RiP's guide to Euro 2016 in Frogland

[Rooney in Paris]

The Euro 2016 competition will be beginning in a few months and the idea is to create a thread that can be used as a practical guide to help all those planning to come to this marvelous country in organizing their trip.

I received a lot of help from various people to compile this, and it’s far from perfect as I don’t actually know all the cities that well, so the level of information will vary from one city to another; also, if some other French posters or who know certain cities well have specific input, let me know and I’ll update this.

The host cities are as follows: Paris & St Denis, Lens, Lille, St Etienne, Lyon, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Bordeaux. Most of France is pretty well represented except Brittany which is a major region and doesn’t have a host city.

• A general note of introduction and useful websites

France is a really beautiful country with many things to see and basing a trip around a Euro 2016 fixture (or a few) could be a really good idea. The country isn’t too big, so you can travel around via car or trains, and there are a lot of flights between the cities as well.

A couple of regions that aren’t concerned by the footy but could be worth a detour if you’re coming are:
- Brittany: it’s the region in the North West of France (that thing that looks like a pointy arm trying to escape on a map); the weather is usually ok in the summer, sometimes really hot, and there’s a lot to see around there; if you do go, don’t miss Mont St Michel!
- Corsica: small island in the Mediterranean, nicknamed “isle of beauty” (which is no surprise). It’s absolutely gorgeous, you have superb beaches all along the coasts with warm water, and you can drive just one hour inland and you’ll have great mountain sceneries. Corsicans aren’t always that welcoming of tourists, and it’s quite expensive, but it can be worth spending some time there. Their wine and food game is also on point.

French people aren’t the best at speaking English for foreigners. In big cities, I’d say that nowadays a lot of people do handle the basics (and if they don’t understand you, they’re actually just pretending cos they’re cnuts), but they do appreciate it if tourists give French a go. Work on a few easy phrases and don’t be shy to try it, they might tease you a bit but they’ll like that you’ve tried to speak French.

Just a warning though, in the really touristic places, the service employees can be actual bastards, it’s a bit surprising at first, but let’s just say it’s part of the charm of the country.

And a quick final word concerning accommodation: I’ve started looking myself, and I’ve seen that a few of the host cities have bumped their prices up quite drastically already, so I wouldn’t wait too long to book!

A few useful websites:
- AirBNB: hotels may be your primary go-to solution for accommodation, but AirBNB where you can rent a place directly from the owners’ of a house or a flat can be a great solution too, and often a cheaper option; also, if you’re planning coming as a group, it’s usually a great way to find a nice big villa
- Voyages SNCF: the website for the French railroad company where you can book tickets for trains between the cities; a note of information: trains indicated as TGV are the fast trains, for example they connect Paris to Marseille in just over 3 hours
- OuiBus: the new network of buses, longer than trains but probably a cheaper alternative
- Euro 2016: official website of the Euro 2016
- Ticketing platform for resale of tickets

Right, now let’s get back to the host cities!

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Paris & St Denis

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Venues:
- Parc des Princes, 45000 seats
- Stade de France, 80000 seats

What games will be played there?

- Parc des Princes: Switzerland Romania; Germany Northern Ireland ; Turkey Croatia; Portugal Austria; 1 round of 8 game
- Stade de France: France Romania; Ireland Sweden; Germany Poland; Hungary Poland; 1 round of 8 game; 1 quarter final; final

How to travel to and in Paris?

Loads of ways to get to Paris:
- airports: you have 2 relatively nearby airports to get to Paris, Roissy Charles de Gaulle in the North of Paris (30mn taxi drive from the city) and Orly in the South (15mn taxi drive); public transportation (RER or buses) can be used to get into the city
- another airport is Beauvais airport, which calls itself “Paris Beauvais” but is about as Parisian as @Cina; it’s 1h15 outside of Paris with buses going to and from Beauvais on a regular basis (count 17€ for the bus ride). A lot of low-cost companies arrive at Beauvais, so just be sure that if you fly there, you factor in the distance to get to Paris itself
- train stations: a lot of big train stations in Paris, Gare du Nord (with Eurostar from the UK and Thalys from Belgium), Gare de l’Est (trains from Germany), Montparnasse, Gare de Lyon…

In Paris, the easiest way to move around is on the metro or RER (which are trains that go further outside of Paris). Parc des Princes is on a metro line but Stade de France, it’s better to get RER B or D. There are also buses and trams in Paris, with very clear maps to navigate around. Really easy to use.

