Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [5]
The best thing about the trains is that the stations are usually right in the center of town, and in the case of Paris, connected to the metro. This means that backpackers can find a hotel within walking distance of the train station without worrying about long taxi rides to and from the airport.
Traveling by train also eliminates long security checks and excess baggage fees, and you get to enjoy the scenery as you travel.
Managed by the SNCF, almost every corner of France can be reached by train, including about 60 cities by TGV, and thousands more under the regional rail lines including Téoz (Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, Perpignan, and Clermont-Ferrand), the Lunéa sleeper trains (which have 1st class, 2nd class, and reclining seat options starting at €17), iDTGV theme trains (choose “zen,” “games,” or “nightclub” themed atmospheres on 20 routes), and the “TER” (Transport Express Régional) medium-distance trains serving the different French regions.
For instance, the Ile-de-France départment surrounding Paris is served by the Transilien network, which links to the suburban Paris commuter rail known as the “RER” (Réseau Express Régional) and the Paris Métropolitan, or Métro.
Aside from these Paris networks, which are part of the Parisian Transportation Authority known as the “RATP” (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens), all trains in France are managed by the French National Railway, or “SNCF” (Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français).
This makes it a lot easier for travelers to find the best ticket whether it’s by TGV or by regional TER, either by the official French site (www.voyages-sncf.com) or via Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com), which lets you search in your home country’s language and currency before you arrive in France.
If you want to remain flexible even after you’ve arrived in France, sign up for their “Anywhere Anytime France e-tickets” for the convenience of ordering your tickets online and printing them at any train station up to an hour before departure time.
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LOUVRE, PARIS
Home to art’s most photogenic beauties—the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, and the Mona Lisa—this is not only the largest palace in France but also the most important museum in the world.
MONT-ST-MICHEL, NORMANDY
Once seen, never forgotten, this Romanesque abbey rises from its bay like a shimmering apparition, becoming an island at high tide. French and English fought to dominate the “rock” until the 13th century, when it was crowned with a splendid Gothic church.
STRASBOURG, ALSACE-LORRAINE
The cosmopolitan seat of Europe’s Parliament, this fascinating mix of half-timber houses and modern glass buildings was fought over by France and Germany—a battle that resulted in a rich intertwining of cultures.
UNIDENTICAL TWINS, BRITTANY
A ferry ride across the Rance River links two delightfully contrasting towns: ancient, once pirate-ridden St-Malo and grand, genteel, Edwardian Dinard.
CHAMPAGNE, CHAMPAGNE COUNTRY
Drink it, see the vineyards, visit the cavernous chalk cellars where bottles are stored by the million.
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How will you experience France? Will you wile away the hours in the shops and cafés of Paris? Will you dine at the temples of gastronomy in Lyon? Will you play feudal lord among the châteaux of the Loire Valley? Or will you simply throw away your map and chance upon nestled-away villages of the Côte d’Azur or fairy-tale hamlets of the Dordogne? These suggestions, and the following, await you as memorable experiences for your next trip to France.
WALK LIKE A PARISIAN
Paris was made for wandering, and the French have coined a lovely word for a person who strolls, usually without a destination in mind: le flâneur. In Paris, no matter how