Ten Days in France
When I went: Late May to early June
How long I stayed: 10 days
Why I chose France: This Is Not A Love Song Music Festival, great beaches great wine and a good train system.
Itinerary: Toronto – Paris - Cassis - Nimes - Paris - Toronto
Paris
Accommodations: Generator Hostel
Must Visit: Palace of Versailles, Museé d'Orsay, Museé de L'Orangerie
Must Do: Have a picnic in Parc des buttes Chaumont
Must Pack: good walking shoes
How long I stayed: 2 nights
How I got there: Flew into Charles De Gaulle and took the RER B train into the city
Paris was exhausting and amazing. There is so much to do, but we managed to fit in everything on our list in just two days.
We started off our stay with exploring the hip Canal Saint Martin neighborhood, which was where our hostel was located, and the first stop was for some beer at Brewery Panama. They had a great IPA and were located right on the canal.
We purchased the combined tickets for Museé d'Orsay and Museé de L'Orangerie, so we took a short train ride further into the city to go to those. I loved both of these museums. It was amazing getting to see the massive Water Lilies murals by Monet at Museé de L'Orangerie and Museé d'Orsay has an incredible collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces. I was very glad we picked those museums instead of the Louvre. I got to see much more artwork that I was interested in and they were much smaller museums that were less overwhelming for such a short stay in Paris.
After a picnic in Parc des buttes Chaumont with some rosé we were ready for bed. The next day we walked around the Palace of Versailles and through the well manicured gardens. After, of course, another picnic on the palace grounds we headed to the Eiffel Tower to enjoy some wine on the lawn.
Cassis
Accommodations: Airbnb
Must Visit: Les Calanques National Park
Must Do: relax on the beach and drink rosé
Must Pack: bathing suit and sunscreen
How long I stayed: 3 nights
How I got there: Train to Cassis station then bus to town
After rushing around Paris nonstop, it was time for the beach. We took the train to Cassis, a small beach town on the southern coast of France. We immediately ordered some pizza and relaxed on the beach.
After the rain stopped the following day we walked to the beach on the other side of town and hiked into Les Calanques a little ways to a more secluded beach to swim and rest.
The next day had more promising weather, so we got an early start on our hike into Les Calanques. We hiked in for an hour and a half up to the most beautiful beach located between the limestone cliffs. The only way to access the beach is by foot or by kayak and the best reward after our long hike was taking a swim in the mediterranean.
Nîmes
Accommodations: Airbnb
Must Visit: Jardins de la Fontaine
Must Do: This is not a love song festival
Must Pack: breathable clothing for the summer heat
How long I stayed: 3 nights
How I got there: train
We decided to visit Nîmes to attend This Is Not A Love Song Festival, an outdoor indie rock music festival. During the days we would explore the city and around 6pm we would head to the festival grounds to see shows the rest of the night.
Our days in the city we spent shopping and visiting the Arena of Nîmes, a Roman ampitheater. We also walked to the Maison Carrée, one of the best preserved Roman temple façades.
My favorite part of Nîmes was the Jardins de la Fontaine, a beautiful park with botanic gardens and Roman ruins. Very picturesque.
