France

Getting there & away

If you are doing a lot of travel around Europe, look for discount bus and train passes, which can be conveniently combined with discount air fares.

Sea

Tickets for ferry travel to/from the UK, the Channel Islands and Ireland are available from most travel agencies in France and the countries served. In some cases, return fares cost less than two one-way tickets. Prices vary greatly according to the season and the demand. There are discounts for children.

If you’re travelling with a vehicle, for safety reasons you are usually denied access to it during the voyage.

The Channel Islands

Passenger-only catamarans operated by Hugo Express (France 02 33 61 08 88) link the Channel Islands with two small ports on the western coast of Normandy: Granville and Carteret. Both usually operate between April and September, but services vary depending on the tides, so there may be daily ferries for five days, then a short break in service. The one-way pedestrian fare is around UK£40.

Services to/from St-Malo were undergoing changes at press time; contact the St-Malo Tourist Office for updates.

Ireland

Eurail pass–holders pay 50% of the adult pedestrian fare for crossings between Ireland and France on Irish Ferries (make sure you book ahead).

Irish Ferries (Ireland 0818 300 400, France 01 43 94 46 94; www.irishferries.ie) has overnight services from Rosslare to either Cherbourg (18½ hours) or Roscoff (16 hours) every other day (three times a week from mid-September to October, with a possible break in service from November to February). A foot passenger/car and driver costs from €56/99; bicycles can be taken onboard for free. The €15 booking fee is waived if you book online.

From April to October, Brittany Ferries (Ireland 021-427 7801, France 0 825 828 828; www.brittany-ferries.com) runs a car ferry every Saturday from Cork (Ringaskiddy) to Roscoff (13 hours), and every Friday in the other direction. Foot passengers pay between €146 and €180 for a bunk in an inside, two-person cabin with shower and toilet.

Italy

From late April to mid-October, the Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Méditerranée (SNCM; France 0 825 888 088; www.sncm.fr) has five or six car ferries per week from Marseille or Toulon to Porto Torres on the Italian island of Sardinia (Sardaigne in French). The crossing takes about 11 hours. The one-way adult pedestrian fare is around €118, plus €22 for a bunk in a shared cabin with shower and toilet.

Several ferry companies ply the waters between Corsica and Italy.

North Africa

SNCM and Compagnie Tunisienne de Navigation (CTN; www.ctn.com.tn) link Marseille with the Tunisian capital, Tunis (about 24 hours, three or four a week). The standard adult fare is €276 one way for a seat, plus an additional €12 to €43 for a cabin. There are discounts for seniors and those under 25. In France, ticketing is handled by SNCM, which also links Marseille with Algiers (Alger in French; Algeria).

Two Moroccan companies, Comanav (www.comanav.co.ma in French) and Comarit (www.comarit.com in French) link Sète, 26km (20 minutes by train) southwest of Montpellier, with the Moroccan port of Tangier (Tanger; 36 hours, once or twice weekly). Fares start from €250 one way. Discounts are available if you’re aged under 26 or in a group of four or more. In France ticketing is handled by SNCM (Sète 04 67 46 68 00).

Spain

If you’re travelling between England and southwestern France, a couple of ferry services to/from nearby northern Spain are worth considering.

P&O Ferries (UK 0870 5980 555, France 0 825 013 013; www.poferries.com) links Portsmouth with Bilbao (Santurtzi port, 35 hours including two nights to Bilbao, 29 hours including one night from Bilbao), about 150km west of Biarritz, twice a week (once a week from late October to late March; no services from early January to early February). A one-way pedestrian ticket including a mandatory sleeping berth costs around €185.

From mid-March to mid-November, Brittany Ferries (UK 0870 3665 333, France 0 825 828 828; www.brittany-ferries.com) runs twice-weekly car-ferry services from Plymouth to Santander (24 hours), which is around 240km west of Biarritz. Foot passengers pay around €90 one way including a mandatory reclining seat.

The UK

Fares vary widely according to seasonal demand (July and August are especially busy and the time of day (a Friday night ferry can cost much more than a Sunday morning journey; the most expensive tickets can cost almost three times as much as the cheapest ones. Three- or five-day excursion (return) fares generally cost about the same as regular one-way tickets; special promotional return fares, often requiring advance booking, are sometimes cheaper than a standard one-way fare.

Check out Ferry Savers (0870 9908 492; www.ferrysavers.com), which guarantees the lowest prices on Channel crossings. Ferry companies may try to make it hard for people who use super-cheap, same-day return tickets for one-way passage; a huge backpack is a dead giveaway.

