We are going to France - Paris, Arras and Normandy - recommendations please.

[ShowOfHands]

I've started quite a few threads of late and we are booked to go to France for our first family holiday abroad. DC are 16 and 11 respectively and we've never had a proper summer holiday due to DH's work. We normally just camp for a few days here and there or do self catering in Scotland outside of summer. We've never taken the children abroad and I haven't had a passport for twenty years.

I'm open to as much help as possible. Driving, paying for things (we've ordered a credit card as we don't have one), how to navigate toll roads, where to go and what to do.

We've a couple of days in Arras and I've already planned to walk the route my grandad's brother followed on the Somme, ending at the cemetery where he is buried and DH has some other war sites he wants to see. Then on to a town NE of Paris and we have several days, planning on getting public transport into Paris. I'd like to visit Versailles and the Louvre and am trying to book now but am open to all and any recommendations. We then have a few days in Normandy, obviously wanting to see some military sites. We're staying near Bayeux.

We have saved and saved for this and want to cram in as much as possible but are on a tight budget. We love history, literature, art, whimsy, walking (but DD has EDS so can't be too challenging). DS is a typical 11yo boy and would have loved a trip to Disneyland for a day for example but we don't have that kind of cash.

Last time I went abroad, you changed your pounds into francs at the post office and wore a beige money belt round your waist. It's been, literally, decades. I'm nervous about it all. Driving, shopping, public transport.

Any info gratefully received or recommendations or things that definitely aren't worth it. Like the Eiffel Tower. Yay or nay?

Also you need a Crit'Air sticker for your car. Info and link to the official website is on this page https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.france.fr/en/holiday-prep/crit-air-anti-pollution-vehicle-sticker/amp

Only buy from the official government site. It costs about £4. If you are driving in Paris, certain older, esp Diesel cars (like ours!) are banned.

There is a wonderful new British memorial at Ver-sur-Mer which is an easy drive from Bayeux. If you do visit Falaise the museum of civilian life in WW2 is next to the castle and well worth a visit.

You will only need a Crit'Air sticker if you're planning to drive into certain cities, including Paris.

I'm not with o2 but am with giffgaff, which uses the o2 network. Giffgaff give a pretty generous free EU roaming allowance, so it'd definitely be worth checking to see if your o2 contract provides the same. If you use up the allowance (it was 5GB last autumn), the charges thereafter are still quite reasonable, though of course use WiFi if you can.

Don't know if this has already been mentioned, but some people recommend going up the Tour Montparnasse as an alternative to the Eiffel Tower. That way you get a view of the Eiffel Tower too!

Have a great trip!

What’s worth it in Paris depends what you like to do. A trip down the Seine is worth it, to me.,Also the Musee D’Orsay and the Arc de Triomphe. The Left Bank is interesting and DD has just visited the Louis Vuitton foundation. Glorious apparently. The Louvre is hard work. Not sure the ET is worth it. Definitely prefer a boat trip! Buy a Lonely Planet guide and decide on something for everyone. There is a lot to choose from.

I've just been looking for a decent guide. Is the Lonely Planet worth it for Paris or should I get the general France one as we are going to Arras and Normandy, as well as staying outside of Paris?

Interestingly, the historian who's been helping me trace the movements of my ancestor on the Somme recommends the museum in Albert so it's on the list.

DH has found a ghosts and mysteries tour of Paris which we will do for whimsy and I definitely want to go on a boat down the Seine. I'm really keen to see Versailles but not sure we can afford it. Any other recommendations for art/history/curiosities gratefully received.

Just checked with o2 and we are fine to use my phone in France. Phew!

Thank you so much for the recommendations and tips so far. I'm writing everything down and then researching.

LP do Normandy and DDay Beaches. Would this be better? I would buy Paris though. Invaluable! We find places we never thought about so often.

I've found a couple of 2nd hand Paris ones cheaply but are they going to be horribly out of date post Covid do you think? They're 2015 or thereabouts. New up to date ones are £15 which is a lot of money.