Where to stay in Paris?

Paris is (no surprise) the city with the most hotels in France. Staying inside Paris itself can sometimes be a bit pricey, and the cheaper hotels are usually a bit shit, but AirBNB can be a really good alternative here. The Parc des Princes is in the 16th arrondissement, in the West of Paris, so staying in the 12e, 19e, 20e, 4e, 10e, 11e and 13e arrondissement won’t be too practical, though the metro network is quite good.

Bars & restaurants

One of my favourite restaurants in Paris is called ‘Au Bon Coin’ at Gobelins, it serves traditional French cuisine and they have an excellent selection of wines. Three course meal with wine for under 50€ per person, and it’s absolute quality. Loads of other restaurants I can recommend depending on where you’re staying!

A few nice pubs to watch the footy: the Bombardier on place du Panthéon, the Corcoran’s at St Michel, the Moose at St Michel as well…

What to do in Paris and around?

Huge amount of museums to visit in Paris: Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Pompidou, Carnavelet, Musée des Invalides (Army museum), Musée du Quai Branly…

Of course, you can also be the absolute tourist and go up the Eiffel Tower and stroll down the Champs Elysées. For shopping, go towards Grands Boulevards where you have the Galeries Lafayette and the Printemps. Also, have a walk around the nice typical places like Montmartre, the Latin Quarter or along the Seine riverbanks.

Haven’t really spoken about St Denis, but there’s a very nice basilica there (Basilique de St Denis) and a big street market on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays which is nice to see.

In close proximity to Paris, you can visit Versailles (where French kings used to live) and Giverny isn’t too far away if you’re a Monet buff, which is likely if you’re coming over for the Euros, right?

RiP’s final word of advice: if a few Caftards are coming to Paris at some point, we can try to meet up for a drink in a pub! (not really a word of advice that is it though RiP you idiot)

Lens

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Venue: Stade Bollaert, 35000 seats

What games will be played there?

Albania Switzerland; England Wales; Czech Republic Turkey; 1 round of 8 game

How to travel to and in Lens?

Closest airport to Lens is the Lille airport, which is 40km away I believe.

There is however a train station in the center of Lens.

As far as I know, there is neither metro nor tram, so you’ll have to use buses.

Where to stay in Lens?

No idea.

Bars & restaurants

Yes, there’s probably bars & restaurants in Lens.

What to do in Lens and around?

Not a huge deal to do imo, there now is a branch of the Louvre museum though ‘Louvre Lens Museum’ which may be worth visiting, and there’s probably stuff to see regarding the city’s mining heritage. Not the most vibrant of venues if you want my opinion though!

Edit courtesy of @Vooon: A stone throw away from the largest French military cemetery, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, with almost 40.000 war graves from the First World War.

RiP’s final word of advice:

Lille

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Venue: Stade Pierre Mauroy, 50000 seats

What games will be played there?

Germany Ukraine; Russia Slovakia; France Switzerland; Italy Ireland; 1 round of 8 game; 1 quarter final

How to travel to and in Lille?

Lille Lesquin airport 15 minutes from the city center or there’s a train station that you can access via national French trains, Eurostar (1h20 from London) or Thalys (40mns from Brussels).

In Lille, you have metro and tram lines that are very good, and also bus lines if necessary.

Where to stay in Lille?

In the ‘Old Lille’, where you have a lot of hipster bars and restaurants. Nice place to stay. Districts of Wazemmes or Gambetta are more popular but very nice, and there’s a tradition which is to have a roast chicken at the Wazemmes market (Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday). If you want more animation, the center near place de la République and place Rihour is a good idea, with a lot to do close by.

Bars & restaurants

I don’t have any specific places to recommend, but on rue Solférino, which is close to place de la République and Rihour mentioned above, there’s loads of bars/pubs and restaurants so that’s the place to go.

Smile and Boucherie are two nightclubs opened until 5am and are free, next to rue Solférino.

