The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn, is a New York Times and USA Bestseller about two women going on adventures of their lives, one to protect her country, and one to to protect herself. In 1915, Eve Gardiner was recruited to be a spy for the British Intelligence Agency, but espionage comes with risks, and not all of them have happy endings. In 1947, Charlie St. Clair has a problem; a ‘little problem’ as her Mom calls it. Her mother is taking her to Sweden to have it taken care of, but Charlie has other plans — to find her cousin, Rose, who went missing in WWII. In an enchanting adventure, Charlie’s story intertwines with Eve’s life, leading Charlie to ask for help finding Rose, and maybe find some answers for herself.

Kate Quinn is an incredibly talented writer, bringing life into historical fiction as I’ve rarely seen. She paints a picture with the characters and setting that makes you feel like you’re there, experiencing the joys, troubles, and disappointments firsthand.

I’ve created a travel itinerary with the most notable settings in mind. These are the places I felt most affected by in this story, along with some suggestions for activities that might fit in the story as well. (disclaimer: none of this is sponsored, this is simply my travel itinerary from personal research).

First Stop: London

Charlie finds the bravery to leave her mother in search of Eve, by stepping off a boat in the middle of London. London is the center of the UK, and their espionage operations. This is where Eve got picked up to become a spy.

I love the idea of starting where their whole adventure started. This was the beginning, both in Eve’s adventure and in Charlies. However, they didn’t spend a lot of time in London, so neither will we.

The one stop that we should make prior to moving on is London’s Imperial War Museum. Of course, the emphasis would be on the WW1 exhibits, but the museum is vast and I would recommend going to as many places as you can. Tickets are free too, just make sure to reserve your place online.

Second Stop: Lille, France

Lille was the obvious next stop. Lille is the center of Eve’s, or Marguerite Le François, operations. Watching Eve transform from a civilian with no thoughts except helping her country, to realizing the realities of war was heartbreaking. While I wouldn’t say she flourished in this environment, she grew into a young woman with many talents that helped save her country.

Traveling to Lille won’t be quite as dramatic as Eve’s travel plans. Personally, if I don’t have to fly I won’t, so we’re going to take the Eurostar Train from London to Lille. This averages out at about 70 euros for a one way ticket, depending on when you book.

A paramount setting in this story was, of course, the restaurant Eve worked at. Le Lethe was a fine dining experience for the officers of Germany, and a controversial point for the native French people. The owner was a cruel man, who saw war as a way to get ahead of others, no matter who he was serving. For most of the employees however, it was simply a way to earn money to survive.

To get the full experience, without helping people who committed genocide, I’ve chosen Le Fossile Lille for a fine dining experience. Le Fossile is an extravagant steakhouse serving French and European food in the center of Lille. It comes highly recommended from both foreigners and natives alike. Make sure to reserve a seat though!

For something a bit more affordable, but still the same fancy atmosphere, we can go to Goudale. While Goudale is more on the outskirts of Lille, it’s still close enough to the city to get there via taxi or uber.

If you’re sticking with the history theme, there’s several battlefield tours nearby. The Flanders battlefield is a popular destination for Australian tourists, but there’s also Sommes and Vimmy Battlefield tours for others around the world.

Something less out of the books, and more for French life, we’re going to go to the Wazemmes Sunday Market. It’s a huge market that sells anything you can imagine, fresh produce, fish, flowers, bread, and more. If you’re not there on a Sunday, then explore the lovely city of art. There’s hundreds of museums, sculptures, and more!

Third Stop: Limoges and Oradour-sur-Glane

Unless you have a rickety old car just like Finn, then we’re taking a bus from Lille to Limoges. This is following Charlie’s storyline now, on her hunt to find her cousin, Rose. Rose, like Eve, was in an espionage role in the war, spying on the Germans for intelligence.

Their storyline makes this a great reason to visit Le Musee de la Resistance. This museum focuses on the French Resistance in World War 2. It’s a lovely little museum, and great for those wanting to learn more about the German occupation and French resistance in southern france. While the whole museum is written in french, the audio guide is only two euros so it isn’t anything that will break the bank.

For those up for it, there’s many historical tours into the town of Oradour-sur-Glane as well. The village was meticulously preserved, so the cars, structures, and even the church were left exactly as they were on June 10, 1944. While this can be a difficult tour to go on, I highly recommend it.

Final Stop: Grasse

There’s no easy way to get to Grasse. The train will take you to Bourges, through Marseilles, to Grasse. You can also fly to Nice and then take a bus to Grasse, or, just like the ragtag crew, take a car that breaks down at every stop. Dealers choice.

Here, the crew meets at a little cafe, which in my imagination looks like the adorable Cafe des Musees. The food and coffee has fantastic presentation, and the cafe, while a bit modern, looks like somewhere I could definitely see Eve, Charlie, and Finn stopping to eat!

While we’re on a historical kick, Grasse France has the most adorable Old Town I’ve seen. Old Grasse is full of alley’s, chapels, and squares reminiscent of Rome architecture. The town is also an international perfume capital, so there will be plenty of other options to explore!

Conclusion

The Alice Network was an inspiring tale of forgiveness, independence, and found family. This book will take you on a myriad of emotions, having you laugh, cry, and gasp right along with the characters. While I can’t replicate the emotions behind each scene, I hope to replicate their thoughts and actions by traveling to the places they’ve been.

Feel free to steal the travel itinerary, or just a few places off of it. Also if there’s something I missed, or an additional place you would recommend, leave a comment below and let me know!