I’ve been lucky enough to travel to France 4 different times, all with different people, all with different focuses, and all turned out to be different experiences, even when visiting the same places.
First Way—mother-daughter trip
The first trip was a number of years ago with my mom, my friend Mel, my mom’s friend Jane, in late June. Because we are of two different generations, and of wildly different levels of adventuresomeness, we planned a number of different types of activities.
In Paris, we stayed in a rented apartment near the Louvre, visited the Louvre and the d’Orsay museums, ate at cafes, and wandered the Tuileries. Then we trained to Bordeaux, rented a car and went on a winery tour for a few days, based out of a lovely winery villa (some drama here).
We then rented a canal boat and floated down the Canal du Midi from Toulouse to Montpelier, stopping at quaint little villages and biking to town for food, touring Carcasonne, the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and pulling to the side of the canal at night to sleep (this part of the trip was not without drama either). Then we caught a train from Montpelier back to Paris for an overnight stay before flying out the next day (and even more drama here).
The trip was almost 3 weeks, we saw a lot of France, we had a lot of laughs, we had our fair share of drama, and we had a great time. I learned a lot about traveling with people I’d never traveled with before, and learned to roll with the punches (not quite literal) a bit better.
Second Way—culinary trip
The next trip was with my professionally trained chef friend, Jeanette, and we did a culinary whirlwind trip.
We spent 4 days in Louviers at on Rue Tatin, cooking French food with chef Susan Hermann Loomis every day. We visited the local markets, and met local cheesemongers, bakers, butchers, and farmers. I learned how to cut the head off a dead chicken (although I love to cook, I have a dread of touching raw meat).
We went from Louviers to the Normandy coast, and were visiting the D-day beaches on French memorial day. That was a devastating experience, even though it happened so long ago, and I know of no family members killed there.
We then headed to Reims, and Champagne country. We toured several Champagne houses and learned a lot about the development of the process, and who Dom Perignon was.
After a couple of day in Champagne we drove around Alsace and drank our share of delightful white wines.
We bid adieu to France on a rainy day (this was in May remember) to drive through the Alps to Turin, Italy. And rain it did, poured so hard we could hardly see out the car windows (I’m just glad it was Jeanette’s day to drive, because I was white knuckled just sitting in the passenger seat).
We visited the Reggiano region, sampled (and bought) prosciutto, parmesan, and aged balsamic vinegar. We drove through the Italian side of the Alps to stay on the coast near Genoa, and then drove along the Cote D’Azur back to Aix en Provence.
The next 3 days were at another cooking program, hosted by Thalia in her lovely home, where we focused on Provencal cooking, again visiting the local markets to buy our food right before preparing it.
Finally we headed back to Paris and sought out the best patisserie (for macaroons), fromagerie, and chocolate shops.
Our hotel was within sight of the Eiffel Tower, which is a fabulous neighborhood for local shopping. We had wine in the afternoon every afternoon at the same corner café.
I was well fed, exhausted, and ready to try new cooking techniques and recipe when we returned home.
Third Way—Girls’ birthday trip
The third trip was with my friends Gail and Maxine, for our ‘9s (the year before a 0 birthday is better, don’t you think). I won’t say which 9s.
We started in Giverney with a tour of Monet’s home and town. Since it was October, everything fall was out. It was crisp, cool, and sunny. We sat in Monet’s garden, and admired the now-famous water lily pond.
After a couple of days, we headed through Paris to Reims (Champagne again, I know).
We didn’t have a car this time, but took the train, so stayed a bit closer to Reims. The wineries would send a driver to get us for the tours. We sampled both the commercial houses, and a couple of small, local vintners as well. Oh, and we ate cheese, too.
Then we returned to Paris, and had a 3 day walking tour with a former SAS flight attendant who retired to Paris when she left the industry. We saw the less visited parts of the Louvre, the Rodin, and Napoleon’s tomb, among other highlights.
We walked about 7 miles a day, and saw parts of Paris I had never heard of, or dreamed of walking through. We stayed in one of the outer arrondissements, so ‘commuted’ in each day to start our tours.
We learned how to use the Metro and buses.
Maxine bought so much she had to wear layers in the airport to get it all home.
Fourth Way—See it all trip
My most recent trip was in February 2020, right before the pandemic shut everything travel related down. I went with my friend Lori, and she wanted to see as much as we could every day.
We spent 4+ days in Paris before catching an overnight train to Lisboa, Portugal. We wandered Paris for hours every day, finally collapsing into bed each night exhausted but excited to start the next day all over again.
We saw the big museums, the Louvre, Rodin, d’Orsay, and added the Orangerie (which I cannot believe I had missed before).
We added some new ones, Pablo Picasso, and the Cluny (with the lady and the unicorn tapestries).
We visited 5 churches, including Sacre Couer, the outside of Notre Dame (still walled off after the big fire), Sainte-Chappelle, the Pantheon (now a mausoleum, but formerly a neo-classical 1700s church) and St. Sulpice for an organ concert. We also stopped in some lesser known ones as we found them.
We found several of the covered shopping areas, known as Galleries, and a fabulous off the beaten path restaurant recommended by friends, Susan and Alan.
Even though it was February, we were able to wander public spaces, Champs de Mars, Tuileries, and Luxembourg Gardens.
And of course, we went up the Eiffel Tower, and a Seine river cruise.
I used an app called Visit a City to plan this trip, and loved that it included walking/public transportation routes as well as travel time, allowing you to squeeze in as much as possible, and plan things. It linked to all of the websites of the attractions, so you could check hours, admission fees, and other details. It also sent updates when hours changed, or other notifications. It is also the first time I bought a Paris Pass, and took full advantage of the included wine tasting and public transportation tickets.
Again, we walked miles every day, took the Metro everywhere, and stayed on the Left Bank, near the Sorbonne, a very fun neighborhood.
I think the secret to visiting the same place more than once (and I sometimes have a hard time deciding to do that since there are so many places I have not yet visited), is to plan each trip differently… different people, different focuses, different times of the year. That way you learn something completely different about the place each time, and you come home ready for another visit because you realize there is so much more to learn about any place.
So think about a favorite city or place, and think about another visit, perhaps take in the less well known sights, or stay in a less touristy neighborhood.