Page 425 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

INTERNET ACCESS Eating Price Ranges
¨ Wi-fi (pronounced ‘wee-fee’ in French) is Price indicators refer to the aver-
available at major airports, in most hotels, age cost of a two-course meal, be
and at many cafes, restaurants, museums and it an entrée (starter) and plat (main
tourist offices. course) or main and dessert, or a
¨ Free public wi-fi hotspots are available in cit- two- or three-course menu (pre-set
ies and many towns: Paris alone has 400 public meal at a fixed price).
hotspots in 26 different locations city-wide
(www.paris.fr/wifi), including parks, libraries € less than €20
and municipal buildings. In parks look for a €€ €20–40
purple ‘Zone Wi-Fi’ sign near the entrance and €€€ more than €40
select the ‘PARIS_WI-FI_’ network to connect.
¨ To search for free wi-fi hot spots in France,
visit www.hotspot-locations.com. ¨ Same-sex marriage has been legal in France
¨ Tourist offices is some larger cities, includ- since May 2013.
ing Lyon and Bordeaux, rent out pocket-sized ¨ Gay Pride marches are held in major French
mobile wi-fi devices that you carry around cities mid-May to early July. France Travel Guide INTERNET ACCESS
with you, ensuring a fast wi-fi connection while
roaming the city.
¨ Alternatively, rent a mobile wi-fi device MONEY
online before leaving home and arrange for it
to be delivered by post to your hotel in France ATMs
through HipPocketWifi (http://hippocketwifi. Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) –
com), Travel WiFi (http://travel-wifi.com) or known as distributeurs automatiques de
My Webspot (http://my-webspot.com). billets (DAB) or points d’argent in French –
¨ Internet cafes are increasingly rare; at least are the cheapest and most convenient way
one can usually be tracked down in cities. to get money. ATMs connected to inter-
Prices range from €2 to €6 per hour. national networks are situated in all cities
and towns and usually offer an excellent
exchange rate.
LGBT TRAVELLERS Cash
The rainbow flag flies high in France, a You always get a better exchange rate
country that left its closet long before in-country, but it is a good idea to arrive in
many of its European neighbours. Laissez- France with enough euros to take a taxi to
faire perfectly sums up France’s liberal at- a hotel if you have to.
titude towards homosexuality and people’s
private lives in general, in part because of Credit & Debit Cards
a long tradition of public tolerance towards ¨ Credit and debit cards, accepted almost
unconventional lifestyles. everywhere in France, are convenient, relatively
¨ Paris has been a thriving gay and lesbian secure and usually offer a better exchange rate
centre since the late 1970s, and most major than travellers cheques or cash exchanges.
organisations are based there today. ¨ Credit cards issued in France have embed-
¨ Bordeaux, Lille, Lyon, Montpellier, Toulouse ded chips – you have to type in a PIN to make
and many other towns also have an active a purchase.
queer scene. ¨ Visa, MasterCard and Amex can be used in
¨ Attitudes towards homosexuality tend to shops and supermarkets and for train travel,
be more conservative in the countryside and car hire and motorway tolls.
villages. ¨ Don’t assume that you can pay for a meal or
¨ France’s lesbian scene is less public than its a budget hotel with a credit card – enquire first.
gay male counterpart and is centred mainly on ¨ Cash advances are a supremely convenient
women’s cafes and bars. way to stay stocked up with euros but getting

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