Meert does traditional waffles from Lille, it’s an institution in the city. A bit expensive though.

What to do in Lille and around?

Next to the town hall, in the Gare St Sauveur, you usually have free expositions which can be quite nice. There’s a beautiful museum in Roubaix (La Piscine) or De Gaulle’s home in the Vieux Lille. Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse can also be good.

Edit courtesy of @Vooon: Just an hour away from Brugge by car, great city and a must visit in my opinion. Brilliant place for good beer. If interested in beer Lille is also just an hour away from the infamous Westvleteren abbey where you need to call ahead if you want to buy their beer. The countryside between Lille, Ypres, Vleteren and Brugge is pretty nice and scenic if you prefer to see more than just a highway on your way to Brugge.

RiP’s final word of advice: of all the host cities, Lille is probably the one where you’ll get to experience the best beers, ask for their local brews!

 

[Rooney in Paris]

St Etienne

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Venue: Stade Geoffroy Guichard, 41500 seats

What games will be played there?

England Slovakia; Croatia Czech Republic; Portugal Iceland; 1 round of 8 game

How to travel to and in St Etienne?

The closest airport is in Lyon, so if you want to fly there, either to Lyon or Paris.

The train station is called Châteaucreux and it’s a 15 minute walk from the center of the city. In St Etienne, you mostly travel using the tram, or eventually a car. You can actually get to the stadium quite easily in a car and park in the surrounding neighborhood. Tram “T2” gets you to the stadium, get off at the stop “Geoffroy Guichard” (and then there’s a 5/10mn walk).

Where to stay in St Etienne?

Center of the city, between Place du Peuple and Place Jean Jaurès, you’ll be close to restaurants and bars and not too far from transportation to the stadium.

Bars & restaurants

Bars:
- on the rue des Martyrs de Vingré, loads of bars to enjoy good beer, especially in the St Patrick
- on the cours Victor Hugo, the Brussel Corner; good for a snack and a beer, in the basement (the restaurant on level ground is apparently nothing special)
- on rue Francis Baulier, the Time Well Wasted is a US sports bar

Restaurants:
- quite a few in the center around the place Jean Jaurès: La Scala or Stromboli for a pizza, Bistrot du Boucher for some meat, or Nota Bene or Nouveau Comptoir for French traditional cuisine
- moving away from the center, at Place Villeboeuf, you have the Java Bleue (meat), the 3 Sardines (fish) and Mon jardin secret which are managed by the same team
- 2 excellent gastronomy restaurants are Insens and L’Escargot d’Or
- excellent kebab place in rue Denis Escoffier, called “Cyrus” and managed by Kami

What to do in St Etienne and around?

A few museums are worth a visit: Musée d’Art et d’Industrie (industrial history of the city), Musée de la mine (where the idea is to recreate what it was like to work in the mines), Musée des Verts (at the stadium) and Musée d’art moderne (modern art museum).

Site Le Corbusier in Firminy (South West of St Etienne) for those who like architecture.

RiP’s final word of advice: St Etienne is a small town almost in the countryside. Don’t hesitate to go walk in the surroundings, like the Guizay, which is accessible by taking the tram until the Solaure terminus and then a little hike of one hour to the top. Nice panoramic view of St Etienne at the end of the trek!​

Lyon

​

Venue: Stade de Lyon, 58000 seats

What games will be played there?

Romania Albania; Ukraine Northern Ireland; Belgium Italy; Portugal Hungary; 1 round of 8 game; 1 semi final

How to travel to and in Lyon?

Lyon St Exupéry is the biggest airport and will be very useful, especially as there’s a specific train station (St Exupéry) that connects the airport to major cities. Another train station is Lyon Part-Dieu which is in the city center.


In the city itself, Lyon has a metro system but also trams. Check out the routes to go to the stadium as it’s built outside of the city center!

Where to stay in Lyon?

The stadium is in a nearby town called Décines, so if you want to stay close to the stadium, aim for that. However, it’s not the friendliest of places (not much to do), so if you want to stay in the center of Lyon, you have the district of les Brotteaux, or in the district of Confluence which is more avant garde but can be good fun, or even in La Croix Rousse which is a district in the heights of Lyon.

