Le Jour de Merci Donnant

Happy Thanksgiving

Not a French holiday, but the classic description by columnist and humorist Art Buchwald explains it all to our friends in France.

Click here to read and enjoy:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/23/AR2005112302056.html

Ready...

Planning and packing for a long trip isn’t much different than packing for a shorter one, but there are a few extra things to think of when you’re headed across the pond to France.   As I’m getting ready for a long trip of my own,  I thought I’d share some of the things I’ve learned.

Everyone always asks about the best way to deal with money matters.   Here’s my list of things to know:

Notify your bank and credit card companies of your travel plans.

In the interest of fraud protection, you might find your credit or ATM card refused (or swallowed by the machine).  No fun at all. 

Changing money

In France and in much of western Europe, the easiest way to change money is via your ATM card.  It’s also the method with the best exchange rate.  However:

            If your password is a word, memorize the corresponding numbers i.e.  ohno = 6466.   French bank keypads have only numbers, not letters.

            Look for this symbol or one like it to find an ATM machine:

 

Your bank will probably charge a fee to make withdrawals, though some do not – check beforehand to see how much, and what your daily limit is.   French banks have a daily limit of 300 Euros, so even if your limit is higher, that’s all you can get in one day.  Doesn’t matter if it’s a different bank – 300 Euros a day from bank machines is all you’ll get.  Plan accordingly.

A few traveler’s checks as backup doesn’t hurt, but it’s no longer necessary in France.   Places to cash them are getting fewer and fewer, whereas bank machines that take your ATM card are everywhere and function 24/7.

Change a little money into Euros before you go, but wait until you’re in Europe to change large amounts.   You’ll get a much better rate.

Credit Cards

Visa and Mastercard are widely excepted.   Some merchants will not accept American Express, and virtually no one accepts Discover.

If you rent a car, the car rental company will put a hold on your credit card for the amount of the insurance deductible – usually between $500. and $1000.,  possibly more if you rent a luxury vehicle.  It won’t be charged to your card, but it will change your available credit.  Again, plan accordingly.

Carry at least one different credit card than your traveling companion, in case one of you has a problem with your card.

European credit and debit cards operate on a chip and pin technology as yet unused by most American credit card companies (some are just starting to try them out.)   What this means is that your American credit card does not work in many useful machines,   These include:

Ticket machines for train tickdets, metro tickets, bus tickets.

Bike rental in Paris (Velib) and elsewhere in France

Electric car rentals in Paris and Nice

Gas station pumps at automated stations (many have no human attendants after hours)

Machines that will provide cash against your regular Visa or Master Charge card charge exhorbitant exchange rates.   Avoid them.

Likewise, hotels will change money or cash traveler’s checks at very high rates.   Smile and say no thanks unless you’re either desperate or have money to burn.

Lots of money woes can be avoided by prepaying many costs before leaving home.  Hotels, trains, car rentals, guides – all can be prepaid.

Finally, if you are, for some reason, removing more than $10,000. cash from the US, Uncle Sam will want to know. 

E-Vasion by Bike

 

For several years Paris Charms & Secrets  (http://www.parischarmssecrets.com/)  has been running tours of the French capital on electric bicycles.   Their rep once explained to me that it meant that little old ladies could go just as fast as younger people on the tour.  I’m not sure what category he put me in.  

Now there’s an agency in Provence, in the Luberon, offering e-bike rentals and tours, starting from three different villages.   Sun-e-bike has 200 electric bicycles available departing from Bonnieux, Gordes, and Lauris, for 35 Euros a day (insurance is available, as are baby seats, extra batteries, and other items.)   They’re also offering pre-planned itineraries with hotel and transfers.   For Provence lovers, this looks like a great slowed-down way to explore the Luberon, with a little help getting up that hill in Gordes!

Sun-e-bike - http://www.location-velo-provence.com/en/bike-rental/bike-rental_12.2.htm

All That Jazz in Burgundy

 

 The French love jazz and of course, they love wine, so it makes sense to put the two together.   Jazz å Beaune, music and wine festival, takes place on October 18, 19 and 20 this year.  International jazz musicians, young and upcoming talent and oh yes – Burgundy tasting before each performance.   Tickets on sale on the Beaune tourist office site, some free concerts on the first day, jam sessions late into the night on the last.

http://www.beaune-tourism.com/burgundy-news/Jazz-A-Beaune.asp

Fork It Over!

  -->

One of my best discoveries this year was La Fourchette, an online restaurant reservation service in Paris and elsewhere in France.   Available in French (www.lafourchette.com ) or in English (www.thefork.com) , it costs nothing to subscribe and offers a painless way to make sure you’ve got a dinner reservation.

Restaurants are sorted by location, price range, ambiance, and cuisine, so you can pick your neighborhood, your budget or your menu for the evening.   Many of the restaurants offer discounts for booking through the service.   Restaurants are rated, though I take that as I take all ratings, with a healthy bit of skepticism.  You can also preview the menu without doing all that walking.

Paris dominates, but most major cities in France are well-represented, and there’s a good selection in Spain as well.  And no, it’s not every restaurant, but you’ll find plenty of well-known names, along with some more modest ones.

La Fourchette is easy to use – once you subscribe, you can request a reservation for a particular date and time, and receive a comfirmation by e-mail or text.   Only once in a couple of weeks did a restaurant come back unavailable.

Apps available for your iPhone or Android too.   Bon Appetit!

P.S.  No - the fork in the picture's not in France.  Any guesses?

