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Paris to the Past: Traveling through French History by Train
“I’d rather go to France with Ina Caro than with Henry Adams or Henry James.”― Newsweek In one of the most inventive travel books in years, Ina Caro invites readers on twenty-five one-day train trips that depart from Paris and transport us back through seven hundred years of French history. Whether taking us to Orléans to evoke the visions of Joan of Arc or to the Place de la Concorde to witness the beheading of Marie Antoinette, Caro animates history with her lush descriptions of architectural splendors and tales of court intrigue. “[An] enchanting travelogue” ( Publishers Weekly ), Paris to the Past has become one of the classic guidebooks of our time. 6 maps
381 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1994
184 people are currently reading
1940 people want to read
About the author
Ina Caro
4 books17 followersIna Caro, author of the best-selling The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France, is an authority on medieval and modern French history. She lives in New York City with her husband, the acclaimed biographer Robert A. Caro.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
July 24, 2011
The writer tries too hard to give every detail of what she has experienced and at times gets repetitive. The editor for this book should have done a better job and saved readers' time. While I did enjoy the background history of many of the places I have visited and come to love in France I would have enjoyed this book much more if there had been more pictures and illustrations to tie into the long descriptions of sights and a lot less text especially the end of chapter recounts of each sight she visited. The book is just too long and so dry in spots and even the most avid lover of French history and travel will find it hard to stay awake through this book. Maybe that is why she insisted on giving a recap at each chapter's end-- to remind the reader of the point she was trying to get across that we had already forgot by the time we labored through each chapter.
On the other hand the redeeming quality of the book is to give readers ideas regarding their next trip to France and plan it around train use and along a historic timeline as the author did if one wants to spend time in Paris yet see sights outside of Paris with an understanding of where all the churches, chateaux, and other noteable sights fit in to the history of France.
On the other hand the redeeming quality of the book is to give readers ideas regarding their next trip to France and plan it around train use and along a historic timeline as the author did if one wants to spend time in Paris yet see sights outside of Paris with an understanding of where all the churches, chateaux, and other noteable sights fit in to the history of France.
September 4, 2011
While the history of France is interesting, I don't think Ina Caro can take credit for that. She can take credit for being repetitive and rather elitist however--though she does render some stories very compellingly.
November 14, 2023
For at least three centuries France, in general, and Paris, in particular, have been seen by many as the cultural center of Western Civilization. To be appreciative and knowledgeable of the soul of the Western World has meant familiarity with the art, architecture, music and joie de vivre of the French. Americans especially, from Ben Franklin to Ali McGraw's character in Love Story have felt the allure of Paris. Ina Caro epitomizes this American tradition of affection, shading into worshipfulness of French culture and life in Paris.
I understand why some readers may be annoyed by her gushing over some worthy object of French art, architecture or cuisine. She has a tendency to sound like a Margaret Dumont character in one of those Marx Brothers pictures and her paragraph on the horror of possibly having to eat asparagus grown anywhere other than the Loire Valley or the description of her "inviolate" Sunday routine when in Paris border on self-parody.
However much I find myself giggling at the pomposity of some her passages, I can't help liking this book. Rarely have I read an author so enthusiastic about her subject. Despite the laments about occasionally not being able to find an acceptable restaurant within walking distance or descriptions in excruciating detail about cathedral architecture, she includes a lot of good history, and her decision to review the landmarks of France chronologically was inspired. Her book is obviously a labor of love, (I know she doesn't need the money because of all the "outrageously expensive" purchases she makes) and she is genuinely trying to be helpful to the many others who wish to immerse themselves in the glories of French history.
I understand why some readers may be annoyed by her gushing over some worthy object of French art, architecture or cuisine. She has a tendency to sound like a Margaret Dumont character in one of those Marx Brothers pictures and her paragraph on the horror of possibly having to eat asparagus grown anywhere other than the Loire Valley or the description of her "inviolate" Sunday routine when in Paris border on self-parody.
