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Destination: France

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Welcome to France

Our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour is a carefully balanced design of intense big cities and relaxed small towns. It starts easy in Holland and finishes with a cultural bang in France. As a tour guide, a favorite challenge is to prep our travelers so they enjoy and appreciate French culture rather than find it threatening. A nice intro to France is the charming, wine-soaked town of Beaune in profoundly French Burgundy.

After the Alps, we need to raise the cultural bar a bit. All dressed up (pardon my wardrobe malfunction), we embrace the French joie de vivre. Pas de problème!
After the Alps, we need to raise the cultural bar a bit. All dressed up (pardon my wardrobe malfunction), we embrace the French joie de vivre. Pas de problème!
A fun way to take our travelers to new gastronomic heights is to order escargots. At first the reaction was, as you can see here, “Snails!? No way!” But with a gentle but firm hand, all but one in our group ate their escargot. And they liked it.
A fun way to take our travelers to new gastronomic heights is to order escargots. At first the reaction was, as you can see here, “Snails!? No way!” But with a gentle but firm hand, all but one in our group ate their escargot. And they liked it.
As a guide, it’s fun to introduce people to something they’ve never experienced before...especially if they’re afraid for no good reason. There must have been six or eight people in our group who had never eaten a snail before. I managed to get all but one in our group to try one...and all responded with a yummy thumbs up. After a little coaching on fork technique, our two youngest travelers enjoyed their first (of several) escargots as well.
As a guide, it’s fun to introduce people to something they’ve never experienced before…especially if they’re afraid for no good reason. There must have been six or eight people in our group who had never eaten a snail before. I managed to get all but one in our group to try one…and all responded with a yummy thumbs up. After a little coaching on fork technique, our two youngest travelers enjoyed their first (of several) escargots as well.
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A Rick Steves-Style Paris Video Through the Eyes of Teenagers

A big part of the fun in my work is inspiring others to share their love of travel. I get lots of digital scrapbooks, amateur videos, and self-published travel books to review, and last week I received one I think you might enjoy. Sahal Farah, a 19-year-old college student living in Los Angeles, grew up watching my TV show with his family. Here’s what he wrote:

Dear Mr. Steves, My family and I have been massive fans of your show since we were old enough to watch television. My little brother Leeban, age 15, was asked by his French teacher to make a short and simple travel video when she heard that we would be going to Paris over the summer of 2012. We travel a lot as a family (especially Europe) and after watching your show for all these years we were actually excited to make it! After countless hours to get it just right, we finally got it done and the teacher was completely bewildered with how intricate and professional it was. She’s now showing it to her students for every new year. Anyway, my mom said that since the video we made was inspired by your show that we should send it to you. I’d love to hear what you think about it! If you enjoy it, I’d love it if you could give us a shout out on Facebook or Twitter! Thank you so much Rick and keep on traveling! -Sahal Farah

Here’s what I wrote back:

Dear Sahal and Leeban, You guys are great. Thanks for letting us enjoy a little bit of Paris through your young and insightful eyes. Best wishes and happy future travels (and video production, I hope)! -Rick

Here’s the video. Enjoy!

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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Top Ten Things to Do in Paris at Christmas

You probably won’t be able to jet over to Paris for Christmas. But if you could, here are ten fun things to do (excerpted from the Rick Steves’ European Christmas book). Read these and imagine a Joyeux Noël in the City of Light:

Manèges de Noël: Christmas Carousels These seasonal merry-go-rounds pop up in every neighborhood in Paris. The biggies are at Hôtel de Ville and the Eiffel Tower, but more fun are the charming manèges in less touristy neighborhoods.
Manèges de Noël: Christmas Carousels
These seasonal merry-go-rounds pop up in every neighborhood in Paris. The biggies are at Hôtel de Ville and the Eiffel Tower, but more fun are the charming manèges in less touristy neighborhoods.
Lick a Window The French phrase for "window shopping" is lèche-vitrine — literally, “window licking.” Big department stores compete with one another for the most fabulous window displays of animation and whimsy. French parents dress up their kids and come from all over the country to compare the windows of the three great Parisian department stores: Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, and Bon Marché. Thoughtfully, the stores provide wooden steps at the windows so that even the tiniest tot can get a good view.
Lick a Window
The French phrase for “window shopping” is lèche-vitrine — literally, “window licking.” Big department stores compete with one another for the most fabulous window displays of animation and whimsy. French parents dress up their kids and come from all over the country to compare the windows of the three great Parisian department stores: Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, and Bon Marché. Thoughtfully, the stores provide wooden steps at the windows so that even the tiniest tot can get a good view.
Slurp an Oyster in the Marais To eat an oyster in public: Make sure to cut under the oyster so that it is completely separated from the shell. Then tip the shell toward your mouth, causing the oyster to slide forward and down into your mouth — but whatever you do, don’t let any stray oyster juice run down your chin. Slurp!
Slurp an Oyster in the Marais
To eat an oyster in public: Make sure to cut under the oyster so that it is completely separated from the shell. Then tip the shell toward your mouth, causing the oyster to slide forward and down into your mouth — but whatever you do, don’t let any stray oyster juice run down your chin. Slurp!
Pony Rides Take the little people to Luxembourg Garden to ride the ponies or (sometimes at Christmas) donkeys. If you’re lucky enough to be there when the donkeys are, tell the kids about pregnant Mary and Joseph riding the donkey to Bethlehem.
Pony Rides
Take the little people to Luxembourg Garden to ride the ponies or (sometimes at Christmas) donkeys. If you’re lucky enough to be there when the donkeys are, tell the kids about pregnant Mary and Joseph riding the donkey to Bethlehem.
Chocolate Shopping Buy your best friend a box of chocolates from one of La Maison du Chocolat boutiques, run by Robert Linxe, the high priest of Paris chocolate. Specialties include jewel-like bonbons with lemon, mint, and ginger-infused fillings. The lines go out the door at Christmastime, so allow plenty of time for your visit. La Maison du Chocolat has seven boutiques in Paris.
Chocolate Shopping
Buy your best friend a box of chocolates from one of La Maison du Chocolat boutiques, run by Robert Linxe, the high priest of Paris chocolate. Specialties include jewel-like bonbons with lemon, mint, and ginger-infused fillings. The lines go out the door at Christmastime, so allow plenty of time for your visit. La Maison du Chocolat has seven boutiques in Paris.
Avante-Garde Trees Visit the annual exhibition of Christmas trees created by top couturiers and designers at the Centre Pompidou. The “trees” don’t look much like your standard evergreen; they’re Christmas concoctions with something vaguely tree-like about them. Creations are by turns wickedly funny, seductive, political, lovely, and just plain weird. It’s a fun exhibit, and your entrance fee goes to a French charity that assists orphaned children.
Avante-Garde Trees
Visit the annual exhibition of Christmas trees created by top couturiers and designers at the Centre Pompidou. The “trees” don’t look much like your standard evergreen; they’re Christmas concoctions with something vaguely tree-like about them. Creations are by turns wickedly funny, seductive, political, lovely, and just plain weird. It’s a fun exhibit, and your entrance fee goes to a French charity that assists orphaned children.
The Champs-Elysées and the Eiffel Tower Bundle up, wander over to the Champs-Elysées, and walk the length of the boulevard, with its fairy forest of twinkling trees. Time it so that you can walk (or take the Métro) over to Trocadéro square in time to see the lights on the Eiffel Tower shimmer — on the hour for five minutes every night until midnight.
The Champs-Elysées and the Eiffel Tower
Bundle up, wander over to the Champs-Elysées, and walk the length of the boulevard, with its fairy forest of twinkling trees. Time it so that you can walk (or take the Métro) over to Trocadéro square in time to see the lights on the Eiffel Tower shimmer — on the hour for five minutes every night until midnight.
Pastries, Pastries, Pastries Indulge yourself with a bûche de Noël (yule log) from the oldest pâtisserie in Paris. One day in 1730, Queen Marie Leszczyńska, daughter of the king of Poland, stopped in Strasbourg on her way to Versailles to marry Louis XV and met a pastry chef named Störher. She fell in love — not with the chef, but with his famous puits d’amour (“wells of love,” chocolate cups filled with a rich, creamy custard). The Queen offered him a job, and Störher packed up, opened up a pâtisserie in Paris, and became famous. Even the Queen of England couldn’t resist a stop at Ströher’s on her last trip to Paris. (It’s at 51 rue Montorgueil.)
Pastries, Pastries, Pastries
Indulge yourself with a bûche de Noël (yule log) from the oldest pâtisserie in Paris. One day in 1730, Queen Marie Leszczyńska, daughter of the king of Poland, stopped in Strasbourg on her way to Versailles to marry Louis XV and met a pastry chef named Störher. She fell in love — not with the chef, but with his famous puits d’amour (“wells of love,” chocolate cups filled with a rich, creamy custard). The Queen offered him a job, and Störher packed up, opened up a pâtisserie in Paris, and became famous. Even the Queen of England couldn’t resist a stop at Ströher’s on her last trip to Paris. (It’s at 51 rue Montorgueil.)
The City of Light’s Lights Walk up and down the Boulevard Haussmann admiring the fabulous lights at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Try to guess how many bulbs it took to create Galeries Lafayette’s illuminated canvas. (Hint: Last year, it was 150,000.)
The City of Light’s Lights
Walk up and down the Boulevard Haussmann admiring the fabulous lights at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. Try to guess how many bulbs it took to create Galeries Lafayette’s illuminated canvas. (Hint: Last year, it was 150,000.)
Ice Skating at 200 Feet Put on something chic and cozy. Then ride the elevator to the first level of the Eiffel Tower to glide on Paris’ highest ice-skating rink and gaze at the city’s domes, towers, and rooftops — the City of Light illuminated for the holiday season.
Ice Skating at 200 Feet
Put on something chic and cozy. Then ride the elevator to the first level of the Eiffel Tower to glide on Paris’ highest ice-skating rink and gaze at the city’s domes, towers, and rooftops — the City of Light illuminated for the holiday season.
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Dinnertime for the Hounds of Cheverny

While filming our new television episode on palaces near Paris, we had one critical appointment on the day we shot the Château de Cheverny: At 5:00 p.m., for the feeding of the dogs. What we got on camera will be great TV. Here’s the text from the script, along with a bit of video:

Barking dogs remind visitors that the marquis still loves to hunt — he goes out twice a week in season. The kennel is the scene of a unique feeding frenzy each day at precisely 5:00. The hounds — half English Foxhound and half French Poitevin — get worked up knowing that red meat is on the way. The dog master corrals the dogs and spreads out the feast. They’re fed just once a day, so the excitement is palpable. The trainer, who knows each of the 70 dogs by name, opens the gate and maintains discipline as the dogs gather at the concrete table. It’s an exercise in control. Then he gives the signal…and it’s chowtime.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

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The Very Best Classroom

I love the thought of a tour guide being a teacher, with the greatest classroom imaginable. I also love the thought of little students sitting cross-legged in an Old Regime palace like Fontainebleau and being inspired by creative teaching right there on the spot.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.