Page 217 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide: Great Places to Stay in Europe

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F R A N C E 2 17

half; the Dordogne graces where you can call first and
Bergerac and then, like the pay afterwards.
Garonne, empties into the All French telephone
Gironde estuary near numbers have ten digits:
Bordeaux, where the great a two-figure area prefix,
wines of the Médoc, St followed by an eight-digit
Émilion, Pomerol and number. If phoning from
Graves are produced. From within France, always
east of the Burgundian include the full area prefix.
capital of Beaune, the Saône To phone France from the
flows almost due south UK, dial 00 33, then the
through the Mâconnais to phone number, omitting the
join the Rhône, which itself initial zero from the area
continues south through the prefix; from the US, 011 33.
rich red wine-producing
areas between the cities of Public holidays 1 January;
Lyon and Avignon. Château de Noirieux, page 239 Easter Sunday and Monday;
Ascension Day (sixth
BEDROOMS AND over to the European euro Thursday after Easter);
BATHROOMS (written ‘EUR’), made up of Whit Monday (second
100 cents. Monday after Ascension
NLESS OTHERWISE Day); 1 May; 8 May; 14 July;
Uspecified, a double Shops Food shops tend to 1 November; 11 November;
room has a double bed open at about 7am, close 25 December.
(grand lit). If you want twintt around noon for lunch, and
( (
beds (deux lits) be sure tos reopen in the late afternoon USEFUL WORDS
ask for them – there may be until 7pm. Food shops often
an extra charge. Specify open on Sunday mornings Breakfast Petit déjeuner
clearly if you want your but stay closed on Monday Lunch Déjeuner
own bathroom (avec salle mornings. Other shops Dinner Dîner
de bain en suite).e usually open 9am–6pm Free room? Chambre libre?
Bathrooms may not have a Mon–Sat, and, except for the How much? Combien?
bath (une baignoire). If aee supermarkets and hyper- A single Une chambre pour
shower (une douche) wille markets, take a lunch break. une personne
not do, be sure to say so A double Une chambre
when booking. Tipping A service charge is pour deux personnes
usually added in cafés and
OTHER PRACTICAL restaurants, but most French FRANCE PRICE BANDS
INFORMATION people leave a small tip at
bars and 5 per cent at UR PRICE BANDS refer to
EEKEND WEDDING parties restaurants. Othe price of a standard
Wcan go on very noisily double room in high season
till dawn. It is worth asking Telephoning Phoning including breakfast. (How-
if your booking will abroad from hotels can be ever, French hotels usually
coincide with un mariage – very expensive. Some public quote room prices excluding
and well worth revising telephones take coins, breakfast.)
your plans if it does. others take télécartes (50 or
The national summer 120 unit phonecards from ¡ under 75 EUR
holidays start around 14 July post offices, tabacs and ¡¡ 75–135 EUR
and end on 31 August; if some cafés). Post offices ¡¡¡ 135–200 EUR
possible, avoid travelling have cabines – booths ¡¡¡¡ over 200 EUR
around these dates, for
obvious reasons.
Language Most hotels have
an English-speaker, or can
find one at a pinch, but no
matter how bad your French
is, you will collect some
goodwill by attempting to
use it. If you are visiting
Alsace-Lorraine, and you
don’t know the word in
French, try German.
Currency Until recently,
the French franc. From 1
January 2002, France switches Château de Nieuil, at Nieuil page 243, a former royal hunting lodge