They say that it’s almost guaranteed that you will fall in love when you’re in Paris. This may be true, but there is so much more to Paris than it being the city of love. I discovered during my 14 day rail tripping around France solo, that the country is alive with romance and there’s something to savour in every city.
Gastronomically, France would be very hard to surpass. The food and wine is superb and is indulged by one and all in a lustful manner. Even the waiters in France make the food sound lascivious! My culinary experience through the country from north to south never disappointed.
One of my biggest travel tips for travelling solo in any foreign country is to have mobile phone data. I discovered that pre-purchasing an European eSim card was the perfect solution. It wasn’t only affordable, but was extremely easy to install and gave me the freedom to access data wherever I was in France.
Travelling by train I pre-purchased an Eurorail pass that allowed me to travel through France for virtually nothing. Google maps became my best friend so that I was able to navigate my way around with unlimited data on my mobile phone. I could easily look up any information about nearby restaurants, cafes or points of interest too.
I arrived into Paris in the early hours of the morning after a lengthy flight from Australia via Singapore. Fortunately, I had slept rather well in my premium economy seat and was keen to have a quick freshen up and a change of clothing so that I could start exploring the city on foot.
I was fortunate, because my hotel seemed to be in a central area in the 5th arrondisement, otherwise known as the Latin area and was within walking distance to a lot of the big attractions in Paris. Google maps and a map the hotel gave me was my friend and I easily navigated my way around the streets in Paris.
It was a warm and sunny day in Paris, so there were tourists everywhere. The Paralympics were still running in Paris. There were signs everywhere advertising the fact. I saw on my map that the famous Notre Dame was close by so this was my first stop. Although the roof was burnt extensively in 2019, the main structure of the cathedral has remained.
I crossed the Seine River and checked out the river boats that cruise down the river. I then turned back and decided to go see the monument called the Pantheon or Sainte-Geneviève. It was close to a university and there were plenty of students basking in the sun. Behind the Pantheon was another church called the Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.
I wound my way back to my hotel via some charming cobblestoned streets that all had alfresco cafes and restaurants. I eventually selected one across the street from my hotel and enjoyed a cold glass of rose and people-watched.
After a sound sleep trying to shake off a bit of the jet lag, I sauntered out of my hotel via a cute cafe located on the main street, Rue des Ecoles, and enjoyed Le petit déjeuner. This comprised of a crusty baguette, a croissant, lashings of butter and jam, a freshly squeezed orange juice and a coffee. It became my daily breakfast of choice whilst I was in France. However, I did try one of their fluffly omelettes on one occasion.
On my second day in Paris my aim was to walk to the Les Halles, a district in the 1st arrondisement, featuring extensive parklands, some interesting statues and the gothic-style Saint Eustache Church. Les Halles is also a shopping precinct so I enjoyed a stroll around the numerous upmarket shops in this area.
I saw a sign pointing to Le Louvre so I set off in this direction. Le Louvre Museum is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Paris and one of the most famous art museums in the world.
There are around 35,000 artworks displayed here, including the famous “Mona Lisa” painting. Although I never ventured inside the museum due to my timeline, I could understand that you could spend an entire day here taking in the diverse range of art and antiquities.
I was in need of some refreshment and something to eat so I ventured out of Le Louvre and found a cafe opposite the Seine River. I sat here happily enjoyed the spectacle of many people walking along the promenade of the river and the river boats cruising along.
I wandered around taking in many more famous historical buildings, including a palace, beautiful villas, quaint cobblestoned streets and eventually came to a fountain called Fontaine Saint-Michel. After capturing some beautiful photos here is was time for me to return to my hotel and take in an afternoon wine and people-watching.
With my pre-purchased Eurorail train pass and app I managed to book my train to Beaune in Burgundy. This ancient walled town is the capital of the Burgundy wine region and is located between Lyon and Dijon.
It was like stepping into a fairytale with it’s charming cobblestoned narrow laneways, medieval roofs, large squares lined with cafes, wine cellars and clock tower. The town is surrounded with green rolling hills of vineyards that go for as far as the eye can see. The area surrounding Beaune is famous for exporting some of the best premier crus and grand crus, which in English means superior quality wines, in the whole of France.
My two days here were amazing, even though on one of the days it was very wet. But suddenly the skies cleared and I was able to take in a winery tour. I ventured out with a tour guide whose knowledge of wine-making in the region was second to none. I learnt a lot about the different grapes and wines made from them. It was a big education and also a very enjoyable wine-tasting at the end of the tour.
A big highlight was a tour of the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, which was built to offer charity to the poor. The roof of this hospice is incredible, with patterned tiles adorned with unique geometric designs that shine red, yellow, green and black in the golden sunlight. The hospice is now set up as a museum with lots of exhibits and displays of how the hospice looked in the day.
On my fifth day in France I boarded the train again for my next stop in Aix-en-Provence, (pronounced like the letter ‘X’), a town set amongst the foothills of the Alps in the south of France. I was once again entranced by this magical town with it’s sophisticated atmosphere of “where the rich and famous like to be seen”.
Once I dropped off my luggage I set off into the old town and absorbed the beauty of the maze of streets, occasionally punctuated by a large square with a fountain and many eateries and bars. The shopping was to die for with an array of fine establishments with their wares displayed out in the laneways.
