France General
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You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
You are currently reading a thread in /trv/ - Travel
I'd like to travel to France,
So let's have a France General
I have no clue where i should go, i'm sure i would end up at paris for atleast a few days but i'm more interested in seeing old medieval structures(castles , etc) and visiting a few villages like pic related
Would Marseilles be a good base point?
As a french i cannot recommend u Marseille, it´s not medieval at all. It´s mostly ghetto. I would recommend u blois (where i live, as u can find the famous "chambord castle", and some others cool castles) u should visit some small villages instead of famous ones if u want some medieval stuff. Paris is still cool , there is a lot to see.
>>967651
Is it one of those places that practices Sharia law?
A No-Go-Zone for French police and non-muslims?
i've heard good things about southwestern France.
>>967653
gr8b8m8
As for Marseille yeah there are loads of old buildings (oldest city in France) but I don't think it would fit your bill as far as medieval castles go (mostly greekish or Second Empire stuff).
>>967653
Euh... As a muslim i can say it´s a cliché but yeah there are some conflits about drugs and stuff i dont know this much. if u're looking for "middleage stuff" it´s not the most appropriate place. Generally u wont find this kind of thing in south France.
I would recommend u west and north France. "Bretagne" with "saint-Michel" and some cool cities like Angers, Blois, Lille...
>>967651 That is false, and you are an idiot.
As a guide from Marseille I would recommend you to come here. The city suffer from mass media stereotypes, they say it's a violent city but it really is not, you get your shit stolen, as in any other city, but if you are carefull about it nothing will happen to you.
>>967653
Sharia law is not applied in France, the fox news report was bullshit and they appologized about it. Yes there are a lot of muslims here, but that is actually part of what makes the city nice.
Here are some pros & cons about Marseille :
Pros :
Calanques natural park
Nice weather
Close to the Alps, Camargue, Gorges du Verdon, Côte d'Azure, and there is an international airport, depending on how long you're staying you can get some pretty cheap flights for countries around (38€ for morocco) all of these are within 3h drive or less.
As the guy i quoted mentioned, this is not a medieval city (Aix en Provence is), it is a greek colony that was formed in 600bc, there are a lot of museums, ruins and tours about it, it actually is one (if not the) of the oldest city in France, and it is the biggest in size.
2013 it was the european capital of culture and this year it is the european capital of sport, so it brings a lot of new infrastructures and renovated areas to the city.
It is a very cheap city.
Most of the interesting things to do are downtown.
Cons :
A lot of shops are closing during the summer (it's warm, and it tend to change since 2013) so you might want to know someone local.
It can be too warm, or very windy.
It's a city with a lot of poor people, so yes you will see beggars and some thieves (but again, some basic safety rules will avoid you trouble).
Some shops are specialized into scaming tourists, be carefull.
The city transportation system is pretty bad, expensive and not very efficient.
Lyon is like Paris but wayy more authentic. Paris is basically like Disneyland at this point being the most touristed city on the planet.
Lyon has a renaissance district that's estentially been kept totally in tact that's pretty cool.
>>967674
Dude no need to insult me. I only said it´s "MOSTLY" ghetto.
And im not wrong this guy is looking for medieval stuff, i told him that marseilles is not the appropriate place, so u dont need to say "the oldest city bla bla bla..." This guy might not even care he just wants medieval stuff.
Plus i'm a muslim myself and i totally agree with the fact dat marseilles is a beautiful place because of it. It´s now part of the "popular culture" of marseilles.
>>967651
>>967677
>it´s mostly ghetto
get a load of this guy
I've seen a lot of France by now and I have yet to encounter a city that is "mostly ghetto", I've noticed some cities steadily decaying since the economical crisis went down though.
Every large city is quite alike in my opinion, you'll find some ancient churches and maybe a castle, lots of fine restaurants and bars, and you'll also find a bunch of bad neighborhoods with sandniggers, just don't go there...
Carcassonne has always been my favorite destination though, it has a 10/10 fortress too. Don't let anyone tell you Paris is shit by the way, it's a nice city, it's just touristy as fuck.
I'm looking at doing a trip along southwestern France. Does anyone have advice on places to go? I'd like to do some hiking in the Pyrenees, any good mountain-side towns? How many days do you think I should stay should I spend in Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Montpelier?
>>967607
consider checking out Brittany OP, it's a region in northwestern France. Lots of sea-side castles, very pleasant in the summertime.
>>967677
Hey also where can i go where i can avoid muslims? i'm tired of these people . I see enough in my own city and dealing with them i really don't want to see them on vacation. Lyon sounds great but does it have a large muslim population?
>>967732
I dont see whats wrong with muslims, maybe ones where u live are not that nice, but anyway...