However much I find myself giggling at the pomposity of some her passages, I can't help liking this book. Rarely have I read an author so enthusiastic about her subject. Despite the laments about occasionally not being able to find an acceptable restaurant within walking distance or descriptions in excruciating detail about cathedral architecture, she includes a lot of good history, and her decision to review the landmarks of France chronologically was inspired. Her book is obviously a labor of love, (I know she doesn't need the money because of all the "outrageously expensive" purchases she makes) and she is genuinely trying to be helpful to the many others who wish to immerse themselves in the glories of French history.
November 19, 2020
I wanted so badly to like this book. I love history, I love France, and I'm going to Paris - this seemed like the perfect book for me. Unfortunately, for my reading tastes, it was just too dry. I fought through the book but the constant elitist snobbery and un-likability of the narrator made it very tough. I stomached the antidotes where Ina can't imagine a life without white asparagus from France or when she faced "hell" in the form of tourists at Versailles but, just barely. The awkward injection of "Bob stories" (Ina's husband) was also another major dislike for me.
I did give the book 2 stars, however, as opposed to just one because through all the negatives I found with this book, the narrator's passion and love of France is undeniable. Her enthusiasm is genuine for a country who's history I also love. The idea behind this book is great, the voice telling the story, I believe, will only appeal to a select few (for example, those who share a complete passion for French white asparagus!! Lol!) ;)
I did give the book 2 stars, however, as opposed to just one because through all the negatives I found with this book, the narrator's passion and love of France is undeniable. Her enthusiasm is genuine for a country who's history I also love. The idea behind this book is great, the voice telling the story, I believe, will only appeal to a select few (for example, those who share a complete passion for French white asparagus!! Lol!) ;)
September 29, 2014
I am not the biggest fan of non-fiction but every once in a while I come across a book that I have to try. Being a huge enthusiast of travel by train, a friend thought this would be my kind of book and she proved to be right.
Ina Caro takes you on a journey from the 12th century to the 19th century without ever leaving the comfort of her rented Paris apartment. It is pretty obvious that the author loves France, she gushes about the food, the tour guides, the buildings, the history and especially her favorite emperor, Napoleon III.
I wasn’t interested in her restaurant suggestions but that is because no matter where I travel I stick to McDonald’s, much to the disgust of my friends and family. I really hate going on tours, the rest of the group and the forced stop and go put me off, so those suggestions are also not to my taste. The idea that you can take 25 different day trips with no more than a 90 minute train ride right from the center of Paris is fabulous. These trips take you to actual castles, cathedrals and palaces, which are always right at the top of any travel list I make, and they are described in detail with all the history surrounding their construction, re-construction and occupants. I now have some new ideas for the next trip to France, I'm so excited.
Ina Caro takes you on a journey from the 12th century to the 19th century without ever leaving the comfort of her rented Paris apartment. It is pretty obvious that the author loves France, she gushes about the food, the tour guides, the buildings, the history and especially her favorite emperor, Napoleon III.
I wasn’t interested in her restaurant suggestions but that is because no matter where I travel I stick to McDonald’s, much to the disgust of my friends and family. I really hate going on tours, the rest of the group and the forced stop and go put me off, so those suggestions are also not to my taste. The idea that you can take 25 different day trips with no more than a 90 minute train ride right from the center of Paris is fabulous. These trips take you to actual castles, cathedrals and palaces, which are always right at the top of any travel list I make, and they are described in detail with all the history surrounding their construction, re-construction and occupants. I now have some new ideas for the next trip to France, I'm so excited.
August 14, 2013
It was okay. The concept was great. Day trips from paris to the different cities, cathedrals and castles of France in chronological order.
Unfortunately, the writing was not very good and the editing was worse. You could almost see where the author left off writing for a break and then returned, as she picked up and repeated the previous information.
In the hands of a talented writer, this book would have been 4 stars
Unfortunately, the writing was not very good and the editing was worse. You could almost see where the author left off writing for a break and then returned, as she picked up and repeated the previous information.
In the hands of a talented writer, this book would have been 4 stars
June 6, 2021
3.5 stars. 7/10
Do you like French history?
French architecture?
Train rides in the french countryside?
Traveling in France?
I'm not sure this is the book for you, but my goodness, Ina Caro tries.
