France travel tips

Following are regularly updated travel tips for France.

The text below is from the comprehensive holiday travel tips to be found at
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June 2010 France travel tips

Note: Dozens of people were killed and infrastructure was badly damaged by flash floods over a wide area in the Cote d'Azur in June 2010. Badly hit villages and resorts include Draguignan, Trans-en-Provence, Luc, Roquebrune, Frejus and St Tropez. Flooding also hit south-western France, including the Atlantic resorts of Saint-Jean-de-Luz and Bayonne. Tourists are advised to monitor media reports of the damage to travel infrastructure such as road and rail, and to buildings, before entering the affected regions.

Well worth visiting is the Haute Vallee de Chevreuse, one of France's largest national parks, about 40 minutes south of the capital on the RER B line to the St-Remy-les-Chevreuse station. The park was created in 1985 to protect this rural region from modern development. It boasts about 240 kilometres of trails through the park's 28,700 hectares of protected forests, wetlands and farms. These are dotted with picturesque villages and historic monuments. Landmarks in the national park worth visiting include Coubertin farm, the medieval village of Chevreuse, the Chateau de la Madelaine, Breteuil Chateau, the 12th century Abbaye des Vaux de Cernay, and the Abbaye des Port-Royal des Champs founded in 1204.

The cheapest way to see the River Seine is aboard the Batobus, which operates as a riverine bus service including eight stops at key tourist sites. In 2008, a one day pass cost 12 euros (6 euros for children under 16), 14 euros for a two day pass, and 17 euros for a five day pass.

If the Gare du Nord central train station is your first port of call when arriving in Paris, be prepared for a chaotic and confusing time as the station can be bewildering for foreigners looking for directions.

A free walking tour starts at 11am and 1pm each day in front of the fountain at Place Saint-Michel in the Latin quarter of Paris, covering all the main sights including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Place de la Concorde. This is a must for backpackers on a budget.

Although Europe is cold and dark at Christmas, this can be the best time for holiday travel in Paris as hotel fares are considerably cheaper and many Parisians have departed the city for their own holidays, leaving the streets, restaurants and museums uncrowded and quiet. The city's Christmas tinsel is always spectacular and you can enjoy huge discounts at the ritzy shops during their new year sales. Take note that many Paris museums have shortened hours during the cold winter months but you won't have to put up with the summer queues and crowds.

The historic African gateway city of Marseilles is now just three hours from Paris by TGV train, offering a rich Mediterranean culture of exotically dressed West Africans and Europeans in business suits mingling in bars and bistros centred around the ancient harbour of Vieux Port founded in 600BC. About one million people live in Marseilles. Travel in Marseilles involves a lot of climbing but the views alone make it worth the effort. The Marseilles fish markets are spectacular and the peak tourist season is July-September.

The city of Lyon, often referred to as the food capital of France, is home to about 450,000 people and is located on a peninsula between the Rhone and Saone rivers. The city's old cobblestone town, Vieux Lyone, was founded by the Roman military in 43BC and is on the western side of the Saone River.

The 1000 year old medieval city of Montpellier and its surrounding district has a population around 430,000, including many students. Montpellier, about 11 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, has an excellent tramway system and extensive bicycle paths.

From July 15 2007, the French Government will supply thousands of low-cost rental bicycles from hundreds of bike stations around Paris in an attempt to reduce traffic and pollution. By the end of 2007, there should be more than 20,000 bikes at 1450 stations situated about 250 metres apart. Abundant rental bikes are already available in the city of Lyon and they are almost free for users, dependent upon time travelled. Bicycle helmets are not mandatory in France.

Near Paris is the famous Palace of Versailles, which enjoyed a $20 million restoration in 2007 of the magnificent ceiling artwork painted by Charles Le Brun between 1678 and 1684 in the 800sqm centrepiece Hall of Mirrors. The Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I was signed in the hall.

Travel tip ... if possible, learn a few French words before your holiday as the French soften when foreigners at least try to talk their language instead of expecting them to speak English.

Travel tip ... the road system in France is excellent but the French like to drive their cars very fast. Keep to the right on the motorways even if you're doing 140kmh.

Most travellers will arrive in Paris via Charles de Gaulle Airport. Take note before you arrive that a taxi from the airport to central Paris will cost about 50 euros at 2007 prices. If the traffic is particularly heavy, the taxi fee could be even higher.

To save money, it's wiser to catch a Roissy bus from just outside the airport terminal. A bus fare to central Paris costs about 8.50 euros. The trip takes about an hour and passengers are dropped off near the Metro at Opera.

If you're flying out of France, it's advisable to get to Charles de Gaulle Airport about three hours before take-off due to the lengthy queues caused by tight security procedures. Many of the best-known tourist attractions in Paris are conveniently located along the Seine River and the city is fantastic for walking tours that allow you to visit plenty of museums and monuments in a fairly small area.

If you plan on visiting Paris for more than a week, it might be worthwhile renting an apartment instead of paying top dollar for a hotel room.

Off-season rates for a single-bedroom apartment within minutes of central Paris are as low as 60 euros a day. With your own apartment cooking facilities, you can save even more by buying food and drink from the city's many supermarkets, where prices are reasonable. Quality French wines are also well-priced.

The Calvados district of Normandy is one of the most beautiful regions in France and is peppered with historic inland towns such as Caen, Pont l'Eveque, Cley, St Pierre-sur-Dives and Falaise. If you travel during the French summer, you might prefer to visit coastal towns in Calvados such as Courselles-sur-Mer, St Come de Fresne, Luc-sure-Mer and Langrune-sur-Mer. The district has a cool, forested ambience and Normandy's rugged coastline creates one of the most dramatic vistas in Europe. The local wines and cuisine are superb and travellers can drive on small, toll-free roads to explore the numerous one-church towns in Calvados. Accommodation in the Calvados district is fairly expensive, particularly in the peak tourist season, but budget travellers can usually find some fairly cheap camping sites.

A spiritual haven is Lourdes in the south-west of France, where tourists seek the miracle healing waters of a shrine to the Virgin Mary. In 2006, riot police have been called in to control drunken tourist parties in the numerous bars of Lourdes, which has a population around 15,000.

Always popular with tourists, the Montmartre district of Paris has a rich history as the home of artists such as van Gogh, Pacasso and Renoir. it is now a busy commercial district of tourist traps, sleezy bars and strip joints with artists of dubious talent trying to sell their creations to tourists. The district is best viewed in the early morning or evening once the crowds have dispersed.

One of the world's most famous holiday destinations is the French Riviera (known locally as the Cote d'Azur) on the Mediterranean coast from St Tropez to Monaco, boasting a seductive climate, picturesque villages for sightseeing, stretches of sand and pebble beach with topless bathing, casinos, nightlife, Grand Prix car racing and a dramatic coastline. The capital of Nice has turn-of-the-century apartment buildings and hotels with majestic facades lining the Bay of Angels. Nice is also a cultural capital with 19 muesuems and galleries, more than any other French city outside Paris, plus 32 classified historical monuments for sightseeing and 300ha of parks and gardens. Tourists should explore the attractive old town of Nice with its numerous churches, baroque architecture, cobbled streets and squares, as well as numerous art galleries, boutiques and restaurants.

Tickets into monuments and museums in Paris can be expensive, although there is usually one day each week when entry is free or prices are cut substantially. Entry to the Louvre is usually free on the first Sunday of every month. Louvre entry tickets also drop from 8.50 euro to 6 euro on Wednesday and Friday nights after 6pm when the museum is open till late.

Cheaper entry to the Musee d'Orsay is also possible on Sundays and two hours before closing time on all days.

Most major museums have free access for children under 18.

Be aware that there are often long queues to get into major tourist monuments in Paris, the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame in particular.

The famous catacombs beneath the streets of Paris can be accessed from the junction at Place Denfert-Rochereau in Montparnasse, about five kilometres south of the city centre. Be warned that the catacombs are a claustrophobic, grim and long tunnel lined with the bones of millions of dead.

