Open 24hrs.
BEAUVAIS
9 rue des Décharges
AIRPORT
03 44 11 46 86 www.aeroportbeauvais.com
Aéroport de Paris Beauvais. Buses run between the airport and bld. Pershing in the 17ème, near the hotel Concorde Lafayette (Porte Maillot). Tickets are €13 and can be purchased in the arrivals lounge of the airport, at the kiosk just oustide the bus stop, or online. Call for bus schedules.
Open 24hrs.
By Train
Gare du Nord is a central arrival and departure point for trains to northern France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and northern Germany (Cologne, Hamburg). To Amsterdam ( 4-5hr.), Brussels ( 1hr.), and London ( by the Eurostar Chunnel; 3hr.).
Gare de l’Est is a central arrival and departure point for trains to eastern France (Champagne, Alsace, Lorraine, Strasbourg), Luxembourg, parts of Switzerland (Basel, Zürich, Lucerne), southern Germany (Frankfurt, Munich), Austria, Hungary, and Prague. To: Luxembourg ( 4-5hr.); Munich ( 9hr.); Prague ( 15hr.); Strasbourg ( 1hr.); Vienna ( 15hr.); Zürlch ( 7hr.).
Gare de Lyon is a central arrival and departure point to southern and southeastern France (Lyon, Provence, Riviera), parts of Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Berne), Italy, and Greece. To: Florence ( 13hr.); Geneva ( 4hr.); Lyon ( 2hr.); Marseille ( 3-4hr.); Nice ( 6hr.); Rome ( 15hr.).
Gare d’Austerlitz runs trains to the Loire Valley, southwestern France (Bordeaux, Pyrénées), Spain, and Portugal. (TGV to southwestern France leaves from Gare Montparnasse.) To Barcelona ( 12hr.) and Madrid ( 12-13hr.).
Gare St-Lazare runs trains to Normandy. To Caen ( 2hr.) and Rouen ( 1-2hr.).
Gare Montparnasse runs trains to Brittany and southwestern France on the TGV. To Rennes ( 2hr.) and Nantes ( 2hr.).
Getting Around
By Metro
In general, the Metro system is easy to navigate (pick up a colorful map at any station), and trains run swiftly and frequently. Metro stations, in themselves a distinctive part of the Paris landscape, are marked with an “M” or with the “Métropolitain” lettering designed by Art Nouveau legend Hector Guimard. The earliest trains of the day start running around 5:30am, and the last ones leave the end-of-the-line stations (the portes de Paris) for the center of the city at about 12:15am during the week, and at 2:15am on Friday and Saturday. Connections to other lines are indicated by orange correspondance signs, exits indicated by blue sortie signs. Transfers are free if made within a station, but it is not always possible to reverse direction on the same line without exiting the station. Hold onto your ticket until you exit the Metro, and pass the point marked Limite de Validité des Billets; a uniformed RATP contrôleur (inspector) may request to see it on any train. If caught without one, you must pay a hefty fine.
Don’t count on buying a Metro ticket late at night. Some ticket windows close as early as 10pm, and many close before the last train arrives. Also, not all stations have automatic booths. It’s a good idea to carry one more ticket than you need, although large stations have ticket machines that accept coins. Avoid the most dangerous stations (Barbès-Rochechouart, Pigalle, Anvers, Châtelet-Les-Halles, Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est) after dark. When in doubt, take a bus or taxi.
By RER
The RER (Réseau Express Régional) is the RATP’s suburban train system, which passes through central Paris. The RER travels much faster than the Metro. There are five RER lines, marked A-E, with different branches designated by a number: for example, the C5 line services Versailles-Rive Gauche. The newest line, the E, is called the Eole (Est-Ouest Liaison Express) and links Gare Magenta to Gare St-Lazare. Within Paris, the RER works exactly the same as the Metro, requiring the same ticket. The principal stops within the city, which link the RER to the Metro system, are Gare du Nord, Nation, Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, Gare de Lyon, and Châtelet-Les-Halles on the Right Bank and St-Michel and Denfert-Rochereau on the Left Bank. The electric signboards next to each track list all the possible stops for trains running on that track. Be sure that the little square next to your destination is lit up. Trips to the suburbs require special tickets. You’ll need your ticket to exit RER stations. Insert your ticket just as you did to enter, and pass through. Like the Metro, the RER runs 5:30am-12:30am and until 2:30am on weekends.
