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Old 05-18-2015, 12:41 AM   #1
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Amsterdam to Barcelona, Fall 2016

Greetings,

I am in the beginning stages of planning a mostly France trip in September and October 2016. We plan on about 50 days. I'm going to use my Alaska miles to fly us into Amsterdam on KLM and right now we're planning to hop a transatlantic cruise from Barcelona back home. We'll be train/bussing it, so I eliminated a few destinations (eg Etretat). I also focused on western France so we're not totally "If it's Tuesday, this must be Belgium"-ing the trip. That means I have to save some bucket list places (like Beaune) for another trip. Since I know some of you have traveled a bit through France, I am seeking feedback on this preliminary itinerary. Around the Carcassonne area, we plan to WWOOF (volunteer on an organic farm) for a week or so. Also planning some convent/monastery stays to keep costs down. If you know of reasonable accommodation in our destinations, let me know! So...

Land in Amsterdam (4d)
Bruges, Belgium (2d)
France: Paris (5 or 6 days)
Mont Saint Michel (1 or 2)
St Malo (2d)
Dinan (2d) Since it's so close to St Malo, may pick one or the other to home base it for 3 or 4 days.
Nantes (3d)
Amboise (3d)
Bordeaux (4d)
Sarlat la Caneda (2d)
Pau (2d) we're scouting Pau as a possible place to relocate.
Carcassonne (7 plus days in the area)
Arles (3d)
Train to Barcelona, then home.

We'll be highly mobile, BTW, neither of us will travel with larger than an 85l pack.

Lastly, how difficult is it to plan a day trip to Disneyland Paris from Paris, and is it worth it?

Thanks so much for any advice!


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Old 05-18-2015, 12:59 AM   #2
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Your plans look good to me with plenty of time in each destination.

Out of the places you're planning on going to, we've been to Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris, Mont Saint Michel, Nantes, Bordeaux, Carcassonne and Barcelona. One thing I would say is if you can do try and get some time to visit the D-Day beaches. They are so moving and well worth seeing.

As for Disneyland Paris, yes you can head there for a day - it's on the RER line A, so if you can find a hotel near that line, it will make the visit much easier. Is it worth it? Well, people's views are going to vary, but given you're here for such a long time, I have to confess I'd be tempted to squeeze a day in. Make sure if you do, it's a weekday though, as those are much quieter. Also, be aware that the first DisneyRun event is taking place over the weekend of 25/26 September, so the days around that (i.e. Thursday, Friday and Monday) will probably be pretty busy too.
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Old 05-18-2015, 01:32 PM   #3
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Wow, that's quite a trip! I have to admit, it's very different from the way we travel so I don't have much advice to offer. I agree with Chez that if you're in France for that long, you can definitely suqeeze in a day at DLP. It is very easy to reach from Paris, no problem.

Are you planning to see Versailles?
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Old 05-18-2015, 02:12 PM   #4
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Wow, that's quite a trip! I have to admit, it's very different from the way we travel so I don't have much advice to offer. I agree with Chez that if you're in France for that long, you can definitely suqeeze in a day at DLP. It is very easy to reach from Paris, no problem.

Are you planning to see Versailles?
Oooh, good point - that is another must-see while in Paris. It's not to everyone's taste I will admit, but it is amazing and well worth seeing.
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Old 05-22-2015, 12:20 AM   #5
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Amsterdam to Barcelona, Fall 2016

Well, I'm making some progress with the itinerary. Already made a few changes. I got the book "Good Night and God Bless" from the library. Thinking about staying just outside of Paris, in La Ferte sous Jouarre, at the Polish House. It's 46€ night with partial board option (you can choose Polish or French food ) and it's a 45 minute train ride from Paris. We'll get a Paris Visite train card and stay a couple days longer in Paris (yes, we plan to visit Versaille). Perhaps splurge on a hotel in the city our last night.

I found an old cidery/brewery in Normandy that's a WWOOF, so we may head up there next. Then to Bayeaux, there's a 14th century Benedictine guesthouse there.

In Mont Saint Michel, We want to stay in an historic hotel, I saw La Mere Poulard and Le Terraces Poulard...hoping someone's stayed on Mont St Michel and can advise.

Next, pretty much decided to combine Dinard and St Malo, which should I pick as the base? We'll day trip to the other.

Still working on the rest of the trip...Cheryl, would love to hear your suggestions for the places you've visited!


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Old 05-22-2015, 01:15 AM   #6
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Still working on the rest of the trip...Cheryl, would love to hear your suggestions for the places you've visited!
What would you like to know? If it's things to do, it might be easier if I find the relevant trip reports and point you in the direction of those....
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