Overview: very quick to get thru security, quite organized, and many options to choose from to eat…read moreat especially in the early morning ---- I had a train from Paris to London which departs at 7:09am and scheduled to arrive at 8:30am. The ticket tells you what time to aim to be at the station by 6:09am. It was pretty easy to navigate to from Gare du Nord, I didn't see signs for Eurostar specifically, but they had symbols of a train and a UK flag which led to the right place. Tickets were kinda expensive especially buying them not far in advanced I heard that the earlier you buy them the cheaper they are. There were a lot of people for this first train of the day and they are separated by country nationality and then into multiple lines to consolidate on space. You first scan your ticket, then do a passport scan, followed by another passport scan and then you go through security where they x-ray your bags. After all of the security measures there is a large waiting area with many seats spanning the length of the station, in between are different little gift shops and food areas along with seats and charger ports. With the departure so early, there are a lot of places to grab a quick breakfast or coffee to-go. And there are a couple of gift shops for last minute Paris souvenirs... like this GIANT Remy for 59€90, or a mini one for €10! Super cute plushies and a large variety of breakfast foods (sandwiches and pastries) available. ---- Overall: easy to navigate and board as an American, follow the symbols and get there early just in case!

No ac in our coach, it's like 100 degree sauna. No help from staff whatsoever to change or switch…read moreto different coaches. Rude staffs when I question about the AC. All I got was "AC doesn't work" shrug of a shoulder and that's it. There was no attempt from staff try to switch to another coach. Our family trip was interrupted by this avoidable incident if staff or company would just find us seats at different coaches but rather the left is to fend our self. I don't leave much review but this was a must. I do not recommend if you have other choices.

Took the train out of Gare du Nord the other day and it was a decent experience…read more The departure exercise out of Gare du Nord was slightly chaotic as platforms are merely announced 20 minutes prior to departure. Unlike airports, there are no security checks before boarding the train besides the visual presence of police and security. The train station is open air, which could be tricky during heatwaves and/or the rain season. Rode in the 2nd class cabin with assigned seating and baggage had to be manually carried up the stairs onto the train to be placed in the baggage hold or the overhead space above the seating. Staff were available in case of fellow passengers that wanted to switch seats while on-board. The conductor did come through to check tickets electronically once on board. There were toilets on board in between coaches which were usable with flushable toilets, soap, and water. There was a cafe car on board along with some standing room. The menu seemed limited. Once on board, there was free Wifi that worked for the majority of the trip and worked well. Seat comfort was adequate on a 3 hour long distance coach with seating configuration at 2+2 in 2nd class. There was also a tray table which was perfect for reading, eating, and/or working. There were announcements made a couple minutes prior to arrival to the destination.

Our journey to Amsterdam from Paris was super lux in the premium carriage #2. The seat was extra…read morecomfy for the 3 hour 20 minute high speed rail ride. You also get to relax in the Thalys lounge before your train adventure. Coffee, juice and croissants available at the premium lounge. We were served two full meals on the pleasant train ride. Soda, juice, water, beer & wine available at your request. Our carriage attendant was so courteous and service oriented. Kudos and thanks to Francois for the excellent service! Without any exaggeration, the Thalys is the only way to get to Amsterdam in affordable luxury.

From the owner: Belleville, le petit Paris authentique et populaire Belleville est un grand quartier s'étendant sur…read moreles 10, 11, 19 et 20e arrondissements. Il a la particularité d'être une ancienne commune indépendante, puisqu'il a été annexé à Paris en 1860. Une de ses caractéristique principale est son tissu social, traditionnellement populaire. De nombreuses vagues d'immigrations ont eu pour destination ce joli quartier, où vivent en harmonie plusieurs communautés telles que les communautés juive, asiatique, antillaise et subsaharienne. Le quartier a subi de nombreuses périodes de rénovation, notamment une dans les années 1960/1970, qui a permis de construire des rues plus larges que ce qui existait auparavant. C'est également la naissance de ces grands immeubles de 10 à 15 étages et d'un grand parc, dont le belvédère offre une vue unique sur le centre de Paris. Ce grand parc accueille plus de 1000 arbres et arbustes, des rosiers, et quelques vignes datant du Belleville-Agricole. A chaque période