Bars & restaurants

I don’t really know that many and found it hard to get some feedback, but a commerce school in Lyon edits a guide every year which is free and is apparently a goldmine for useful information called “Le Petit Paumé” which is also an app you can download onto your smartphone. I recommend using that.

One bar I was recommended is called the Ninkasi bar but it seems it’s not close to the center. But it’s apparently really good.

Edit courtesy of @Aldo: All the better pubs are around Vieux-Lyon. Smoking Dog, Johnny Walsh, etc. Especially for the anglophones as a lot of those pubs are British/Irish.

What to do in Lyon and around?

A must to do in Lyon, I’ve been told, is to go and spend some time in the Parc de la Tête d’Or which is great for just wandering around and enjoying a sunny summer afternoon.

Other than that, use the Petit Paumé I talked about above as it has loads of recommendations for interesting stuff to do in Lyon.

RiP’s final word of advice: Lyon is considered by some as France’s ‘capital of gastronomy’, so if you’re there, enjoy the food!

Nice

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Venue: Stade de Nice, 35000 seats

What games will be played there?

Poland Northern Ireland; Spain Turkey; Belgium Sweden; 1 round of 8 game

How to travel to and in Nice?

There’s a very big airport in Nice, just outside the city. There’s also a train station with TGVs which come into the city; Paris to Nice is a 5h30 journey by train.

In Nice, the best way to move around is the tram.

Where to stay in Nice?

Around the Cours Saleya could be a good place, a lot of restaurants and bars nearby.

Bars & restaurants

Ma Nolan’s is an Irish pub in the ‘Old Nice’, there’s also Wayne’s Bar which is apparently very good or the Akathor.

Fenocchio in the center of the city sells great ice cream, or so a friend who lived in Nice told me; Chez Pipo is a nice small restaurant if you want to eat traditional regional cuisine. La Favola is a very good Italian restaurant, good price/quality compromise.

To go out, Cours Saleya is the best bet.

What to do in Nice and around?

Go up to the Nice castle, good view. You have a casino next to ‘La Promenade des Anglais’ if you’re a gambler. Avenue Jean Médecin is the avenue with loads of shops if you fancy shopping.

Also, Nice isn’t too far from Italy if you fancy going there for a little while.

RiP’s final word of advice: Nice has a particularity: the taxi drivers are the biggest cnuts created since the beginning of time and constantly try to rip-off their clients. If you can move around avoiding taxis, do so.

Marseille​

Venue: Stade Vélodrome, 67000 seats

What games will be played there?

England Russia; France Albania; Iceland Hungary; Ukraine Poland; 1 quarter final and 1 semi final

How to travel to and in Marseille?

Marseille has a big airport called Marignane which has hundreds of flights coming in every day, and a very big train station called St Charles which has loads of TGVs daily.

As in most host cities, you have metro lines and also trams to move around in Marseille.

Where to stay in Marseille?

(see below 'things to do in Marseille' which gives you a good idea of the districts)

Bars & restaurants

A few bars are the ‘OM Café’ on the Old Port (Quai des Belges), or Irish pubs all along the Old Port. Just behind the Old Port, you have a place called Cour Estienne d’Orves which has a lot of trendy bars and restaurants. Finally, closer to the Pointe Rouge, you have a bar/lounge called Red Lion.

Some of the best restaurants in Marseille are along the Old Port as well, notably one called the Miramar which has been strongly recommended.

What to do in Marseille and around?

An absolute must in Marseille is going up to Notre Dame de la Garde where you have a superb 360° view on everything. Quite a steep walk up there, but it’s worth it, or you can take a bus. Of course, a stroll along the Old Port (Vieux Port) is a must-do as well.

There’s a recent museum called the MUCEM (Museum about the cultural history of the Mediterranean).

The district of Le Panier is close by, it’s quite typical and worth a visit, though it can get a bit rough at night, and I’ve been warned the hoodlums go around there to provoke foreigners, so it’s better to do during the day.

Moving towards the East and the more recent districts, you have the beach of the Prado and the avenue du Prado that runs alongside the beach. This is almost Californian, and there’s a huge amount of trendy bars and restaurants here. If you carry on moving East, you arrive to the district of La Pointe Rouge I referred to above.

