Originally Posted by
DennyO
Mrs. DennyO and I are going to France for the very first time. We arrive at CDG at 0730. I figure we'll get into Paris about 0930 (realistic?) and most hotel check-ins are 1400. Naturally, we'd like to do something in between but will probably be somewhat tired. Whatever we do, we don't want to be hauling around our luggage for 4-5 hours. If we go straight to the hotel, could we leave the bags until check-in?
You can do that at virtually every hotel in the world. It shouldn't be a problem in France.
How about taking the RER into town; are there lockers available?
I've always taken a taxi so I couldn't say. I don't recall lockers in either the RER or the Metro.
The Segway tours look like fun and a good way to get oriented to the city (although expensive). Has anyone here done them? Would we be too tired to enjoy them, i.e. should we take a tour bus?
I don't know anything about the Segway tours. I would never take a bus tour in Paris. If you want to get "grounded," take a Bateau Mouche tour on Seine, from which you'll get a good sense of Parisian geography.
Our plan is to spend the first day in Paris, then two in Rouen/Giverny, then two in Burgundy/Dijon, then four in Paris. I have seen some disparaging comments about Dijon here, but I was looking forward to visiting (and sampling) some wineries. Are there alternatives you would suggest?
I like Dijon. We spent New Year's Eve there once. There are good restaurants and interesting sights.
The trip by train for two (2d class) works out to almost the same cost as renting a car. Advantages to train: don't have to drive, can't get lost, and it seems more "authentically" European. Advantages to car: flexibility on when to leave and where to stay (I saw a nice-looking B&B outside Dijon), and freedom to stop at any small town that suits our fancy as we travel. Am I missing anything?
The trains (at least to and from Dijon) are TGV -- the "grande vitesse" high-speed rail. These trains travel up to 200 mph and save a lot of time.
By the way, my reading of French is passable, I think I can speak it OK but I have concerns about oral comprehension. A major goal of mine is to improve my French.
Just ask them to speak a little slower. That's what I do.
Finally, we enjoy taking pictures with our camera and can think of no better place to do so. Does going around Paris with a camera around the neck mark us too much as tourists,
Yes, but so what?
an invitation to pickpockets?
Be particularly careful on the Metro and at Saint Chapelle. Otherwise, just use normal urban precautions.
Do many people go around town with backpacks?
Only the tourists but, again, so what?