If you read any of the reviews on this guide, you'll find non-stop criticism. They're not wrong. Here's why:
Caro focuses merely on what she likes. She is random and repetitive and inconsistent. She is most interested in making sure there is a cab waiting for her at the train station and finding a Michelin star spot to rest her feet. Her chapters read like letters your persnickety auntie sends home reporting on her jaunts though France and this can make them tedious.
Nevertheless, this book has charm, and I would accept her as my auntie any time.
As I toured around the outskirts and the interior of Paris with Aunt Ina (and, sometimes, with Bob), I gained a better understanding of how the political and religious energies of the time helped to propel the architecture. She gave me some context for each building and her particular insights made it memorable. I don't think Ina's book alone would do this—I used The Timeline History of France and Google maps as constant companions to supplement the lack of visuals and sometimes confusing directions.
There were plenty of cheeky and humorous insights, and I stayed focused on her expository much like a niece in hopes of receiving the key to the Left Bank appartement.
As I make my own pilgrimages to each of these sites in time to come, I'm sure that I will be using Aunt Ina's guide as a resource.
Do you like French history?
French architecture?
Train rides in the french countryside?
Traveling in France?
I'm not sure this is the book for you, but my goodness, Ina Caro tries.
If you read any of the reviews on this guide, you'll find non-stop criticism. They're not wrong. Here's why:
Caro focuses merely on what she likes. She is random and repetitive and inconsistent. She is most interested in making sure there is a cab waiting for her at the train station and finding a Michelin star spot to rest her feet. Her chapters read like letters your persnickety auntie sends home reporting on her jaunts though France and this can make them tedious.
Nevertheless, this book has charm, and I would accept her as my auntie any time.
As I toured around the outskirts and the interior of Paris with Aunt Ina (and, sometimes, with Bob), I gained a better understanding of how the political and religious energies of the time helped to propel the architecture. She gave me some context for each building and her particular insights made it memorable. I don't think Ina's book alone would do this—I used The Timeline History of France and Google maps as constant companions to supplement the lack of visuals and sometimes confusing directions.
There were plenty of cheeky and humorous insights, and I stayed focused on her expository much like a niece in hopes of receiving the key to the Left Bank appartement.
As I make my own pilgrimages to each of these sites in time to come, I'm sure that I will be using Aunt Ina's guide as a resource.
January 19, 2013
I wanted to dislike this book. The elderly American author's breathless detailing of restaurants visited with her beloved Bob and self-satisfied tone almost had me flicking the 'abandon' switch.
But perseverance allowed me to get caught up in Caro's love affair with French history - a weakness I share - and her well-considered itinerary through some fascinating towns and regions. Her enthusiasm is infectious, even if she remained to the end the slightly annoying person you have to sit next to on a train...
But perseverance allowed me to get caught up in Caro's love affair with French history - a weakness I share - and her well-considered itinerary through some fascinating towns and regions. Her enthusiasm is infectious, even if she remained to the end the slightly annoying person you have to sit next to on a train...
November 26, 2022
So many more places I now want to see in France! You can check out a longer review on my YouTube channel on November 25, 2022.
June 18, 2017
As far as a book about traveling through France and learning about French history on the way - bravo! We explore many eras of French history via stories and landmarks, and the book also serves as a guidebook for any real trip you'd like to take: all of the stops here are train trips that are easy to organize from a central location of Paris.
I had to rate it down a star because about 1/3 of the way through the book, I found myself disliking our tour guide, Ina Caro. She's kind of a complainer, and hearing her whine about crowds and waiting in line irked me (like, it's famous landmarks in France. There are going to be lines). She even advises skipping the palace of Versailles altogether rather than waiting in a line or being crowded. Skip Versailles?! Pardon my French but what the fuck, lady. Her adoring (slavish?) devotion to her husband Bob is also tiresome to hear about after a while.
For me, the parts of the book I came for (the French history and famous places) far outweighed my annoyance with Ms. Caro. You can make that decision for yourself should you choose to read it.
I had to rate it down a star because about 1/3 of the way through the book, I found myself disliking our tour guide, Ina Caro. She's kind of a complainer, and hearing her whine about crowds and waiting in line irked me (like, it's famous landmarks in France. There are going to be lines). She even advises skipping the palace of Versailles altogether rather than waiting in a line or being crowded. Skip Versailles?! Pardon my French but what the fuck, lady. Her adoring (slavish?) devotion to her husband Bob is also tiresome to hear about after a while.
