French Republic
Area: 674,843 sq km
Population: 64,473,140
Population density: 114 per sq km
Capital: Paris
Area: 674,843 sq km
Population: 64,473,140
Population density: 114 per sq km
Capital: Paris
France country information
Passport & visa | Getting there | Cycling & maps | Cost of living | Accommodation | Food | Bike shops | Climate | Distances
Passport & Visa
| Passport Required? | |
|---|---|
| British | Yes |
| Australian | Yes |
| Canadian | Yes |
| USA | Yes |
| Other EU | 1 |
| Visa Required? | |
| British | No |
| Australian | No |
| Canadian | No |
| USA | No |
| Other EU | No |
Passports
Passport valid for at least
three months beyond length of stay required
by all nationals referred to in the chart above
except:
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
(a) 1. EU nationals holding a valid national ID card.
Passport Note
France is a signatory to
the 1995 Schengen Agreement.
Visas
Not required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above for the following
durations:
(a) nationals of EU countries for an unlimited period;
(b) nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA for stays of up to 90 days.
(a) nationals of EU countries for an unlimited period;
(b) nationals of Australia, Canada and the USA for stays of up to 90 days.
Getting there
Getting There by Air
The national airline is Air
France (AF) (
www.airfrance.com
).
Approximate Flight Times
From London
to Paris is 1 hour, and from New York
is 7 hours.
Main Airports
Paris-Charles de
Gaulle (CDG) (
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) ( 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. Air France coaches run to Etoile and Invalides via Montparnasse and to Charles de Gaulle Airport. The Orlyval service also links Orly Airport (sud) and the RER station 'Anthony'. 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) ( 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) ( 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.
Paris-Orly (ORY) ( 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. Air France coaches run to Etoile and Invalides via Montparnasse and to Charles de Gaulle Airport. The Orlyval service also links Orly Airport (sud) and the RER station 'Anthony'. 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) ( 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) ( 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.
Departure Tax
None.
Getting There by Water
Atlantic:
La Rochelle (
www.portlarochelle.com
): leisure boating.
North Sea: Boulogne ( www.portboulogne.com ): leisure boating and cross channel services; Calais ( www.calais-port.com ): cross-channel services; Le Havre ( www.havre-port.net ): scheduled services and cruise lines to national and international destinations.
Mediterranean: Marseille ( www.marseille-port.fr ): leisure boating, cruises and scheduled services to Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria and Tunisia; Nice: leisure boating and ferries to Corsica ( 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; www.poferries.com ) and SeaFrance (tel: 0871 423 7119, in the UK; www.seafrance.com ). In the Mediterranean Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries (tel: (04) 9532 9595; www.corsicaferries.com ) service Sardinia from the French mainland.
Cruise ships regularly stop at various French ports, including Villefranche (for Nice and Cannes) and Marseille.
North Sea: Boulogne ( www.portboulogne.com ): leisure boating and cross channel services; Calais ( www.calais-port.com ): cross-channel services; Le Havre ( www.havre-port.net ): scheduled services and cruise lines to national and international destinations.
Mediterranean: Marseille ( www.marseille-port.fr ): leisure boating, cruises and scheduled services to Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria and Tunisia; Nice: leisure boating and ferries to Corsica ( 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; www.poferries.com ) and SeaFrance (tel: 0871 423 7119, in the UK; www.seafrance.com ). In the Mediterranean Corsica Ferries/Sardinia Ferries (tel: (04) 9532 9595; www.corsicaferries.com ) service Sardinia from the French mainland.
Cruise ships regularly stop at various French ports, including Villefranche (for Nice and Cannes) and Marseille.
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: (0) 825 888 088 or
3635 from within France;
www.sncf.com
) or Rail Europe (tel: 0844
848 4064, in the UK;
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 (St Pancras International)
to Paris (Gare du Nord) and to Brussels
(Midi/Zuid). It takes 2 hours 15 minutes
from London to Paris (via Lille) and 1 hour 51
minutes to Brussels.
Rail Passes
InterRail:
offers unlimited first- or second-class travel
in up to 30 European countries for European residents.