By Bus
Although slower and often costlier than the Metro, a bus ride can be a cheap sightseeing tour and a helpful introductions to the city’s layout. Bus tickets are the same as those used in the Metro, and they can be purchased either in Metro stations or from the bus driver. Enter the bus through the front door and punch your ticket by pushing it into the machine by the driver’s seat. If you have a Navigo or other transport pass, flash it at the driver. Inspectors may ask to see your ticket, so hold onto it until you get off. Should you wish to leave the paradise that is the RATP autobus, just press the red button so the arrêt demandé (stop requested) sign lights up.
Most buses run daily 7am-8:30pm, although those marked Autobus du nuit continue until 1:30am. Still others, named Noctilien, run all night. Night buses run from Châtelet to the portes of the city every hour on the half hour from 12:30-5:30am (1-6am from the portes into the city). Look for bus stops marked with a bug-eyed moon sign. Check out www.noctilien.fr or ask a major metro station or at Gare de l’Est for more information on Noctilien buses.
versailles
If you descend the great steps of the Versailles garden slowly enough, you might just feel like royalty. A whopping 580m long, this crib won’t fit in your camera frame. To be fair, the palace did house all 6000 members of the royal court and serve as the seat of goverment, after Louis XIV (1643-1715) decided in 1661 that his father’s old brick and stone château needed an upgrade. No less than four men were needed to get it done. Louis XIV, or the Sun King, or the self-aggrandizing narcissicist, commissioned two architects, Lous Le Vau and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, painter Charles Le Brun, and landscape designer André Le Nôtre to create an unquestionable symbol of the awesome power of the French monarchy. Later, with the 1789 Revolution, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette would learn just how contestable that power was when set under a guillotine blade. In 1837, King Louis-Phillipe initiated a clever piece of PR, opening up parts of the palace to the public and dedicating it to “all the glories of France,” emphasis on all, emphasis on France. Since then, the château has remained largely unaltered, though a €370 million renovation and restoration campaign was launched in 2003, and visitors now are hardly ever of royal blood.
ORIENTATION
As the Sun King demanded, a visit to the 800 hectares property must begin at the terrace. To its left, the Parterre Sud opens up to the Orangery, which onces boasted 2000 orange trees. The fresh-squeezed orange juice stands scattered throughout the sight today recall the orangery’s historical production. The Parterre d’Eau, the first of many ponds and lakes on the premises, stands in the middle of the terrace. Past theBassin de Latone and to the left is the Jardin du Roi, a fragant, flower-lined sanctuary only accessible from the easternmost side facing the Bassin du Miroir. Near the the grove’s southern gate lies the Bassin de Bacchus, one of four seasonal fountains, which portrays the Roman god of wine, crowned in vine branches, reclining on a bunch of grapes. Some traveler’s report having taken swigs of wine there in honor of the great god. Behind it, the Bosquet de la Salle de Ball is a semicircle of cascading waterfalls and torch holders, where royals once late-night bachanalias of their own.
Moving north to the center of the garden leads to the Bosquet de la Colonnade, an impressive arrangement of 32 violet and blue mable columns, sculptures, and white marble basins, created by Hardouin-Mansart in 1864. The northern gate to the Colonnade opens onto the 330m long Tapis Vert, the main walkway leading to the garden’s most ostentatious fountain, the Bassin d’Apollo, in which the god himself charges out of the water on bronze horses. On the garden’s northern side, you’ll find the Bosquet de l’Encelade.When the fountain is on, a 25m high jet bursts from Titan’s enormous
mouth, which is plated, as all mouths should be, with shimmering gold and half buried under rocks.
The Bassin de Flore and the Bassin de Cérès show ladies, busts out, reclining in their natural habitats—a bed of flowers and wheat sheaves, respectively. The Parterre Nord overlooks some of the garden’s most spectacular fountains. The Allée d’Eau, a fountain-lined walkway, provides the best view of the Bassin des Nymphes de Diane. The path slopes toward the sculpted Bassin du Bragon, where a beast slain by Apollo spurts water 27m into the air. Next to it, 99 jets of water issue from sea horns encircling Neptune in the Bassin de Neptuune, the gardens’ largest fountain; make your way here at 5:20pm for a truly spectacular fountain finale.
