Outside Paris
Giverny
Visit Claude Monet’s house and the
gardens that he so famously painted. If you’re a fan
of Monet, as I am, this is a really worthwhile trip. The pond
and bridge are exactly as he painted them, which you can confirm
in various galleries around the world, as well as in the Paris
museums.
See also the Fondation
Monet website (in English), although many of the links
seem to be broken.
Take the metro to the Gare Saint-Lazare
(also the subject of a famous picture) and follow signs to
the SNCF Grandes Lignes. Buy a ticket to Vernon, which is
on one of the Grandes Lignes going to Rouen and on to Le Havre.
The journey takes around 40 minutes and you can check the
timetable on the SNCF
website. It’s then a 10-minute, easy bus ride to
Monet’s place.
Château de Versailles
A place of sumptuous beauty and historical
importance, where Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette lived until
the revolution of 1789. It’s one of the biggest castles
in the world, with equally stunning gardens and park.
Take the RER line C5 to Versailles-Rive
Gauche. Click here
for the RER map.
Reims: Beautiful city surrounded
by champagne houses
Reims – pronounced something like ranss - is interesting
to see in itself but you can also visit one (or more) of the
champagne houses, to view and to sample – though you
will need to book in advance. There is a list on the Reims
website and another one here.
There are frequent TGV trains
from the Gare de l’Est and the journey takes about 45
minutes.
For wine
tasting in Paris, see previous page.
Paris
Disneyland
Not magic in the sense we’re talking
about but great fun all the same.
From Paris, take the RER line A4 to Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy
station. Click here
for the RER map.
From London or Ashford, you
can take the Eurostar
right to the gates of Disneyland (Marne-la-Vallée/Chessy
station is about 100 yards away).
Parc
Astérix
A theme park dedicated to the characters created by the amazingly
talented Goscinny and Uderzo. If you’ve never read these
books, you’ve missed out (put that right by clicking
here)
– they provide intelligent entertainment, including
the odd belly-laugh, and have been a favourite in my family
for as long as I can remember.
Click here
to visit Astérix’s official, extremely professional
website.
To get to the park from
Paris, take the RER line B3 to Charles de Gaulle 1 (penultimate
station) and then the special Astérix bus from platform
A3 of the Gare Routière. Click here
for the RER map.
What to see and do in Paris
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