I am aware you don't work for LP btw!

I can highly recommend the Cadogan guides. You can get most guidebooks second hand quite cheaply via Amazon. Most things are still going to be valid, it's just worth Googling the practical information to check it's up to date- opening times and prices etc.

Do you have a good public library where you live? If so, they may have more up-to-date guidebooks you could borrow, though of course summer is when they're going to be in demand.

The DK Eyewitness & Eyewitness Top 10 guides are good and relatively low-priced, but not as comprehensive as the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide ones.

Personally I'd get the older one you mentioned, then check online for updated information and annotate accordingly for current prices, opening hours etc. The basics in terms of tourist sites won't have changed much and you already know some of what you want to see.

There's also a Rough Guide to the Liberation Route in Europe, covering WWII sites, though that's a much larger book as it doesn't just cover France.

(whispers)
The local library's copy of the Rough Guide to Rome went on holiday with us.

Vimy Ridge for WWI history if you go that far down. They've restored a trench, it's horrifyingly claustrophobic. Last post at the Menin Gate, Ypres.

360 degree cinema at Arromanches.

Dieppe is a less touristy version of Honfleur.

We only had 1 night in Arras but it’s a very beautiful town and we had a nice meal in the main square where there were lots of restaurants. We also had a cheap breakfast from a bakery there rather than paying the hotel prices! We went to outskirts Paris/Disney in half term. Our dc are quite a bit younger than yours but we all enjoyed the boat trip on the Seine (Bateaux Parisiens). I booked online the day before and it was really easy to show the qr code and get straight on. I’ve been up the Eiffel Tower before but wouldn’t bother again. I’ve also done Montparnasse Tower and the views were great but I was amazed how expensive it was this year. If you have time, I’d go to Sacré Coeur instead as the views are gorgeous from there and you can get a crêpe etc in Montmartre. We found it easier to get a combined RER train and metro ticket from where we were staying rather than separate ones but it did end up slightly more expensive. I would second the recommendation of travelling on the RER trains though as they’re much cheaper for getting into/around Paris. Restaurants near the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysées are v expensive (€35 euros for 3 soft drinks and 3 single scoops of ice cream!) but we got lovely sandwiches and cakes at a bakery and had a picnic. I can’t help with Normandy but it is on our list for the next couple of years and your plans sound great!

@ShowOfHands I don’t think secondhand matters. Clearly restaurants might have changed (and maybe opening times)but the ideas of things to see and do are pretty much the same. I back it up with web site info for details and looking up exhibitions or theatre for example. I like books as a reference point when I’m away. No. I don’t work for them. We have just found them to be useful, well researched and reliable with no glaring omissions.

If you're going to be using a lot of toll roads a toll tag may be useful. Saves having to pay at the booths and you get billed to your credit card a month later.

Caen is a lovely city with a castle & the Memorial (peace) museum, which your DH will love. If you have time, also visit Mont Saint-Michael which is stunning.

it's a good few years ago but I did have a lovely week's holiday in Normandy.

We visited Caen and Honfleur - both lovely places to wander around, Deauville/Trouville - beautiful beach resorts, Bayeux and Lisieux (interesting to me as raised Catholic but my friend got a bit overwhelmed with the St Therese mania).

I remember the food being absolutely gorgeous - the meal we had in Honfleur featured a seafood quiche which still makes my mouth water at the memory!

If you're on a budget check out the library for LP or other Guides and decide on your favourite or time borrowing for your holiday. Alternatively check out charity shops. Always loads there. Costs/hours may be out of date but you can check on line and will show the main sights

Bookmarking

I need to find that seafood quiche! 😋 two of my favourite foods combined!

Aah so lovely to see this thread resurrected.

We had such a lovely time.

DD is off to Pompeii tomorrow with college and is a bag of nerves. She's never flown. She'll be fine though.