For me, the parts of the book I came for (the French history and famous places) far outweighed my annoyance with Ms. Caro. You can make that decision for yourself should you choose to read it.
April 21, 2020
This book combined three things I love: France, trains and history. And now I want to go and recreate the trip for myself! Much appreciated is the way she seamlessly weaves the back story into the locations she visits; of little relevance now, although might have been when the book was released, which restaurants they ate at.
And it led me to purchase her first book!
And it led me to purchase her first book!
April 18, 2025
I liked this book. I love history and I love France. Reading about the alliances, intrigue, wars, battles, gossip and beauty found in each location makes me long to return to France.
What I didn’t like was that the author would repeat information within the same chapter. Also there are no photos so if you want to see what she is writing about you have to look it up.
What I didn’t like was that the author would repeat information within the same chapter. Also there are no photos so if you want to see what she is writing about you have to look it up.
July 9, 2018
Very enjoyable mix of travelogue and a series of train trips through the archeological and artistic history of France, as well as its history of kings, religions, politics, and wars. Many of the historical vignettes were just fascinating!
September 7, 2019
Quite interesting at times, but repetitive to be sure. If you are a lover of architecture from this period or french history though, it's a must read. Be sure to read with the internet close at hand so you can look up photos of allllll the places Caro mentions.
Girl Xoxo Monthly Motif Challenge 2019
August: Mode of Transportation (Read a book where the mode of transportation plays a role in the story.)
Girl Xoxo Monthly Motif Challenge 2019
August: Mode of Transportation (Read a book where the mode of transportation plays a role in the story.)
June 14, 2021
Review to follow
September 10, 2011
Not a guidebook to take with you. Read before you go, or read when you're at home wishing you were in France. A good starter for ideas for day trips. A light pre-read.
An editor could have made the author's voice more consistent: either an approachable history lecture tone, or an intimate/personal story tone. Either be a docent, or be a bubbly Sister Wendy. The book alternates tone, as if the author keeps interrupting herself. I read snippets here and there, not the whole book (or even half), so I didn't pick up on any elitism. I just think the author's so genuinely enthusiastic that when she goes to Paris, she almost does expect to meet up with Henry IV. She also doesn't like to dwell on incidents like the St. Bartholomew's Massacre, incidents that aren't nice dinner conversation.
A few photos would have been nice too.
Here's one thing this author did that I haven't seen before: she describes the insides of landmark buildings in Paris that are open to the public only a few days a year. The Luxembourg Palace, the interior of the Palais-Royal. I didn't know about these Journees du Patrimoine, when everyone can go in and look around.
So, I'm glad I skimmed this one. I personally wouldn't buy it, but I did learn a few things. I think for the author's next project, it would be interesting to do a collection about more recent Paris history. She's been visiting and living there since at least the 1960s, it seems. Her stories about how the city has changed since then would be a good read. No royalty, and perhaps more about the little villages and working class neighborhoods that are trying to keep their own identities.
An editor could have made the author's voice more consistent: either an approachable history lecture tone, or an intimate/personal story tone. Either be a docent, or be a bubbly Sister Wendy. The book alternates tone, as if the author keeps interrupting herself. I read snippets here and there, not the whole book (or even half), so I didn't pick up on any elitism. I just think the author's so genuinely enthusiastic that when she goes to Paris, she almost does expect to meet up with Henry IV. She also doesn't like to dwell on incidents like the St. Bartholomew's Massacre, incidents that aren't nice dinner conversation.
A few photos would have been nice too.
Here's one thing this author did that I haven't seen before: she describes the insides of landmark buildings in Paris that are open to the public only a few days a year. The Luxembourg Palace, the interior of the Palais-Royal. I didn't know about these Journees du Patrimoine, when everyone can go in and look around.
So, I'm glad I skimmed this one. I personally wouldn't buy it, but I did learn a few things. I think for the author's next project, it would be interesting to do a collection about more recent Paris history. She's been visiting and living there since at least the 1960s, it seems. Her stories about how the city has changed since then would be a good read. No royalty, and perhaps more about the little villages and working class neighborhoods that are trying to keep their own identities.
