Lou  Recantou   & L 'Ancien Pressoir

A few tips for travelling in France


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Arrival in France: Customs (les Douanes) usually very informal and often don't check baggage.

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Banks (les banques):
  • Traveller's cheques are inconvenient and expensive to cash. If you DO bring them, you may be able to cash them at the main branch of the post office (La Poste) in Narbonne, without a commission being charged, IF they're from American Express.
  • Credit card or debit card (la carte bancaire) best idea; lots of ATMs (in Olonzac, but not in Oupia). Most ATMs offer English as well as French instructions. You'll need a four-digit pin number.
  • In most cases in the UK it's far more expensive to use a Debit Card when abroad than it is to use a Credit Card. (tip from one of our guests)
    North American credit cards should work almost everywhere, except at automated gas/petrol stations, unless the card has a microchip (puce). Stations are increasingly becoming automated to deal with motorists who leave without paying.
  • We recommend coming to France with a credit and/or debit card & about 100 euros in cash.


Buses (les cars): few and far between, though you can sometimes catch the local school bus. Ask at the Mairie (town hall) for the schedule.


Cafés (les cafés):
  • Various drinks; alcoholic and non-alcoholic and hot and cold
  • Some cafés offer simple snacks, such as Croques-Monsieur, a sort of toasted ham and cheese, but they're not very good in many small cafés.
  • If you order with hand gestures as well as verbally, use your thumb (only) for "one" and both forefinger and thumb for "two", etc.
  • Tipping is not necessary, but we usually leave about 20 centimes.
  • All cafés, bars and restaurants are now non-smoking, but only inside.

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Chambres d'hôtes:
  • These are bed and breakfasts, where guests are welcomed for one or more nights.
  • In addition to breakfast, some offer an evening meal, on request, called a table d'hôte.
  • Bedding and towels provided

Cycling (le cyclisme or faire du vélo):
  • Lots of quiet roads, great variety of countryside, high respect for cyclists
  • Wear a helmet and bright colours: be visible.
  • Lots of routes listed in the blue (or green) binder.
  • Be especially careful about not getting dehydrated. Fill your water bottle whenever possible.
  • Water: look for town pumps & cemeteries. Non-drinkable water is marked non potable. If you're ordering something at a bar or café, you can ask to have your water bottle filled.
  • If using Michelin maps, choose "white" roads for the least traffic (the narrower these are on the map, the narrower they are in fact). Stay off the "red" roads except for very short distances.
    1. Steepness of hills marked by small arrows, pointing in direction of climb, increasing in steepness with number of arrows (>   >>  or  >>>)
    2. Roads lined in green are particularly scenic.
    3. For more information, read legend on Michelin map (in third bedroom for guests in Lou Recantou).
  • Lock up your bike whenever it's out of your sight.
  • Carry spare tube, tire levers and a good pump.
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Driving (la conduite):

Driving habits have improved a lot in France, but can still seem chaotic.
Maps: Find large towns; use large scale map to get overall picture and small scale map to find smaller roads.
Differences in driving regulations and conditions:
  • Speed limits, unless indicated otherwise, are:
    • 90 kph on regular highways (even on the road from Oupia to Olonzac!)
    • 110 on most four-lane roads that aren't autoroutes.
    • As soon as you pass a town sign, the speed is automatically 50 kph, unless otherwise posted and reverts to 90 kph once you've passed the town exit sign.

  • Autoroutes:
    • Speed is 130 kph, 110 in the rain.
    • Tolls can be paid with credit cards, but don't use the automated booths unless your card has a microchip (puce).

  • Priority to the right (Priorité de droite): important, but too complicated to discuss here. See the book, Code de la Route, on the small bookshelf in the living room area of Lou Recantou or come and ask us.
  • Tailgating is illegal, but still widely practised.
  • Ditto for speeding, though current crackdowns are improving the situation. There are now about 1500 photo radar posts in France.
  • Road signs are placed 150 metres before whatever they're indicating.
  • Traffic circles (roundabouts, les rond-points):
    • Keep to right if taking 1st or 2nd exit. If not, use left turn signal, move left until ready to take exit, then use right turn signal.
    • If you don't know which exit to take, keep right; go around again if still not sure.

  • Direction signs:
    • Roads usually clearly marked, but not always as you might expect.
    • To find the right road, look for major towns on a large scale map (e.g. 20 km to 1 cm), then look for signs to these. e.g., getting onto autoroute from Montpellier airport: look for dark blue signs with white lettering and autoroute symbol. Look for Toulouse, Bordeaux or Perpignan, Barcelone (Barcelona) or Espagne (Spain). Use a small-scale map (e.g. 2 cm to 1 km) to locate small towns and roads along the route.