U will find muslims everywhere on this planet dude. If u want a place "to avoid" them i would recommend u as i said earlier the west and the north.
I dont know too much about Lyon, but from what i heard, it's a pretty nice place.
As u won't find too much muslims i guess... but dude, visit whatever u want, dont feel scared about muslims, no one will attack u or whatever, they wont even pay attention to u.
>>967727
I know, there is no "ghetto city" it was just to give the idea. And i didnt say anything against Paris so ur last sentence is useless.
>>967750
Try typing "you" instead of "u" and "your" instead of "ur". It's only 2 more letters and you will sound much less retarded.
>>967755
Okayyy cool.
In the end the retarded guy is clearly not me, . we are just giving some tips to a stranger, so who would give a damn fuck about my orthograph except u, u scumbag?
Plus apparently this guy was not shocked about my orthograph, dont forget dat we are on 4chan douche.
Just so you know, "U" guy is so full of shit I don't even know if stupid or trolling.
There is a lot of medieval stuff going on in the Loire Valley (my fav), Bourgogne as well as in the South of France (Carcassone anyone?) and of course Paris and the Paris region.
Google the following towns they are listed as interesting medieval towns: Sarlat ; La Roque-Gageac ; Domme (SouthWest) Carcassone; Najac; Caylus (South); Provins (near Paris).
But you'll find medieval stuff in most parts of France's old cities (the ones that existed in medieval times) we are pretty good at preserving old buildings.
Also nigga
>North
>Lyon
>No Muslims
Just. No.
>>967762
Why don;t you have a cool shorthand for "orthograph?"
>>967780
Carcassonne is the shiet, totally love that city.
Funny how the department of Lille has 66 mosques, I've been there a few dozen times now and I've never actually seen any Muslims, lots of poorfags/hobos and Roma though. I look like quite the poorfag myself and I've had random people come ask me for like 5 bucks.
>>967792
Map is from 99, pretty sure the numbers are even up now.
I was born in Lille and have lived in the (nice) suburbs for a while.
Muslim chavs roam the city, but they really live in the (bad) burbs like Roubaix and Tourcoing.
There were lots and lots of 1st generation muslims who came to Northern France in the 70's to work in the textile, mining and public works industries, they did fit, but their offsprings not so much.
Saying northern France has no muslims is like saying southern california has no hispanics.
>>967806
I think Roubaix (a separate town, but effectively part of Lille's exurbs) was the first town in Franec to have a Muslim majority population (obviously it is illegal to measure this in France...). Roubaix is a bit of a shithole, and Tourcoing maybe even worse.
Marseille - go visit, it's fascinating, amazing, lively city. Yeah it has a reputation, but frankly it is a lot LESS rough than numerous other port cities that spring to mind - you shouldn't feel at risk there, and there are many fascinating districts and sights. Carcassonne is interesting, but also a bit too "fake/tourist" for my liking
>>967907
>I think Roubaix (a separate town, but effectively part of Lille's exurbs) was the first town in Franec to have a Muslim majority population
Yes; they also had the first fast foods to serve exclusively hallal meats in France.
Which pissed me off frankly. Hallal options are fine for whoever needs it, but shouldn't be forced on customers in a non islamic country.
>>967607
I normally browse /b/, but I'm lurking over here for interests. My fiancee is actually French and I had a lucky opportunity to travel all over France for 30 days and "waste" my money. Surprisingly, I only spent $3k traveling and it was one of the best times of my life and I've been all over the world. If you get a chance, try to find cities and then look outward. I only stayed in the cities for about 10 days tops (Paris, Vichy, Bordeaux, etc.) and from there just go visit Chateaus, monuments, caves, etc. I literally planned only 2-3 days out each time and I saw so much shit that it was surprising to learn I saw more of France the the French people I stayed with. The best advice I'm going to give you is: Don't say no to any new experience, JUST GO WITH IT. While I was there I did everything from milk goats and make wine, to fucking on top of Dune du Pilat and watching ballets. AND fuck some hot women...it's easy and good times.
(pic is my fiancee)
>>968035
Is Mélanie the guy on the right side? Just kidding. But yeah, i will take care of your advice. And if i can give you one: Go wherever you want, don't listen to those guys, i never say there are "no muslims" but that you won't find too much of them considering that Lyon or others big cities like Lille are big, i though that everyone whould get it. But people are so annoying they prefer to complain about my orthograph or whatever.
>>968057
Truthfully, I had no problems with any muslims. The only people I had problems with were John Does that took me for stupid...typical travel shit.
>>968062
And damn you should give me some tips of how you do to f*ck some hot women.