There are several 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. Travellers 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
(tel: 0844 848 4064, in the UK;
www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail
).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 25 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 travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Global Pass allows travel in 20 countries for a period of 10 days to three-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five to 10 travel days (15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows three to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of 21 'regions' (usually two or more countries). The Eurail One Country Pass is valid in one of 18 countries and allows three to 10 travel days in a two-month period. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group ( www.eurail.com ).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited first-class train travel in 25 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 travelling together. The Eurailpass Youth ticket is available to those aged under 26 and offers unlimited second-class train travel. The Eurailpass Global Pass allows travel in 20 countries for a period of 10 days to three-month period. The Eurail Selectpass is valid in three, four or five bordering countries and allows five to 10 travel days (15 for five countries) in a two-month period. The Eurail Regional Pass allows three to 10 travel days in a two-month period in one of 21 'regions' (usually two or more countries). The Eurail One Country Pass is valid in one of 18 countries and allows three to 10 travel days in a two-month period. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe, Turkey or the Russian Federation. Available from The Eurail Group ( www.eurail.com ).
Getting There by Road
There are
numerous and excellent road links with all neighbouring
countries.
Coach: Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8177; www.eurolines.com ) runs regular coach services from the UK to France. Passes: Travellers can buy a 15- or 30-day pass, offering unlimited travel between 40 cities.
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; www.eurotunnel.com ).
Coach: Eurolines (tel: 0871 781 8177; www.eurolines.com ) runs regular coach services from the UK to France. Passes: Travellers can buy a 15- or 30-day pass, offering unlimited travel between 40 cities.
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; www.eurotunnel.com ).
Cycling & Maps
You can't beat Michelin when it comes to mapping
out France!
Michelin France (spiral) scale: 1:250,000
Every road in France is included! They have reduced the page size in this edition to make it easier to use. We actually bought the France, Spain/Portugal and Italy Michelin maps before we left and put them all together in one book. Knowing which route we were going to take, we didn't need all the pages and/or the search section. We made one decent size book out of it!
Spiral books are very handy for cyclists. Why? You can tear out the pages you need without ruining the rest of the book and put them in your map holder one at a time. Done with a page? Throw it and loose weight/space while you go.
Cost of living
all prices in Euros
(EUR)
| drinks and snacks | food: local markets; restaurants; and stores | ||||
| water (mineral) water juice juice soft drink (can) soft drink (bottle) |
1.5 litre 5 litre 3 x 200ml 1 litre 300ml 1.5 litre |
0.15 0.90 0.70 0.90 0.60 0.50-1.75 |
bread loaf-white bread loaf-whole grain baguette 250g pain parisien brioche loaf croissant |
600g 750g each 400g 500g each |
2.40 3.20 0.50-0.90 0.60-1.20 1.75-2.50 0.75 |
| french fries - small falafel, fries and salad vegetarian couscous ready-made soup pizza-takeaway |
one serving one serving one serving 1 litre med |
2.50 4-6.00 4-5.00 0.95 5.00 |
|||
| beer- local beer- boutique can beer - boutique wine - table wine |
250ml 500ml 750ml 750ml 750ml |
0.50 1.25-1.75 2.25-3.75 1.50+ 3.00+ |
|||
| tea coffee (cafe / bar) Nescafe instant coffee-ground-organic |
25 bags per cup 50g 250g |
2.20 1.50+ 1.90 2.00+ |
rice (white) pasta eggs eggs - bio tomato paste - tin |
kg 500g per 10 per ½ dozen 140g |
1.90 0.50 1.00 1.75-2.50 0.40 |
| milk yoghurt / curd cheese- goats cheese-emmental cheese - comte cheese - brie olives Magnum icecream |
