Backpack in France [closed]

Question

I plan to go to France for a backpack trip during May, I plan to stay there for a week.

To make my journey manageable, I plan to visit only a few cities/ countryside namely:

1. Paris ( 3 days)
2. Nantes (2 days)
3. Strasbourg ( 2 days)

My plan is to visit the historical places, museum and natural parks instead of commercial area. And also, I am looking for cheap hostels and cheap travelling ticket I can use.

Is there any resource online that I can refer to?

Answer 1

Here are some infos about Nantes:

• Bicloo(fr), the local bike rental service, on the same model as Vélib in Paris.

• Les machines de l'Île, Where steel and wood craftsmanship join truck mechanics to produce poetry.

• Jardin botanique, many overseas flora from expeditions of several centuries.

• La crêperie jaune, don't quit Nantes without having eaten there!

Answer 2

Your schedule looks a little bit tight to me. However I'm trying to give you some links for Paris and Strasbourg:

Paris:

• If you're interested in museums and culture, I would really recommend Le Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou and Versailles.
• For historical places, I would go to Notre Dame, Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, Père Lachaise, Champs-Élysées and Arc de Triomphe.

But there are way more sights to see in Paris. I think you could easily spend a whole week there. You could even consider to spend a whole day in London. Take the Eurostar early in the morning and be in London 90 minutes later. Then late in the evening you can take the Eurostar back to Paris. But this is also a little bit stressful.

Strasbourg:

In Strasbourg I would particularly take a look at the old town and the old German houses. Take also a look at the cathedral, the district Petite France and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.

If you're interested in political and historical places, you could also visit some of the European institutes that are located in Strasbourg. These are The European Parliament, The Council of Europe and The European Court of Human Rights. I've once been to the European Parliament and it's interesting to see how this place that you can see a lot in TV looks in reality. If your country is also a member of the European Council you can even sit on the place of your representative ;)

Answer 3

For the stay in Paris I would recommend St Christopher's Paris Hostel I stayed there during my first trip to Paris. People would tell you that it's not the best area to stay at, but it's not true. The hostel is good also because you get a discount for the diner and it's really much cheaper than in the other places.

One important thing not to miss in Paris is the roof of Galeries Lafayette. Not everybody knows that you get get upstairs for free and there's a really great view on the whole city. To get there, just go into the store (metro Opera) and go to the last floor. Then there will be a regular stairs that will lead you to the roof.

Moving between the cities can be expensive, so if you want to take a train, book in advance at SNCF site.

If you want to save and don't mind taking a bus, have a look at Eurolines site. It's really much cheaper, but the schedule is not always as good as a train and you will spend 2-3 time more on the road.