Outside of Marseille, you could go to Aix en Provence, 50km away from Marseille (easy to get to via train or bus or car), extremely trendy and nice. Cassis is also a very pretty city, 20km outside of Marseille, and from Cassis you can get a boat that will take you round the superb “calanques” in the sea. Finally, if you have a bit more time, Le Castelet is a bit further out (60km) but is an old medieval city in the middle of vineyards.

RiP’s final word of advice: stay clear of the ‘quartiers nords’ (northern districts) which are rough, and be particularly aware of pickpockets, there’ll be loads in Marseille!

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Toulouse

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Venue: Stadium de Toulouse, 33000 seats

What games will be played there?

Spain Czech Republic; Italy Sweden; Russia Wales; 1 round of 8 game

How to travel to and in Toulouse?

Toulouse airport (Blagnac) is just a 15mn taxi drive to the center of the town, where there is also a train station.

There are 2 metro lines in Toulouse on the basis of an X axis which takes you to most of the places that are worth seeing in Toulouse… except the Stadium! The Stadium is a 10mn walk from one of the stops, but you can take the tram if you’re a lazy bastard.

Where to stay in Toulouse?

Avoid Rangueil which is close to the stadium but is not nice, or the South West of the city, like Mirail, Reynerie, etc.

Nice places to stay are:
- St Cyprien/Patte d’Oie: popular district, quite cosmopolitan and easy to get to the stadium from
- the ‘ultra center’, Capitole/Esquirol/Les Carmes which is the traditional Toulouse but also more expensive
- Compans-Cafarelli/Les Amidonniers: calm district, a lot of students, quite a few parks

Bars & restaurants

Place St Pierre has loads of sports bars, and of course in the city center, around the Capitole, you’ll find quite a few. Place Wilson is where you’ll find some nice restaurants.

What to do in Toulouse and around?

In Toulouse, you have the “Cité de l’Espace”, a museum dedicated to space. Wonder whether Bross attacked it.

Some nice walking around for those who appreciate architecture near the Capitole, Basilique St Sernin, couvent des Jacobins, Lycée Pierre de Fermat…

Finally, if you like nature and want to go places for a picnic, the Japanese garden at Compans Cafarelli is a good bet, or next to the Canal du Midi or Canal de Brienne.

RiP’s final word of advice: Toulouse is right in the heart of the region ‘Midi Pyrénées’, if you have the chance to, rent a car and try to explore the region a bit more. It’s gorgeous, lots of places to see, great wine and some of the best food in the world.

Bordeaux

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Venue: Stade de Bordeaux, 42000 seats

What games will be played there?

Slovakia Wales; Spain Croatia; Austria Hungary; Belgium Ireland; 1 quarter final

How to travel to and in Bordeaux?

There’s a big airport close to Bordeaux called Bordeaux Mérignac, or a train station not far from the city center, Bordeaux St Jean.

In Bordeaux, there is a system of trams which is great and which will be of great use. The tram also takes you to the stadium.

Concerning the stadium, it’s brand new and has been constructed in a district with a lot of businesses, and is served by the tram or road. It’s apparently a bit of a pain to get there, so plan ahead and arrive in advance, whether you go by tram or car.

Where to stay in Bordeaux?

If your priority is being close to the stadium, the district of Bordeaux Lac is where you want to go (but apparently not much to do around there). Mérignac and Pessac (outskirts of Bordeaux) can be good alternatives for cheaper accommodation, but Bordeaux center is the best option for a stay close to bars, restaurants and the more lively districts.

Bars & restaurants

Prioritize the areas around Place St Pierre, Place du Parlement and Rue St Rémi, a lot of great restaurants and bars (and lots of wine bars). Near Place de la Victoire, you also have quite a few lively bars.

What to do in Bordeaux and around?

A lot of things to see in Bordeaux, around Place de la Bourse-Miroir d’eau and the riverfront, a commercial district called Ste Catherine (from Place de la Victoire to the Grand Théâtre) the Place des Quinconces, etc. The old part of Bordeaux is small enough that you can walk around, and it’s very pretty.

