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Glad you did it! (Sacre Coeur.) I've been very, very lucky to spend a bit of time in Paris and you're right; no way to cover it all in four days. My list earlier was more of a menu of options. I didn't want to get into the Orsay v. Louvre debate, e.g., and it's difficult to do both comprehensively in four days unless you're not planning on seeing much else!
We did Paris on my honeymoon. I learned that my wife does not have the endurance for these museums that I do, but Orsay was easier for us. Mostly because it is the style we both really like and definitely smaller than the Louvre. You can turn a corner in the Louvre that you can spend the whole day in. So many great works from so many different eras. Just a masterpiece of a collection that I can't spend enough time in.
Gare du Nord is not for the faint of heart at all. I had to return a car there and it was an...experience. Made me worried about Sacre Couer (not far from Gare du Nord), but it was completely safe during the day.
Berthillon ice cream
Thanks. The time in Bruges is necessary because my gf is doing a conference there, so that part is work related. I would be interested in specific restaurant recommendations. We leave in a week.
In France you do need to make an effort. In Belgium and Amsterdam you don't. English is basically the #1 language in Amsterdam and the Belgians are very nice and they all speak English.
In Paris: Bistros that are good, which fit this bill and which are neighborhood oriented are plentiful. Brasseries are typically expensive and often are more touristy than you might expect. Also prix fixe is a real thing, shoot for it. You can eat at great restaurants if you pick your times right. Also location affects the price more than quality of the food often. Marais (3rd/4th), 7th and 5th arrondisements have some terrific affordable options. The only caveat I will give there is that the supposed classics on or near St. Germain are not worth the effort. There is no such thing as a bad bottle of wine. Go to town on the bakeries and specialty places (fromageries, charcuteries, bars/caves) during the day and you will have more cash for dinner at night.
- SID
It might! Agreed! It's spectacular. The Eiffel Tower view is fabulous as well, but the lines can be long, the space at the very top is a little bit cramped, unavoidably so, and the biggest issue is that you can't see the Eiffel Tower.
The daunting climb to the top of Sacre Coeur, which is very similar to climbing the Leaning Tower of Pisa, does have the advantage of cutting down on crowds a bit.
Headed there later this year. I’ll take any Amsterdam info you have to share. Thanks!
Yeah, except it is 34 euro per hour. I guess there is a shuttle but it only runs once an hour. Maybe if it is really hot and we miss the shuttle.
Whoa, that is pretty steep. Don’t remember it being that expensive. I do remember we were hustling around quickly though that’s probably why
If you want to go to Anne Frank's house you need to buy tickets a couple months in advance. They open up sales online and in a day or two they sell out. That is the only place to get them. They do have one other option which is called the Introductory Course which opens up online ticket sales two weeks in advance. Again those sellout in a day or two. In the Introductory Course you get a 30 presentation outside the house and then can tour the museum without a guide.
The mall enterance was easy to find. Just exit the metro into the mall hang a left look right and you will see the large inverted pyramid. We got there 15 minutes prior to opening at 9. The line outside did not look to terrible, but air conditioning is a huge plus. We were inside just a few minutes after opening. We were able to see the Mona Lisa when the crowd around were only 1 to 2 people deep. Later on it was 12 plus people deep. An amazing collection of art in a spectacular building.
im interested in going there so curious on how you got around to each location?jon_mx said:
I used trains, buses, and Uber twice for everything but Loire Valley. I rented a car in Paris and drove down Loire Valley for two days. Driving thru Paris was a real pia. If I do it again I will just take the train down there then pick up the rental car. The tolls alone were 20 euro
Would love a bit more details of this.jon_mx said:
