Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [2]
PARIS: THE CITY THAT … SLEEPS?
Fall-out from the smoking ban has had another effect: antagonizing ordinary French trying to get a good night’s sleep. With smokers sent outside to light up, many neighbors of nightclubs have groused that the new sidewalk culture is keeping them awake at night. The new battle lines have annoyed neighbors who use eggs, buckets of water, and the odd garden hose to rout merry-makers. Authorities have now slapped bars with heavy fines and shuttering repeat offenders. The situation has become so bad that music promoters launched a campaign to combat the transformation of the City of Light into what Le Monde called Europe’s “capital of boredom”!
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Normandy. Sculpted with cliff-lined coasts, Normandy has been home to saints and sculptors, with a dramatic past marked by Mont-St-Michel’s majestic abbey, Rouen’s towering cathedral, and the D-Day beaches.
Brittany. A long arm of rocky land stretching into the Atlantic, Brittany is a place unto itself, with its own language and time-defying towns such as Gauguin’s Pont-Aven and the pirate haven of St-Malo.
Champagne Country. The capital of bubbly is Reims, set near four great Gothic cathedrals.
Alsace-Lorraine. Although this region bordered by the Rhine often looks German and sounds German, its main sights—18th-century Nancy, medieval Strasbourg, and the lovely Route du Vin—remain proudly French.
Paris. A quayside vista that takes in the Seine, a passing boat, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and mansard roofs all in one generous sweep is enough to convince you that Paris is indeed the most beautiful city on Earth.
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When to Go | Transportation Basics | Hours | Tips on Eating and Staying | Fête-ing It Up
WHEN TO GO
Summer is the most popular (and expensive) season. July in Paris is crowded and hot, although the Paris Plage, the “beach” on the banks of the Seine, is very popular with locals and tourists alike.
The Riviera sparkles in August—but the notorious embouteillages (traffic jams) on the drive south from Paris can make you wish you stayed home.
Famously fickle weather means you never know what to expect in Normandy and Brittany, where picture-postcard villages and languorous sandy beaches are never jam-packed.
September is gorgeous, with temperate weather, saner airfares, and cultural events scheduled specifically for the return from summer vacation, an institution that even has its own name: la rentrée.
Another good time to visit is in late spring, just before the masses arrive, when the sun sets after 9 PM and cafés are abuzz.
Unless you’re skiing in the Alps, winter is the least appealing time to come, though it’s the best time to find less expensive airfares and hotel deals—and escape the crowds.
TRANSPORTATION BASICS
There are two major gateway airports to France just outside the capital: Orly, 16 km (10 mi) south of Paris, and Charles de Gaulle, 26 km (16 mi) northeast of the city. At Charles de Gaulle, also known as Roissy, there’s a TGV (train à grande vitesse) station at Terminal 2, where you can connect to high-speed trains going all over the country.
Once in France, the best way to travel is by train, either high-speed TGV or regional train. A France Rail Pass allows three days of unlimited train travel in a one-month period. With train service efficient and enjoyable, long-distance bus service is rarely used, though there are some regional buses that cover areas