Of course, around Bordeaux you have dozens, probably hundreds of vineyards, and it can be good fun to go to one and spend a day tasting wine and getting pissed in the nature.

RiP’s final word of advice: Bordeaux is world famous for its wines, so when in Bordeaux, get your arse into a wine bar and taste as much as possible!

 

[Rooney in Paris]

How difficult will it be to get tickets?

To be honest, I'm not quite sure how difficult it'll be to get tickets, but unfortunately, I'd say quite difficult: the older people I know who got tickets for France 98 told me it had been piss easy to acquire them back then, but that they'd been surprised at how difficult it was to get them for this tournament. There have been loads of requests so far, and I asked for some in the first ballot and got very few. Just for your info though, there is a page where you can ask for specific games without needing a postal address in one of the countries taking part in the tournament, here. There'll also be a platform set up in the spring, I think, for exchanges and re-sales of tickets, so you'll have to try your chance there.

FAQ on ticketing

Security at the Euros in light of the terrorist attacks in Paris

We'll never know exactly what the anti-terrorism measures are, but I know they're testing some stuff out currently and friends that have gone to games told me the measures are quite drastic and mean it takes a while to get into the stadium, but they felt very safe. The guy in charge of security for the Euro, Jacques Lambert, is a former prefect, advisor for security to a Prime Minister, etc. and has huge experience so it'll be handled very professionally. Also, the Cop 21 took place in Paris recently with loads of heads of states from all over the world and it went down fine, which was encouraging.

Paul the Wolf and his petrol

Being a French resident, a word of warning is that France is a much bigger country than people imagine so if you are travelling by car and you're following England around for example, just to cover the three England group matches you'll be travelling to Marseille in the south, Lens in the north and back down to St Etienne in south central, that's a lot of mileage or kilometrage.

Currently petrol and especially diesel is cheap but try not to buy it on the motorways (autoroutes) as it is about 20 cents a litre more than at a supermarket.
Currently supermarket prices are - 95 petrol is about €1.24 (90p) and diesel about €1.00 per litre (73p)

Motorway tolls however, are quite expensive and a lot of driving involves a lot of tolls.

To give an idea of the size of France I live in the south central area and the nearest venue to me is Bordeaux about 230km away (west); Toulouse is 250km away (south) and St Etienne about 350km (east)

 

[Annihilate Now!]

​

Lens

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Where to stay in Lens?

No idea.

Shit guide. No fans.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Shit guide. No fans.

Right, that's that. I reserved a post for any Q&As that could be useful, so I'll update it progressively.

 

[bpet15]

[Q&A]

RIP - good stuff and thanks for posting. I have a group (must bring the wives) of 8 planning to attend. Not sure exactly where to stay as of yet - not real worried about it right now because there are hundreds of options. Currently, we are looking at Bordeaux or Marseille..anywhere within 40km or so.

My big question is - how difficult will it be to get tickets on a secondary market? Being from the US makes it impossible to get tickets up front so we are going to have to count on some other way to acquire them. We don't really care what matches we see - we just know we want to attend 1 or 2.

 

[Rory 7]

This is great. Fair play. I can't wait for the summer!

 

[Blatzo]

I was contemplating touring France in a camper van this summer and attending a couple of matches and/or watching England in a pub/bar near to where they are playing. Truth be told, I'm a little put off by the terrorist attacks that have taken place in France and feel the Euro's could be a big target (I see how this can be construed as me "letting the terrorists win," but at the same time its my prerogative how I choose to evaluate the risk to my own wellbeing). What assurances have French officials made/what security measures are they putting in to place to encourage people to still attend and to quell doubts about personal safety?

 

[spontaneus1]

Can we have a guide to Istanbul next?

 

[vanthaman]

thanks for this, I'm spending 3 nights in Douvrin just north of lens

 

[thelemon]

Can we have a guide to Istanbul next?

 

[Kasper]

Can we have a guide to Istanbul next?

This is seriously great stuff tho, thanks RiP.

 

[Amethyst]

How to travel to and in Paris?

Avoid Chelsea fans on the train if you're of an ethnic minority background. In fact in general just avoid Chelsea fans, they probably still won't be in the best of moods come the summer.

 

[Maxii]

Great stuff mate, thanks for that.

