An Hour from Paris [Paperback]

Annabel Simms (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2008

Written with an eye for the unusual and containing invaluable practical details and maps, this idiosyncratic guide describes 20 destinations in the Ile de France, the fascinating yet little-known countryside around Paris. Better-known destinations include the châteaux of Chantilly and Rambouillet and Maurice Ravel's house in Montfort-l'Amaury, but the reader will also discover the Roman town of Senlis, the river-ports of Conflans-Ste Honorine and St Mammès, the Gothic church and medieval moats at Crécy-la-Chapelle, the old border-town and water-mills of Moret-sur-Loing which inspired the Impressionist painters, and the delightfully provincial atmosphere of Luzarches. Readers who are interested in discovering half-hidden châteaux and writers' country houses; walking, boating or dancing by the river; exploring old towns and country footpaths; and eating in family-run restaurants with 1950s décor and prices to match will find much here to treasure.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A glimpse of what Proust called a temps perdu. Ground-breaking work. -- The Sunday Times, February 16, 2003

A kind of Ile de France Profonde. -- The Independent

Anyone with... a yearning for the charming and the weathered and off the beaten track, would love this book. -- Polly Platt, author of French or Foe?

Ile de France Profonde...relatively unknown places that you can reach by a local train ride from central Paris. -- The Independent, February 3, 2003

Offers just enough historical, architectural and cultural background along with practical details that the independent traveler needs. -- The Bloomsbury Review, March/April 2003

The best get-your-feet-wet introduction to the Ile de France currently on the market. -- Paris Notes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

The Ile de France—the countryside around Paris—is perhaps the most interesting and least–known of French regions. Its old towns hold the key to the history of France but have been so eclipsed by Paris that they now offer the paradox of being easily reached yet hardly touched by tourism. Annabel Simms, who has spent ten years discovering the region, now offers this splendid guide to a score of destinations within an hour of Paris. A suggested itinerary might include a château, a market, a riverside restaurant, a boat trip, a country walk. Better–known destinations include the châteaux of Chantilly, Ecouen, and Rambouillet, but the reader will also discover the Roman town of Senlis; the medieval town of Crecy–la–Chapelle, with its moats and canals; and the water mills of Moret–sur–Loing, which inspired the Impressionists. Each destination is described in detail, with particular emphasis on the historical, literary, and artistic connections, and maps and color illustrations complete this refreshingly unique guide. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Pallas Athene; Revised edition (May 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1873429495
• ISBN-13: 978-1873429495
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #8 in Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Guidebooks
  • #27 in Books > Travel > Europe > France > Paris

More About the Author

Annabel Simms was born in England, of Hungarian parentage. In 1991 she came to Paris on a year's sabbatical from her job as a college lecturer in London, and never left. She now works as a freelance journalist and English teacher.

An Hour From Paris, her 2002 guide to 20 little-known places in the Paris countryside accessible by train, was the fruit of more than ten years' happy exploring of the Paris region (Ile de France) by train and on foot.

She continues to make new discoveries on her weekend country walks, and her ongoing experience is reflected in the fully revised 2008 edition, reprinted with some updates in 2010 and again in 2011.

Her other publications include articles on yoga, bird-watchers, sailing and dancing, as well as on travel in and around Paris and elsewhere, for the Independent, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

85 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Leave Home Without It, October 3, 2004

By 

Bill Marsano (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Hour from Paris (Paperback)

By Bill Marsano. Is it possible to be tired of Paris? Bored with it? Amazingly, it is, and at such times one may long for a brief escape, a short trip into the countryside. To the rescue comes Annabel, a Briton long resident in Paris who has obviously felt the same uneasy stirrings, because she has compiled a very attractive assortment of little breakaways, none of which takes more than an hour to reach, and deftly compressed them into her small but very useful pocket-sized book.

She's assembled--and thoroughly researched twenty daytrips, and most of them are bound to surprise even veteran Paris habitues. There's a thrice-moated town to the east, a cathedral in an ex-chocolate factory, canalside walks, and an huddle of peaceful islands at the end of a Metro lines. (And at the end she also throws in Versailles, Giverny and the like, just for lagniappe.)

Simms knows the territory very well; she writes briskly and supplies history, background and local lore as well as specifics on finding the tourist offices, restaurants and museums at each stop. There are good photos and maps, too. Being British, she also includes numerous walking tours, and being a walker myself, I liked that best of all.

All of these destinations are accessible by public transport, for which Simms gives excellent details. (All too often, a concierge or tourist office in Paris will reflexively urge you to rent a car.)

I stumbled upon this book while in Paris last month, and the daytrip I took was a hghlight of my visit. If you're planning to visit Paris, get this book before you go--you'll want to build at least one of Simms's recommendations into your itinerary.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning American travel writer.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guidebook with a difference, October 14, 2005

By 

Mr. F. Portier - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Hour from Paris (Paperback)

Coming from a Frenchman who has lived in the Paris area for twenty-five years this may seem incredible, but An Hour from Paris has proved extremely useful and informative, it has helped me to discover places I didn't even suspect. Typical is the trip from Herblay to Conflans-Ste-Honorine : neither place is particularly outstanding but the riverside walk was truly a revelation, each step offering views like Impressionist paintings. Without the guide I would have never discovered this, and I have tried several other suggested trips with equal success. A far cry from the Michelin guide, especially the recent dumbed-down editions. Warmly recommended.

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting places, terrible directions, July 16, 2005

By 

M. J. WEST "professional gadfly" (Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: An Hour from Paris (Paperback)

I've now tried 6 out of the 20 recommended destinations in this book, and while the author has selected some beautiful and interesting places that I'd never have found on my own, and there's a nice historical background on each place, an annoying defect keeps appearing and ruining my day trips: her directions for walks are terrible. Reality just doesn't match up to what's in the book, so for example you might find yourself looking at a map that shows a straight path from A to B, and you'll be reading the accompanying text that says to just go left at the stream, but you won't find any stream and you won't find any straight paths. Not, that is, until you've gone way too far, you retrace your steps and then realize the author neglected to mention that there are two parallel paths within 10 yards of each other and it does matter which one you're on. (That particular scenario happens at Champs-sur-Marne. Creteil is surprisingly tough to follow, too.) Still a good book to have just for ideas on where to go, but be sure to bring a GPS system or a local with you if you want to find anything.