Eurail passes are not valid for ferry travel between the UK and France. Transporting bicycles is often (but not always) free.

To Brittany

From mid-March to mid-November, Plymouth is linked to Roscoff (six hours for day crossings, one to three per day) by Brittany Ferries (UK 0870 3665 333, France 0 825 828 828; www.brittany-ferries.com). The one-way fare for foot passengers ranges from UK£23 to UK£73.

Brittany Ferries also links Portsmouth with St-Malo (8¾ hours for a day crossing, one per day). Pedestrians pay from UK£48 one way; a reclining seat (UK£5) or cabin is mandatory for overnight sailings.

From April to September, Condor Ferries (UK 0870 243 5140, France 02 99 20 03 00; www.condorferries.com) has at least one daily ferry linking Weymouth with St-Malo (UK£41, seven to 10 hours).

To far northern France

The Dover–Calais crossing is handled by SeaFrance (UK 0870 5711 711, France 0 804 044 045; www.seafrance.com; 70min-1½hr; 15 daily). Foot-passenger fares start at UK£6 to UK£12 return. Fares for a car and up to nine passengers cost from UK£24 to UK£45 one way. P&O Ferries (UK 0870 5980 555, France 0 825 013 013; www.poferries.com; 1-1½hr; 29 daily) also operates a Dover–Calais service starting from UK£25 including a small car.

Ferries run by Norfolk Line (UK 0870 8701 020, France 03 28 28 95 50; www.norfolkline.com) link Loon Plage, about 25km west of Dunkirk (Dunkerque), with Dover from UK£19 one way for a vehicle and up to nine passengers, while Speed Ferries (UK 0870 2200 570, France 03 21 10 50 00; www.speedferries.com) offers an ultramodern, ultrafast catamaran service between Boulogne and Dover from UK£19 one way for a vehicle and up to five passengers (50 minutes, five daily).

To Normandy

Transmanche Ferries (UK 0 800 917 1201, France 0800 650 100; www.transmancheferries.com) operate the Newhaven–Dieppe route. The crossing (up to three daily) takes four hours. A one-way foot-passenger fare starts at UK£12; the one-way fare for a car and two adults starts from UK£33.

There’s a 4¼-hour crossing (two or three per day) from Poole to Cherbourg with Brittany Ferries (UK 0870 3665 333, France 0 825 828 828; www.brittany-ferries.com). Foot passengers pay from UK£48 one way.

On the Portsmouth–Cherbourg route, Brittany Ferries and Condor Ferries have two or three car ferries a day (five hours by day, eight hours overnight) and, from April to September, two faster catamarans a day. Foot passengers pay from UK£38 one way.

Brittany Ferries also has car-ferry services from Portsmouth to Caen (Ouistreham; six hours, three per day). Tickets cost the same as for Poole–Cherbourg.

LD Lines (UK 0870 428 4335, France 0 825 304 304; www.ldlines.co.uk) offers an afternoon service from Le Havre to Portsmouth (7½ hours, from UK£9.90), and an overnight crossing in the opposite direction.

The USA, Canada & elsewhere

The days when you could earn your passage to Europe on a freighter are long gone, but it’s still possible to travel as a passenger on a cargo ship from North America (and ports further afield) to France’s Atlantic Coast. Expect to pay from around UK£70 per day. Such vessels typically carry five to 12 passengers (more than 12 would require a doctor on board). Good websites:

The Cruise People (www.cruisepeople.co.uk) In the UK.

Freighter World Cruises (www.freighterworld.com) In the USA.

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Land

Bus

Buses are slower and less comfortable than trains, but are cheaper, especially if you qualify for discount rates (people under 26, over 60, teachers and students) or get one of the reduced-price fares sometimes offered.

Busabout

From May to October, the London-based Busabout (UK 0207 950 1661; www.busabout.com) links 36 European cities in 11 countries. Within France the buses stop at Bordeaux, Tours, Paris, Avignon and Nice. There are two types of pass available:

Flexipass Allows for a set number of stops within the entire six-month operating season; additional stops can be purchased onboard, but each sector can only be travelled once. A six-stop pass costs UK£225; additional stops cost UK£25.

Busabout Pass Allows for use of the bus system within a regional ‘loop’ throughout the whole six-month season. France is situated in the Western loop and the pass costs UK£275.

You can hop on or off the buses as you like (buses generally travel every other day within the season), and can pay extra for additional links to places like Croatia and Morocco. Onboard guides can take care of hostel reservations or you can book ahead online – in many places the pick-up/drop-off point is a central hostel. For information and bookings, check out Busabout’s website.