We finalised all of our bookings last night, so we're all set. Can't bloody wait! I'm Irish so we'll be in Paris, Bordeaux and Lille. We booked an apartment in Paris for two weeks which we will use as our base. So we will stay in Paris for the first game, head to Bordeaux by train the day before the second game where we will stay in a hotel for 2 nights. Then back to Paris for 2 nights before heading to Lille to a hotel for 2 nights and back to Paris again for a night before getting our flight home. We booked the apartment in Paris for the full trip so we can leave the majority of our stuff there while heading to the other cities so we only have to bring a small bag with us. Any other Irish have similar plans?

For anyone who hasn't booked yet, we got some of the last hotels in Lille and Bordeaux with nearly all of the hotels and hostels seemingly sold out so I don't know what other options there would be. Paris seems fine with regards to accommodation still.

Does anyone know hard it is to get your hands on tickets from previous experience? I've applied through UEFA, but from what I've read they only allocate 16% of tickets for each set of fans per game, so 32% between both countries and the rest for the general public and VIP etc. 16% seems like feck all for the amount of people that will be applying for them.

 

[.Rossi]

Just gonna hop on a plane that says France.

feck the football, where's the party lads?

 

[Sly]

This is great thread Gerrard in Paris. Thinking of going there with some mates and a place to ask questions to the resident "frenchies" will be useful. Ty

 

[Donaldo]

Super thread @Rooney in Paris , makes me wish I was going. Beautiful country.

 

[lem8sh]

Go to France, get drunk, sing Ole Ole Ole numerous times then drink @Mr Anderson under the table. Simples.

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Lovely guide.

 

[Cait Sith]

I didn't plan to go but after reading this thread the plane's booked!

 

[Mr Anderson]

Go to France, get drunk, sing Ole Ole Ole numerous times then drink @Mr Anderson under the table. Simples.

Oh yes lad! We have Paris and Bordeaux accommodation kinda booked. Paris is the kinda part, campsite rejected our initial booking (all male booking and they panicked) but the Cork office of eurocamp are sorting it for us, be grand. Must sort Lille after crimbo

Picking up a 9 seater in Bordeaux when we arrive on Saturday 11th, make tits of ourselves and onto Paris for 3 days on the 12th, back to Bordeaux for 5 days then up to Lille for the last game which is our last 3 or 4 days.....going to be a long 2 weeks! So far bar Lille accommodation as that isn't booked, all done for 500 quid each


Monoprix will run out of them boxed wines with the tap built in fairly quick.....


:edit: all this done I haven't told herself yet though

 

[Paul the Wolf]

Being a French resident, a word of warning is that France is a much bigger country than people imagine so if you are travelling by car and you're following England around for example, just to cover the three England group matches you'll be travelling to Marseille in the south, Lens in the north and back down to St Etienne in south central, that's a lot of mileage or kilometrage.

Currently petrol and especially diesel is cheap but try not to buy it on the motorways (autoroutes) as it is about 20 cents a litre more than at a supermarket.
Currently supermarket prices are - 95 petrol is about €1.24 (90p) and diesel about €1.00 per litre (73p)

Motorway tolls however, are quite expensive and a lot of driving involves a lot of tolls.

To give an idea of the size of France I live in the south central area and the nearest venue to me is Bordeaux about 230km away (west); Toulouse is 250km away (south) and St Etienne about 350km (east)

I know all the cities that are the venues except Marseille and Nice
Bordeaux and Paris are my favourites
St Etienne I hate

 

[Archie Leach]

In which arrondissement will the Mrs RiP kissing booth be located?

 

[Mr Anderson]

In which arrondissement will the Mrs RiP kissing booth be located?

In a 9 seater minibus sponsored by 8 Irish lads and Europcar.....and Monoprix boxed wine.

 

[Ish]

Thanks for the share RiP

 

[Eboue]

Meh, not really a word of advice that is it though RiP you idiot.

 

[NextSeason]

How much would return trains from Paris - Marseille cost us roughly if booked in advance?

 

[Moby]

I don’t really know that many and found it hard to get some feedback, but a commerce school in Lyon edits a guide every year which is free and is apparently a goldmine for useful information called “Le Petit Paumé” which is also an app you can download onto your smartphone. I recommend using that.