We took the OUIGO bullet train from Paris to Nice on a Thursday morning in January. OUIGO is a…read morepart of the French national railway service (SNCF), but they have a distinct on-line site. That's where we bought our ticket a couple months before our Paris trip. The process itself was pretty easy, and it ended up costing us 50€, for 2 tickets plus 6€ to choose our seats to sit together. It sent us emails in French as we got closer to our trip. It also warned us about oversize luggage (standard American carry-on luggage is about 2 cm over their maximum length), and that it would cost more than a ticket if we had to pay for baggage at the station. I decided not to do that. Unlike other national train website (i.e. UK), OUIGO will only send you your tickets 2 days before departure. We were able to transfer them to our Apple wallet and we were ready to go, arriving 90 minutes before departure. The train ended up leaving 30 minutes late. There is both an upper and lower level, with choice of 4 person table seating (think of it as an easy way to play a 4 person card game) or the standard airplane seating. We ended up getting the 4 person table, and got to face forward as the train moved. The seats had no recline. There is no overhead space for your bags...instead it can be placed underneath your OWN seat, or in luggage racks in each car. Nobody checked our bags or even scanned our tickets..this might have been because the train was delayed, and they wanted everyone to get in ASAP. We left Gard Lyon at 8:52. Wi-fi is a paid model, but even if we wanted it, the system wouldn't recognize our ticket to pay the surcharge. But the time went by fast...the bullet trains are so fast and cost efficient. The trip ended up taking 5 hours 20 minutes, not bad to get to a completely new climate (the French Rivera). We had stops along the way, each one taking 3 minutes for the in and out of passengers: [11:37 - Aix en Provence; 12:32 - Toulon; 1:18 Saint Raphael; 1:43 Cannes; 1:53 Antibes; 2:21 Nice]. Our car was quite empty by the time we arrived at Nice.

Stephane Nancy provided impeccable service throughout our trip. He was highly responsive,…read moreprofessional, and went above and beyond to create a customized Champagne tour that perfectly matched, or exceeded, our expectations. While we booked our own cellar tours, Stephane helped us optimize the itinerary, recommending the best route, timing, and stops to make the most of the day. One of his best suggestions was to visit one cellar in Reims and the other in Épernay rather than staying in a single town. This allowed us to enjoy a scenic drive through the picturesque vineyards, visit the iconic Avenue de Champagne, and stop in Hautvillers, the charming village of Dom Pérignon, where we took in stunning views over the Marne Valley and the surrounding vineyards. Those thoughtful recommendations turned an already exciting day into an unforgettable experience. Stephane also recommended several lunch stop options, including Le Bellevue Restaurant & Bar inside the Royal Champagne Hotel in Champillon (which is the one we selected). It was the perfect choice, with exceptional food and sweeping views over the Champagne vineyards--one of the most memorable meals of our trip. The little touches he added before and during our trip made all the difference. He greeted us with fresh croissants to start the day, and after one of our cellar tours, he surprised us with delicious bakery treats for an afternoon pick-me-up. His attention to detail and genuine hospitality made us feel incredibly well taken care of from start to finish. We were so impressed with Stephane's service that both my friend and I immediately booked him again for our airport departures. His local knowledge, professionalism, reliability, and warmth truly set him apart. If you're looking for an outstanding private driver in Paris or the Champagne region, I can't recommend Stephane, or one of his colleagues, highly enough. He played a huge role in making our trip so special. (As a note, I had Mr. Do for my airport drop off because Stephane was already booked for my friend who had to leave earlier than me for the airport. Both of us appreciated the extra guidance both drivers provided to take us into the departure terminal, guide us to the self-service VAT (Value Added Tax) refund kiosks to get us on our way!)

Wonderful experience with our service to champagne day trip! From the very quick and professional…read moreservice for booking to punctual and great attention during actual trip it was a pleasure working with my driver in Paris

It's a Metro stop. There shouldn't be much to write home about…read more My awe and wonder over them probably betrays the fact that I live in a city that was shortsighted enough to tear out their tram system and replace it with more roads. But there are a few interesting things here. It's an end of the line station so there's no confusion about what direction you're going. That's handy. And there are's a couple restaurants and a small grocery store in case you need a little something to eat. And it drops you off in a town whose literal translation is Jewville. It makes me smile every time I see that sign. A name like that would never fly in the US. But the real fun, the thing that will get your heart truly pumping is the parking lot. The transitions from level to level were built with exactly 10 cm of clearance on either side so fold back those mirrors, pucker up them cheeks and pray for the best. And the only place you can pay for parking is way on the furthest edge of the second floor. So if you parked on the third floor you either stop on the second, walk all the way to the end of the lot, pay, walk all the way back to the elevator and then head to your floor. Or you drive from the third to the second floor, park on the short, flat area, position your car so that the passenger door can open in the only gap in the wall, climb over the center console, pay, climb back over the console and leave. Could they have put a payment machine in some flat spot at the exit? Sure they could. But how much fun would that be?