Paris Day Trip: Marly-le-Roi

May 21, 2012 by Andrea 6 Comments

Marly-le-Roi is a 20 minute drive to the west of Paris, provided you don’t get lost like I did. Having a GPS which works usually helps. The very small old town has a few pretty cobblestone streets but on the Monday I visited everything was closed so there was little to do but head to the town’s main attraction; the Parc de Marly.

The park used to be home to the Chateau de Marly, used by Louis XIV when he wanted time away from formal life at the nearby Chateau de Versailles. The chateau was destroyed after the French Revolution and now only some of the foundations remain.

The water supply at Marly-le-Roi was used to provide water for the fountains at Versailles using a specially engineered machine known as the Machine de Marly. It pumped enough water each day to support the city of Paris but unfortunately it was pulled down too. The Parc de Marly still has plenty of water but it has no use except for joggers to run around.

Aside from jogging or having a picnic there isn’t much to do in the park although there are some quirky statues like this one of Daphne being chased by Apollo. Poor girl.

Original statues from the Chateau de Marly can now be found in the Louvre Museum in the Cours Marly including the famous Marly Horses.

While it is a pretty park, there are plenty of other day trips from Paris which I would recommend ahead of a visit to Marly-le-Roi.

Filed Under: France Tagged With: day trips, marly, paris, parks

5 Great Day Trips from Barcelona

March 5, 2012 by Andrea 3 Comments

Amazing museums, sandy beaches and delicious tapas. I think most people would agree that Barcelona is an fantastic city to visit and it’s one of my favourite big cities in Europe. Even though it can be hard to leave the capital of Catalonia, there are some great day trips from Barcelona which shouldn’t be ignored.

Day Trips from Barcelona

Girona

Girona inspires me with love. That’s the motto of Girona and it suits the city perfectly. It was love at first sight for me and for many visitors to the medieval city. Girona is known for its colourful riverfront houses which are built right on the water’s edge and are best viewed from one of the many pedestrian only bridges.

The narrow streets of the old town are fun to explore and the hidden away patios are evidence of the rich Jewish history dating back to the 12th century. You can also visit the ancient cathedral which was once a mosque and walk along the old city walls. Girona is only an hour by car from Barcelona and is one of the most popular day trips from the city.

Foodie Tip: Stop for a meal at the incredible Divinum restaurant in the old town.

Besalu

The inland town of Besalu was an important city back in the Middle Ages but today is a sleepy little town popular with tourists. The most notable attraction is the 12th century Romanesque bridge but the town is also known for the remains of a medieval synagogue and a Jewish purification bath hidden below ground. This bath, known as a mikveh, is one of only a few medieval Jewish bathhouses in Europe.

The adorable old town in Besalu has many little cafes and shops selling locally produced goods and for something a little different visit the Museum of Miniatures on the centre square. I never imagined that kind of museum would be interesting but the artwork you need a microscope to see was incredible.

Banyoles

Banyoles is only 20 minutes from Besalu so you could possibly visit both in the same day trip although it’s worth spending a little extra time in Banyoles to explore the lake area. You can hire a bike to ride around the lake which takes an hour or so or go kayaking or swimming in the warmer months. Fishing is also allowed on the lake although you can’t kill the fish, only catch and release. I would have thought the point of fishing was to eat what you catch but I guess not…

There are a few restaurants in the old town but I think the best eating option in Banyoles is to buy some bread, cheese and jamon and have a picnic by the water.

Montserrat

Montserrat is a stunning mountain destination just inland from Barcelona. Montserrat means ‘jagged mountain’ in Catalan and its an unusual rock formation that you won’t see elsewhere in the region. It’s great for hiking or if you prefer cultural activities you can visit Montserrat Abbey or the museum with works from Spanish artists including Picasso and Dali. If you don’t have a car, Montserrat is an easy day trip from Barcelona using public transport. Michael from Easy Hiker has a detailed post on visiting Montserrat including how to get there.

Photo: easyhiker.co.uk

Cadaques

Cadaques is a quiet seaside village known for it’s famous resident, Salvador Dali. A highlight of Cadaques is visiting Dali’s nearby house which is packed with fun surrealist artworks. The town itself is made up of narrow, hilly streets which lead to the waterfront area with its picturesque white washed houses. Cadaques is a 2 hour drive from Barcelona but if you have time and are a fan of Salvador Dali, stop by Figueres to visit the Dali Museum which houses some of his most important works.

Foodie Tip: Buy a box of taps sweets from the bakery on the waterfront. They are amazing little sugar topped cakes perfect for an afternoon snack.

Fifteen minutes from Cadaques is the wonderful, wild coastline of Cap de Creus and one of the most spectacular locations on the Costa Brava.

Of course there are many other day trips from Barcelona and it’s worth renting an apartment or villa in Barcelona if you plan on spending a while to explore the region.

Filed Under: Spain Tagged With: barcelona, catalonia, day trips, spain

Szentendre Hungary

March 1, 2011 by Andrea 3 Comments

Budapest was one of the highlights of my travels last year. I loved the Habsburg era architecture, walking around the large squares and parks, and of course the local food. Wandering around Buda, you can’t miss the incredible Parliament building across the Danube as it pops up at almost every turn. Five days wasn’t nearly enough time to experience the city and I unfortunately didn’t have time to do any day trips to nearby towns.

I had heard from a few people that Szentendre, just north of Budapest, was worth a visit so even though I couldn’t manage a day trip, I decided to stop off for a couple of hours while on my way to Prague by car. I didn’t know anything about the town, just that it is one of the most popular day trips from the capital.

