Marseille to Paris - Mini Break

We hopped to Marseille in October 2023 for the Rugby World Cup to see England play Fiji. Flights were direct – we flew from Manchester with Ryan Air. From the airport, we took the fast bus to the city center and found our accommodation very easily. We stayed in a B & B as the hotels were fully booked and this was pretty much a last-minute trip! But there are some lovely hotels in the Old Port area. I would recommend this area as it is historic and lively with many lovely places to eat. Grand Hotel Beauvau Marseille Vieux-Port-MGallery would be my choice a lovely 4-star overlooking the port. From Marseille We took the fast train to Paris – in 3 hours we were at the Gare de Lyon it seemed the blink of an eye. TOP TIP – ensure you buy refreshments before you board as there are no refreshments on board. TOP TIP - travelling on the Paris Metro you need to buy physical tickets! We bought ours from the ticket office for only 2.40 euros for the day in the central city zone. We stayed on the Left Bank (rive gauche) in a very cute boutique hotel. Hotel le Clos de Notre Dame - tucked down a tranquil street only 5 minutes walk from the metro. Small rooms as you would expect in Paris, but well appointed and really comfy beds. The area is very easy to wander around and explore. We walked crossed the Seine and visited Notre Dame, it is still being restored after the huge fire, but there is loads of information on the restoration project that is really interesting. We crossed over the Seine again to find a typical café and patisserie. The French make exceptional cakes! Lemon tart and an apple trat duly sampled. We continued our walk around the Latin Quarter gazing at the architecture and soaking up the atmosphere. We happened across the Church of Saint-Séverin. Stunning! The evening was spent drinking Kia Royales and finding a French Food Bistro. The restaurants in the area vary significantly from takeaway crepes, as well as Thai, Italian, and many more. We wanted typical French food and found a busy restaurant filled with locals. French Onion soup, steak tartare, and duck confit followed by Crème Brulee. Our one night wasn’t really enough but it revived our love of France and vowed to come back! We caught the RER to Charles De Galle which cost 12 euros and was a 5-minute walk from our hotel. TOP TIP – when asking your agent to find you a luxury hotel get them to consider the ease of getting to the airport and your flight times. Our flight was mid-morning, so it was rush hour when we caught the train. Very cramped! Charles De Gaulle is huge! But so long as you know your terminal and gate, it‘s very easy to navigate. We flew back with Easyjet to Manchester. TOP TIP - message me for more information and ideas.