[SA Chris]

Long overdue a visit too, combined with Paris / Eurodisney for the kids.

[Will Hunt]

took us a while to work out why the board shorts weren't deemed acceptable.

Out of interest, why aren't they?

[dunnyg]

Parce que

[BrutusTheBear]

took us a while to work out why the board shorts weren't deemed acceptable.

Out of interest, why aren't they?

Hygiene. Board shorts are likely to be worn for purposes other than swimming, Speedos aren't likely to have been used for anything other than swimming.  This is pretty standard in French swimming pools, if you want to swim take your proper swimming togs.

[Fultonius]

Paris is great for rest days and clearly the food is really good… but it’s not easy if you’re vegetarian or even pescatarian. If you or any of your party is then I can totally recommend a restaurant called Maceo, I’ve been twice and it was brilliant both times. Food delicious, service very good and at both the booking and in the meal they were happy to speak English. Central Paris so can fit it in with the main touristy things, it’s just behind the Louvre.

https://www.maceorestaurant.com/

Tho this sort of thing might be a second and subsequent trip activity!

It's fine so long as you go along with "pppff, lardons n'est pas viande!"

[Bradders]

Paris is great for rest days

We went into Paris as a group on my first trip but ended up doing so much walking to visit all the sites it definitely didn't count as a rest day!

[seankenny]

Paris is great for rest days

We went into Paris as a group on my first trip but ended up doing so much walking to visit all the sites it definitely didn't count as a rest day!

You’ve got to sit in a café looking moody for a few hours. I take along a black polo neck. It seems to help.

[SA Chris]

if you want to swim take your proper swimming togs.

If you really don't like budgie smugglers, cycling short type swimmers are also acceptable.

[RobK]

Half thinking of a trip around Easter time too. On a scale of "tolerable" to "I'd rather go to Scotland peak midge season" just how busy can it get over Easter weekend itself?

[SA Chris]

Choose venues well, avoid honeypots and I've found it fine. Anything that involves a walk of 20 mins or more will be quiet.

[Ged]

 Agreed. We were there over Easter. The actual weekend itself was busy in the obvious places, but it felt easy to find somewhere quiet. Just avoid obvious places like sabots, 95.2, cuvier. The weeks either side were fine.

[SA Chris]

Sabots is probably one of the worst, the central area is like the sandpit at a creche.

[RobK]

Thanks 

[i.munro]

Everywhere seems to have got much busier over the last year or so. New bouldering walls seem to be popping up all over Paris.

[M1V0]

Headed to Font over the Easter period (as everyone is seemingly). Does anyone have experience with border control going into France recently? Particularly over taking food, I plan to take some dried goods to make cooking easier in the evenings, that shouldn't be a problem according to https://www.douane.gouv.fr/sites/default/files/2021-03/10/travellers-what-kinds-of-food-and-plants-can-you-bring-with-you.pdf, but would appreciate any information from the hivemind.

[fatneck]

Always taken food over, never had a problem

[joel182]

Really didn't get the impression that they cared about food last time I did the crossing (October 2021). I'd feel happy to risk it.

[Fiend]

Take something to wipe your feet, expect sand to get in every orifice.

Take lots of good soft brushes as Font is the spiritual home of the tickmark.

Skin maintenance is key. If it's warm, climb in the morning, siesta at lunchtime, recce and re-warm-up in the afternoon and climb again at dusk.

Most importantly, train solely by working towards one arm hanging the BM2K middle edge, then go to Font and spend the entire time climbing Blue slabs on credit card grattons and glassy smears that wouldn't even be visible on grit 

[abarro81]

Really didn't get the impression that they cared about food last time I did the crossing (October 2021). I'd feel happy to risk it.

We've taken the tunnel in twice in the past ~6 months, they didn't check the car or ask us about whether we had food that we shouldn't have had on either occasion.. obviously this may just be luck...

[Evil]

Really didn't get the impression that they cared about food last time I did the crossing (October 2021). I'd feel happy to risk it.

We've taken the tunnel in twice in the past ~6 months, they didn't check the car or ask us about whether we had food that we shouldn't have had on either occasion.. obviously this may just be luck...

Likewise, we used to get searched quite a lot, but since Brexit they have not been bothering. I suppose it could be to do with the already extra delays that are there either due to Brexit or covid rule changes etc etc so they don't want to add even more by searching all the vans. It used to be pretty much every crossing that we would either have to show them the back, or get out the van and have it put through the x-ray machine, but the last few times nothing.

[duncan]

Loads of rail and ferry crossings for decades pre- and post-Brexit. Never been stopped, even when transparently on a booze cruise (remember them?). Melanin deficiency, wrinkles, family car, speaks reasonable French...

[UnkArl]

Looking for advice for driving Calais>Font (Milly)

We’ve always just blindly followed the satnav, which invariably takes us right through Paris. That was fine last year until the very last bit when there was an accident a few hundred metres in front and we lost loads of time…
Looking to avoid Paris (if practical) this time, particularly with the current situation. Does anyone have a preferred route from the tunnel at Calais down to Font? We’re staying just south of Milly and travelling on Saturday.

[sxrxg]

https://maps.app.goo.gl/qzZqSCuMWhVtVX5K8

This is the way I always go. Slightly longer in time but so much easier and less stressful. The only town that you end up going through is Melun at the end, it generally isn't too bad though. Also easy to pull into a town/village for coffee and pastries going this way rather than using service stations...

[Bradders]

I always go on the A1 to just after you've passed under Charles de Gaulle airport, then A104, N104, A6, and you're there.

There's one slightly tricky section where you need to make sure you're in the correct lane, and it's not completely obvious, but otherwise always found it very quick, keeps to major roads without having to go into Paris or the ring road.

[warmonke]

Also got an upcoming Font trip on the cards, anyone got any good Font video recommendations for some extra hype/inspiration? Not sure how many more times I can watch The Real Thing or that Shawn and Giuliano video