May 8, 2012
What a wonderful book - if you are fascinated by France of the present and its history, as I am. I had read Ms. Caro's equally wonderful book, "The Road From the Past", a number of years, ago and own the paperback version. That book traveled through French history, starting in Provence and ending on the Ile-de-France, taking history in chronological sequence. I thought that was a wondrous way to travel, and it still is.
Now Ms. Caro and her fellow historian husband, Robert, have based themselves in an apartment in Paris and are traveling to historical sites accessible within a day's train ride. As the French train system is pretty extensive, and there are more high-speed trains added all the time, this is also a wondrous way to travel through history.
I WISH this book had been published just one year earlier. Then I would have had it with me as we bicycled through France last summer. We visited many of the same sites that Ms. Caro does - Angers, Tours, Chantilly, Ile-de-France, Versailles (gardens only - chateau is closed on Monday!). Our visits to these sites would have been greatly enhanced by her fascinating presentation of the lives of the former residents. As well, we would have seen much more based on her recommendations.
Oh well. We have to return :-)
And as soon as this book comes out in paperback, I'm buying it for that return trip! Loved it. Thank you, Ms. Caro, for writing such a wonderful book.
Now Ms. Caro and her fellow historian husband, Robert, have based themselves in an apartment in Paris and are traveling to historical sites accessible within a day's train ride. As the French train system is pretty extensive, and there are more high-speed trains added all the time, this is also a wondrous way to travel through history.
I WISH this book had been published just one year earlier. Then I would have had it with me as we bicycled through France last summer. We visited many of the same sites that Ms. Caro does - Angers, Tours, Chantilly, Ile-de-France, Versailles (gardens only - chateau is closed on Monday!). Our visits to these sites would have been greatly enhanced by her fascinating presentation of the lives of the former residents. As well, we would have seen much more based on her recommendations.
Oh well. We have to return :-)
And as soon as this book comes out in paperback, I'm buying it for that return trip! Loved it. Thank you, Ms. Caro, for writing such a wonderful book.
March 10, 2022
What I enjoyed: the framing narrative of travelling through time by train, and following a chronological history of France with journeys no longer than a couple of hours from Paris. That was really inventive, and if I ever get to Paris again it is something I will consider doing. I also enjoyed laying out French history chronologically rather than thematically. This is really helpful for understanding the ways in which one thing leads to the next.
What I didn't enjoy: the multitude of irritating editing issues, whether misspelled words, unresearched facts (for example, referring to the Earl of Holland as 'Count Holland' shows some sloppiness of research. Yes, Comte is the French equivalent, but he was English and they have earls rather than counts), or needless repetitions - sometimes nearly whole sentences. I also did not enjoy the way in which the salacious, gossipy tidbits seemed to overshadow major events and personages in some chapters. Keep the gossip, but round it out with a fuller narrative. Finally, I did not enjoy the gushings of a sycophantic American viewing a selective history through rose-tinted glasses. Nor her boring self-indulgent narrative insertions from her own life - from restaurant recommendations to their weekend routine in Paris. Readers were not set up to delve into her biography (and who is she, anyway?): it's French history we were there for!
What I didn't enjoy: the multitude of irritating editing issues, whether misspelled words, unresearched facts (for example, referring to the Earl of Holland as 'Count Holland' shows some sloppiness of research. Yes, Comte is the French equivalent, but he was English and they have earls rather than counts), or needless repetitions - sometimes nearly whole sentences. I also did not enjoy the way in which the salacious, gossipy tidbits seemed to overshadow major events and personages in some chapters. Keep the gossip, but round it out with a fuller narrative. Finally, I did not enjoy the gushings of a sycophantic American viewing a selective history through rose-tinted glasses. Nor her boring self-indulgent narrative insertions from her own life - from restaurant recommendations to their weekend routine in Paris. Readers were not set up to delve into her biography (and who is she, anyway?): it's French history we were there for!
October 9, 2017
Day Trip From Paris?... Look No Further!
