Page 373 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

PR A C TIC AL INFORM A TION  371

The TGV
Trains à Grande Vitesse, or TGV
high-speed trains, travel at
speeds up to 300 km/h
(186mph). Paris is the nucleus
for the TGV network and it is
possible to connect from the
Eurostar to TGVs serving
150 destinations in France as
well as Switzerland, Germany
and Northern Europe. All of
France’s major cities can be
reached by TGV and the number
of stations is growing all the
time, making this an ever-more
convenient form of transport
(see pp372–3).
A high-speed TGV train

they take 4¼ hours. Condor the UK, Italy and Portugal. A of central Paris to find the
Ferries run between Poole and low-cost alternative is Ouibus, closest corresponding porte. For
St-Malo, taking about 6 hours. run by French railway company example, a motorist who wants
From Portsmouth, Brittany SNCF, which connects Paris to to get to the Arc de Triomphe
Ferries take 6 hours to travel to destinations all over France and should exit at Porte Maillot.
Caen, and 11 hours overnight to to London, Brussels, Amsterdam, For the uninitiated, driving
St-Malo. DFDS Seaways also Milan and Barcelona. A coach to the centre of Paris in heavy
runs ferries from Portsmouth to journey from London to Paris traffic and then parking can be
Le Havre in 5½ hours. Driving to takes between 8 and 9 hours. a difficult experience (see p381),
Paris from Cherbourg takes Paris is an oval-shaped city. which is why public transport
4–5 hours; from Dieppe or Le It is surrounded by an outer is a more appealing option
Havre, about 2½–3 hours; and ring road called the Boulevard (see pp374–80).
from Calais, 2 hours. Périphérique. All motorways
leading to the capital link in
to the Périphérique, which
Arriving by Road
separates the city from the
The main coach operator to suburbs. Each former city gate,
Paris is Eurolines, based at the called a porte, now corresponds
Gare Routière Internationale to an exit from (or entrance to)
above the Gallieni Metro station the Périphérique. Arriving
in eastern Paris. Its coaches motorists should take time
travel from Belgium, Holland, to check their destination A long-haul international
Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, address and consult a map Eurolines coach
DIRECTORY
Arriving by Rail Condor Ferries 93541 Bagnolet. Discount Travel
Eurostar Tel 0845 609 1024. Tel 0892 899 091. Agencies
Tel 03448 224 777 (UK), ∑ condorferries.co.uk Victoria Coach Station, Directours
08 92 35 35 39 (France). DFDS Seaways London SW1.
∑ eurostar.com Tel 0871 781 8178 (UK). Tel 01 45 62 62 62.
Tel 0871 574 7235 (UK). ∑ directours.com
Rail Europe ∑ dfdsseaways.co.uk ∑ eurolines.com
∑ raileurope.com Eurotunnel Havas Voyages
SNCF & TGV P&O Tel 0844 33 35 35 (UK), Tel 01 73 26 96 41.
Tel 3635. ∑ sncf.com Tel 0800 130 0030 (UK). 08 10 63 03 04 (France). ∑ havas-voyages.fr
or voyages-sncf.com ∑ poferries.com ∑ eurotunnel.com Jet Tours
(travel agency). Tel 08 20 83 08 80.
Arriving by Road Ouibus
Arriving by Sea ∑ ouibus.com ∑ jettours.com
Brittany Ferries Eurolines Traffic Reports Nouvelles Frontières
Tel 0330 159 7000 (UK). Gallieni Metro station, around Paris Tel 08 25 00 07 47.
∑ brittany-ferries.co.uk Ave de Général de Gaulle, ∑ sytadin.fr ∑ nouvelles-frontieres.fr

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