Intercars

French coach company Intercars (08 92 89 80 80; www.intercars.fr in French) links France with cities throughout Europe, notably Eastern Europe and Russia. The office in Paris (01 49 03 40 63; paris@intercars.fr; 139bis rue de Vaugirard, 15e; Falguière) links with European destinations such as Prague (€56, 16 hours) and Warsaw (€90, 28 hours). From Lyon (04 78 37 20 80; lyon@intercars.fr; Perrache bus station) you can reach Naples, Porto, Minsk or Zagreb. From Nice (04 93 80 08 70; nice@intercars.fr; Nice bus station) you can reach San Sebastian, Casablanca and Venice.

You can reserve by emailing the agency closest to your place of departure.

Car & motorcycle

Arriving in France by car is easy to do. At some border points you may be asked for passport or identity card (your driver’s licence will not be sufficient ID). Police searches are not uncommon for vehicles entering France, particularly from Spain and Belgium (via which drugs from Morocco or the Netherlands can enter France).

Eurotunnel

The Channel Tunnel, inaugurated in 1994, is the first dry-land link between England and France since the Ice Age.

High-speed Eurotunnel shuttle trains (UK 0870 5353 535, France 03 21 00 61 00; www.eurotunnel.com) whisk cars, motorcycles and coaches from Folkestone through the Channel Tunnel to Coquelles, 5km southwest of Calais, in air-conditioned and soundproofed comfort. Shuttles run 24 hours a day, every day of the year, with up to five departures an hour during peak periods (one an hour from 1am to 5am). LPG and CNG tanks are not permitted, which eliminates many campers and caravans.

Prices start from UK£49 one way for a car including all passengers, unlimited luggage and taxes; discounts for advance bookings are often available on the website. The fee for a bicycle, including its rider, is UK£32 return; advance reservations are mandatory.

Train

Rail services link France with every country in Europe; schedules are available from major train stations in France and abroad. Because of different track gauges and electrification systems, you sometimes have to change trains at the border (eg when travelling to Spain). Many national rail companies are linked to Paris:

Austria (01-93 00 00; www.oebb.at)

Belgium (02-528 28.28; www.b-rail.be)

Germany (0800 1 50 70 90; www.bahn.de)

Italy (89 20 21; www.trenitalia.it)

The Netherlands (06 92 96; www.ns.nl)

Spain (902 24 02 02; www.renfe.es)

Switzerland (0900 300 300; www.sbb.ch)

The Thalys (www.thalys.com) service links Paris’ Gare du Nord to Brussels-Midi (from €74.50, 1½ hours, 20 per day), Amsterdam CS (from €97.50, 4¼ hours, five per day) and Cologne’s Hauptbahnhof (€85.50, four hours, seven per day).

You can book tickets and get information from Rail Europe (www.raileurope.com) up to two months ahead. In France ticketing is handled by the national train network SNCF (0 892 353 535; www.sncf.com). Telephone and internet bookings are possible, but SNCF won’t post tickets outside France.

If you like to travel in style, Elipsos Trenhotel (www.elipsos.com) has ‘train hotels’ complete with an onboard chef-staffed restaurant and luxury facilities operating between many European cities, including a number in France (domestic trips aren’t possible). The fare from Paris to Barcelona costs from €120 for a ‘super reclining seat’ to €353 for a grand class cabin.

A helpful resource is the information-packed website the Man in Seat 61 (www.seat61.com), which lists train timetables and travel tips for France and beyond.

European train passes

These discount passes are worthwhile only if you plan to travel extensively around France and other European countries by train.

A variety of Eurail Passes (www.eurail.com) are available to non-European residents for travel in 17 countries. For people over/under 26, 15 days’ consecutive, unlimited travel costs €588/414; and five days’ travel over a two-month period costs €356/249.

InterRail (www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail) and Eurodomino (www.eurodomino.com) passes are available to European residents. All are valid on the French national train network and allow unlimited travel for varying periods of time.

Eurail and some other train passes must be validated at a train station ticket window before you begin your first journey, in order to begin the period of validity.

Websites that help you work out if a pass will be economical for the itinerary you have in mind include Railkey (www.railkey.com).

Eurostar

The highly civilised Eurostar (France 0 892 353 539; www.voyages-sncf.com; UK 0870 5186 186; www.eurostar.com) whisks you between London and Paris in just two hours and 35 minutes. There are direct daily services between London and Ashford (Kent) and Paris, Brussels, Lille, Parc Disneyland Paris and Calais-Fréthun. A direct seasonal service operates on Saturday from London and Ashford to Avignon (July to early September). Ski trains run on Friday night and Saturday between London and Ashford and the French Alps (December to April).

