Posts Tagged ‘day trips’

Top Five Weekend Getaways in France for Summer and Fall

by Abby Gordon

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I have been in France for five years now and have done countless weekend and longer trips throughout l’Hexagone (the Hexagon, as France is often described). And every time I visit somewhere new, I end up adding more getaways in France to my list instead of crossing them off! There is still so much to explore. And yet, there are several corners of the country that keep drawing me back—physically and in my dreams! Here are my top weekend trip picks for the summer and fall...

Day Trip from Paris: Chantilly

by Sylvia SabesSylvia Sabes

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“Chantilly lace and a pretty face . . .” My mom tortured me with that 1950s tune from the Big Bopper. But those were not just silly lyrics. Chantilly is a royal town in Oise and, just north of the City of Light, makes for a great day trip from Paris....

Le Petit Weekend: Burgundy at a Glance

by Doni BelauDoni Belau

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As much as all Parisians love Paris, they also adore a petit weekend—a getaway, either a day trip from Paris or an entire weekend. Recently, during autumn, I hightailed it out of the city for a wine-tasting trip to Burgundy. My friend Kelly and I headed for Beaune, which is perfectly situated to explore both côtes, Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. One can reach Beaune via train or car. The TGV train takes just over two hours to arrive there, and via car the trip is about three hours plus, depending on traffic. If you wish to take the train, you can rent bikes right in Beaune if the weather is fine. But there are some hills, so if you want to tour the entire region, you’ll need to either rent a car in Beaune or be in good biking shape....

Paris Day Trips: Following Van Gogh

by Sylvia SabesSylvia Sabes

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Van Gogh, or as the Parisian's pronounce his name, “Van Gawhogg,” is perhaps my favorite 19th-century artist. I only hesitate because I have yet to see this season's Caillebotte exhibition at the Musée Jacquemart-André. I love the energy that is clear in Vincent's brushstrokes and his dynamic color palette that makes his work almost dance before your eyes. Naturally, I find it completely thrilling that seeing where Van Gogh created his last 70 masterpieces is an easy day trip from...

Giverny

by Jenna-Marie WarneckeJenna-Marie Warnecke

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A day spent at the gardens and home of Monet at Giverny is a beautiful one, regardless of with whom you spend it, whether a fellow art lover or travel companion. And of course a sunny day spent among flowers in the green countryside of France lends itself easily to romance. But I decided to forge the way there on my own, and the peace and beauty of my day, along with the sense of Monet’s presence, were themselves a powerful...

MAC/VAL

by Sylvia SabesSylvia Sabes

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With so many museums in Paris, one can visit something new every week of the year without ever seeing the same collection twice, and that does not take into account all of the traveling exhibitions, special shows and art galleries. After nearly a decade of being dragged from show to gallery to exhibition, my teens, not surprisingly, have had enough. And like all teens, they have been rather vocal about their displeasure, so there is now a temporary moratorium on all Paris museum visits for our household. Our current agreement permits all the theatre, architecture and opera I can cram into the schedule, but “no more...

Day-Trippin’: London

by Sylvia SabesSylvia Sabes

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Last week I had a day trip in London. I felt like Alice in Wonderland as I descended into the metro, passing the iconic red signs and inhaling the fragrant blend of diesel fuel and expensive perfume that is unique to Paris, emerging 2 hours and 15 minutes later to uniformly black taxicabs, red double-decker buses and English. Lovely...