I find the best way to visit a city I know nothing about is to head straight to the main square. In the case of Szentendre that meant a short walk along cobblestone streets to the small centre square with its Orthodox church and Memorial Cross.

From there you can choose any of the side streets to explore. Szentendre is a town of artists and the streets are full of little galleries selling local artworks and there are a number of museums too. Unfortunately the galleries are outnumbered by the tacky tourist shops which cater to the bus loads of tourists which arrive each day. It was winter when we went but the place was still crowded with tourists, mostly from Serbia and Japan, as far as I could tell.

I don’t think there is much to do aside from wandering the streets, checking out the art galleries, and relaxing in cafes which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but I think our time would have been better spent back in Budapest.

I was surprised to see a number of Serb restaurants around the town but later discovered that Szentendre was the centre of the Serb community in Hungary a couple of centuries ago so it makes sense that there is still a big Serb influence in the town. I thought it would be nice to eat at what looked to be a popular Serb restaurant at the end of the main tourist drag but F, being Albanian, refused to eat there. In the end we stopped for morning tea at Cafe Christine, right on the Danube, where I had the best hot chocolate I’ve had in years. It gets great reviews on Tripadvisor and we would have stayed for lunch but it was fully booked.

Then it was off to Brno which is another pretty walking city and the perfect place to rest up before continuing our long drive to Prague. If you plan to visit Szentendre for the day, instead of just passing through, you could get a local train direct from Budapest and then take a boat along the Danube back to the city which would take you past the beautiful Hungarian Parliament.

Filed Under: Hungary Tagged With: Budapest, day trips, Hungary, szentendre

5 Great Day Trips from Paris

January 11, 2011 by Andrea 8 Comments

I don’t think you can ever run out of things to do in Paris but if you feel like you need to get out of the city for a while there are many great day trips from Paris.

Monet’s Garden

Monet’s Garden is open from April to October and is an easy hours drive from Paris. I went last year at the beginning of April which was a huge mistake as very few of the bulbs were in flower. It didn’t really matter because there were cherry trees in bloom as well as some annuals and daffodils but it would have been so much more beautiful later on when the tulips, irises, wisteria, and so many other plants are in flower. You can see the flowering calendar here.

Whenever you go though, it’s still amazing to see the garden which inspired the Impressionist painter. The highlight is the Japanese water garden where you can see the famous Japanese bridge and water lilies depicted in his paintings.

Monet’s Garden is a little tricky to get to using public transport so I suggest hiring a car to get there.

Chantilly

The town of Chantilly is most well known for being the birth place of Chantilly cream. The French both invented and perfected Chantilly cream and if you’re anything like me you’ll enjoy it at every opportunity when in France. Of course I’m not suggesting you go to Chantilly to spend the day indulging in cream, the reason to take a day trip there is to visit the Chateau de Chantilly.

The chateau is just plain adorable. It’s surrounded by a moat and extensive formal and informal gardens. You can easily spend hours wandering around the woods and that’s exactly what I did.

Chantilly is easy to get to by both car and train so there’s really no reason not to go.

Chartres

Chartres is one of the most relaxing day trips you can do from Paris. There aren’t loads of thing to do so there is no need to rush around. Take your time to visit the famous cathedral and then wander around the old town. My favourite thing to do when visiting towns like Chartres is to pick a nice little cafe to sit in where I can people watch or read my Kindle and then move along to the next little cafe and rinse and repeat. There’s not much to do but enjoy a long lunch, do a little window shopping, and cafe hop. What more do you want from a pretty town one hours drive from Paris.

Fontainebleau

The Chateau de Fontainebleau is free to visit on the first Sunday of every month so that’s the perfect time to visit. Of course half of Paris has the same idea so you might want to pick a different day if you want to avoid the crowds.

The interior of the chateau is decorated in typical ornate, over the top style you see in many chateaux in France. Depending on how interesting you find that kind of thing will determine if you stroll through the many, many rooms or if you push through the crowds to find the exit, taking a few snaps along the way. I’m not saying which category I fall into.

After the visiting the chateau, it’s well worth spending some time to explore the town which has plenty of shops, cafes and restaurants.

Brussels

I sometimes forget that Brussels is only an hour from Paris on the Eurostar. Although the Belgian capital warrants more than a day visit, you can certainly see all the major sites in one day but if you feel that’s a bit rushed you can at least enjoy some of the best food (and of course chocolate) in Europe.

You may as well start your visit at the centre of it all, the Grand Place de Bruxelles. Many people describe it as the most beautiful square in the world and although I haven’t visited every square in the world, I’m going to have to agree. Beauty is in every direction and although the cafes in the square are overpriced it’s well worth the expense so you can sit back and enjoy the view and watch people go by.

When you’ve had enough of the crowds, I suggest going on a bit of a ‘chocolate crawl’ (you know, like a pub crawl but for chocolate). Visit all the popular chocolate shops like Godiva and Neuhaus as well as the higher end chocolatiers like Pierre Marcolini where you can pick up a few (or more than a few) edible souvenirs.

Not far from the Grand Place is Place de l’Albertine and Jardin du Mont des Arts which can provide you with a few good photo ops. A bit further along is another famous square, Place Royale, where you can visit one of Belgian’s top museums or you can head around the corner to see the Palais du Roi. Just opposite the Palais du Roi is the Parc de Bruxelles which is the perfect place to have a picnic or just relax until you have to get your train back to Paris.