One bar I was recommended is called the Ninkasi bar but it seems it’s not close to the center. But it’s apparently really good.

It's near Stade De Gerland, pretty good.

All the better pubs are around Vieux-Lyon. Smoking Dog, Johnny Walsh, etc. Especially for the anglophones as a lot of those pubs are British/Irish.

 

[Paul the Wolf]

How much would return trains from Paris - Marseille cost us roughly if booked in advance?

http://www.voyages-sncf.com/billet-...ans=1&ef_id=U3DmbQAABK4x6HnU:20151217080822:s

They're advertising from €19 one way but all depends on dates times etc, please see above so can fill in form and get an idea

 

[Sassy Colin]

Is this all your own work?

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Right, I can take some time to answer the posts! Glad to see some have appreciated the topic, and no Colin as I said I tried to get some input from people who live/have lived in the host cities. I'll answer some of the questions and maybe update the posts with the additional info.

@bpet15 to be honest, I'm not quite sure how difficult it'll be to get tickets, but unfortunately, I'd say quite difficult: the older people I know who got tickets for France 98 told me it had been piss easy to acquire them back then, but that they'd been surprised at how difficult it was to get them for this tournament. There have been loads of requests so far, and I asked for some in the first ballot and got very few. Just for your info though, there is a page where you can ask for specific games without needing a postal address in one of the countries taking part in the tournament, here. There'll also be a platform set up in the spring, I think, for exchanges and re-sales of tickets, so you'll have to try your chance there.

@Blatzo we'll never know exactly what the anti-terrorism measures are, but I know they're testing some stuff out currently and friends that have gone to games told me the measures are quite drastic and mean it takes a while to get into the stadium, but they felt very safe. The guy in charge of security for the Euro, Jacques Lambert, is a former prefect, advisor for security to a Prime Minister, etc. and has huge experience so it'll be handled very professionally. Also, the Cop 21 took place in Paris recently with loads of heads of states from all over the world and it went down fine, which was encouraging.

@Maxii sounds like you're all set, great way to do it! If you want any recommendations close to where you're staying in Paris, just let me know and I'll look into it. Same for you @Mr Anderson, though I'm guessing it's gonna get very messy!

@Paul the Wolf good remark on the petrol/distance thing, I'll add that to the reserved post!

@NextSeason hard to say exactly as train ticket prices vary quite a bit as Paul, but if you book well in advance, my mate whose parents live in Cassis and who goes back and forth to Marseille a lot tells me it'd be around 80€ for a return ticket, but you'd have to book straight as they come online. If not around 100-110€. Apparently, the trains in the morning and in the evening are the most expensive, so it's better to take those from 11am to 2pm.

@Aldo cheers, will add this to the Lyon part!

 

[Charlie Foley]

I lived in Bordeaux, I really miss it after reading this happy to give any advice or tips to any Irish lads heading down

 

[Rooney in Paris]

I lived in Bordeaux, I really miss it after reading this happy to give any advice or tips to any Irish lads heading down

Heard it's a really great place to live, did you like it? Are there any recommendations you think I should add to the Bordeaux part?

 

[Welsh Wonder]

Meh, not really a word of advice that is it though RiP you idiot.

 

[Vooon]

Great stuff this. Not going myself, but thought I'd add a few tips:

Lille: Just an hour away from Brugge by car, great city and a must visit in my opinion. Brilliant place for good beer. If interested in beer Lille is also just an hour away from the infamous Westvleteren abbey where you need to call ahead if you want to buy their beer. The countryside between Lille, Ypres, Vleteren and Brugge is pretty nice and scenic if you prefer to see more than just a highway on your way to Brugge.

Lens: A stone throw away from the largest French military cemetery, Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, with almost 40.000 war graves from the First World War.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Will add that to the post, @Vooon, cheers!

 

[Mr Pigeon]

@Rooney in Paris, I have a question.

If I purchase an all day Mega Rider does that mean that I can come and go as many times during the day as I want, or does Whoreville have a limit on how many entrances I can make?

 

[moses]

Paris & St Denis

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That's a fine pylon, there must be a magic phone reception there.