France Travel Tips

Social Conventions
Shaking hands and, more familiarly, kissing both cheeks, are the usual forms of greeting. The form of personal address is simply Monsieur or Madame without a surname and it may take time to get on first-name terms. At more formal dinners, it is the most important guest or host who gives the signal to start eating. Mealtimes are often a long, leisurely experience. Casual wear is common. Social functions, some clubs, casinos and exclusive restaurants warrant more formal attire. Evening wear is normally specified where required. Topless sunbathing is tolerated on most beaches but naturism is restricted to certain beaches - local tourist offices will advise where these are. A ban on smoking in workplaces (including airports, railway stations, shops and offices etc) came into force in February 2007. Bars and restaurants have been given until December 2007 to comply with the new law.

International Travel:

Getting There by Air
The national airline is Air France (AF) (website: www.airfrance.com).

Departure Tax
None.

Main Airports
Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) (website: www.adp.fr) is 23km (14 miles) northeast of the city. To/from the airport: Coaches to the city run at least every 20 minutes. Taxis are readily available. Roissybus services operate from the airport to Place de l’Opéra. Air France coaches run to Étoile via Porte Maillot, to Montparnasse via Gare de Lyon and to Orly Airport. Services run every 12 to 20 minutes and take 40 to 50 minutes. The airport is also easily accessible by train on the RER B line or SNCF with connecting ADP shuttle bus. Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, restaurants, bars and car hire.

Paris-Orly (ORY) (website: www.adp.fr) is 14km (9 miles) south of the city. To/from the airport: Coaches and buses run to the city every 12 minutes (journey time - 25 minutes) from outside Orly Ouest. Taxis are available. RER B and C line trains run every 15 minutes via Saint-Michel (journey time - 30 minutes). Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, restaurants, bars and car hire.

Lyon (LYS) (Lyon-Saint-Exupéry) (website: www.lyon.aeroport.fr) is 25km (15 miles) east of the city. To/from the airport: Coaches or taxis are available to the city. Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, restaurants, bars and car hire.

Marseille (MRS) (Marseille-Marignane) (website: www.marseille-provence.aeroport.fr) is 30km (19 miles) northwest of the city. To/from the airport: A coach service departs to the city and taxis are available. Facilities: Banks/bureaux de change, duty-free shops, restaurants, bars and car hire.

Getting There by Water
Main ports:
Atlantic: La Rochelle (website: www.portlarochelle.com): leisure boating.
North Sea: Boulogne (website: www.portboulogne.com): leisure boating and cross channel services; Calais (website: www.calais-port.com): cross-channel services; Le Havre (website: www.havre-port.net): scheduled services and cruise lines to national and international destinations.
Mediterranean: Marseille (website: www.marseille-port.fr): cruises and scheduled services to Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria and Tunisia; Nice: leisure boating and ferries to Corsica (website: www.riviera-ports.com).

The popular Channel passenger services connect the English port of Dover with Calais. Major operators include P&O Ferries (tel: 0870 598 0333, in the UK; website www.poferries.com) and SeaFrance (tel: 0870 443 1653, in the UK; website: www.seafrance.com). In the Mediterranean Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries (tel: (04) 9532 9595; website: www.corsicaferries.com) service Sardinia from the French mainland.

Cruise ships regularly stop at various French ports.

Getting There by Rail
International trains run from the channel ports and Paris to destinations throughout Europe. For up-to-date routes and timetables, contact French Railways (SNCF) (tel: (08) 2588 8088; website: www.sncf.com) or Rail Europe (tel: 0870 537 1371, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk). Eurostar (tel: 0870 518 6186, in the UK; www.eurostar.com) is a service provided by the railways of Belgium, the UK and France, operating direct high-speed trains from London (Waterloo International) to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels (Midi/Zuid). It takes 2 hours 40 minutes from London to Paris (via Lille) and 2 hours 20 minutes to Brussels.

Rail Passes
InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Eurailpass: (website: www.eurail.com) offers unlimited first-class train travel in 17 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months or three months. The Eurailpass Saver ticket offers discounts for two or more people traveling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Flexi allows either 10 or 15 travel days within a two-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five, six, eight or 10 travel days (15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows four to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of nine regions (usually two or more countries). The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia or the Russian Federation.

Getting There by Road
There are numerous and excellent road links with all neighboring countries.

Eurolines (tel: 0870 580 8080, in the UK; website: www.eurolines.com) runs regular coach services from the UK to France. Passes: Travelers can buy a 15- or 30-day pass. 

