Destinations
Elegant France is a holiday with a charm: a rich “sightseeing program”, a rest on the graceful Cote d’Azur, famous museums, gastronomic provinces and Loire castles. Cuisine, wine and ski resorts are all about France.
“Thing better than France has never been invented yet” – this phrase de Gaulle is suggestive of a controversy of attempts that matters across Europe. Certainly in neighboring countries have something that is much better than France has! For example the half-timbered houses of Germany. What? Alsace has the same? Um, it’s true. Okay, look at neighboring Belgium with its special charm of a well-kept village, authentic French fries and “wine” beer … What? All of this you can find in Nord-Pas-de-Calais? Damn, yes. Oh well, but purely British chips – the Gulf Stream fog, the red telephone booth, the wicker roses on the stone walls of country houses, and the heath blank of giant galvanized glaciers boulders – is there any in France? Of course: not as famous as Paris or Nice, but favorite of many travelers – Brittany. Speaking of the southern neighbors, the fans of Italy are feeling themselves at home in the sunny Provence, and the fans of Spain – in the mountains of the Pyrenees and the dry equal of Languedoc.
And we want to tell about other things that do France very comfortable and lovely. About the roar of the tide at the foot of the “eighth wonder of the world” of Mount St. Michel, about the Loire castles – the elegant, carved cabinets of the Renaissance. About the ingenious taste of the Eiffel Tower and the colored sections of the medieval stained-glass windows of Saint-Chapelle. About the Notre Dame gargoyles, which has embedded its stone appearance in the glass face of Defance, about the humpbacked lanes of Montmartre, the vast Louvre bays, the crisp Mont Blanc air, and the warm aromatic pastries and coffee from Parisian boulevards.
Until recently, the average French hotels were not 5*, the maximum was 4* luxury. In 2009, the local government justified a fully accelerated reduction by introducing the five-star official category. It is better to forget about the existence of the 1* hotels (as well as 2*), 3* hotels also received large variations that take place. The best of them may well add to the European 4*. Prices for a quiet double room in a decent block of Paris start at EUR 75. Also in the province – EUR 50-60 (this is not about tourist places such as the Côte d’Azur, where prices can easily outshine Paris).
There are two good ways to save on hotels. First, it is always best to book them in a few months: the price difference may vary. Secondly, it makes sense to choose accommodation without breakfast – the same grocery set in the nearest bistro will be cheaper, and the observation of city life and the atmosphere of Paris morning will be a free application.
There are not very many ski resorts in France, most of them are three-, four-storey chalets. The apartments are classified by the usual “stars” from two to four, as well as the semi-official “sun” (Pier Vacance) and “birds” (Mayera). By the way, French hotels sometimes intentionally lower their own star rating – save on taxes
French cuisine with its sophisticated ability to combine the inseparable and consider gastronomic “stuff” in the most inappropriate products certainly deserves close attention. Each region of the country has made a major contribution to the overall culinary treasure trove: the Rhône-Alpes region, for example, is famous for its thin slices of potato, and fondue is prepared in the central Alps. To recover strength after a busy skiing day will help a plate of “bouillabaisse” – Marseille “multifish” soup, which caught on well in the snowy north.
As a rule, lunch time in restaurants is from 12:00 to 15:00, dinners – from 19:00 to 23:00. Other times, they usually offer cold snacks.
France is not only the country of high cuisine with the corresponding figures on the menu. Numerous brasserie and bistro (approximate analogues of our cafes), Creperia (a kind of pancake cafes) and small small Lebanese, Algerian, Chinese restaurants ensure that you do not get hungry. In such institutions, the price tag for a full meal starts from 12-15 EUR per person, the further from the center – the lower.
Cafes and bars on special boards at the entrance usually have two prices: au comptoir (at the counter) and a salle (at the table). The first, of course, is always lower. The cheapest to eat around noon is where restaurants and cafes are open at this time. You can also save money by choosing Menu du jour – an analogue of our comprehensive lunch, with the difference that French establishments offer two or three choices of dishes.