Picking a Paris Apartment

 If you've decided to go the apartment route, especially in Paris, it pays to do your homework.

Picking the Perfect Paris Apartment

 

Picking a Paris apartment requires a bit of reading the fine print, not to mention reading between the lines.   There are wonderful places and less wonderful ones.

Many think that apartments are less expensive than hotels.   If you’re staying at least a week, this is often true.   But like hotels, apartments come in all categories, so a deluxe apartment for three or four days will be comparable in price to a deluxe hotel room, and a budget apartment for a few days will cost about the same as a budget hotel.  In between lie all the varieties of size, location, decoration and amenities.

So what do you have to look for?

Size

The smallest Paris apartments are very very small.  Some are smaller than small Parisian hotel rooms.  Lots of listings give size in square meters.   Pay attention to this.

Size – number of guests

“Sleeps four’ often means that two people get a bedroom and two get the couch in the living room.  This might be perfect for you – or not.  (Sometimes there isn’t really a wall between the bedroom and the living room – it’s just a divided space.).  Check those photos and ask questions.

Size – the building

The listing will tell you if the building has an elevator.  If it doesn’t mention one (or a lift, which is the same thing), there’s no elevator.  If the apartment’s on the 4^th or 5^th floor, remember that you will have to carry your suitcases, groceries, purchases -  up.

Location - A

The more desirable the location, the higher the price – just like a hotel.

Most expensive are the center arondissements 1 -8.   Trendy neighborhoods cost more.

Location - B

You will see “a few steps from’ and ‘a stone’s throw from’ in too many listings to count.  Check the map and see how far away the metro stop really is.

Location – C

In general you want to be in a neighborhood where cafés and restaurants aren’t too far away.   Some residential neighborhoods don’t have much commerce (people who live there year round have cars.)   Pay attention to the description about this too.

Amenities

Good apartments come with linens, cooking facilities and equipment, washing machine (French style – an adventure), WIFI, telephone.   There are lots of variables here.   Heat in winter may cost extra.

Amenities B  (for bedding)

Bed sizes are often given, but can be misleading.  Some people advertise 140 cm as a queen bed (it isn’t – at least not in the US). 

Décor

The least expensive apartments are sparsely furnished and testify to the proximity of Ikea.  Some have increased their floor space by putting the bed on the mezzanine, accessible by ladder (something to watch for in the photos.)   Other apartments have gorgeous classic furnishings.  Look carefully and read carefully.

Deposits

Most apartments require a substantial deposit – 30 percent or so, plus the balance upon arrival plus a large damage deposit.   Methods of payment vary, so be sure you have your arrangements in order.

Owners

Apartments are rented by agencies, by groups, by individuals.   Specialty agencies generally inspect apartments regularly.  Individual owners may have one or more properties, and may also be your next door neighbors.   Everyone’s online, but check carefully to see if you can ask questions and get answers.

Sources

Apartment rental agencies abound and are easy to find since the internet arrived.  Google Vacation apartments in Paris (or anywhere else in France) and you’ll get a long list.    I’ve personally used VRBO  (Vacation Rental by Owner  www.vrbo.com)

 with good luck.   They have a sister site as well called Home Away (www.homeaway.com)

Gite.com is a French agency with apartments and house rentals, and often

has special offers for last minute bookings.

http://www.gites-de-france.com/ has an extenisve listing of house and apartment rentals, as well as chambres d’hôtes (Bed and breakfast lodging).   The site is in French only.

Hotels versus Rentals

 Hotels versus Rentals

I often get calls from clients looking for house or apartment rentals in France. It’s easy to be charmed by the vision of your own little home in France, buying your morning croissants at the local bakery, sipping an apéritif on your terrasse overlooking the – fill in the blank – vineyard/red tiled roofs/ Eiffel Tower.   And it can be lots of fun – no doubt.  

The pluses – more space, kitchen facilities, a more residential location, and most of all, the feeling that you’re part of the place rather than just a visitor.   I've rented apartments and even a small house in Paris and in Nice, and a charming house in the Dordogne. 

But it’s not for everyone and not for every trip.

When should you choose a hotel rather than a rental?

On your first visit, or especially your first trip to Europe.

            You have enough to get used to, without keeping house.

If you require or desire someone available for advice, booking restaurants, giving directions.

            Most apartments or rental houses have someone you can call when the plumbing breaks down, but on-site help is quite variable.   Sometimes there’s a lot and sometimes there’s none.

If you’re only staying a few days

            There’s no cost advantage and you’ll spend more of your time dealing with practical matters.

If you like to be waited on

            With a rental, you make your own bed, do your own dishes, tidy up after yourself.

On your honeymoon.

            See above.

If you don’t want to pay a large amount in advance.

            Rentals require substantial deposits and damage deposits – for good reason.

And when should you consider an apartment or house rental?

When you’re staying longer than a week in one place.

            Your fantasies can come to life – you’ll feel part of the neighborhood.   And a rental’s cost advantage becomes stronger with longer stays.

If you’re independent and know your way around the city or region.

If you’re traveling with a big family or group of friends.

            Lots of private space to spread out, easier with children, and a budget advantage for meals as well as housing.  Even if you don’t cook much, having a kitchen available for drinks and snacks is practical and economical.

If the fantasy is just too strong to resist.   Here’s the view out the window on the street where we lived in Nice.  Our neighbor in Vieux Nice was the Palais Lascaris.

In the next post, I’ll give you some tips on what to pay attention to when booking a rental property.