Eurostar fares vary enormously. A standard 2nd-class one-way ticket from London to Paris costs UK£149; from Paris, the standard fare to London is €223.50. You’ll get the best deals if you book a return journey, stay over a Saturday night, book 14 or seven days ahead, if you’re under 25 or if you’re a student. Student travel agencies may have youth fares not available directly from Eurostar. Eurail pass–holders receive discounts.

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Entering the destination

Entering the country

European integration means you’ll usually cross fluidly between France and other EU countries without passing through customs or border checkpoints. If you’re arriving from a non-EU country, you will have to show your passport (and your visa permit if you need one) or your identity card if you’re an EU citizen, and clear customs.

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Air

Budget carriers account for an increasing share of the flights into France, particularly from other European destinations, resulting in competitive fares from many major airlines.

Airports

France has two major international airports in Paris: Roissy Charles de Gaulle (CDG; 01 48 62 12 12) and Orly (ORY; 01 49 75 15 15), both run by Aéroports de Paris (01 43 35 70 00; www.adp.fr in French).

A number of other airports have significant international services (mainly within Europe):

Bordeaux (BOD; 05 56 34 50 50; www.bordeaux.aeroport.fr)

Lille (LIL; 03 20 49 68 68; www.lille.aeroport.fr)

Lyon (LYS; 0 826 800 826; www.lyon.aeroport.fr)

Marseille (MRS; 04 42 14 14 14; www.mrsairport.com)

Nantes (NTE; 02 40 84 80 00; www.nantes.aeroport.fr)

Nice (NCE; 0 820 423 333; www.nice.aeroport.fr)

Strasbourg (SXB; 03 88 64 67 67; www.strasbourg.aeroport.fr)

Toulouse (TLS; 0 825 380 000; www.toulouse.aeroport.fr)

Some carriers use small provincial airports for flights to/from the UK, continental Europe and, sometimes, North Africa. Smaller airports with international flights include Biarritz, Brest, Caen, Carcassonne, Deauville, Dinard, La Rochelle, Metz–Nancy–Lorraine, Montpellier, Mulhouse–Basel (EuroAirport), Nîmes, Poitiers, Rennes, St-Étienne, and Tours.

Airlines

Most of the world’s major carriers serve Paris at the very least.

Aer Lingus (01 70 20 00 72; www.aerlingus.com; airline code EI; hub Dublin)

Air Canada (0 825 880 881; www.aircanada.ca; airline code AC; hub Toronto)

Air France (0 820 820 820; www.airfrance.com; airline code AF; hub Paris)

Alitalia (0 820 315 315; www.alitalia.com; airline code AZ; hub Rome)

American Airlines (0 810 872 872; www.americanairlines.com; airline code AA; hub Dallas)

Austrian Airlines (0 820 816 816; www.austrianairlines.com; airline code OS; hub Vienna)

BMI BritishMidland (01 41 91 87 04; www.flybmi.com; airline code BD; hub London)

British Airways (0 825 825 400; www.britishairways.com; airline code BA; hub London)

Cathay Pacific (01 41 43 75 75; www.cathaypacific.com; airline code CX; hub Hong Kong)

Continental Airlines (01 42 99 09 09; www.continental.com; airline code CO; hub Houston)

Iberia (0 820 075 075; www.iberia.com; airline code IB; hub Madrid)

KLM (0 890 710 710; www.klm.com; airline code KL; hub Amsterdam)

Lufthansa (0 820 020 030; www.lufthansa.com; airline code LH; hub Frankfurt)

Olympic Airlines (01 44 94 58 58; www.olympicairlines.com; airline code OA; hub Athens)

Qantas Airways (0 820 820 500; www.qantas.com; airline code QF; hub Sydney)

Singapore Airlines (01 53 65 79 01; www.singaporeair.com; airline code SQ; hub Singapore)

South African Airways (01 55 61 94 55; www.flysaa.com; airline code SA; hub Johannesburg)

Thai Airways International (01 44 20 70 15; www.thaiair.com; airline code TG; hub Bangkok)

Tickets

Calling around, checking internet sites, comparing the airline and travel agent prices, and scouring major newspapers’ travel sections can result in significant savings on your air ticket. Start early: some of the cheapest tickets have to be bought well in advance.

Prices quoted in this section (and most advertised fares) don’t include taxes, which will add from around €25 for the shortest hauls to upwards of €120 for long-haul flights – check with the airlines or a travel agent.