Materials are from the site: tonkosti.ru
Trains are the most popular and convenient way of intercity transport. The French rail system is quite complex, but is controlled by only one company – the National Railway Society (SNCF). For tourists it is convenient because any tickets can be booked on one site.
For distant routes it is better to take the TGV trains – an average speed of 250 km/h allows them to compete on an equal footing with planes. Thalys, Eurostar and Lyria use the same rolling stock and connect France with surrounding countries – from Belgium to Italy. All TGV trains are worth buying in advance: for example, a Paris – Lyon transfer, paid in three months, will cost approximately EUR 29 and three times more expensive at the station.
Intercites trains are a good compromise on price and speed, they are indispensable for long night crossings.
TER trains are analogous to our trains, they are convenient for movement within the department or region.
If you plan to travel a lot in the country, buying a special travel ticket for foreigners France Rail Pass will save significantly (about 20% on average).
The Ouibus bus network is owned by SNCF and allows both bus and coach travel on a single ticket. Prices are significantly lower than rail: for example, the Paris – Lyon route costs from 9 EUR.
Isylines – a local unit of Eurolines, their buses are also always at the service of those wishing to save – the price of the same Paris – Lyon transfer starts from 7 EUR.
Air transport in France is not far behind the land: airports are in the vast majority of large and medium-sized cities. There are a lot of lowoster companies, but there are two the most popular:
Since 1995, every agglomeration with a population of more than 100,000 people has been obliged to design and develop the local transport system itself – hence the staggering variety of modes of transportation in French cities.
Look:
Municipal transport is on the balance of local government, so pricing, discounts, benefits, etc. can vary greatly from one city to another.
In order not to get lost in this diversity, try to find out in advance on the website of your desired city the features of its transportation system. Large cities are often dedicated to separate sites.
If you are lazy to look for information, then this website is dedicated solely to the French transport system, contains a huge database and is able to do the great portion of the work for you.
If you have international driving licenses, you can rent a car. But there are nuances: in modern France, diesel-engine cars have fallen into disrepair, in car fleets there are fewer of them, so it is better to book these cars in advance. The same applies to machines with a box-machine: they are not popular, require an additional tax, so rare and expensive to rent.
Healthy lifestyles should benefit from bicycle rental – for only EUR 1.70 you can access the service per day (credit card details and a EUR 150 guarantee deposit are required). Similar services are available in all major cities of the country.
This method is also good because it is “shareware”: the first half an hour will cost you 0 EUR, and the next half an hour for 1 EUR does not greatly strain the wallet.
21st century method – renting an Electric Car. In order to get new impressions and at the same time to save money, the procedure must be prepared in advance: first register on the system site (attach a credit card and send a copy of your passport and driver’s license via e-mail). If the validation was successful, you will receive a corresponding message and an individual participant number will be assigned. Then, already in Paris, you will need to obtain a membership card at one of the parking lots of electric vehicles. The Autolib network is rapidly expanding from Paris to the Ile-de-France region, so this option is very convenient for exploring the suburbs of the capital. Similar services have already been launched in Lyon, Bordeaux and Arcachon.
This is the most convenient but also the most expensive way: in addition to the inhumane price per kilometer (from 1.04 to 1.60 EUR, depending on the tariff period), you will have to pay the cost of boarding (from 3.80 EUR), each additional luggage space (as a rule, equals to the cost of a kilometer) and the fare of an additional passenger, if there are four of you (and in this case the taxi driver has the right to refuse the trip). If the car is stuck in a traffic jam, the hourly rate (from EUR 0.50 per minute) applies.
Limoges (85.00km)
Bourges (95.67km)
Châteauroux (74.18km)
Montluçon (34.32km)
Euro, €
AND, BEL, DEU, ITA, LUX, MCO, ESP, CHE
2.64 €
13.00 €
+33