It’s a first hand account of the author’s travels through France, most sights and destinations are within a 90-minute radius from Paris, all accessible either by metro or train (regional train or fast train / TGV). The destinations are set up in chronological order in an attempt to educate the reader a bit about French History – it works! It’s a wonderful guidebook – although not the type you’d carry around with you.
Perhaps it’s because I am planning a trip to Paris for next spring and I am all ears when it comes to suggestions that I was so enamoured by this book, but I think anyone could benefit from the ideas presented.
You can be sure this book will be a resource for every trip to France I ever make! The entire thing was interesting, but I really perked up when it covered places I’d already visited (most of Paris, Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chartres and Rouen) or the parts that cover things I plan to see and do on my next trip (more of Paris, Tours and Lyon).
It was a great book, and excellent idea, and a lot of fun to read! Can’t wait to get over there and follow in her footsteps!
It’s a first hand account of the author’s travels through France, most sights and destinations are within a 90-minute radius from Paris, all accessible either by metro or train (regional train or fast train / TGV). The destinations are set up in chronological order in an attempt to educate the reader a bit about French History – it works! It’s a wonderful guidebook – although not the type you’d carry around with you.
Perhaps it’s because I am planning a trip to Paris for next spring and I am all ears when it comes to suggestions that I was so enamoured by this book, but I think anyone could benefit from the ideas presented.
You can be sure this book will be a resource for every trip to France I ever make! The entire thing was interesting, but I really perked up when it covered places I’d already visited (most of Paris, Versailles, Fontainebleau, Chartres and Rouen) or the parts that cover things I plan to see and do on my next trip (more of Paris, Tours and Lyon).
It was a great book, and excellent idea, and a lot of fun to read! Can’t wait to get over there and follow in her footsteps!
June 13, 2013
Take a trip with Ina caro with destinations within two hours of Paris by train. She loves France. Loves history. And loves the company of her husband Bob who wrote the Power Broker and the magisterial biography of LBJ. She divides her accounts by selecting the best places representative of the different ages of France from the middle ages to the Renaissance. And up through the two Napoleons. Thus the castle in Ankers is forbidding and clearly a defensive redout while the chateaus of the Loire are devoted to pleasure rather than war. We share her affection for trains even though we were sidetracked today by a national strike which required us to take a cab from Chemoneau to Amboise. As for Bob, she reminds me of the writer Calvin Trillon who had his foil. His wife Alice who was forever a part of the overall narrative, a measure of good sense moderating the enthusiasms of his wife. Altogether a fun read which will make you want to ride the rails of France traveling through history. Just be careful of strikes.
July 27, 2023
French history, travel, France, Paris, trains, nonfiction
4 1/2 stars, only marked down for lack of photos and only one rough map, but I must add that she writes so well and with such detail that I could picture many places in my mind.
Also, this wasn't what I expected the book to be about. For some reason, I thought that there was evidence of Paris history in the Paris train system itself, mostly underground and in the stations. I'd sure like to read about that next!
This book took quite a while to get through, but not because I didn't love it. There was just so much information that I had to take a lot of breaks. I kept my tablet handy for looking up maps and art and photos. I read several other books during this time, some of which were set in Paris or elsewhere in France, so reading Caro has enriched my other reads.
I must say that I loved reading about how close Ina and her husband have been for so many years. Its a lifetime love!
Her other French history travel book looks wonderful as well.
4 1/2 stars, only marked down for lack of photos and only one rough map, but I must add that she writes so well and with such detail that I could picture many places in my mind.
Also, this wasn't what I expected the book to be about. For some reason, I thought that there was evidence of Paris history in the Paris train system itself, mostly underground and in the stations. I'd sure like to read about that next!
This book took quite a while to get through, but not because I didn't love it. There was just so much information that I had to take a lot of breaks. I kept my tablet handy for looking up maps and art and photos. I read several other books during this time, some of which were set in Paris or elsewhere in France, so reading Caro has enriched my other reads.
I must say that I loved reading about how close Ina and her husband have been for so many years. Its a lifetime love!
Her other French history travel book looks wonderful as well.
June 26, 2017
The places visited in the book and the history I learned about was very interesting. The format of traveling through history, from the middle ages on, was brilliant.
