Paris and southern France for couple?
 

So I took advantage of the earlier BA/AA promo on business class and would be going to Paris with wife as our long overdue honeymoon in mid Aug.

Any recommendation for activities for couple?

The only things I have currently planned are 3 days in Paris (Champs Elysees for some shopping, Eiffel Tower, Louvre) and then TGV to Provence region for 4 days (with a rental car while there)

So, any recommendation or tip is appreciated! Oh, if anyone can recommend a Michelin Starred restaurant that won't break the bank and actually worth the trip, do tell!

Just want to add some background info.

I have been to France several times but as a backpacker and doing everything on the cheap and nothing romantic.

So the idea is basically to get something worth doing as a couple (hence the title) in Paris and southern France.

if you're willing to spend a few bucks id highly recomend

https://www.latourdargent.com/

former michelin 3 star, it's now a 1 but i highly doubt few if any have the level of service Tour d' argent does. look to spend about 500-800 USD if your having drinks and wine. I'd say it's well worth it, especially as a couple.

i've got some pics i can post up.

They have the most valuable wine cellar in all of europe with about 30 million euro value gaurded round the clock. When you book [probably lunch is a better value] you should let them know you'd like a tour of the cellar ahead of time

I'm headed to Paris early next year. How'd your trip end up being like?

Lol just seeing the TGV mention, man the tone they play on the local underground and TGV is like heaven to your ears Compared to the skytrain tone. Loved it lol

I think Paris, as is, can be a bit overwhelming already depending on what you are into.

Take Louvre for example, it's an endless display of incredible art pieces. Then the history of the city.

But if you want my recommendation, I think the Parisian lifestyle is what one should really focus on when you are there.

Go to a supermarket, grab a bottle of wine (which are great. I bought a few bottles around 10euros and they all tasted great. Just remember to bring a corkscrew), some cheese, baguet, and chocolate, and head to one of the many parks available and just relax, chat or read a book. We met a Norwegian couple on our bike tour (which I highly recommend too. It gives you a real knowledge of the history of Paris in a few hours. I did Blue Bike tour. Our guide, Kevin, was awesome and very knowledgeable about Paris history) and we had a blast in that picnic.

Then all the tourist attractions (Louvre, Eiffel tower, all the museums... etc) that you can pick depending on your preference.

But Paris is huge. We ended up not going to Southern France and just stick in Paris the entire time. And even then, we thought the time was not enough because it had so much to offer.

Do watch out for pocket pickers. If you stay in Arrondissements 1,2,3,4,8... I think you are ok. But we went to Clignancourt and noticed there were two suspicious guys following us (because we kept running into them even after we stopped several times. And they didn't seem to be very "touristy" or interested in any of the shops)

Edit: oh, and I forgot to add, get the Velib, which is the public bike system with stations all over Paris. Rates are very reasonable, and if you time your travel well, it's only the weekly charge that you need to pay as the first 30min is free. I find that unless you are going for longer distances, biking is actually better than taking the subway as there is so much to see.

Velib has an app that can check the bike and return space availability, but you'd need internet. What I did was I had Lebara sim card (it's free. But you need to get it beforehand. If you already know the hotel you are going to stay the first day, go to their website and have it mailed one to the hotel under your name. Just add "xxx, guest arriving on xx date" in the name. When I got to my hotel, the sim card was waiting for us already) and the rate is quite reasonable.

Did you tip at this restaurant? I'm getting mix info online, some say don't tip or just a few euros is fine.

For what it's worth, we ate at some great restaurants in Paris, but this was my favourite, by far: Bistrotters Paris

Per TripAdvisor, they are currently rated 18/13,991 restaurants in Paris - you will definitely have to make a reso if you want to attend, but if you want truly outstanding food in a non-pretentious, non-Michelin atmosphere, I would highly recommend it.

When we were there we could not get a reso for dinner, went for lunch - a great option as it's the exact same menu and pricing for both lunch and dinner. Just make sure you go with room for a 3 course plat du jour style menu.

Mark

Edit:

They actually had this on the menu while we were there... mmm, fond memories:

http://www.bistrotters.com/wp-conten.../07/large1.jpg

Second lowside67's comment.

I think if you want to experience good restaurants in Paris, or those Michelin-starred ones without breaking the bank, it's actually better to go during lunch time. No need for reservation, cheaper (by a magnitude) and still able to get that excellent cuisine and experience.

We did the same thing when we went to New York. We already had reservations for dinner at Le Bernardin but wanted to also try out Bouley without breaking the bank, so we booked a 5 course tasting during lunch. It was $55/person but well worth it. Service was still exceptional (a lot less tables for the waiters to work) and we ended up getting 8 courses because the test kitchen was trying a few new dishes haha

When you guys were in Paris, which was your one must have dinner spot? I'm all about the food whenever I travel but I'm having such a hard time deciding because there's so many damn restaurants to choose from :lol

I think everyone that goes to Rome should take the hour train ride out to Ostia Antica as I think it's a must see. It's an incredibly well preserved ancient port city.

The whole pickpocket issues in Paris and Rome wasn't really a concern for us. The only time where we would be a little bit more diligent about it would be during the rush hour subway rides where you're packed in like sardines.

I highly suggest not bringing a checked luggage if you're going to Paris because a lot of their subway stations are really old and don't have any elevators or escalators, so you'll end up carrying them up stairs. If you have a full checked luggage then it's going to be a giant pain in the ass, not to mention trying to get that onto a packed train.

bring a passport picture with you and get a navigo decouverte weekly pass.

21.25 Euro for 1-5 zones from sunday to sunday.

Paris Train Metro Week Pass - Navigo Découverte - Paris by Train

Good tip that I forgot to mention in my post. We brought our photos and headed into the Navigo office to the left of the metro ticket machines. It's manually processed by staff, so just skip the machines. The convenience of simply tapping in and tapping out was so much better than having to constantly deal with fare tickets.