includes servicemen and women who "visited" France during the World Wars and returned under more pleasant circumstances later on...
Slow travel in French cities and towns (other than Paris) from Lyon to smaller cities, there are many hidden gems and often better prices for quality food and different forms of accomodation.
On the Learning French front (I REFUSE to give lessons here!) existing online lessons, links for French-language media and opportunities to study the language in France, while delving into a town or region (as many of us Italianistas have done in Perugia or Sienna).
Cycling in France (for all levels) and where and how to hire/rent a bicycle.
Special needs: provisions for disabled travellers, food allergies, religious or ethical food requirements (kosher, vegetarian etc.)
Here is an interesting little site from an African-American woman living in Paris: Café de la soul about "Black Paris" - largely centred on the fascinating history of African-Americans in Paris, but also touching on other African and African diaspora people's contribution to the culture of the city.
Posts: 868 | Location: Montréal | Registered: 29 January 2006
There are two things I found on the message board and have been using extensively as I've been planning our November trip (sorry, I don't know how to do links):
The Interactive Guide to Paris Transportation found here: http://www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/cv_en/carteparis.php. With this map there could also be information on what types of tickets are available and how to buy.
The other which is fun, entertaining and informative: http://www.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en. This could possibly be included in the where to stay in Paris section as a resource to "look" around the neighborhood.
It would also be helpful to have an area with links to market days by town for the various areas.
For my part, I promise to do the following:
Reviews of our two Paris hotels (staying in one on our arrival night and the other on our night before departure) - Hotel Louis II, 2 rue Saint-Sulpice in the 6th and Hotel d'Albe, 1 rue de la Harpe in the 5th.
Any restaurants we eat at in Paris.
A report (probably in the Postcard format) of our tour plans in Paris. Going to call it something like Dark Side of the City of Light. We're planning on visiting the Notre Dame crypt as well as the catacombs!
For the Dordogne where we'll be part of a small (8 people) tour group: Restaurant reviews Review of La Combe en Perigord where we are staying Trip Report on experience of participating in La Vie en Perigord Guest Chef Program which will include visiting weekly markets, local artisans, tourist attractions, eating in local restaurants and our cooking classes.
I wish I could add more based on some of our previous travels to France, but until my trip to Italy last year, I never really kept good travel logs. I'd always start out planning on doing it and then never follow through. However, I promise to be more diligent in the future!!
Ough!!! France, Paris is huge.All beautiful. If those living outside can pick the issues they want to see: i will be more than happy to direct you to local places. I spend every weekend traveling and now I have the May 25 holiday with a bridge on the 26 for a four day weekend!!!!!! love it:::: Happy traveling in France!
Pedmar, how about easy daytrips in the Île-de-France - in particular those accessible by local trains. Île-de-France is a surprisingly green department in parts - there are lots of little towns like Pontoise that are easily accessible via a short train ride.
Or simply explore a neighbourhood you like, through fresh eyes...
Posts: 868 | Location: Montréal | Registered: 29 January 2006
You know where I found it, in the Restaurant section. I compiled the above list from Notes, Plannings and Instructions. I'll double check, Rentals, Hotels and Restaurants to see if there's anything else I missed.
I'd better get started. We've been Slow Traveling in France for years, but like many people, I didn't journal thoroughly enough to recreate experiences as great trip reports. (Although I've always keep a short diary with names of hotels, places, routes, etc. and that has sure been handy)
Plus I think that any recommendation for hotels and restaurants or rentals should be within the last few years. Would five years be too ancient? I could get started on some reviews within the last couple of years, and I'll add more after our 6 weeks this early fall.
One thing I could add, that doesn't change much over the years, is some great driving routes. Not routes for hurrying, but routes for savoring scenery and villages along small roads. I could recreate a few of those.
Linda
Posts: 691 | Location: Outlying area of Chicago | Registered: 15 September 2004
Well I pretty embarrassed. I have been typing on my Paris trip report, but come July it will be a year. I will also be spending 16 days in the Loire Chateaux region this June and July and will keep as many good notes as I can, wine permitting.
One thing I could add, that doesn't change much over the years, is some great driving routes. Not routes for hurrying, but routes for savoring scenery and villages along small roads. I could recreate a few of those.
That sounds like a GREAT topic, Linda! I would love to see that!
And I agree that reviews reflecting conditions more than a couple years ago probably aren't good.
I definitely agree that we need something about the different regions of France. This could be a "Slow Travel original" or perhaps a page that gives some brief information and then links to other internet resources.
Thinking about topics that seem to come up frequently on the France board, here are a couple of other ideas:
- Cote d'Azur: where to stay, how to get around, when to go
- Museums in Paris: general information, strategies for visiting, lesser-known museum recommendations
- August in Paris: is this a good time to visit, what to expect
- France in all Seasons: where to go when, what to expect at different times of the year
- WWII and France
- Festivals and special events
I think anything we can develop for regions outside of Paris and Provence would be great, and several great ideas have already been suggested/volunteered. This could include trip reports, travel notes, and reviews!
I've still got several "Provence" projects on my list of things to do, and I'll continue to plug along on these as time allows.
I want to do a "postcard" about our visit to Oradour-sur-Glane (near Limoges), a village that was totally massacred by the Nazis near the end of World War II.
We will be in Normandy for a week in July, then traveling down to Provence for several weeks. I promise to write any reviews that are possible... and hope others will do the same!!
I may be shamed into reviewing a few of the dozens of Honfleur, Normandy, restaurants. In the meantime, there are mini-restaurant reviews in my trip report:
Also, antique-hunting in France comes to mind, since that's what I do in the unfilled spaces of my two and half lives. That may not get written until I retire from life No. 1. Next year!
I recently started a thread on villages of Central and Auvergne regions, and spent hours pouring over maps and Googling villages. I'd love to see a "Favorite Villages of France" section: divided initially by Region, and then by each Department within a region. Each village could have brief descriptive comments from those who've been there, including if it's part of the "Most Beautiful Villages of France" group; and, if possible, one characteristic photo from either a trip report, or, from a Googled search for images of the village. [These can usually be dragged & dropped onto one's desktop as jpg, and then uploaded if the format for this page would allow it.] Notes might also include a unique or favorite restaurant in the village.
While there is much info on various villages imbedded in trip reports (especially Provence) I think organizing it in this way, and then making it searchable by region/department, would be a terrific trip planning addition.
There could be special requests that people living outside the commonest areas in France contribute.
[This idea raises a question, which is whether the Find function searches beyond the forum threads to the general France pages. If not, it sure would be valuable if it could!]
Topic Closed
).
I have been typing on my Paris trip report, but come July it will be a year. I will also be spending 16 days in the Loire Chateaux region this June and July and will keep as many good notes as I can, wine permitting.
