I'm invited to a wedding in Houilles, will be travelling alone, not first time in France, 75 year old American woman, speak French, comforable on transit.. Since Houilles is on RER A, I thought perhaps I should stay the night before and after wedding somewhere closer. Normally in Paris I would stay either 5th or Marais. Not sure how late the festivities will go. Would St Germain en Laye, also on RER A, make sense? I have never been there but it has at least three interesting sites and probably some sights and foods as well. My thought is three nice solo days in autumnul Paris, then Fri and Sat nights in St Germain en Laye, but then if I were leaving on Sunday, it doesn;t seem that easy to get to CDG from there.
Thoughts? Thanks!
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
12040 posts
I would stay as close to the wedding site as possible and not take a RER A, or any RER, alone late at night. You need to work with the people giving the wedding to find the accommodations they recommend and get help with the transportation.
I was once in the RER A leaving from Saint Germain, when the driver had to stop the train between stations to call the transit police to remover some young men, and that was during daylight with a half-full train.
I have no knowledge of Houilles and it's distance to Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
Every French wedding I have attended has gone on into the early hours. My husband and I usually bow out around 1 am, while others keep dancing.
Posted by
France Southwest - Occitanie
4216 posts
Regarding the wedding, it also depends on your level of involvement in all the events. No matter what, there is the official civil ceremony at city hall, and potentially a religious ceremony at another location (a church, synagogue, or elsewhere). This is most often in the morning, but it depends on availability.
There might be a brunch or even a lunch. There is also a dinner and most of the time a party or reception either at a rented venue or at someone's home. As Elizabeth mentioned, it can go on late into the night. If you're invited to all of it, wear comfortable shoes. it's going to be a long day.
The people who invited you will be able to tell you more about whether you need to stay nearby and what your options are. In my opinion, since you're coming from far away, I imagine they'll be courteous enough to pick you up and potentially drop you off where you're staying.