Good online agencies for cheap tickets:

Cheap Tickets (www.cheaptickets.com)

Expedia (www.expedia.com) Partnered with French discount site, Anyway (www.anyway.com in French)

Last Minute (www.lastminute.com)

Priceline (www.priceline.com) Bid for a ticket online (USA departures only).

Travel Cuts (www.travelcuts.com)

Travelocity (UK www.travelocity.co.uk; US www.travelocity.com; Asia-Pacific www.zuji.com.au)

Budget carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet have mushroomed across Europe.

Australia & New Zealand

Many major airlines fly to Europe from Melbourne or Sydney. Return tickets to Paris range from A$1950 to A$3000. Fares from Perth are about A$200 cheaper. A return flight from Auckland will cost from around NZ$2300. A round-the-world (RTW) ticket may work out cheaper than a return fare.

Major dealers in cheap fares, with many branches:

Flight Centre (Australia 13 11 31, New Zealand 0800 24 35 44; www.flightcentre.com)

STA Travel (Australia 1300 733 035; www.statravel.com.au; New Zealand 0508 782 872; www.statravel.co.nz)

Canada

From Toronto or Montreal, return flights on Air Canada to Paris are available from about C$750 in low season; prices are around C$200 to C$300 more from Vancouver. Travel CUTS (1 888 359 2887; www.travelcuts.com) has branches across Canada. Transat (www.transat.com) offers travel services and operates low-cost flights between Canada and Europe. Zoom Airlines (www.flyzoom.com) is a popular Canadian budget airline serving France.

Continental Europe

Most European airlines fly into Paris. Air France offers competitive fares on most of its routes, and often good discounts for young people, seniors and couples (married or legally cohabiting).

Denmark

Kilroy Travels (70 80 80 15; www.kilroytravels.com; Skindergade 28, Copenhagen)

STA Travel (33 14 15 01; www.statravel.dk; Fiolstraede 18, Copenhagen)

Germany

STA Travel (030-310 00 40; www.statravel.de; Hardenbergstrasse 9, Berlin)

Italy

CTS Viaggi (06 462 043 116; www.cts.it; Via Genova, Rome)

The Netherlands

Kilroy Travels (020-524 51 00; www.kilroytravels.com; Singel 413, Amsterdam)

ISSTA (020-618 80 31; 226 Overtoom Straat, Amsterdam)

Norway

Kilroy Travels (81 55 96 33; www.kilroytravels.com; Nedre Slottsgate 23, Oslo)

STA Travel (81 55 99 05; www.statravel.no; Karl Johansgate 8, Oslo)

Sweden

Kilroy Travels (0771-545769; www.kilroytravels.com; Kungsgatan 4, Stockholm)

STA Travel (0771-611010; www.statravel.se; Kungsgatan 30, Stockholm)

Switzerland

STA Travel (022-818 02 00; www.statravel.ch; rue de Rive 10, Geneva)

The UK & Ireland

Low-cost carriers offer astounding rates from the UK and Ireland to destinations throughout France, especially to destinations other than Paris. Prices vary wildly from a ridiculously low UK£23 between London and Paris. Aer Lingus flies from Dublin or Shannon to Paris for as low as €28.

Air France and British Airways link cities throughout the UK and France, fares are also often very reasonable.

Look for special deals in the travel pages of the weekend broadsheet newspapers, as well as in Time Out, the Evening Standard and the free magazine TNT.

Recommended travel agencies and online ticket sites:

Cheap Flights (www.cheapflights.co.uk)

Cheapest Flights (www.cheapestflights.co.uk)

Online Travel (www.onlinetravel.com) Good deals on flights from more than a dozen British cities.

STA Travel (0870 1600 599; www.statravel.co.uk)

Usit Voyages (Republic of Ireland 01 602 1904, Northern Ireland 028 90 327 111; www.usitworld.com)

The USA

The flight options across the North Atlantic, the world’s busiest long-haul air corridor, are bewildering. A return flight from New York to Paris costs around US$400/850 in low/high season, but lower promotional fares are often available. Tickets from the west coast are US$150 to US$250 higher.

In addition to major newspapers, independent periodicals such as the San Francisco Guardian and New York’s Village Voice are good places to check for low fares.

There are a number of local travel agencies and online ticket sites:

Expedia (www.expedia.com)

Flight Centre (www.flightcentre.com)

STA Travel (www.statravel.com)

Travelocity (www.travelocity.com)

Stand-by & courier flights

Other rock-bottom options for discounted – and even free – air travel include charter, stand-by and courier flights.

Courier Travel (www.couriertravel.org)

International Association of Air Travel Couriers (www.courier.org)

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