We just returned from a fabulous 9 day trip to Paris with a few side trips as well. We had a fabulous time and I wanted to just do a little brain dump. I received my Passe Sanitaire before leaving but my husband did not. We had one instance where his card was rejected basically because the cafe owner was confused and so turned us away. My husband decided to get a test good for 3 days with a code that could be used as a back up. The tents are all over the city. It costs about 20 euros and takes 20 minutes and you have a code good for 3 days. Of course, after that he never needed it but we did the process. He received his Passe Sanitaire the day before we left Paris so didn't get to use it much.
We went to the all the major points of interest, did a 2 day wine tasting trip with a wonderful Rick Steves recommended guide (Colette Barbier) and also did side trips to Reims/Eparnay and Giverny.
We stayed on Rue Cler for the first 4 nights again at a Rick Steves recommended hotel - Hotel Cler. Lovely street and nice part of Paris to visit and stay.
We stayed one night in Beaune during our wine country visit at Hotel Le Cep - again Rick's recommendation and very good, I might add.
Finally, we stayed 3 nights near the Louvre for a different experience. A more touristy part of town but very fun and close to many sights as well. We stayed at Hotel Brighton on Rue de Rivoli. Very nice hotel. More costly but we had the most amazing view from our room and decided we wanted to splurge at the end of our trip.
We got our Covid tests to return to the US at a pharmacy and the test took 5 minutes. They link it to your passport and coming back to the states was a breeze. I did just purchase some at home tests to test in 3-5 days to just be sure I'm ok from the travel back.
This was my fourth trip to Paris and my husband's first. The highlight for me was the wine tasting as Colette is an abundance of information and we learned so much. The countryside is absolutely breathtaking and I'm sure we wouldn't have found a lot of the things she took us to by ourselves.
Just wanted to share a bit of information. Don't be afraid to go. It's lovely and I'm so glad we were able to take our trip after so much uncertainty!
Posted by
Paris
10201 posts
Amy — thanks for your trip report. It sounds like you had a fabulous trip ! Thanks for coming back and sharing, especially your experience (these days) with the testing and pass sanitaire.
It sounds like hiring Colette was a very smart move that enhanced your experience.
Posted by
northern CA
2766 posts
Did you do any of the history/religion spots in Reims and how did that go (if so)?
Posted by
OP
29 posts
We only visited the cathedral in Reims. It's absolutely beautiful and if you are there definitely go visit it.
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
Thank you amy, so nice to read your post. We’ve stayed at Hotel Le Cep in Beaune too, loved it. Welcome home!
Posted by
OP
29 posts
I will definitely go back and visit Beaune again. What a delightful town and I need to do more tasting. What fun!
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
Also, next time in Beaune, do the 2 scenic drives that RS recommends. To die for villages and scenery.
Posted by
OP
29 posts
We did not have a car but Colette drove us absolutely everywhere including to the very top of the cliffs with the view all the way down the valley. It was stunning. But if we do rent a car next time we will look into that. We drove through Mersault and I would love to stay there as well. We stopped for some picture taking there. So many beautiful villages.
Posted by
Chicago
94 posts
Amy, thank you.
We got our second vax April 15. Are these papers good to travel to France and back, please?
Any problems with Covid during travel? What does Passe Sanitair mean?
Posted by
OP
29 posts
You can apply for a Passé Sanitaire thru the French Government. There are other threads on the forum with links. You apply by submitting passport, cdc card and copy of flights. They issue a QR code that is scanned literally everywhere you go. Restaurants, museums etc. Receiving the code is hit and miss. I got mine right away my husband got his the day before we left France. They do accept CDC card so bring it with you. Absolutely no problem with Covid. You must test to renter US. Just went to a local pharmacy. We did a home test 4 days after returning to make sure we didn’t catch anything on the way home. All good.