France

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Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

Almost all French cities have a public transport network which is safe, and quality is high (as regards frequency, comfort, safety/security, limited risk of accidents, etc.) Where there are only buses in the smallest towns, the biggest cities have trams, metro, buses and self-service bicycles. Using taxis is also very practical. However, they are very difficult to find in rush hours except for people who have a season ticket. The Paris metro is one of the most extensive in the world. In the ranking of the world's 10 best metro systems, it is in 2nd position.

Maps of urban networks

The Paris RATP network (Paris city transport authority)
The Ile de France Transilien train network
The Lyon transport network
The Marseille transport network

Transportation from Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car rental
Paris - Charles de Gaulle/Roissy (CDG)	24km / 15 miles	EUR 50-60 / 45 min	EUR 14 - EUR 6.15 / 35-60 min	EUR 8.10 / 50 min	Available
Paris - Orly (ORY)	14km / 9 miles	EUR 35-55 / 20-35 min	EUR 9 / 20-30 min	EUR 7.20, EUR 9.30 + RER ticket / 40-50 min	Available
Marseille - Provence (MRS)	21 km / 13 miles of Marseille or Aix-en-Provence	EUR 40-50 / 30 min	EUR 8.5-7.5 / 25-30 min		Available
Lyon - St Exupéry (LYS)	19 km / 12 miles	EUR 40-50 / 30-40 min	EUR 8.40 / 45 min		Available
Lille - Lesquin (LIL)	8 km / 5 miles	EUR 15 / 12-20 min	EUR 4.6 / 20 min		Available
Nice - Côte d'Azur (NCE)	4 km / 7 miles	EUR 20-30 / 15 min			Available
Toulouse - Blagnac (TLS)	8 km / 5 miles	EUR 20-25 / 10-20 min	EUR 4 / 20 min		Available
Bordeaux - Merignac (BOD)	9 km / 6 miles	EUR 45 / 20-25 min	EUR 6.5 / 30-45 min		Available

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

To travel from city to city the best means of transport is the train. From Paris you should count between 2 and 4 hours to reach other big cities; fares are affordable, the trains comfortable and you arrive directly in the city center.
By plane it is about 1 hour 30 minutes' travel time to go from one end of the country to another.
As soon as you leave the city center, you really need a car to get around.

Rail companies

The SNCF (French national rail company) and its on-line reservation service

Airlines

You can consult the list of airlines banned within the EU. Look also the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

Traveling by your own means in France poses few problems; it is easy to rent a vehicle, the road network is very good and the road sign system is very clear.
The French authorities have set up a large number of speed cameras on the roads to encourage drivers to keep to speed limits. For further information, consult regulations and penalties enforced.
There is a high risk of traffic jams in and around the big cities.

Road maps

Maps of the road network
Map of the motorway network
Motorways and national (main) roads

Find an itinerary

ViaMichelin
Mappy

Different forms of tourism

Historical

40 000 monuments to visit among which 10 000 châteaux, abbeys and manor houses, the landing beaches.....

Cultural

6 000 museums, 1 000 festivals.
Sculptures, Paintings, Theater, Concerts, Cinema, Literature, etc.

Nature

Many protected natural parks. Consult, too, the French Unesco World Heritage Sites.

Religious

Lourdes, Chartres, Lisieux, Mont Saint-Michel

Thermal

Consult the balneology in France website

Beach

The Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the English Channel. 5 500 km of coastline in all.

Winter sports

The Alps have some of the most pleasant (and most expensive) ski resorts in Europe, such as Chamonix. You can ski less expensively in the Pyrenees or the Massif Central.

Outdoor activities

Rambling, mountain biking, rock climbing, mountain climbing, rafting

Shopping

France is well-known for being the greatest destination in the world for shopping as regards fashion (the website of the French Federation of Haute Couture), culinary specialties or wine (The guide to French wines), in small specialized boutiques or in the large department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps), etc.

Tourism organizations

Tourist offices
France Guide

Health and safety

Health precautions

No vaccination is required.

International hospitals

The American hospital in Paris

 

The British hospital at Levallois

For further information on sanitary conditions

Information pages of the Ministry of Health

For further information on safety conditions

The Current Travel Warnings of the US State Department
The advice of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Time difference and climate

Time and time difference

It is %T:%M %A in Paris (GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 in summer)

Summer time period

Summer time from March to October.