Xceltrip

France is the largest nation in western Europe so train travel makes sense. Happily so, France has a fast and efficient train system and the French government has invested massively in high-speed trains (the TGV train or Train a Grande Vitesse), and on high-speed lines ( LGV or igne à Grande VitesseL ). There are over 1700 km (1056 miles) of dedicated high-speed lines and thousands more of main lines and smaller lines so almost everywhere is accessible by train travel in France . The French rail network links all the major towns while also linking up many small towns in rural France. With careful planning, you can get around just using train travel during your vacation. Generally, the trains are on time, comfortable and relatively cheap. However, some trains run only at certain times on certain days, so you need very careful planning if you are traveling in rural France by train. Like many capital cities, Paris suffers from having no central railway hub, but a number of m...

Paris is like nowhere else when it comes to love . This is a city that encourages all in it to be free, light of spirit and carefree. Venice, Rome and New York all lay claim to being romantic, but Paris has its own special aura, because the City of Light is also the City of Love . Whether it’s lounging on the grass outside The Museum of Romantic Life, purring sweet nothings under the Eiffel Tower or embracing in front of “The Wall of I Love You”, Paris is the ultimate place of the heart, as you’ll find in our selection of the 6 Romantic Destinations To Visit in Paris With Your Partner This Valentine’s Day: The Butte Montmartre Source: Unsplash.com Montmartre is renowned as the home of artists, of dancers, the can-can and as the setting of the romantic film ‘ Amelie’. Known by the French as “ the Butte Montmartre ”, at its peak there’s the extraordinary architecture of the Sacré-Coeur, the great Church of the Sacred Heart, which some say has echoes of the Taj Maha...

Here is a list of amazing destinations to visit this Christmas using XcelTrip, this winter: Quebec City, Canada Why we go: Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America , and its colonial French architecture gives it an unmistakably European feel. The cobbled streets of the Old Town are packed with quaint shops and delicious bistros, all merrily decorated for the holidays. The one thing to get you in the spirit: The toboggan run at Château Frontenac (open from mid-December to March) is one of the city’s oldest traditions — and quite the thrill. Zoom down icy tracks overlooking the city on a wooden sled reaching speeds up to 45 miles per hour. Dublin Why we go: If your idea of Christmas merriment includes an authentic Irish pub crawl (we get it), then book a December flight to Dublin . There’s no better way to warm up on a cold Christmas night than joining the locals for some black pudding and a few pints — trust us, this city has enough cozy bars to las...

There is nothing more Parisian than taking a few moments out of your day to sit with an espresso in one of the city's hundreds of cafes. Indoors on a cosy banquette or out on a  sunlit terrace, consuming alcohol and people-watching is one of the most cherished past-times in France. Here is a list of our favourite cafes in Paris : The Hemingway Bar Located within the recently refurbished Ritz Hotel, the Hemingway is an old haunt of Sartre and James Joyce and pays a tribute to the eponymous author with a wall display of 25 of his original photographs from  A Moveable Feast . Enjoy beers from round the world here, or Hemingway's old favourite, the single malt whiskey. The wood-panelling and cushy leather stools will make you feel like you've set foot onto the set of the movie “ An American in Paris”. La Closerie des Lilas If not for the glass-roofed area and brass rails, stop by this admired Montparnasse haunt for its tables, which are name-plat...

Have you visited the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and all the other unmissable Parisian places?Have you seen enough of these romanticised touristic places? This guide is filled with infrequently visited Parisian places will provide you the satisfaction of having witnessed all of Paris ’ beauty. Here are four unusual yet amazing places to visit in Paris: Musee Curie Concentrating solely on the life and work of two of the most significant couples in the sciences, Marie and Pierre Curie, as well as Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie, the museum re- enters the key phases in the history of radioactivity and its applications, remarkably the use of radioactive energies in medication. Stored in one of the oldest structures in the Institute Curie, the centre conserves the office and lab space once used by the Curies and later by the Joliots. The assemblage also includes significant research documents and pictures adding to numerous archaic instruments used for experimentation with their newl...