A Trip Of A Lifetime

Paris is a must see of course, but also visit Bayeux (pronounced bay-you) and Rouen (rooh-on). Fantastic old French town and city feel to those places.

But it all depends on what you are hoping to get out of it e.g. architecture, culture, food, wine etc?

Beware of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_syndrome : ))
I have been in south France, in Côte d'Azur and surroundings. Few tips: as I remember St. Tropez and Port Grimaud (french Venezia) are nice. You can definitely skip Marseille. Grand Canyon Verdon is impresive and beautiful. You can visit parfume factory. That is probably all I remember. Enjoy your trip.

Last year I was in Paris for three weeks photos holiday. I enjoyed the trip in general.. Try to avoid tourist spots too crowded and be aware of pick- pocket work as a groups. mostly gypsies try to survive in the big city like Paris. Just walk early morning and evening with camera. I visited Varsaille palace and Monet garden and Rouen by train trip ( reminded you there are a lot of tourists long queue to enter).

city is still lovely people are dirty if you use public transport do not sit on seats. smell of urines everywhere metro stations especially underground.

Black and white photography and night photography is good for Paris. enjoy foods and drinks. no good coffee shops. make your own coffee if you like good one.

Have a safe trip and good luck with your photos.

Place du tar ter artists square should not be missed!!

The place for Martins parfume factory is the area of Grasse.

My top destination was the Pont du Gard (near Nimes), the most impressive Roman aquaeduct I have seen (and I did see some!). It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The old town of Arles gives You some views of van Gogh art like the 'Cafe at Night'. In a nearby industrial area You can find his rebuilt 'Bridge of Langlois'.

Don't miss the Loire castles if You are in central France.

Jani,

I am the oldest of my cousins. My youngest cousin in Ireland is set to get married in June of 2016.
She has chosen to marry in Bordeaux. I hope to be there. Perhaps a few days in Paris.

Have a lot of fun on your trip.

Dave

We will be in Paris for 4 days, in Amboise for 2 days, Beaune for 2 days and Avignon for 4 days.

On our list is the Picasso Museum, Monet's Garden, the Louve...in Paris area
Castles in the Amboise area...
Avignon has a lot of Roman ruins and is not too far (3 hour drive) from a hamlet called La Prulhiere which is where I have family that I have never met. Prulhiere is my maiden name.

Hoping to photograph the horses of Camerague. Not sure how to find them.

Thanks for the tips so far.

It's been ages since I visited France - Lyon I hardly remember - although I spent more time there, and Nice - superb food. You ain't going that way - wish you well.

etretat, honfleur, the coast of normandy, source of monet's skies and satie's music.

Papal palace, Avignon.is mind boggling, + pickpockets. Also a great Choclatier nearby, yum. Gaugan country there,too....
Bon voyage
Bon chance
A biento........

Chateau de Versailles - easy day trip from Paris by train. Get there early, it will be a long day of walking. Or stay overnight at one of the hotels right there. Be warned - Paris does smell like dog pee at times. All of those little yappy dogs. Be sure to look up M. Danl.

CHARTRES......a must!

The Louvre. Most definitely....awe inspiring

Prepare to be disappointed by the Eiffel Tower.... Smelly and surrounded by little smelly fat men selling plastic copies....at least while I was there. It was also very dirty with litter.

Probably lovely now as that was a few years ago now

I visited Paris... I admit I absolutely loved my night at the Eiffel Tower- but the conditions were pretty awesome. There was an electrical storm in the vicinity. I'm surprised they didn't shut it down as there were lightning flashes all over the place. I chose to go up the tower via the stairs since the lines were much shorter than the elevator lines. Got some awesome views from those stairs. Just as I got into a cab to go back to the hotel the sky opened up to a massive downpour/hail storm. Awesome night. I didn't get many photos as my girlfriend was with me and I didn't want to be consumed with capturing the events unfolding. But trust me- it was KILLING me inside not to be set up to capture lighting strikes over the Eiffel tower. I got a few but nothing spectacular.

One of my favorite moments- I was relaxing on the Seine River when music fired up near me and everyone in the area started spontaneously ballroom dancing.

As an art lover... D'orsay was amazing. The space, a former train station, made it even better but the work included the masters.


As a human, the food was amazing. Even the pears from the corner market (and I live in the town that was once the pear supplier for the U.S., but they were better).
The churches and louvre were great too. It was Veterans Day (same here and there) so there was a huge ( I mean HUGE) flag hanging from the arch,
Have fun!

And yes, Abbie was right, the Eiffel disappointed. For me, I think it was because when you are in it, it is absent from the view and the most iconic symbol is missing from what you see.

If you want a view of Paris with the Eiffel tower in it check out the Montparnasse tower observation deck. Spectacular view of Paris from up there and not many other people (at least when I went).

My last trip to Paris for photography was May 2014, but I usually go yearly. I love it!
Didn't notice dog pee smells and the metro is fab to get around (not smelly). Prepare to do lots of walking though as if you just go via metro everywhere you miss the little streets and shops.
Montmartre is awesome with lots of great atmosphere.
My favourite art gallery is the Orsay, but I'm partial to the Impressionists.
It's also nice to walk along the Seine and there are evening boat trips that are nice as many of the bridges are lit up.

I spend the summers in the south west of France in Aquitaine. The towns and villages are very pretty here and if you like wine there are many chateaux and vineyards to tour and some excellent wines to taste.

I've never photographed the horses in the Camargue, but I do know it's not a case of just going with your camera. They can be quite hard to find and it's a large area. You can book a tour that will take you to the right place to find them though. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187208-d219318-Reviews-The_Camargue-Provence.html

Please feel free to message me if you want any extra info as I've traveled extensively through France and lived in 2 different areas of the country.

Thank you, Nomad.
And thank you to everyone else who has given ideas so far.

I plan on viewing the Eiffel tower at night, when lit, from a distance. Not much interested in that thing.

We are renting bikes on the first day so we can cruise around and get the lay of the land.

We are packing pretty light - backpacks- as we are going on the trains so much and want to keep things close to the vest. Neck wallets and such to avoid being pickpocketed.
One of my good painter friends who is 71 said, "Don't wear white shoes (as in tennis shoes). You'll scream tourist." I thought that was hilarious as I am fairly fashion conscious and would dream of it and that I will also have a big camera; which also screams tourist. I have a perfect little back pack purse that holds the camera essentials and is very inconspicuous. At least until I whip out the camera like Mary Poppins pulling a lamp out her carpet bag.

Loire Valley.... and all it's majestic castles.

Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera. New Wave French art is happening their I have read. It's the place of James Bond movie sets and everything of charm.

Forget all that! Go visit the patisseries (pastry shop) and indulge in those delicious chocolate eclairs, almond chocolate croissants and pain au raisin....

Alright, seriously now, Monet's garden in Giverny: great choice. When I'm there, I walk around for hours, sit down on a bench, daydream... You're no longer a tourist looking at famous sites, you are immersed in a painting. You must go there!

Also, maybe skip the crowded Eiffel Tower and go see it from Butte Montmartre. You'll have Paris at your feet.

Went to paris for the weekend once, spent the majority of the time in the catacombes and walking around the smaller streets.

Pastries are a must, Oliver. For sure.

I'm interested in those things too, Heather.

Jani,
Have a marvelous time and take lots of pix to share when you return!
Travel safely

a very fresh, still warm Croissant from a local pâtisserie, a fresh brew of coffee - a little butter and jam - breakfast - better than at Tiffany's

I'll do my best, Marlene.

There is no doubt I'll be eating pastries. I'm in a hotel that doesn't have a lift, but lots of stairs to burn off pastries, lol.