The Channel Tunnel: Eurotunnel runs shuttle trains for cars, bicycles, motorcycles, coaches, minibuses, caravans and campervans between Folkestone in Kent, UK, with direct road access from the M20, and Calais, with links to the A16/A26 motorway (Exit 13). All road vehicles are carried through the tunnel in shuttle trains running between the two terminals. The journey takes about 35 minutes from platform to platform and around 1 hour from motorway to motorway. Fares are charged according to length of stay and time of year and whether or not you have a reservation. For further information, contact Eurotunnel (tel: 0870 535 3535, in the UK; website: www.eurotunnel.com).

Overview
The following goods may be imported into France without incurring customs duty by passengers 17 years of age or older arriving from non-EU countries:
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco; 1l of spirits over 22%  or 2l of alcoholic beverage up to 22%; 2l of wine; 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract; 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract; medication: quantities corresponding to the needs of the patient; other goods up to the value of €175 (€90 per person under 15 years of age).

Restricted items
(a) Plants and plant products. (b) Meat and meat products from Africa. (c) Pharmaceutical products (except those needed for personal use). (d) Works of art. (e) Collectors’ items and antiques. (f) Gold jewelry: other than personal jewelry below 500g in weight must be declared.

Abolition of duty-free goods within the EU
On 30 June 1999, the sale of duty free alcohol and tobacco at airports and at sea was abolished in all of the original 15 EU member states. Of the 10 new member states that joined the EU on 1 May 2004 and the two states that joined on 1 January 2007, these rules already apply to Cyprus and Malta. There are transitional rules in place for visitors returning to one of the original 15 EU countries from one of the other new EU countries. But for the original 15, plus Cyprus and Malta, there are no limits imposed on importing tobacco and alcohol products from one EU country to another. Travelers should note that they may be required to prove at customs that the goods purchased are for personal use only. Member states may follow the EU’s guide levels of: 10l of spirits; 20l of fortified wine; 90l of wine; 110l of beer; 800 cigarettes; 400 cigarillos; 200 cigars and 1kg of tobacco.

Internal Travel:

Getting Around By Air
The main airline operating connecting towns and cities within France is Air France (website: www.airfrance.com).

Getting Around by Water
State-run car ferries known as ‘BACs’ connect the larger islands on the Atlantic coast with the mainland; they also sail regularly across the mouth of the Gironde. The island of Corsica is served by ferries operated by the Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Mediterranée (SNCM) (tel: (0825) 888 088; website: www.sncm.fr). Services run from Marseille, Toulon and Nice to Ajaccio, Propriano, Porto Vecchio and Bastia on the island.

There are almost 9,000km (5,600 miles) of navigable waterways in France, and all of these present excellent opportunities for holidays. The main canal areas are the north (north and northeast of Paris) where most of the navigable rivers are connected with canals; the Seine (from Auxerre to Le Havre, but sharing space with commercial traffic); the east, where the Rhine and Moselle and their tributaries are connected by canals; in Burgundy, where the Saône and many old and picturesque canals crisscross the region; the Rhône (a pilot is recommended below Avignon); the Midi (including the Canal du Midi, connecting the Atlantic with the Mediterranean); and Brittany and the Loire on the rivers Vilaine, Loire, Mayenne and Sarthe, and the connecting canals. Each of these waterways offers a magnificent variety of scenery, a means of visiting many historic towns, villages and sites and an opportunity to learn much about rural France, at a very leisurely pace.

Cruising boats may be chartered with or without crews, ranging in size from the smallest cabin cruiser up to converted commercial barges (péniches), which can accommodate up to 24 people and require a crew of eight. Hotel boats, large converted barges with accommodation and restaurant, are also available in some areas, with a wide choice of price and comfort. For further information, contact the national or regional tourist board.

Getting Around by Rail
French Railways (SNCF) (tel: (08) 2588 8088; website: www.sncf.com) operates a nationwide network with 34,200km (21,250 miles) of line, over 12,000km (7,500 miles) of which has been electrified. The TGV (train à grande vitesse) runs from Paris to Brittany and southwest France at 300kph (186mph) and to Lyon and the southeast at 270kph (168mph).

The SNCF is divided into five systems (East, North, West, Southeast and Southwest). The transport in and around Paris is the responsibility of a separate body, the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) (tel: (08) 9268 7714; website: www.ratp.fr). This organization provides a fully integrated bus, rail and underground métro network for the capital.  Motorail car sleeper services are operated from Boulogne, Calais, Dieppe and Paris to all main holiday areas in both summer and winter. Motorail information and booking is available from Rail Europe (tel: 08702 415 415, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk).

