Question.......I have flights organised, accommodation organised all for 1 week Paris in May 2006. Is it safe enough to organise daytrips to Chartres, Versaille or Giverny when we get there? I am also leaving all sightseeing arrangements till we are there (we want to do most by ourselves on metro etc except for a main sights tour when we arrive), hopefully this is not a silly thing to do. Thoughts are appreciated.
|||
It sounds as though you want to organize your own daytrips. You can wait to book train tickets when you get there as I do not believe you%26#39;ll need reservations for those trips that you mention. The other option is for you to pay online for the train tickets and either print them online (for PREM fares only as they%26#39;re non-refundable/non-changeable tickets) or request the tickets to be mailed to c/o your Paris hotel. Go to www.sncf.fr; they don%26#39;t post tickets to Australia. Also there is an English language selection on the bottom left of the main screen.
|||
I like your spirit...I think it%26#39;s a good thing to leave your itinerary a bit fluid so you can do what you want when you want. It is not going to be a problem for you to go to those areas w/o reservations. But, if you only have one week, I probably would only do one of the excursions rather than all three....Paris itself takes up a huge amount of time and you don%26#39;t want to be rushed.
In May I would do either Versailles or GIverny...
Les
|||
We did the daytrip of Giverny before. They bring you to the place (Monet%26#39;s house and garden) and leave you there for about 2 hours and come back for you afterwards. We are not sure if the train station is far from the sights so we got the tour from our hotel.
|||
Excellent help! Thankyou everyone....this site is a god-send, thankyou all
|||
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt; The other option is for you to pay online for the train tickets %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
There%26#39;s no cost advantage to pre-purchasing train tickets to any of these destinations--CHARTRES, GIVERNY (Vernon) or VERSAILLES (you can%26#39;t pre-purchase RER tickets). All will be the same price and terms whether you pre-purchase the tickets on-line weeks in advance or at the train stations minutes before your train departs. Since there are no discounted fares--only FULL FARE--available from PARIS to either CHARTRES or VERNON, pre-printing paper-tickets on personal computers is not an advance purchase option.
What you can do is look up the details of the train schedules and fares, print these out or jot the information down in your %26#39;Travel Notebook%26#39; beforehand so that you have that information readily at-hand when you need it---along with additional notes on Open/Closed days, hours, admission costs, special interest, etc.
|||
For Giverny the train stops in Vernon so you need to take a shuttle bus from the station, i don%26#39;t think it coincides with the time the train arrives, but i still Giverny. Also if you can take a full day to Versailles and go to the Trianons (petit and Grand) and the Hameau de la Reine, my favorite!! Chartres station is about 10-15 minutes from the cathedral
|||
You can book those trips at the last minute. I think it is nice to arrive in Paris and have no schedule planned. At the same time, you should do as much research and reading in advance as possible. Laid back and educated is a good combination.
la_photographe
|||
%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;For Giverny the train stops in Vernon so you need to take a shuttle bus from the station, i don%26#39;t think it coincides with the time the train arrives%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
The #18 regional bus schedule, from just outside of the doors of the SNCF train station at VERNON, to the gates of Monet%26#39;s Home %26amp; Garden at Giverny (15 mins), is %26#39;..synchronized..%26#39; to SNCF train arrivals and departures at VERNON. Round-trip fare is 3,20 €uro.
#18 Bus Schedule--
http://www.giverny.org/transpor/bus2005.jpg
|||
Thankyou everyone...Great tips all round. I AM reading EVERYTHING....I have a diary I have put together with times, costs, maps, accomm, sights etc etc..I%26#39;m driving myself nuts with it =) I have a very pessimistic thought that I%26#39;m gonna lose it in my first few days of travel, them I%26#39;ll be in BIG trouble. I like to be very organised and informed, but also like the idea of feeling free to do what takes your fancy.
|||
Hang in there Nell, it%26#39;ll all come together and be a fab adventure!
If you ever consider coming to the Seattle area, email me: willowe@hotmail.com
Cheers
No comments:
Post a Comment