El_Colonel: forum

I'm making this thread to help tourists when visiting France. I know that a lot of tourists just want to see Paris, and that's fine, but if you want to see 99.9% of the rest of France you've come to the right place! To be clear, when talking about France I'm only talking about the territory in Europe, not the overseas departments and regions because I've never been there. 

To introduce myself, I'm French and I come from the West of France. It's the part of the country I know best both from having studied in different places and from visiting. Since you'll probably arrived in Paris by plane, I'll try to find a destination that you can reach by train. You have to know that France is a very centralized country, most of the trains start in Paris. It's complicated if you want to go from Brest to Bordeaux because you have to go through Paris (You may not know these cities now but don't worry we'll have our map time!), but in your case it will serve you well as you want to go back to Paris for your flight. Or if you don't mind driving, it's easily accessible, because for an American, France is not a big country. It's about 1000 km (around 620 miles) from West to East (Brest to Strasbourg) and the same from North to South (Lille to Marseille) with highways (130 km/h limit and toll) and "4 lanes" (110 km/h limit and free). Note that many cars in France have manual transmissions, not automatic.

Some infos:
Currently $1 = 0.95€

A baguette costs around 1€ up to 1.30€ if it's a "tradition". Of course it's a price range. 
You can find "pain au chocolat" or "chocolatine" (in South West of France) at 1.20/1.30€.
Of course it will depends on the bakery and the city. I don't have the price for Paris but I bet it's 10/20% more expensive.

If you want to argue with your friends or partner about it, I'll give you some pros and cons! :D

Pros:

• Less tourists in other cities than Paris, except for very touristic places like the Mont Saint Michel. 
• Less expensive for accommodations, restaurants or activities.
• A chance to meet locals and discover regional specialties (different in each regions).
• The variety of landscapes, there are several Mountains (Alpes, Pyrénées, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura), several rivers (Loire, Seine, Rhône, Garonne), each region has its unique flavor.

Cons:

• Oh you're saying that French don't speak English just by visiting Paris, well come to the countryside and see! It's going to be the hardest part, if you want to visit the countryside in small villages, you may face the language barrier. To be honest, I'm from a small village in the West and the last time we saw Americans was in 1944. The locals may not be used to seeing foreigners and speaking English. But if you stay in cities with 100K+ inhabitants it should be ok, you'll find menus in English in restaurants and the activities should be translated. For example, I know that there are English guided tours at Chambord Castle. Many of the younger generation understand English, after all we watch a lot of American/English series and movies on Netflix/Prime with subtitles. But in general, we have more difficulties speaking the language. With the older generation, it might be a bit difficult.
• If you're more of an "urban" person you'll get bored because most of the activities in the countryside are walking, getting fresh air, visiting old castles and Medieval towns, and just looking at the beauty of nature. It's not for everyone I can understand that. 
• If you have dietary restrictions, you may have difficulty in small towns. Vegan/Vegetarian recipes are more common than they used to be, but it's still rare in traditional restaurants.

I think that's enough of text for today, I'll just conclude with a map of France and cities. Next time, I'll show you a location with an activity to do !

Thank you to everyone who helped us so far. It's very heartwarming!

It was obvious that the PM would be censored, for a guy coming from the right he only proposed more taxes and no cuts. And everyone knows that he had some places to cut the budget. The funniest thing is that his new budget really had a socialist vibe (+30 billion in taxes), but the left and the far left did not have enough. And as for the far right, well, they are the biggest party (125 MPs), but they were denied a place in the government and in various commissions. They are insulted as an "anti-democratic party" but 11 million voters elected them. So they made him pay.

Every TV programme promised us Chaos and the 10 plagues of Egypt if the MPs censored the government, it turns out that the CAC40 has gained +2.40% so far this week. And our 10-year bonds have lost 0.158 points in a week (which is positive), so it's not the apocalypse.

I'm at the point where I think we need an IMF intervention, really. We need a financial audit. Where is my money going ? I don't know !

YouTube video hFqYDghR4Ds

#1 Activities : The Chambord Castle

I mentioned it in my previous post, the Château de Chambord. It's one of France's most famous and beautiful castles. To be honest, you'll see a lot of tourists both French and International. In 2022, it had over a million visitors. At least you'll get away from Paris and see the countryside. The surrounding forest is also very nice, with lots of deer and wild boar. 

[image: upload.wikimedia.org]

How to go from Paris: 

• You can take the train. It's about 1h30 from Paris Austerlitz train station to Blois (the larger town next to Chambord)
• After the train you can take the bus from Blois to Chambord Castle. The bus only runs from April to November.

OR

• Rent a car and take the highway, it's about 2 hours from Paris. I don't need to give you the exact address, you'll have GPS in your car...

When to visit: English guided tours are available between July and August, so the best time to visit is during the Summer!

How many hours to spent: That's the tricky question. You can take a tour around the castle, there's also a forest where you can take a walk. I remember restaurants and refreshment bars outside the castle. The English guided tour lasts about 1 hour but if you go alone and take your time, you could spend the evening there. There are many rooms full of old treasures to see with many floors to visit. There is also a shop where you can buy wine from the castle vineyard and other local produce. I'd say it will take you about 3-4 hours if you take your time. 

