Page 197 - Lonely Planet Europe’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

Hostels New-wave hostels are networks are compatible. Use a
Daily Costs design-driven, lifestyle spaces French SIM card with a French
with single/double rooms as well number to make cheaper calls.
Budget: less than €130 as dorms.
» Dorm bed: €18–30 Hotels Hotels embrace every
» Double room in budget budget and taste. Refuges and Internet Access
hotel: €90 gîtes d’étape (walkers’ lodges) Wi-fi is available at major
» Admission to many attractions for hikers can be found on trails airports, in most hotels, and
first Sunday of month: free in mountainous areas. at many cafes, restaurants,
museums and tourist offices.
» Lunch menus: less than €20 Price ranges refer to a double
room in high season, with private
Midrange: €130–220 bathroom, excluding breakfast: Money
» Double room in a midrange ATMs at every airport, most train
hotel: €90–190 € less than €90 stations and on every second
» Lunch menus in gourmet €€ €90–190 street corner in towns and cities.
restaurants: €20–40 Visa, MasterCard and Amex
€€€ more than €190 widely accepted.
Top end: more than €220
» Double room in a top-end
hotel: €190–350 Arriving in France Tipping
» Top restaurant dinner: Aéroport de Charles de By law, restaurant and bar prices
menu €65, à la carte €100–150 are service compris (ie include a
Gaulle (Paris) 15% service charge), so there’s
Trains, buses and RER suburban no need to leave a pourboire (tip).
Eating trains run to the city centre every
Restaurants & bistros 15 to 30 minutes between 5am Useful Websites
Range from traditional to and 11pm; night buses kick in
contemporary minimalist; urban from 12.30am to 5.30am. Fares French Government
dining is international, rural are €9.75 by RER, €6 to €17.50 Tourist Office (www.france.fr)
dining staunchly French. by bus and €8 by night bus. Flat Sights, activities, transport and
fare of €50/55 for 30-minute taxi special-interest holidays.
Brasseries Open from dawn journey to right-/left-bank central
until late, these casual eateries Paris (15% higher between 5pm Lonely Planet (www.
are great for dining in between and 10am, and Sundays). lonelyplanet.com/france) Travel
standard meal times. tips, accommodation, forum
Cafes Ideal for breakfast and Aéroport d’Orly (Paris) and more.
light lunch; many morph into Linked to central Paris by Mappy (www.mappy.fr)
bars after dark. Orlyval rail then RER (€12.05) Mapping and journey planning.
or bus (€7.50 to €12.50) every
Price ranges refer to the average 15 minutes between 5am and
cost of a two-course meal: Opening Hours
11pm. Or T7 tram to Villejuif-Louis
Aragon then metro to the centre Banks 9am–noon and 2–5pm
€ less than €20
(€3.60). The 25-minute journey Monday to Friday or Tuesday to
€€ €20–40 by taxi costs €35/30 to right-/ Saturday
left-bank central Paris (15% more Restaurants noon–2.30pm
€€€ more than €40
from 5pm to 10am, and Sundays). and 7–11pm six days a week
Cafes 7am–11pm
Sleeping Mobile Phones Bars 7pm–1am
B&Bs Enchanting properties European and Australian phones Shops 10am–noon and 2–7pm
with maximum five rooms. work, but only American mobiles Monday to Saturday
(cells) with 900 and 1800 MHz

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