A cheap but delicious Paresean lunch is a crusty baguette (85 euro cents in 2006), a slab of camembert (2 euro in 2006) or a bordeaux (4 euro in 2006).

Ethnic cuisine from the former French colonies is usually a cheap way to enjoy dinner, the best multicultural eateries concentrated around Belleville in the north-east of Paris and Chinatown in the south-east (around Metro station Porte d'Ivry).

Public transport in Paris is cheap but comfortable. A subway or bus ride cost 1.40 euros in 2006 (cheaper if you buy blocks of tickets). A full-day pass cost 5.40 euro and a weekly pass 15.70 euro in 2006.

If you're into the arts, a Museum and Monument Card allows access to 70 of the city's premier sites for a full day at 18 euro. The cards are available at museums and major Metro stations.

If you buy a copy of the Pariscope magazine (40 euro cents in 2006 with English section in the centre), you can check weekly listings of films, plays, concerts and exhibits. The magazine's music section lists daily classical concerts in churches and cathedrals, and these are often free.

Another way to save money in egalitarian Paris is to buy a Paris City Passport, a 5 euro booklet containing about 300 euro in savings coupons for museums, cabarets, nightclubs, bus tours and river cruises. The Paris City Password is available at tourism offices and train stations or can be purchased online at www.parisinfo.com.

If you want to see the Bastille Opera on a shoestring, a limited number of standing room tickets can be snapped up for just 5 euro. The sales begin just 45 minutes before the curtain rises.

A full day should be devoted to exploring the Latin Quarter of Paris, recommended highlights including the superb food shops along the ancient rue Mouffetard, the Jardin des Plantes, the river edge, the Cluny Mesum and the Grand Paris Mosque. The Latin Quarter is renowned for its late night restaurants and bars.

The underground Metro train system is a very convenient way to travel through Paris. More than 200 kilometres of track service 371 stations on 16 lines, and the system carries an average six million passengers a day.

Most villages and towns you drive through in the French countryside will have several prominent signs pointing to "chambres d'hotes", which is French for Bed & Breakfast. The average price for two is US$102 per night. It's vital that you book ahead in the summer months of July and August, when prices are generally higher.

The quickest way to drive around France is on the autoroutes, although they're not particularly scenic. The speed limit in France is up to 130kmh.

Autoroute toll fees are also expensive. For example, a 200 kilometre journey from La Rochelle to Bordeaux cost 11 euro (US$13.86) in 2005, and petrol prices are very high by international standards.

It's smart to hire a small car because many of the roads around country villages are cobblestone laneways from centuries past and a small vehicle is easier to manuoever.

There are numerous sights and attractions throughout Paris. Apart from the obligatory climb up the Eiffel Tower, try catching a barge on the 5 kilometre Canal Saint Martin which winds its way through the 19th Century streets of working-class Paris (take the Metro to Bastille).

Le Marais is a trendy area well worth visiting, boasting a wonderful assortments of shops and cafes (take the Metro to Bastille). Also highly recommended is Rue Cler, a pedestrian street with market stalls on the cobblestones including ham and cheese shops, patisseries and cafes (take the Metro to Ecole Militaire).

An evening stroll along the Champs Elysees is magical and there are some stunning department stores such as La Samaritaine (take the Metro to Pont Neuf) providing free views over Paris that are almost as good as the views from the Eiffel Tower.

As soon as you arrive in Paris, it's a good idea to buy a cheap map book of the city from any kiosk or newsagent, plus a copy of the cheap weekly magazine Pariscope (English section in the centre) to get an idea of what's happening and where.

The Loire district is a gastronomic, viticultural delight, and it is classic France. The middle 250 kilometres of the Loire is a listed World Heritage site, from upstream of Orleans to downstream of Angers. The region is a living, pulsating time capsule of ancient towns, villages, vineyards, forests and regal chateaux. The Loire can be readily accessed by TGV fast train, which takes about an hour to cover the 200 kilometres from Montpamasse station in Paris.

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