If you get tired of the grandeur of the main gardens and groves, head up to Marie-Antoinette’s Estate, where the quiet, flower-filled paths are much less of an ego display.
SIGHTS
CHTEAU
Though the Sun King’s palace boasts a whopping 51,200 square meters of floor space, the public is granted access to only a small percentage of it. With over ten million visitors per year, the Versailles staff is practiced in the art of shuttling tourists through. After a walk through the Musée de L’Histoire de France, which briefly recounts French history in chronological order, visitors are shepherded down the halls in a single direction. The museum’s 21 rooms feature stunning portraits of the royal family, including a smaller copy of Rigaud’s famous depiction of Louis XIV with red-heeled shoes. Up the main staircase to the right is the two-level chapel where the King heard Mass, built in 1710. Here God competed with the Sun King for attention while the court gathered to watch him pray.
Through the hallway, where the ceiling is covered with marvelous frescoes (don’t forget to look up!), are the luxurious State Apartments, which include both the king’s bedroom, the Room of Abundance, the Apollo Salon, and the famed Hall of Mirrors. Note how tiny the bed is; like Napoleon, Sarkozy, and other French leaders that followed him, Louis XIV was a man of less than average height with an ensuing inferiority complex, and was known to wear shoes with 5” heels. The Apollo Salon houses the Sun King’s throne; 3m tall, the throne enabled the King to tower over his subjects, and enjoy the view of the beautiful fresco of himself on the ceiling, which compares him to Apollo and portrays him as the bearer of Enlightenment. When they weren’t trying to figure out how to kill him, French citizens showed great deference to the king and ritualistically bowed or curtsied when they passed the throne, even when great Louis wasn’t there. As if the Apollo Salon wasn’t elaborate (or pathological) enough, the sumptuous Hall of Mirrors exemplifies the King’s opulent taste. Lined with the largest mirrors 17th-century technology could produce and windows that overlook to the grand gardens outside, the room served as a reception for great ambassadors. Today it can be rented out for a hefty sum.
The Queen’s Bedchamber, where royal births were public events in order to prove the legitimacy of heirs, is much less ornate than the king’s, but almost exactly as the queen last left it on October 6, 1789. A rendition of Le Sacre de Napoleon by French neo-classicist David depicts Napoleon’s self-coronation, and dominates the Salle du Sacré, also known as the Coronation Room. David painted Napoleon’s mother, Letizia, into the scene even though she refused to be there. The more honest painting of Battle of Aboukir is positioned on the wall next to it, and portrays the gore of war—and perhaps the price of all the royal splendor that surrounds it.
GARDENS
Gardening à la française is nothing short of neurotic. The park of Versailles, with its parterres, groves, statues, fountains, pools, and trees boxed in metal frames, is no exception. Meticulously designed by André Le Nôtre in 1661 and completed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the château gardens are an impressive 800 hectares. During Les Grand Eaux Musicales, almost all the fountains are turned on at the same time, and chamber music booms from among the groves. Wandering through the gardens many walks, you will find a number of marble statues and bursting fountains.
Grandes Eaux Musicales Apr-Sept. M-F free, Sa-Su and holidays €8, students and under 18 €6, under 6 free. Gardens open daily Apr-Oct 8am-8:30pm; Nov-Mar 8am-6pm.
TRIANONS AND MARIE ANTOINETTE’S HAMEAU
01 30 83 78 89 www.châteauversailles.fr.
Contrary to what officials will tell you, the walk up to Trianons and Marie Antoinette’s Hameau does not take 25min. Less ambitious sightseers are overwhelmed by the prospect of leaving the main area, which makes for a quieter and infinitely more pleasant Versailles experience. The garden surrounding Petit Trianon and Marie Antoinette’s hameau is one of the most beautiful and tranquil areas of the park. Inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s theories on the goodness of nature, the Queen wanted a simple life, and so commissioned Richard Mique to construct a 12-building compound comprised of a dairy farm, gardener’s house, and mill around a pristine and swan-filled lake. Complete with lilac beds, flower pots, and thatched roofs, Marie Antoinette played the peasant and held intimate parties in her Temple of Love. We doubt the irony of this idealized pastoralism escaped the Parisian masses of the time. Petit Trianon was built between 1762 and 1768 for Louix XV and his mistress Mme. de Pompadour. Some ways away from the palace, the more homey château was intended to serve as a love den. Unfortunately, Pompadour died before it was completed. The Grand Trianon was intended to be a château-away-from-château for Louix XIV, who reached the mini château by boat from the Grand Canal. Both the Petit and Grand Trianon provide a less ostentatious view of royal life and allow one to imagine the life of a man rather than the life of a king.
