Finally, getting to Paris!

[weisan]

Just booked my flight to France for mid-October. So excited, tried to get there a few years ago to celebrate turning 50 and then the pandemic hits, flight cancelled.

First time visitor.

Yes, last-minute, the stars aligned and all that.

Nothing really planned out yet, all I know at this time is, I will be spending a few days with my cousin family at st Germain en laye and then proceeding on to Annecy and staying there for a week before heading home.


I welcome any suggestions.

[Veloo]

Congrats! Do you parlez Francais at all?

I've only been to Paris and Nice. Last time in 2013 to see Froome finish his Tour and the other in 1994 as a poor student on a Euro backpacking trip so my advice is based on that.

If you don't speak any French, have the cell phone translator handy for the times you need to speak to someone who's not fluent/ confident with their English. We did this in '94 with a pocket dictionary and paper when doing things like buying train tickets. Made things much smoother.
I may be corrected on this one but I found locals appreciated if I asked if they parlez Anglais first then struggled with my grade 10 Canadian French. Maybe they felt sorry for me or found me pathetic but they would then open up with their own broken English. When I would see tourists immediately throw full on English at a local, the conversations would not go very well.

I found ice water was not really a thing there even in the hot months. I had to really search for ice cold drinks and be explicit when requesting ice water.

For my cell phone in2013, I got a SIM card fro Orange telelcom. Way cheaper than our crappy Canadian plans.

If you were hitting Paris, I'd say go hit up Le Souffle and Chez Flottes.

Have ever been to the places you'll be going but take it all in, and enjoy their food.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by Veloo

Congrats! Do you parlez Francais at all?

No...but I do speak Mandarin, does that help?

Thanks for the tip, Veloo pal.

I don't forsee that much of a problem in terms of languages. Those who know me would understand what I mean.

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by weisan

Just booked my flight to France for mid-October. So excited, tried to get there a few years ago to celebrate turning 50 and then the pandemic hits, flight cancelled.

First time visitor.

Yes, last-minute, the stars aligned and all that.

Nothing really planned out yet, all I know at this time is, I will be spending a few days with my cousin family at st Germain en laye and then proceeding on to Annecy and staying there for a week before heading home.


I welcome any suggestions.

Annecy is beautiful! The 30-mile ride around the lake is fabulous, if you have the time and want to rent a bike.

[timto]

Exciting! You picked a gorgeous place to visit in Annecy as well. It's a beautiful town in a beautiful part of France.

Originally Posted by weisan

Just booked my flight to France for mid-October. So excited, tried to get there a few years ago to celebrate turning 50 and then the pandemic hits, flight cancelled.

First time visitor.

Yes, last-minute, the stars aligned and all that.

Nothing really planned out yet, all I know at this time is, I will be spending a few days with my cousin family at st Germain en laye and then proceeding on to Annecy and staying there for a week before heading home.


I welcome any suggestions.

[texbike]

Wow! Congrats Wei! That's fantastic.

You're going to love Annecy. It's the perfect cycling base and there's so much to do there. The old town is cute and quaint with great food, the lake is beautiful, there's great hiking all around the area, cute old villages surround it, and the cycling options are incredible and endless. There are fantastic climbs right out of town to ski stations that let you see for miles around.

It really is a special place. Mid-October has to be a great time to be there. Other than the shorter days, you won't have all of the crowds to deal with that you do in Summer. The last time we stayed there, it was at a B&B right next to the Chateau above town. It was an easy walk down cobbled streets and stairways to the old section of town. Very cute and beautiful. I think you're going to have a great time!

Texbike

[merlinmurph]

Coincidentally, we just finished 6 days biking in Provence and are, as we speak, riding the TGV to Paris.

The riding in Provence was absolutely, without a doubt, the best riding I have ever done. It's a destination cycling paradise. We did a ride yesterday where I saw more riders than cars. And then there is the food..... spectacular.

Get an eSIM somewhere. Be careful, the esim we got from Holafly was only for calls within Europe, we could not call the US, so we used Skype.

Enjoy your trip!

[weisan]

Thanks for chiming in, pals.

Oh yeah, this is a "biking" trip, I will be bringing my all-road Ti bike capable of both road and gravel.

I have been talking to 572cv pal and he has given me some excellent route recommendations.