I continued to walk the laneways and eventually came to an expansive square where there was a large cathedral, the Eglise de al Madelaine, and yet another fountain. At the other end of the square is the Palace of Justice. I found out the next day that this square was transformed into a large outdoor market each Saturday.
The Place d’Hotel de Ville is another charming square with a fountain, a clock tower and several cafes/bars with alfresco seating. There is an archway that leads into another square where there are even more up-market restaurants.
I continued to navigate my way through the maze of streets in the Old Town. I was completely lost by this stage, however I managed to find the main boulevard, Cours Mirabeau, that is lined with 17th and 18th century mansions, shady plane trees and an array of cafes and restaurants. At one end sits the Place de la Rotonde, a large fountain.
There are loads of choices for day trips from Aix-en-Provence, including: Following in the footsteps of Cezanne, Luberon hilltop villages, Provence wineries, Provencal lavender fields, Cassis and the Calanques, Lake Sainte Croix and Verdon Gorge, Mont Sainte Victoire and Avignon.
I set off by train to my next destination, Nice – the queen of the French Riviera, located on the southern coastline of France, known as Côte d’Azur. It was raining on my voyage along the coastline, but I caught glimpses of the Mediterranean Ocean every once in a while. Once I arrived at my hotel I checked in and because it was still raining I enjoyed lunch and a glass of wine in the restaurant attached to the hotel.
My hotel called Hotel Monsigny Nice was located in the central part of Nice along the light rail line. It was around 15-20 minutes walk to the beachfront and close to shops, restaurants and other points of interest. I couldn’t wait to get exploring.
The following morning I woke up to bright sunshine and blue skies. I couldn’t wait to see the beachfront so I took off in that direction. The Promenade des Anglais along the beachfront, had a hint of a bygone era, with blue seats and white pergola. The beach clubs were in full flight with many sun-worshippers laying on the rocky shore of the Côte d’Azur.
I strolled from one end of the promenade to the other, stopping to admire the 19th-century Belle Epoque villa and the grandness of the Negresco hotel . I then wandered into the Old Town, brimming with upmarket shops, restaurants and cafes. There was a flea market at one end, called the La Puces de Nice, offering an eclectic selection of vintage wares, from antique silverware to pre-loved Hermès scarves.
Afterwards I scaled to the top of the headland to the Chateau Colline in Vieux Nice for magical views, and around to Nice Port, where there were a collection of impressive yachts and boats. I eventually worked my way back to my hotel to rest before I headed out to dinner.
On my second day, I had booked a day trip to Eze, Monaco and Monte Carlo. I set off with our Mexican tour guide and three friendly Irish women, on a picturesque coastal drive around Villefranche-sur-mer and Menton. Here the views were to die for.
We stopped firstly at the medieval hilltop village of Eze, dating back as far as 2,000BC. After an initial hike up the hill there are a maze of laneways twisting and turning with tiny boutique shops that are nestled in amongst the walkways. Afterwards we took a tour of the nearby French perfume factory called Parfumerie Fragonard, and got to see how these are made and also got to sample many of the scents.
Continuing along the coastal road to the Principality of Monaco, we drove to where Monaco Palace is located on a hilltop with commanding views. We browsed the area surrounding the palace and took in the maze of narrow streets in the old township.
As we drove towards Monte Carlo, our guide told us we were driving along the racecourse for the Monaco Grand Prix. We wound up in front of the famous Monte Carlo Casino and wandered around the courtyard in front taking photos. There were a line of fancy sports cars parked in front of the entrance.
I was happy to get my fix of the lives of the rich and famous on the French Riviera. It was an amazing three days in Nice and I enjoyed this part of France immensely.
The next morning I caught the train to Marseille. This ancient port city is the oldest city in France, founded around 600BC. I was taken from the train station by taxi to Vieux-Port where my gorgeous little Airbnb apartment for the night was located. I dropped my suitcase and immediately walked to the port area. It was surrounded by eateries with views over the large harbour that was laden with thousands of boats.
After I enjoyed a lunch of pizza and a glass of rose, I wandered around to the entrance of the harbour and to the old fortress here. There is a museum located within the old fort building that you can wander around and also some old warehouse buildings lining the harbour.
After I spent my afternoon wandering around the port, I set off through the maze of narrow streets of shops and cafes, where I found a park and a square. There were several bars surrounding the square so I decided to sit and watch the sun go down enjoying several glasses of rose and a cheese platter. I was in heaven.
A friend of mine told me not to miss the city of Lyon, so I decided to break up my trip back to Paris with an overnight stay in Lyon. The accommodation was horribly expensive and I actually regretted my decision to stay here because I really only got an afternoon here to look around. Plus the weather was once again inclement and a little cold.
To do Lyon justice I think I would have needed at least two days here to explore this fabulous city. It was occupied by the Nazis during the second world war in the 1940s and there was a strong French resistence movement present here. I found the history intriguing and decided to spend a few hours at the museum called the Centre d’histoire de la résistance et de la déportation.
The confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers divide the city into two halves. My hotel was close to a bridge that crossed the Rhône River to the other side. There were long river cruise boats docked by the riverside, obviously with passengers spending the day in Lyon, or ready to depart on a Rhône River cruise.
After a day and night in Lyon it was back on the train to Paris and whole new adventure. How I loved my time train tripping through France.
