Customer Reviews

An Hour from Paris

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This is the one guide I keep coming back to for my annual treks to the City of Light. I've bought several copies of this book -one I wore out and the others as gifts. The author introduces you to a part of Paris- the encircling zone, that you are not going to find out about in standard travel guides. This is a modestly elegant and rare book. It is for people who enjoy the unexpected and the things and places usually not revealed to travelers seeking the standard sights in a time-pressed way. In the six or so years I've been referring to this as a guide, I've found that it has provided, by its choice of recommended trips, insights into the French culture that would not have come as quickly. One helping note - I have found all the paths marked out in the book to be accurate - for that precise visit. If you choose to wander from that recommended path, and I am sure you will want to follow your senses, it is best to have an area map along. This book has helped to create rich memories for my family.

It may not strike first-time visitors to Paris, but one of the world's most civilized cities is also a theme park. Parisland, I call it. And not with derision. For those who love art, literature, music, food, high style and history --- that's you, and you, and most certainly me ---Paris just might be the ideal destination.

But what if you tire of the glories of Paris?

What if you want a change of scene?

The answer is not to pack your bags and move on to the next urban wonderland.

It's to stay in Paris --- and visit France.

That is, the Ile de France, the well-kept secret of the French, not often visited by travelers. And this is mystifying, because here you can find chateaux and gardens and beautiful walks and picturesque but not expensive restaurants and --- against all expectation --- unfailingly friendly people. Oh, and fresh air. Oh, and no crowds.

Those lovely, bucolic, culturally rich destinations --- nature and history's own theme parks - are all within an 80-kilometre radius of Paris.

All are accessible by train.

All are an hour from Paris or less.

That's why "An Hour from Paris" [to buy the book from Amazon, click here] is the most exciting travel guide I've read in years. Its author, Annabel Simms, is a Brit who moved to Paris and developed a deep knowledge of the fifth arrondissement. Business took her to the modern, soulless inner suburbs. Then an urge "to get into the countryside, any countryside" led her to discover France's excellent network of commuter trains --- and what she was looking for. The 21 day trips of this book, which has been revised and updated several times, are the happy result.

Ms. Simms is not an exuberant writer. She doesn't need to be. Descriptions, directions, a granular guide to each destination --- these more than suffice.

There are, of course, chateaux. But there are also four small islands near Cretail. There's a lovely walk along the canal through La Ferté-Milon. An open-air restaurant on an island (Ile du Martin-Pecheur) where everybody --- and that will, apparently, include you --- gets up and dances. A village (Moret-sur-Loing) beloved by Impressionist painters. Sunday lunch at the Guinguette Auvergnate, a "French 1950s time warp" just 9 kilometres from Paris.

Slow down and walk, and other charms are revealed. The village of Andrésy, for example. Simms writes: "Continue along the river as far as the Rue de Trélan. There is a little jetty with an electric bell to the right which you press to summon the small speedboat opposite...There is a little riverside garden in which you can eat outside in the summer (where I saw a red squirrel) and the tiled floor, lace curtains framing the river and the old-fashioned oak furniture make for a cosy retreat inside."

That red squirrel --- who else would tell you about it?

You can't read this terrific book without noting a painful irony. A fifth of the total population of France lives in this region, yet only 15% of the land can be considered "urbanized." A remarkable 23% is still considered "forest." Simms writes: "Huge tracts of land are given over to intensive agriculture and it is possible to walk for miles without seeing more than a handful of people. Villages such as Seugy or Belloy-en-France seem completely untouched by the twenty-first century...."

Compare that to what you find an hour outside any major American city, and you'll want to weep --- or, looking at the bright side, make many more day trips to the wonders of France beyond your beloved Paris.

I buy way too many travel books and I am quite often disappointed. This book far exceeded my expectations. I have not yet used it "on the ground", but plan to on my next visit to Paris. The destination descriptions are clear and interesting, the walking/training directions are simple and clear. And the author gives just enough suggestions for cafes/restaurants to make it interesting. If you've only got 5-7 days in Paris, don't leave Paris! If you've got more time than that, buy this book and plan a day trip so you can say you visited not only Paris, but France as well.

This is a book for a visitor who has been to Paris a number of times and is looking for a different experience. There is so much to do and see in the city itself that there is more than enough to occupy first and second visits.

On subsequent visits one starts to look for something different. The beauty of the book is the wide range of interesting places that it discusses within easy range of Paris that are so different from the city itself.One of the great pleasures of France is the French countryside. Many of the places described in this book give a taste of it that can be enjoyed in a comparatively short time.

Directions are clear and specific, both as to how to get there and what to do. The detailed guide to the French public transport system is particularly useful. The places chosen are varied and interesting. For example, we spent a wonderful day at Chantilly as a result of this book and I am looking forward to many more interesting days like that on my coming visit. An attraction is the guide to interesting walks and good places to eat where the food quality is often superior to and the prices much less than is the case in Paris. The book is written in an entertaining fashion by a person who obviously knows her subject well and I can thoroughly recommend it.

This small, softback book selects special places accessible by train in an hour or less, though three take a but more but are worth it. For each visit, every detail you could want is included: how to get there by train or car and how long it takes; when to go both by day of the week and season; how long a recommended visit will take once there; useful information on sites and tourist offices and a few cafes in the area. The excellent maps with walking routes (and minor detours down interesting streets) might mention a market square with stalls where you can buy picnic supplies. Well researched and informative - a real treasure.

This book is comprehensive and interesting. The author gives you some history of the places suggested There are very clear details on how to get there by car or public transportation. There are suggested walking tours and other information necessary to plan and enjoy a visit to each place. This is the best thought out book on the subject I have come across. I've been looking for a book exactly as this one is written.

For most short-term visitors to Paris, the idea of leaving the city just doesn't occur. There is a weeks' worth of sightseeing in the historic center at least; much more within the city's numbered arrondisements. Possible exceptions might be Versailles, Giverny, Chatou, etc.

But what if you're in Paris for an extended period of time and want explore the immediate hinterland i.e. the Ile de France? This is where Paris resident Annabel Simms' little guidebook, "An Hour from Paris" becomes interesting and highly valuable. Simms has about 20 suggestions for very cool places to visit that are accessible via the regional train system (RER and SNCF). These are small towns, villages or chateaus of historic and cultural interest. Most are beautiful/quaint and offer a welcome break from urban life in Paris. Everyone will have their own favorites. I personally loved jaunts to Senlis and Sceaux--both visits easily done in a day.

"An Hour from Paris" is not a guide to buy if you're going to be in Paris for a limited time, but for the lucky soul who has a few weeks, months, etc. there, it's a great addition to the library of info about everyone's favorite city to visit.