There were times when the author would say something, go off on a tangent, then come back to the original sentence or idea using the exact same wording. It got repetitive and slightly annoying.
Also, the author sometimes had a snobby, almost high and mighty air. How dare a popular, well-known, and easy to get to place like Versailles have a bunch of tourists! At stories about white asparagus or expensive tasting menu dinners that lasted five hours, I often had to roll my eyes.
Overall, I enjoyed the history and exposure of certain places in France that I did not know much about before; however, too often the author's opinion poked through in a bad way. It felt like she was telling you what you should or should not enjoy based on HER interests, even though they may not be the same as yours.
There were times when the author would say something, go off on a tangent, then come back to the original sentence or idea using the exact same wording. It got repetitive and slightly annoying.
Also, the author sometimes had a snobby, almost high and mighty air. How dare a popular, well-known, and easy to get to place like Versailles have a bunch of tourists! At stories about white asparagus or expensive tasting menu dinners that lasted five hours, I often had to roll my eyes.
Overall, I enjoyed the history and exposure of certain places in France that I did not know much about before; however, too often the author's opinion poked through in a bad way. It felt like she was telling you what you should or should not enjoy based on HER interests, even though they may not be the same as yours.
December 7, 2016
This has been on my list for ages and I thought it sounded so interesting. I was wrong. This is great if you want something that is very technical about castles. It may also be great if you're an expat living in Paris and are really interested in exploring historical sites and need help finding and navigating them. But honestly, this is just so dry and it really didn't teach me anything I couldn't have learned (and learned in a more interesting way) in an architecture class, from a guided tour or just plan figured out. This really gets into the nitty gritty of castle building and it just didn't capture me. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're sure you want to know a lot of mundane details about places you'll probably never visit!
March 7, 2014
To anyone familiar with French history and many of the sites featured in that extensive history, this book reads like a biography. The reader can literally envision the detailed features that Caro so richly develops. Her research to provide information on the planning and development of each of these historical sites allows the reader to savor them like sitting down to a wonderful 5 course French dinner. For travelers to France this book could serve as a guide book to understanding and appreciating each site going well beyond the general guide books on the market.
July 16, 2021
I think I expected more history and less "wealthy couple describing their vacations". It started off strong, and I learned some genuinely interesting information about France, but is it necessary for the author to describe their favorite dishes from their favorite restaurants in the various cities? Particularly when, as described in the book, many of those restaurants don't even exist anymore? This book claims to be a history and a tourist guide, but it's neither: instead it's a tedious slideshow at the home of a couple you can't stand. I gave up about halfway through.
October 12, 2020
This book is written by your annoying, smug neighbor who wants to tell you about her vacation. I endured the self serving introduction. But anyone who claims they picked out their husband when she was 16 years old just makes me feel sorry for the husband. Two pages into the first chapter, when the author explains how she created a new kind of vacation for her hapless husband, I closed the book. I can only hope her husband has a mistress who's not so controlling.
March 4, 2024
'Paris to the Past' is a wonderful set of train journeys to various historical French sites, churches and museums. Most if not all of the trips and sites are within one day of Paris, so if you want a guide to a nearby city, look no further. These excursions occurred over a period of several years during Ina Caro's extended stays in the City of Light and provide an excellent read on French history and geography.
September 10, 2013
It was fine. The content was very inconsistent from chapter to chapter: sometimes it was all history, sometimes it was gossip, sometimes it was her personal experience traveling, sometimes it was a detailed account of the objects at the location. If you're looking for places to travel by train from Paris, this is a solid book. If you're looking for anything more specific or comprehensive, it is hit and miss.
December 23, 2015
Highly recommended for anyone visiting Paris with enough time to take day trips. Very helpful directions on which metro, train, bus to take to historical towns and sites. Ina Caro candidly discusses interesting and pertinent French history and its leaders, culture, architecture. As I am about as far from a history buff as one can be, I learned quite a bit and appreciated the perspective offered about what we saw as well as the practical approach to touring a day at a time.
June 10, 2013
An excellent book! Actually used it as a guidebook when I traveled to Paris this spring. Would love to visit all the places in her book. Did go to Saint Denis, Chartres, and Rouen.
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