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Paris and Calais in Late November

Ok, first time to Europe. I'm joining my daughter and her family in Paris and later Calais. We are staying near Disney, where my daughter's family will go for three days. I'd like to take one of those days to maybe explore the main bits of Paris on my own. I have very little French language and that feels like a big concern but I figure if I say the same words and smile alot, that will help. Is the transit system easy to utilize?

Also, Snow? Rain I can deal with, just not sure of snow. But it will be lovely and with grands ages 2 to 9 and it's their third trip here in 14 months. I'm just now able to join them this time.

Posted by
7304 posts

Hi,
Exciting trip!
So, don't worry about snow, it is a rare occurence and almost unheard-of in November (even late November). Neither should you worry about your lack of French, you will find some English-language signage and many English speakers in Paris. You can assume that almost anyone working in the service industry in 2019 will have at least some English, or a colleague who has some.
And transit from Disney to Paris is easy: it is a straight shot on the "RER A" line, which is frequent and quite fast. You will just have to be careful on the way back, to take a train whose terminus is "Marne-La-Vallée Chessy" The indications in that respect are very clear on the platforms, just look for the next-train-arrival boards, there's even a Mickey Mouse logo next to the train arrival times to avoid any confusion. The most convenient ticket to purchase is a weekly "Navigo Découverte" bought from a ticket booth with a stamp-sized photo of you in hand, however it is only valid from a Monday to a Sunday so if your stay in Paris spans two weeks, you might need point-to-point tickets (easy to buy from the machines).

Wondering what you'll be doing in Calais in late November, though, but I guess it's for family?

Posted by
52 posts

The itinerary is my daughter's....she did talk about taking the kids to the Lourve, always instilling art love, so I'm good if that's all we do in Paris, but I would love to sit at a nice cafe. I'm just pleased as punch to be able to share it now. Calais is not my first choice so I'm open to anything.

Thank you so much for great advice!