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●  AIRLINES SERVING FRANCE:  Contact Us for the best fares ONLINE! ●  AUTO - CAR HIRE for FRANCE & EUROPE - the best sources for car rental or leases will be found with these European car specialists. ●  BOAT SOURCES include:  Bateaux Mouches, Canal Barges [Péniches] or River     Cruises and England to France Ferries ●  BUSES & MINI BUS TOURS - AIRPORT SHUTTLES [for both tours and airport shuttles]    ●  DRIVING IN FRANCE INFORMATION, be sure to use the France Autoroute planner in French, for English go here [it's free and easy to use]. ●  TAXI information that you should know, directed for Paris ●  TRAIN INFORMATION, SCHEDULES, PURCHASE PASSES: Buy Senior Rail Passes, Youth Passes, Eurail Passes, France Passes, Swiss Passes, Spain Passes, Passes for all of Europe both western and eastern europe  can be found here, for everyone's needs.  Find the EUROSTAR PASSES HERE - mandatory reservations are required for the Eurostar.

We whole heartedly recommend train travel while in France; it's scenic, relaxing and comfortable.  Keep in mind, that for train travel in France, you will need a reservation besides a ticket.  This information is not generally known, and you cannot just buy a ticket and hop on the train.  Travel lightly, because you will be carrying your own bags.  Porters are not readily available to help you.  I learned this the hard way many years ago, trying to carry three cartons of brochures for a show that weighed 35 lbs each!  It was miserable.

However, several French people came to the rescue, so I didn't miss the train.  Trains are on schedule in France [unless they are on strike!].  French people are very nice and willing to help you.  But, don't be demanding, and learn some basic French phrases before you leave, a little French goes a long way.  You can book your train rail passes here for the Eurostar [Chunnel] reservations here.

And, don’t forget that often times you will have to traverse tracks by climbing up and down stairs, crossing over the tracks on pedestrian bridges or under them through tunnels.  Consequently, you can’t use station carts to haul your bags.  Make sure that all your luggage is fitted with wheels.
                   
Book transportation for your trip as far in advance as you can [several months if possible].  Please remember, and I cannot emphasize this enough, book all of your transportation needs before you leave home.  This will save you time and money, and enable you to enjoy your trip to it's fullest.  Booking at the last minute in France will be a hassle, it will cost you your valuable vacation time, and you most likely
won't get the selections that you would like. 

Always find out about stations where you will be getting off the train before getting to that station.  I remember that I once took the TGV [Train de Grande Vitesse – the French bullet train] from Nice to Aix-en-Provence.  I was asleep when we entered the Aix station.  After exiting the train I called a taxi, thinking that I was in the center of town.  It wasn’t until we were on the highway to Aix that I found out the TGV Station was located 17.5 km from Aix.  Had I known this, I could have taken a bus for a fraction of the cost.  No one at the Rail Road Station in Nice had mentioned that the TGV Station was situated between Aix and Marseilles.

You should also find out if the train has food service.  Some trains have a mere snack bar while others have an elaborate dining car with excellent food. 

Also be aware that the larger cities have numerous Rail Road Stations.  So, make sure that the train you take goes to the station nearest your destination.  A frequent situation is that you will plan a rail trip where you will have to change trains in some fairly large city.  Beware!  The train you change from may arrive at one station and the other train may leave from another station…and the two stations may be miles apart.

Often times, train cars are split off from the original train and are eventually attached to other trains going to different destinations.  Before boarding a train, make sure you find the specific car that is going to your destination.  The car’s destination is denoted on a small sign on the side of the car.  Your reserved seat will be in that particular car.

I once got on the right train, but the wrong car, in Switzerland.  The train wasn’t crowded and everything was all right until we got to the next station.  When we left that station, we were headed in a different direction, giving me some alarm.  I quickly found the Conductor [le Contrôleur – in French, le Conducteur is the train Engineer] who told me I was sitting in the wrong car.  He stopped the train for me and told me to explain the situation to the Station Master [le Chef de Gare].  The Station Master was delightful and took me to a taxi and told the driver to take me to the next town where I could rejoin the train.  When we got to the station entrance, at the next town, there was a gentleman that called to me when we arrived asking if I was the one they were holding the train for.

On another trip, from Lausanne to Torino, I was sharing a compartment with a couple from New Zealand.  As we were talking, I started telling them why I was going to Torino.  They gasped, saying isn’t this train going to Paris?  I ran to find the Contrôlleur and explained the situation in French.  His eyes lighted up as he told me that there was a station ahead where they normally don’t stop, but he would have the Engineer stop there; he would also call an oncoming train and have it stop there too.  He asked me to have the couple take their luggage to a particular door where he would meet them, after the train stopped, to take them across the tracks to the platform where the oncoming train would pick them up.  When we pulled out of the station, the train to Lausanne was just coming to a stop to pick them up.

Driving in France; If you are planning on driving while you're in France, get ready for your first 'Grand Prix' experience, because that's what it will feel like driving in Paris and around the French countryside.  For people so laid back, their driving is pretty wild, and you'll need to be prepared. Please be sure and check our driving information before you rent or lease a vehicle in France.  Highlight and print a copy of the road signs to take with you, so you don't make a fatal error.
                   
More importantly, you need to know the basic driving rules for France...the driver to the right has the right-of-way.  Whenever you come to a traffic circle [rond-point], keep to the right or you may never exit from it, if there is a lot of traffic.  This will keep you to the right of the rest of the traffic where you will have the right-of-way [priorité à droite].  If you want to see the consequences of not doing this, go to the Arche de Triomphe, at the head of the Champs Élysée in Paris.  You’ll see cars [usually tourists from outside of Europe] that make the full circle many times before escaping.

In Belgium they are very literal about the priorité à droite.  One time I was driving in the inside lane of a six lane street in Liège, in front of the Rail Road Station.  The driver, to my right, kept looking at me.  I knew something was going to happen, but I didn’t know what, so I readied myself to slam on the breaks.  All of a sudden, he sped ahead, signaled for a left hand turn, and did a U turn in front of me.  He had the right-of-way.  Beware!

You also need to know your rights while you are a visitor there.  If you have a traffic accident, you can at least be prepared!If you don't speak French, get an International Driver's License before leaving.  They can be obtained at AAA just click here for a printable application.  Here's driving information for France that you should read, if you're planning on driving in France. 

Be sure to check with your credit card company.  Many banks that issue MasterCard and Visa cover your rental car insurance [which can be a substantial part of the total rental] when you rent the car with their credit card.  Verify that they do this and ask them to send you printed material as to what you have to do to have them cover the insurance.  Also, exactly what their insurance covers, again before you leave home.  And, renting the car before leaving home will save you money and hassles.


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