News from France

Compiled and edited by Mary Gallagher

Euro Busting tips for traveling to France

There is no reason to put off your visit to France when you can use the able assistance of the Maison de la France (MDLF). The French Government Tourist Office offers Americans a variety of ways to easily budget their travel to France in the face of the current exchange rate (at press time 1€ = approximately $1.30.) Consult www.franceguide.com/us.

I've made three trips to France in recent months and would go every month if I could. The Maison de la France provides information for every question you may have.

At www.franceguide.com/us internet users can check a special Deals & Promos section that is dedicated to the latest promotional offers from French travel partners, including car rental specials, seasonal packages and hotel deals.

These website pages also highlight hotel discounts and added-value programs such $1=1€ promotions or hotel groups that guarantee their rates in U.S. dollars. The "Practical Information" section -- along with customs, airline and tour operator information -- also features information on every category of accommodation, including average prices for hotels in Paris and the rest of France. The website also provides visitors with a wealth of information of particular interest to Americans, including a selection of events and major anniversaries, general information on the French countryside and overseas regions, online special interest guides and feature articles from FranceGuide, the MDLF annual travel planner.

MDLF will run over 20 campaigns with U.S. and French travel industry partners offering budget-minded travelers packages and deals for every season. Upcoming promotions will invite Americans to visit France, with a focus on specific activities, special interests and major events. They will include three promotions from the wine regions of France for the spring, summer and fall; gay-friendly France and golf campaigns from April through June; and offers from France's world-class ski resorts in September. Throughout the year Maison de la France will also run good-value dollar deals with partner airlines, tour operators and hotel groups. All campaigns will be accessible from the homepage of the MDLF website and posted on the "Hot Deals" page in the "Deals & Promos" section of the yellow navigation bar. They will also be broadcast, along with other partner packages and specials, in the monthly newsletter "E-News from France."

Actually the low dollar has encouraged hotels and other providers in France to offer some of the best deals ever.

France Certified Travel Agents have successfully completed a comprehensive training course on travel to France and have also been on an educational trip to France, accompanied by Maison de la France. For a list of the 1000 France Certified Travel Agents around the country, check www.franceguide.com/us.

As I always advise in times like this booking an all-inclusive package can save a great deal of money in the long run. Meals are often included, as are many activities, saving on pricey restaurant costs and admission fees to museums and monuments. One should check the websites of airlines flying to France. Most airlines have an affiliated tour operator offering air and land packages to Paris and other French destinations or feature special fares for off-season travel. They include Air France Holidays ( www.airfrance.us), American Airlines ( www.aa.com) and Delta Air Lines ( www.delta.com).

Once you've done the package tour it may be possible to extend your return airline ticket to include a few days of independent exploring.

Another package option is with EuroVacations. Through www.eurovacations.com, travelers can book their airline tickets, hotel accommodations, rail passes, rental cars and even activities in their chosen destination. As products accumulate in the online shopping cart, savings are automatically added - two products earns a 5% discount, three products earns 7% and four or more earns 9%. This can add up to $50-$100 off of the total price of a vacation package.

For the independent traveler, Paris hotels are not as expensive as you might think. The City of Light has over 1,450 hotels -- that's 73,902 rooms that can accommodate guests from the budget-minded to the "devil-may-care" crowd. Budget 2** hotels (561 in all districts of Paris) average 84€ per night (about $110). For the mid-ranger, 3*** hotels (586 properties) average at about 151€ per night (about $198) and high-end 4**** establishments (150 hotels) go for an average of 395€ (about $518). In each category lower prices can be also be found. The convenient Paris Tourist Office online reservation service is posting discounts of up to 50% off at a wide range of hotels.

Hotel prices in the rest of France are on average 25 to 40% lower than in Paris. Hotel associations like the family-friendly Logis de France offer very affordable accommodations in smaller towns and villages throughout France. Logis de France room rates are often less than 90€ ($118) per night. Other hotel associations, like the Relais du Silence and Châteaux & Hôtels de France, offer a broad spectrum of accommodations from more affordable inns to chateau-hotels and castle B&Bs.

Chambres d'hôtes (B&Bs) are another option for saving money in France. Whether in Paris or the French countryside, visitors can stay one, two or several nights in someone's home. As described by Gîtes de France, French-style B&Bs are, "...private homes (farmhouses, traditional stone houses or mas, mansions and châteaux), where you will be welcomed as friends of the family. All properties offer peace and quiet in a relaxed setting, with no more than six bedrooms, to create a restful staging post from which to explore the surrounding area. A full breakfast is always included in the price of an overnight stay, and is an opportunity for you to get acquainted with the local specialties..." Chambres d'hôtes can be found in every region. For details on these and other hotel associations and groups, consult the Maison de la France website at www.franceguide.com/us.

Traveling by train is one of the best ways of traveling through France and after a few days you'll wonder why we can't have this much convenient service all over the US. Rail travel provides a scenic route and door-to-door access to any destination at affordable rates. When booking train travel through Rail Europe, consumers can take advantage of several rail products that promise more bang for the buck - or euro. Rail Europe's France Railpass starts at $229 and includes four days of unlimited train travel in a one-month period. For two or more people who wish to travel together there is the France SaverPass. One of the best Rail Europe values is the France Rail 'n Drive. The basic pass starts at $265 offering two non-consecutive days of rail and two days of Avis car rental with unlimited mileage to be taken within one month. Options include up to three additional rail days and extra car days from $39. Many travelers like to combine their holiday in France with a visit to another country and for that reason Rail Europe created several tempting options - the France 'n Italy Pass, the France 'n Spain Pass, the France 'n Switzerland Pass, and the Easy Day Trip to London. Most passes have money-saving versions for groups, youth and seniors. For information on these passes and specials, visit www.raileurope.com.