>>968066
I'm military...but what I tell others is: have good charisma, have a sense of humor, relate to others, and be respectful. Take good care of yourself too. I had to learn all this for sure with my ugly ass.
Only that? Hmm ok. Considering you are next a hot girl on that picture i think it works then.
>>968071
It's as simple as that; and plus just worry about the quality and not the quantity. That comes with time.
>>968057
Listen, each time you are called out for/proven wrong, you reply with "yeah, no, what I really meant was...".
So just say what you really mean, and also don't spout bullshit then cry for being misunderstood when called out for spouting bullshit.
>>968069
Military has shit to do with it, unless it's some LBFM looking for her golden ticket to burgerland. I'm military, too, and most often lie about that fact to avoid pre conceived notions, positive or negative. Abroad, if occupation comes up, I'll say I'm a contractor.
Rest od what you said is spot on.
I don't speak much French, how would I fare if I went to France?
Am I likely to get spat at in the street for trying to converse in English after saying "Jay ne pas Fransay, just swese onglertear?" (My spelling is probably wrong there, I know) or are they more relaxed about speaking English these days than the old stereotypes would have you believe?
>>968095
Yeah, ok. I've done the whole "false occupation" before and it truly depends on the situation. Hands down, almost every single time I stick with just military, I get my dick wet. But the trick is not to get caught up on your occupation, you need to make yourself interesting. I always change the conversation when it comes up about my job. You just have to play that mind game really.
>>968101
I don't speak any French except basic. You'll be fine if you are not rude and genuinely want to make an effort. They will most likely be rude at first because that's how they treat tourists. Don't take the bait. Be kind back.
Language is still a problem, compared with the rest of the world. Most French speak only one language. I was at a station (a place where many tourists go) and asked (in my broken French) one of the tellers whether she spoke English, German, Spanish or Italian. She asked me (in French) why I didn't learn French before coming to France. I told her (in French) that I was traveling through Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Poland: was I supposed to learn all of those languages? She mumbled something (still in French), didn't seem to be grateful that I was making my best effort to speak her language, and didn't make the slightest effort to make it easier for me to understand her French. Alas, this is not the exception, but often the rule. Even in border areas like Strasbourg or Nice you will not find many people who speak a second language. While better than USA citizens, the French are still a long way from accepting that there exist other languages and that French (unlike English, Russian, Spanish or Arabic) is spoken pretty much only in France, therefore it is not the language a traveler would learn first.
>>968319
French spoken pretty much only in France. Wat. Mfw french is the second-most widespread language worldwide after English, being an official language in 29 countries.
>>968329
>mostly in Africa or the middle of nowhere...and more people usually speak English there, than they do in France
>>968101
>>968319
Eh, I wouldn't say it's that bad, it depends on who you are talking to of course. Station tellers are some of the worst examples (not just in France). Young university student aged people usually have no problem speaking English and if they do, it's not because of "muh language" but because they're genuinely insecure about their English level.
Old and middle aged people though, yeah, there are still many of them absorbed in their pride thinking that French is the world language and everybody should speak it.
I should also mention that outside of Paris this level of butthurt decreases significantly.
>>968319
Hi Bro,
French here.
Sorry you had this situation, I hope this was not the case during all of your trip to France.
Just so you know, a lot of services in France (including railroads) are still state owned. Which means tellers at the station will be (some sort of) public servants, read entitled smug shits that are being assholes to the whole world, tourists and fellow french alike. It's even worse at the Post offices or any administration office really.
Social rights in France are already ridiculous, but public workers are even a different kind of spoiled overpriviledged rotten pieces of smugness.
On a smaller scale, municipal services (such as city bus/metro or tourist office for example) are also public servants, though on a city's payroll instead of a national one. That won't prevent them to be the same kind of dickhead.
Also to the other anons worrying about English, we do have some issues but I have never heard of a tourist starving to death in France because he was genuinely unable to engage communication with a frenchman.
I honestly believe it's much easier to navigate through France with English only than in Spain, Portugal, Greece or Italy (i.e. latin/mediterranean countries).
>>968359
>diterranean
Belgian here, speak Dutch, English, French and get by in German. In Italy a LOT more ppl speak English(or try to make their selves understood) than in France. Can't speak about Portugal or Greece, but Spain is better than France as well. Ppl in France speak better English in general, but in Spain ppl try better.
>>968431
Italy's nice for English speakers. A friend of mine stayed in Florence for 6 months studying abroad and had zero issue, said Italians were among the most accomodating people around. Might be stereotyping, but the image of a respectable Italian man with tradition and deference in his veins comes to mind, as opposed to the most current French stereotype.
Also, how about that Steve Steveart, eh?