Rail Passes
France Railpass: valid for three to nine days and offers travel on high-speed TGV services, Corail services and overnight Corail trains across France. A Saverpass can be booked when two to five people travel together. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 0870 837 1371, in the UK; website: www.raileurope.co.uk).

InterRail One-Country Pass: offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month within France. Travel is not allowed in the passenger’s country of residence. Travelers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children’s tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (website: www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail).

Cheap Fares: It is possible to buy various kinds of tickets in France (including Family and Young Person’s Tickets) offering reductions. In general, the fares charged will depend on what day of the week and what time of the day one is traveling; timetables giving further details are available from SNCF offices. 

There is a range of special tickets on offer to foreign visitors; they usually have to be bought before entering France and some are only available in North America; others are unique to Australia and New Zealand. There are also special European Rail and Drive packages. 

Note: It is essential to validate (composter) tickets bought in France by using the orange automatic date-stamping machine at the platform entrance.

Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the right. Motorways (autoroutes) bear the prefix ‘A’; some are free whilst others are toll roads (autoroutes à péage). National roads (routes nationales) are marked ‘N’. Minor roads are maintained by the départements (departments) rather than by the government and are classed as ‘D’ roads.

Coach: Domestic long distances are very limited given the excellent SNCF rail network. In some areas SNCF buses cover unprofitable routes.

Car hire: Available from international  and domestic companies.

Regulations: The minimum age to drive a car in France is 18 and 15 for a motorcycle under 125cc. The minimum age for hiring a car in France ranges from 21 to 25. Speed limits are 50kph (31mph) in built-up areas, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas, 110kph (68mph) on dual carriageways separated by a central reservation, and 130kph (81mph) on motorways. Visitors who have held a driving license for less than two years may not travel faster than 80kph (56mph) on normal roads, 100kph (62mph) on dual carriageways and 110kph (68mph) on motorways. Random breath tests for drinking and driving are common. All passengers must wear seat belts. Under-10s may not travel in the front seat. Drivers must carry a red warning triangle for use in the event of a breakdown. UK drivers must adjust all headlamp beams for rightside driving by use of beam deflectors or (on some cars) by tilting the headlamp bulbholder.

Emergency breakdown service: Tel: 17 (from roadside boxes).

Documentation: A national driving license is acceptable. An international sign, distinguishing your country of origin (eg GB sticker or plate), should be positioned clearly on the vehicle. EU nationals taking their own cars to France are strongly advised to obtain a Green Card. The car’s registration document must also be carried. UK registered vehicles displaying Euro plates (circle of 12 stars above the national identifier on a blue background) no longer need a GB sticker when driving in EU countries.

Getting Around Towns and Cities
Urban public transport is excellent. There are comprehensive public transport systems in all the larger towns and cities. 

Paris: RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) controls the underground (métro), rail (RER) and bus services in and around Paris. The public transport network is split into several different fare zones and a single ticket will allow travel on any of the systems within that zone (although interchange is only permitted on the métro and RER, and not on buses). Other useful transport links provided by the RATP include Orlybus and Roissybus (special airport buses), Orlyval (rail service linking RER stations of Antony and Orly airport) and Montmartre funicular (special railway connecting the foot of Montmartre to the top, near the Sacré-Coeur church). For the Orlybus and Roissybus travelers need a special ticket which is on sale on buses and airport terminals. The Metro was built during the Paris Exhibition in 1900. Its dense network of 14 lines in the central area makes the métro the ideal way to get about in Paris. The RER (fast suburban services) operate five main lines connecting most areas of the capital. There is also an extensive network of conventional suburban services run by French Railways (SNCF), with fare structure and ticketing integrated with the other modes of public transport. A comprehensive bus network operates within the city and taxis are reliable if expensive. 

Other cities: There are tramways, trolleybuses and an underground in Marseille; trolleybuses, an underground and a funicular in Lyon; and a tramway and automated driverless trains in Lille. There are tramway services in St Etienne, Nantes and Grenoble and trolleybuses in Limoges and Nancy. The systems are easy to use, with pre-purchase tickets and passes. Good publicity material and maps are usually available.

Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Paris to other major cities and towns in France.

	Air	Road	Rail
Lyon	1.05	5.30	2.00
Marseille	1.15	10.00	3.10
Bordeaux	1.05	6.30	3.25

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