English friendliness: with thousands of tourists from all over the world every year and English-speaking guides, it's an honest bet that you won't have any trouble being understood. 

Price and activities:

• The entrance is 16€ ($17 / £13.40) and free if you are under 26 and from an EU country. Note that the price may change between now and the time you visit. 
• The English guided tour costs 6€ ($6.40 / £5) in addition to the entrance fee. 
• The shop with local wine and local food products. 
• Restaurants and refreshments. Around 30-40€ for a full meal with drinks per person. (Around $42 / £33).

Cities nearby:

Chambord is a part of the "Châteaux de la Loire", the castles of the Loire Valley. If you went by train, you have arrived in Blois, the main town in the area. There, guess what, you can also visit a castle. 

• Blois: where you arrived by train. 
• Chaumont-sur-Loire: where you can visit.... a castle!
• Cheverny: well... yes... a castle.
• Amboise: not one, but two castles!

What's next: 

To be honest, there are enough castles in the area to spend a week or more. But it might be difficult to rely only on the train alone and you might find easier to rent a car. Remember, we drive on the right-hand side of the road. 

Some facts about it and photos:

• Once upon a time, kings wanted a castle but not the old one from their predecessors. They wanted a castle in the Italian style, so they invited architects and artists from Italy (like Leonardo da Vinci). And today, there are almost 3000 castles in the Loire Valley! It's worth noting that not all of these castles were built for kings. Many nobles also wanted their own.

• The Chambord castle was built for the king François I, the greatest enemy of Charles V. It's now a 500 years old castle and its appearance has changed a lot during its 28 years of construction. 

• Leonardo da Vinci has designed the double central stairs, which allow you to climb up without noticing those descending. 

• There is also a police station inside the castle. 

• Presidents of the French Republic used to invite important people to hunt in the Chambord forests. The castle is the property of the French state since 1958. 

[image: upload.wikimedia.org][image: upload.wikimedia.org]

I don't but I have inherited a bunch of old stamps in a bad state from my grand father, that's a cool hobby though!

I'm making this thread to help tourists when visiting France. I know that a lot of tourists just want to see Paris, and that's fine, but if you want to see 99.9% of the rest of France you've come to the right place! To be clear, when talking about France I'm only talking about the territory in Europe, not the overseas departments and regions because I've never been there. 

To introduce myself, I'm French and I come from the West of France. It's the part of the country I know best both from having studied in different places and from visiting. Since you'll probably arrived in Paris by plane, I'll try to find a destination that you can reach by train. You have to know that France is a very centralized country, most of the trains start in Paris. It's complicated if you want to go from Brest to Bordeaux because you have to go through Paris (You may not know these cities now but don't worry we'll have our map time!), but in your case it will serve you well as you want to go back to Paris for your flight. Or if you don't mind driving, it's easily accessible, because for an American, France is not a big country. It's about 1000 km (around 620 miles) from West to East (Brest to Strasbourg) and the same from North to South (Lille to Marseille) with highways (130 km/h limit and toll) and "4 lanes" (110 km/h limit and free). Note that many cars in France have manual transmissions, not automatic.

Some infos:
Currently $1 = 0.95€

A baguette costs around 1€ up to 1.30€ if it's a "tradition". Of course it's a price range. 
You can find "pain au chocolat" or "chocolatine" (in South West of France) at 1.20/1.30€.
Of course it will depends on the bakery and the city. I don't have the price for Paris but I bet it's 10/20% more expensive.

If you want to argue with your friends or partner about it, I'll give you some pros and cons! :D

Pros:

• Less tourists in other cities than Paris, except for very touristic places like the Mont Saint Michel. 
• Less expensive for accommodations, restaurants or activities.
• A chance to meet locals and discover regional specialties (different in each regions).
• The variety of landscapes, there are several Mountains (Alpes, Pyrénées, Massif Central, Vosges, Jura), several rivers (Loire, Seine, Rhône, Garonne), each region has its unique flavor.

Cons:

• Oh you're saying that French don't speak English just by visiting Paris, well come to the countryside and see! It's going to be the hardest part, if you want to visit the countryside in small villages, you may face the language barrier. To be honest, I'm from a small village in the West and the last time we saw Americans was in 1944. The locals may not be used to seeing foreigners and speaking English. But if you stay in cities with 100K+ inhabitants it should be ok, you'll find menus in English in restaurants and the activities should be translated. For example, I know that there are English guided tours at Chambord Castle. Many of the younger generation understand English, after all we watch a lot of American/English series and movies on Netflix/Prime with subtitles. But in general, we have more difficulties speaking the language. With the older generation, it might be a bit difficult.
• If you're more of an "urban" person you'll get bored because most of the activities in the countryside are walking, getting fresh air, visiting old castles and Medieval towns, and just looking at the beauty of nature. It's not for everyone I can understand that. 
• If you have dietary restrictions, you may have difficulty in small towns. Vegan/Vegetarian recipes are more common than they used to be, but it's still rare in traditional restaurants.

I think that's enough of text for today, I'll just conclude with a map of France and cities. Next time, I'll show you a location with an activity to do !