Hey Wesson Pal, nice to hear from you. First, your plan sounds just fine. We've done two trips to this area, staying once in Annecy and once in Talloires. In Annecy, we had a little gite just below the chateau, one bed for my wife and myself. There are lots of places to eat and shop, and some bike shops. It is a VERY pretty town, and the lake is a great feature. The riding is wonderful, either flat or climb-y, whatever you like. There is a bike path which goes all the way to Albertville on an old train route. We'd go down that, and then veer off to do one of the climbs. For example, you can go south on the bike route towards Saint Jorioz, then hang a right towards the Col de Leschaux. Its an easy climb up to this. Then choose to go around the Semnoz (Mountain) through Gruffy and back to Annecy, or up to the top of Semnoz, its fabulous views towards Mt. Blanc and then down right into Annecy. Another climb that is pretty great and was on the TDF route this year comes out of Talloires and climbs the Route de la Col de Forclaz. another killer view of the lake at the col, then back down the other side through Montmin to Vesonne and then back on the bike path to Annecy. Riding up out of Faverges over the Col des Marais then to Thones, is a good route. We did a variation with the Col D'Aravis and through Manigod, a pretty ambitious day. But I would be quite remiss if I did not highlight the climb we did with Velotel out of Ugine, the Col de l'Arpettaz. Just find the route with the HUGE number of switchbacks rising out of Mont-Dessus, to the left as you face Ugine from the bike path. One of the best cols ever anywhere, IMHO. When you get to the top, you can then run along the ridge, through La Lierre and loop back down all the way to Ugine. The memory of this one is still strong. If I think of more to share, I will, but this will get your mouth watering. Bon route!
Rob AKA 572cv

[martl]

Originally Posted by Veloo

I found ice water was not really a thing there even in the hot months. I had to really search for ice cold drinks and be explicit when requesting ice water.

Of course no ice water. When its hot, every cafe will get you menthe a l'eau (which is of course on ice).

Doubt there will be much demand for it in Annency in October...

[weisan]

The "part" I need figuring out is, the departure sequence.

Flight out of Paris is 11am.

As far as I know, and I could be wrong, no train out of Annecy to bring me to Paris airport that early in the day so I would have to get to Paris the day before and stay somewhere for the night that is easily accessible to the airport next morning.

Or I can take the last train out of Annecy to the airport the day before and just hang out in the aiport overnight.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

Coincidentally, we just finished 6 days biking in Provence and are, as we speak, riding the TGV to Paris.

Merlin pal, I will be taking the train from Paris to Annecy as well.

Do you recommend that I use the S&S case or Post Transfer case to transport my bike?

The S&S case is smaller, standard suitcase size and has rollers.

The transfer bag is bigger, has rollers, but also can be carried on my back as a backpack. Not looking to haul 50 pounds on my back across the mountains but I think for a 20 minutes walk from the train station to my hostel at Annecy seems doable.

[merlinmurph]

Sorry, I won't be much help here. I debated bringing my own bike and opted not to and to use bikes from the touring company which were quite nice and worked out well.

The trains have storage areas at the end of the cars where you can put luggage. The local trains I was on (not TGV) had bike hangers.

[Tychom]

Originally Posted by weisan

Or I can take the last train out of Annecy to the airport the day before and just hang out in the aiport overnight.

Not an awful lot to do at CDG unfortunately before check-in, but it looks like you could schedule your late Annecy train, then get across town and to CDG for 1AM. I'm not sure if there's an Air France lounge before security (assuming you have access), but they don't appear to open anyway until 5:30AM.

[weisan]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

Sorry, I won't be much help here. I debated bringing my own bike and opted not to and to use bikes from the touring company which were quite nice and worked out well.

The trains have storage areas at the end of the cars where you can put luggage. The local trains I was on (not TGV) had bike hangers.

Got it!

I know for an extra $10, one can reserve a spot for the bike on TGV.

[Mr. Pink]

Be prepared for the shock of public smoking on a level we haven't experienced here for some time now. Outdoor cafes are tough to deal with. And, they'll be open. The French practically pioneered those standing mushroom gas heaters. They love their cafes and bistros.

But, the food is good. And get into cognac. Hundreds of makers you never see here.

The women dress so well. Oh man.