Page 427 - Lonely Planet France’s Best Trips (Travel Guide)

cially at airports or train stations: suspicious ¨ Break-ins to parked cars are a widespread
objects may be summarily blown up. In large problem. Never, ever leave anything valuable –
museums and monuments, it is fairly rou- or not valuable – inside your car, even in the
tine for bags to be checked upon entering. boot (trunk).
Hunting season runs from September
to February. If you see signs reading ‘chas- ¨ Aggressive theft from cars stopped at red
seurs’ or ‘chasse gardée’ strung up or lights is occasionally a problem, especially in
tacked to trees, think twice about wander- Marseille and Nice. As a precaution, lock your
ing into the area. As well as millions of wild car doors and roll up the windows.
animals, some 25 French hunters die each
year after being shot by other hunters.
Hunting is traditional and commonplace
in all rural areas in France, especially the TELEPHONE
Vosges, the Sologne, the southwest and
the Baie de Somme. ¨ French mobile phone numbers begin with
%06 or % 07.
Natural Dangers ¨ France uses GSM 900/1800, which is com-
¨ There are powerful tides and strong under- patible with the rest of Europe and Australia
tows at many places along the Atlantic Coast, but not with the North American GSM 1900 or France Travel Guide TELEPHONE
from the Spanish border north to Brittany and the system in Japan (though some North Amer-
Normandy. icans have tri-band phones that work here).
¨ Only swim in zones de baignade surveillée ¨ Check with your service provider about
(beaches monitored by life guards). roaming charges – dialling a mobile phone from
a fixed-line phone or another mobile can be
¨ Be aware of tide times and the high-tide incredibly expensive.
mark if walking or sleeping on a beach. ¨ It is usually cheaper to buy a local SIM card
¨ Thunderstorms in the mountains and the from a French provider such as Orange, SFR,
hot southern plains can be extremely sudden Bouygues and Free Mobile which gives you a
and violent. local phone number. To do this, ensure your
¨ Check the weather report before setting phone is unlocked.
out on a long walk and be prepared for sud- ¨ If you already have a compatible phone, you
den storms and temperature drops if you are can slip in a SIM card (from €3.90) and rev it up
heading into the high country of the Alps or with prepaid credit, though this is likely to run
Pyrenees. out fast as domestic prepaid calls cost about
¨ Avalanches pose a significant danger in the €0.50 per minute.
French Alps. ¨ Recharge cards are sold at most tabacs
(tobacconists/newsagents), supermarkets
Theft and online through websites such as Topengo
Pickpocketing and bag/phone-snatching (www.topengo.fr) or Sim-OK (https://
(eg in dense crowds and public places) are recharge.sim-ok.com).
as prevalent in big French cities – Paris,
Marseille and Nice in particular – as in
other cities in Europe. There’s no need
whatsoever to travel in fear. A few simple TOURIST INFORMATION
precautions will minimise your chances of
being ripped off. Almost every city, town and village has an
office de tourisme (a tourist office run by
¨ On trains, avoid leaving smartphones and some unit of local government) or syndi-
tablets lying casually on the table in front of cat d’initiative (a tourist office run by an
you and keep bags as close to you as possible: organisation of local merchants). Both are
luggage racks at the ends of carriages are easy excellent resources and can supply you
prey for thieves; in sleeping compartments, with local maps as well as details on ac-
commodation, restaurants and activities.
lock the door carefully at night. If you have a special interest such as walk-
¨ Be especially vigilant for bag/phone ing, cycling, architecture or wine sampling,
snatchers at train stations, airports, fast-food ask about it.
outlets, outdoor cafes, beaches and on public ¨ Many tourist offices make local hotel and
transport. B&B reservations, sometimes for a nominal fee.

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