This will be our 9th RS tour and 1st my way tour. We have been to Paris before and enjoyed the Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower with glass of champagne at the top, Sainte-Chapelle and did a cruise on the Seine River. This time we want to visit Norte Dame Cathedral and already have tickets to Musee d’Orsay. Our hotel is close to the Latin Quarter so I am looking for recommendations on the best places to enjoy crepes and also escargot. Looking also for recommendations of what not to miss in the Latin Quarter. I have read the scrapbooks on My Way France and also any trip reports I could find. Would love any recommendations for restaurants, name of good but cheap wine/champagne and sights not to miss in Amboise, Lyon, Annecy, Arles and Nice.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16843 posts
Well, in the Latin quarter there is the Cluny Museum which has a special exhibition on about unicorns. It's famous for housing the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries.
The Pantheon is also in the Latin quarter.
Are you a fan of the film Midnight in Paris? If so the steps where Gil sits and is picked up by the time-traveling taxi are on the left side of the Church Saint-Etienne-du-Mont which is just behind and to the left of the Pantheon.
You should have some very nice weather in April so if you are a garden person there is the Luxembourg Gardens which is right on the edge of the Latin Quarter as well as Jardin des Plantes. Here's a link to things to look for in the Luxembourg Gardens. I like to find the Statue of Liberty and also like the beehives which are tended by urban beekeepers. There are some quite interesting statues as well.
https://jardin.senat.fr/en/practical-information.html
Do you have any interest in Roman sites in Paris? The old Roman Forum was situated between the Pantheon and the Luxembourg Gardens. There are remnants of a Roman Well in the Place de Sorbonne as well as Roman Baths at the Cluny.
In Amboise I really enjoyed Clos Luce which is Leonardo da Vinci's home.
In Arles the archeological museum was fantastic if that's of interest. Many of Rick's regular tours stay at Hotel Calendal in Arles which is right beside the Roman Theater and Roman arena so is really well located.
Sorry...no food advice!
Posted by
63 posts
A very different experience that we thoroughly enjoyed is the Les Pavillons de Bercy - Musée Des Arts Forains ! Filled with whimsical carousels and rides and statues, as well as games from carnivals! This truly was an extraordinary experience.
https://arts-forains.com/en/visitors/individual-visitor
As for Lyon - what a beautiful city! Resistance Museum is wonderful, and make sure to visit Lyon's secret passages, known as traboules, are a network of roughly 400 hidden corridors, courtyards, and stairwells—mostly in Vieux Lyon and La Croix-Rousse—dating back to the 4th century. Many are open to you now to walk through.
Posted by
Southern Oregon
765 posts
Hi Jacq,
I have a recommendation for crepes. Back in 2012, we went with friends to Paris for the first time. They had a relative studying in Paris who was a "foodie." He chose places to eat, one of which was crepes at Breizh Cafe. I notice there's several Breizh Cafes in Paris. The one we ate was near or in the Jewish quarters of Paris. I think we made reservations for breakfast/brunch because the place was small, but very busy. Enjoy.
We've also stayed in Lyon, Annecy, and Arles independently, but we're not real foodies, so I don't have any outstanding restaurants to recommend.
Posted by
OP
Galt, CA
54 posts
A big thank you for the information and recommendations! We do appreciate any help in preparing for our first My Way tour. Now if someone could just inform us of the “real no changes” weather forecast we will have so we can pack accordingly lol.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16843 posts
"Now if someone could just inform us of the “real no changes” weather forecast we will have so we can pack accordingly lol."
Hahaha.....well, I've got my clothes in mind for my trip to Paris in April/early May. I've got 3 or 4 short sleeve tee shirts in mind and 3 long sleeve tees in mind. I'll refine that a couple of days before I leave and do 3 of one kind and 2 of the other. Waterproof rain jacket? check. Puffy vest? check. Lightweight glove liners in the pocket of the vest? check (and those are normal winter wear for me so they are readily available!). 2 pr of athletic shoes, one waterproof. check. For your tour, I'd probably add in a sun shirt for Southern France at the end of your trip.
BTW, I've also had to go to a market in Paris to buy a long sleeve shirt when it was way colder than I thought it was going to be! There is a good striped shirt guy at the Bastille Market, hahaha!!
BTW, when you got your tickets to the Orsay, did you see that there is a big Renoir exhibition?