Admission to palace and audio tour €15, reduced €13. The “passport” one-day pass allows entry to the palace, Trianon palace, and Marie Antoinette’s estate €18. Day of Les Grands Eaux Musicales €25. Trianon palace and Marie Antionette’s Estate €10, reduced €6. Château open Tu-Su Apr-Oct 9am-6:30pm; Nov-Mar 9am-5:30pm. Last entry 30 min. before close.
ESSENTIALS
Getting There
RER trains beginning with “V” run from Invaled or any stop on RER Line C5 to the Versailles Rive Gauche station. ( 30-40 min, every 15min. Round trip €5.80. Advisable as ticket lines are long at Versailles station.) Buy your RER ticket before going through the turnstile to the platform; when purchasing from a machine, look for the Île-de-France ticket option. While a Metro ticket will get you through these turnstiles, it won’t get you through RER turnstiles at the other end and could ultimately result in a significant fine. From RER: Versailles, turn right down avenue du General de Gaulles, walk 200m, and turn left at the big intersection onto av. de Paris. You’ll know it when you see it.
Getting Around
The tourist office is on the left before the château courtyard. Info on local accommodations, vents, restaurants, and sightseeing buses. Also sells tickets for historical guided tours of the town. Not to be confused with office that sells guided tours of the château. (2bis av. de Paris 01 39 24 88 88. www.versailles-tourisme.com. Open M 11am-5pm, Tu-Sa 9am-6pm, Su 11am-5pm.)
orléans
0238
Joan of Arc, aptly known as the “Maid of Orléans,” marched armies down these crooked cobbled streets when she liberated the city from a brutal seven-month English siege in 1429, a victory which rejuvenated French forces and contributed to their victory in the Hundred Years’ War. The historic petit vieille ville and its tremendous Cathedral lie at the heart of Orléans, complete with the patisseries and boulangeries of any traditional French town. Though Orléans should definitely make an appearance on your Loire Valley itinerary, don’t anticipate spending more than a few days (or even a day) here—unless, of course, you are a Joan of Arc fanatic and just can’t get enough of her. The city devolves into a bustling but run-of-the-mill commercial area further out of the center, with shops and suburban streets which do not compare to the visual beauties on offer closer to the downtown.
ORIENTATION
The train station is a 2min. walk north of the center on boulevard Alexandre Martin. From th
is main road it is possible to reach the vielle ville by following the shopping street rue de la République (through the centre commercial and down the steps) which leads to place du Martroi. At pl. du Matroi, continue southwards where rue de la République becomes rue Royale and follow this directly southwards to reach the banks of the Loire. Rue Royale intersects with rue Jean D’Arc, which will take you to the Cathedral and Tourist Information Office at place St Croix, and a little further down rue Royale connects with rue de Bourgogne where you will find the best of Orléans’s bars and restaurants. A tram service runs between the train station and the river (€1.40) which makes transporting luggage nice and simple.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Orléans isn’t exactly thriving with budget hotels and funky hostels, but this does not mean that finding a bargain abode around town is impossible. Websites specializing in cheap hotel rooms often provide last-minute offers that are cheaper than advertised rates, so keep your chin up and keep Googling for that deal. Booking in advance for most places is advisable.
For details on Loire Valley map, click here
HOTEL ARCHANGE
1 bld. de Verdun
HOTEL
02 32 54 42 42 www.hotelarchange.com
Owned by an outgoing and talkative local man and his son, Hotel Archange places you right near the train station and within walking distance of the major shopping district and historic sights. The hotel cultivates a bizarre yet comforting vibe that makes it an ideal place to set up shop for your stay in the town; murals of angels, rainbows and fairies are painted on the corridor walls, and an eccentric collection of hand-shaped chairs and Star Wars figurines clutter the reception area. The rooms are especially well suited for families or small groups, since pairs of rooms share a vestibule which is lockable from the outside. Free Wi-Fi and TVs in all rooms.
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 61