1 litre 400g 200g kg kg 200g 160g each |
1.45 1.55 1.20+ 6.50+ 10-20.00 1.20+ 0.55 2.00+ |
potatoes onions carrots tomatoes mushrooms- white green beans courgette aubergine |
kg kg kg kg 250g kg kg kg |
1.30 2.40 0.80 1.20 1.00+ 2.50 2.20 2.40 |
| chips tortilla chips pretzels salted peanuts pistachio nuts raisins-sultanas |
150g pack 200g 300g 250g 250g 250g |
0.90 1.00 1.50 0.50 1.75 1.25 |
apples oranges bananas cantalope (in season) pears figs |
kg kg kg each-small kg kg |
2.00 2.50 0.90-1.50 1.00 2.00 4.50 |
| cornflakes chocolate museli bars biscuits-plain biscuits-chocolate |
375g pack 100g block 6 x 25g 200g pack 200g pack |
2.90 0.85 1.50 0.50 1.00 |
pineapple (can) oil (corn) oil (olive) - organic |
500g can 500ml 500ml |
1.20 1.35 3.50 |
| peanut paste honey jam |
350g jar 500g 400g jar |
3.50 3.50 1.40 |
|||
| accommodation | personal | ||||
| budget city hostel budget city hotel |
14-19.00 per dorm bed 60.00 double with ensuite |
deodorant - roll-on soap shampoo toothbrush toothpaste disposable razor toilet paper |
50ml 120g bar 200ml each 100ml 5 pack 6 pack |
2.50 0.70 2.00 1.40 2.20 4.20 2.00 |
|
| gite eurocamping 1 star wild camping |
45-50 per couple with breakfast 10.00 per tent with 2 persons yes, but ask first |
||||
| internet | 4.00+ per hour | ||||
*
tba = price to be announced * October 2010: at time of writing 1.00 USD = 0.79 EUR all prices have been taken from internet resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of course our own travel experiences and purchases of everyday products in food markets, bazaars and local shopping facilities. They are only an indication and designed to give you a general impression of the cost of living in France. Items are geared towards the budget conscious traveller with an occasional craving for a bit of luxury. |
Source:www.exchange-rates.org |
A couple of extra tips:
* Prices in French
stores and supermarkets are fixed. However, when
parting with a sizeable amount of cash or buying
in bulk, it never hurts to ask for a discount.
* Tipping over and
above the usual automatic service charge in France
is left entirely up to your own discretion.
* Taxis
fares are fixed by metred rates and drivers do
not expect a tip, though it is not uncommon to
round the fare up to the nearest euro.
Accommodation
Cycling is extremely popular in Paris and the cheap hotels in Paris are well located if you want to join in the city’s Velib bike rental scheme. Just 10m from a Velib station you’ll find the warm and welcoming Hotel Regence. You’ll find the Moulin Rouge just around the corner and plenty of restaurants, brasseries, cinemas, pubs, nightclubs and theatres nearby. As well as a comfy bed in your room you’ll also have wi-fi access, room service and a mini bar to enjoy. Private rooms from €47pppn.
The city’s hoteliers and hosteliers are well aware of the city’s status as a mecca for cyclists. Some hostels in Paris, like Paris’ Caulaincourt Square Hostel, offer cycle rental from the front desk. Stay at this hostel and you’ll be located right in the heart of bohemian Montmartre, not far from Le Sacre Coeur. You’ll also be cycling around the well-trodden stomping ground of the likes of Picasso, Modigliani, Brancusi, Juan Gris and Appolinaire. Private rooms start from €29pppn.
In Chamonix the Chalet les Frenes has free bike hire for you to explore the local tranquil Hamlet of Les Bossons. The typical Alpine chalet has 6 large bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a kitchen. Its location in the Chamonix Valley makes it perfect for outdoors enthusiasts with glaciers, meadows, forests and streams nearby. You’ll also get a free breakfast and hot tub in with the price. Privates start from €24.10pppn.
In Marseille you’ll love the Hello Marseille Hostel. It’s located in the central Vieux Port area near to pubs and historical naval monuments and is only a 5-minute cycle from the beach. It’s located in a typical 19th century Haussmanian building with a marble floor, a high moulded roof and large rooms. You’ll get free wi-fi, a free breakfast, a kitchen and a cool lounge to chill out and meet other cycling travellers. Dorms start €17pppn.
If you're
looking for a campsite in France, this site lists them
all! 11000 or so, categorised by region, stars etc:
Campsites.hpaguide
Cyclo-Camping-International
CCI