When in Paris, the best way to get around is the Métro - well walking is pretty spectacular and the busses are good too. Convenient, quick, safe and clean, Paris has one of the most efficient subway systems in the world. A single ticket is 1.40€ (about $1.85) or there is the option of purchasing a carnet -- a packet of ten tickets for 10.50€ (about $14.00). Those travelers who would like to purchase Métro and other passes should visit the MDLF website for listings of tour operators selling transit and cultural passes. A three-day Paris Visite transit pass (city center bus and Métro pass) purchased in the U.S. starts at $24.99. The Paris Visite cardholder also benefits from special discounts at Canauxrama, Cité des Sciences, Grande Arche de la Défense, Paradis Latin caberet, Auvers-sur-Oise castle and more. Paris Visite is available for one, three or five days.

We used the three day La Carte Musée - Museum Pass on our last visit to Paris. It provides unlimited entrée to Paris museums and monuments opening the doors of 70 Paris museums and monuments inside and outside Paris-the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame, Versailles and other famous sights. La Carte covers your admission for each venue, and you go straight to the head of any line without waiting. You can also revisit your favorite spots as many times as you want, at no extra charge. La Carte passes are valid for 1, 3 or 5 consecutive days. Free entry for children under 18 in most museums, up to 12 years in most monuments.

For more information on traveling to France visit www.franceguide.com/us.

Chirac memorial will be a palace that's fit for a king

Renovation of Louis XIV's court is meant to boost the national ego ... and the president's, too, reports Hugh Schofield in Paris

President Francois Mitterrand had his glass pyramid at the Louvre, his Great Arch at La Défense and his modern opera house at Bastille. Now it is his successor and erstwhile rival Jacques Chirac's turn to bequeath un grand project, and his choice could not reflect more clearly the temperamental difference between the two men.

Shunning the temptation of an innovative personal monument, Chirac has instead decided to restore the shine to France's glorious past - with a £260 million face-lift for the Chateau de Versailles.

The 3 million annual visitors to the Sun King's 17th-century architectural extravaganza would be the first to agree that it is a timely investment. Fabulous the chateau may be as a spectacle, but long queues, shoddy toilets and hopeless information often make what should be the highlight of a tourist's stay in France an uncomfortable act of penance. Not long ago it was reported to huge official embarrassment that the Museum of the History of France, which forms part of the complex, was closed for lack of guards.

According to chief curator Frederic Didier, "the tourism market is increasingly competitive, and so we have to perform better. And despite all we have to offer, we have to admit that the public comes out haggard and exhausted, like a flock of sheep let loose in one of humanity's most celebrated cultural sites."

On top of that there are growing fears for the safety of the chateau, which contains 700 rooms, with more than 2000 windows and 350 chimneys. The whole edifice is heated by a single massive boiler, situated in the basement, which almost exploded 50 years ago and has still not been replaced, and the electric wiring also dates from the first half of the 20th century. The royal opera house, which is the only intact 18th-century theatre in France, is made entirely of wood and is under constant threat of fire during the regular film shoots that take place there.

A conflagration last year that gutted the chateau known as the Versailles of Lorraine - Luneville, in northeast France - was a reminder of how vulnerable many of the country's architectural treasures are. The palace, which was the home of the dethroned king of Poland Stanislas Leszczynski in the 18th century, lost its chapel, grand staircase, ducal apartments, several masterpieces and a priceless collection of military documents, all thanks to a short circuit. More recently several people were injured when a floor collapsed in the Loire Valley chateau of Chambord. Across the nation, according to an official report to the culture ministry this year, some 2767 churches, cathedrals and chateaux are in varying degrees of peril.

Not surprising, then, that the vast bulk of the money to be spent on Versailles in a programme stretching over 15 years will go on basic maintenance. The principle is to return the sprawling chateau as much as possible to the way it would have looked when it was successively home to three French kings - Louis XIV, XV and XVI - and to make sure it is both accessible and safe. Roofs and windows will be replaced, facades cleaned, gardens restored and trees that were ripped up in the devastating storm of December 1999 replanted. But the main attractions, like the Hall of Mirrors, will be little changed, and the only major transformation will be the replacement of a 10ft-high gilded balustrade - the "royal grille" which was melted down during the revolution.

Inside the palace, space will be saved with the transfer of administrative offices to a nearby building called the Grand Commun, which until recently served as a military hospital. This will also house a new research centre as well as part of the enormous collection of 6300 paintings, 2000 sculptures and statues and 15,000 engravings. Gift shops and restaurants will be added, toilets refurbished and access for disabled visitors improved.

Whether or not President Chirac will be around in 2020 to view his completed work is a moot point. He will have to live to be 87 for that. But for a man obsessed with maintaining an image of France's power and pride in the world, the renovation of so historic a symbol is clearly a matter of supreme importance; and if his Grand Versailles can outlast Mitterrand's already crumbling monuments, so much the better.

Reproduced from Scotland's award winning newspaper, The Sunday Herald.
http://www.sundayherald.com
24 October 2004

 


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