Tips 1 - 8 of 8 Île-de-France Things to Do
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Things To Do: Saint-Denis; Its Basilica & The Royal Mausoleum
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79 effigies of royal personages are present in the Basilica as well as many tombs and other great examples of funerary sculpture. The royal bones are here too in a jumbled-up ossuary in the crypt (all those that could be recovered after the activities of the Revolution had desecrated the church). Some parts of the church date back to the 12 C and earlier and its beautiful external and internal features are the result of restorations and reconstructions by Viollet-le-Duc who also restored Pierrefonds in this region (See out Tips) and famous Carcassone. Throughout its existence, it has been carefully tended by the royalty and its contents are of high quality although it is not as profuse as Westminster Abbey to which it is analogous.
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Things To Do: Ways to Visit Versailles
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The most visited site in the Ile-de-France after Paris and the Disney enterprise, is Versailles for its palace. Although commercial tours give easy and rapid access, you should visit the site slowly and in depth. (We have done so many times). You can reach it easily by RER and bring a museum pass to avoid the lines. We know people who have stayed in the town overnight (pop.>100K!) and visited when the crowd level was declining. We have arrived there in early morning by car after arriving at Orly airport, en route to our jet-lag night in Chartres (other towns in the Ile could also be used in this way).
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Things To Do: Consider the Chateau de Malmaison
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If you are a Napoleon enthusiast, this is an ideal adventure. f not, this is still a fine chateau to visit for it is meticulously furnished with authentic early 19C original pieces as Josephine (and Napoleon) actually placed them. It is readily reached by the RER (ligne A) to Grande Arche-Defense station, There you take Bus 258 to the "Chateau" stop. Do not go by RER to the Ruell-Malmaison stop as there is no bus to the Chateau, but only a 1 km walk.
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Things To Do: Visit the Palace at Fontainebleau
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Fontainebleau town (pop.20K) is 60 km SE of Paris (Seine-et-Marne, #77). There are 3 ways to visit the Palace there: 1) by commercial tours from Paris, 2) independently by SCNF from the Gare de Lyon. They sell a combination ticket which includes round-trip and connecting bus through town to the chateau plus admission to chateau and grounds. 3) By car as part of a sightseeing tour outside of Paris. There are several places to stay in or near Fontainebleau. On one trip we chose a small hotel in the tiny town of Recloses, in the forest. We stayed 2 nights , giving opportunities to see the Forest and nearby sights like Vaux-le-Vicomte and towns like Melun and Nemours. When you visit the Palace be sure to get a free audioguide (1 1/2 hours duration).
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Website: www.musee-chateau-fontainebleau.fr
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Things To Do: At Bois de Vincennes: Plan to Spend a Day
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Vincennes (pop.46+K) is a banlieu in the Val de Marne, 6 Km from the center of Paris to the Southeast, and on both the Metro and RER. It is at the edge of the Bois de Vincennes, a large park which the densely populated commune ceded to Paris in 1929. It is just outside the Peripherique. In the edge of the park is the famous castle which in addition to its ancient structure has a fine Gothic Chapel and later added 17C pavillons and porticos. Nearby in the park (Bois) are other activities for children and a Zoo. Cycling and horseback riding (rentals) are available. Parisians are also attracted here for the trotting races at a Hippodrome or other races at a Velodrome elsewhere in the park. The Parc Floral de Paris is also near the castle. Various music events also bring out the Parisians on weekends and evenings.
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Directions: Metro Line 1 (Chateau de Vincennes); Line 6 (Porte Doree -for Zoo).
Website: paris.fr/portal/parcs
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Things To Do: Provins Is a Walled Town Near Paris
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Although Provins can be reached by rail from the Gare de l'Est in a little over 1 hour, we enjoyed itmuch more by staying there overnight (actually two nights). It is an easy drive from either de Gaulle or Orly Airports and makes for a fine place to unwind after a long flight or a last day/night before departing for home. There are many Tips about it under its site.
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Things To Do: Vaux-le-Comte Is The Best Chateau to Visit First
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There are things about Vaux that are unique (and beautiful). There are elements that are repeated and sometimes overdone at Versailles. The Louis XIV style started here. Some of the greatest men of the 17C participated in its creation and notoriety: Moliere, La Fontaine, Vatel, Le Vau, Le Brun, Le Notre, Girardon and its owner Fouquet. Read our pages under Melun which include how to complete a trip to the Chateau (it is actually nearer to Maincy by 2 km as the bird flies but without a good road between them, it is best to list it at Melun).
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Website: www,vaux-le-vicomte
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Things To Do: At Ecouen Visit the Chateau & Renaissance Museum
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The National Musee de la Renaissance is situated in the Chateau d'Ecouen. It is only 8 miles from Charles de Gaule Airport by the D104 (the Francilien). As a way to start a driving tour of Burgundy, and before jet-lag hit, we visited the Chateau and the museum which is installed in We spent two hours doing this and would have had lunch there as well before going onward (but this was long ago and the restaurant did not exist then). It can be easily accessed from Paris. Read our pages about it.
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Website: www.musee-renaissance.fr
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More Île-de-France Tips
| Overview | Things to Do
Tips: 8 - Photos: 10 | | Restaurants | Hotels & Accommodations | | Nightlife | Off The Beaten Path | | Tourist Traps | Warnings Or Dangers | | Transportation | Local Customs | | Packing Lists | Shopping | | Sports Travel | General Tips |
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