  • Gasoline (petrol, l'essence):
    • much more expensive in Europe than in North America:
    • Diesel is called le gasoil, gasole or le diesel.
    • Many service stations offer 24-hour service but, when there is no attendant, you need a credit card with a microchip (puce). To fill up at the corner just after the G20 supermarché, go while the attendant is there (approx. 9-12 & 2-6).

  • Underground parking lots:
    • Take ticket from machine on entering garage
    • Keep ticket with you
    • Before you leave garage, locate automatic machine for paying
    • Before returning to car, go to machine, insert ticket, pay amount shown
    • Ticket will be returned to you
    • On leaving garage, insert ticket in machine to release the barrier.
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Electricity (l'électricité):       220 volts; you'll need a converter or transformer as well as a plug adaptor.


The metric system       Measurements in France are entirely in the metric system.
I use Online Conversion to convert between the metric and the imperial systems:
http://www.onlineconversion.com/


Etiquette:       North Americans sometimes think that the French are unfriendly, even rude. Usually, this is because of a misunderstanding of each other's customs. Here are just a few tips:
  • In a small shop, say Bonjour when you enter and Au revoir when you leave.
  • If you don't speak French, use whatever words you can, as well as hand gestures. Avoid addressing people in English initially.
  • If you need help from a stranger on the street, preface your request with the phrase: Excusez-moi de vous déranger, Madame/Monsieur. ("Please excuse me for bothering you.")
  • In the south of France, particularly in villages, a sincere smile is appreciated, while this isn't always the case in large cities like Paris, where smiles are used more sparingly.
  • People in villages - even children and teenagers - will readily say Bonjour first or in response to your greeting.
  • And don't forget s'il vous plaît and merci.


Gîtes:   A gîte is a self-catering holiday accommodation in France.
  • Generally rented by the week, though some are available for weekends, especially off-season.
  • Bedding and towels may or may not be supplied, with or without a fee. In more and more and more gîtes, however, bed linen is included in the rental fee.
  • Some include utilities in the rental fee, some charge, notably for electricity.
  • Unless otherwise stated, guests are responsible for cleaning up at the end of their stay.

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Internet access (les cyber cafés):
  • Nearest is in Olonzac, at the Café de la Poste
  • French keyboard is different but just close enough to a QERTY to be very frustrating.
  • Some post offices in major centres now offer an internet card that looks exactly like a phone card. It works on a machine within the post office. A recent guest paid seven euros for a card in Beaune.


Language (la langue):
  • English is spoken by a few people in tourist areas and in large cities.
  • Everyone here is very patient and appreciative of your efforts to speak French, however badly you think you speak it.
  • Try to learn at least a few words and phrases before coming to France.
  • Several English-language newspapers are available almost everywhere in France, including the International Herald Tribune (about 2.50 euros).


Maps (les cartes):
  • We like Michelin maps, at a scale of 2 km to 1 cm or 1½ km to 1 cm, though IGN makes maps with much more detail for walkers.
  • Purchase maps at travel stores (e.g. Novacks in London, Ontario), large book stores (e.g. Chapters) or on the Internet (e.g. Amazon.com)
  • A city map is called un plan de la ville and is often free at the tourist office (office de tourisme).

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Medical care (les soins médicaux):
  • Excellent (France rated best in the world by World Health Organization)
  • Doctors make housecalls if needed.
  • Some doctors tend to over-prescribe; it's not unusual to walk out with prescriptions for three medications.
  • Lots of pharmacies in almost every centre; pharmacists' advice very reliable.


Post office (la Poste):
  • Pre-posted envelopes, pre-posted envelopes with cards, boxes for mailing, phone cards
  • Weight allowance for regular first-class letters is 20 gms (2 sheets of paper plus an envelope).
  • Some, in larger centres, have automatic bank machines.
  • Oupia post office open mornings only; Olonzac morning and afternoon.


Restaurants (les restaurants):
  • Usually open for meals from 12 to 2 pm and from 7:30 to 10 pm. Never for breakfast. Most are closed 1 or 1½ days each week. Some close for one or more months in winter.
  • Best value is usually the prix fixe menu, with a choice of 3 or 4 menus that may start anywhere around 12 to 14 euros and go up to 45 euros or more. This price will almost always include at least 3 courses and, sometimes, ¼ litre of wine per person.
  • Tax (TVA: 19.6%, but decreasing to 5.5% as of July 1st, 2009) is included, as well as the tip, though it's common to leave a little extra for good service. (e.g. 2 - 5 euros for four people, depending on cost of the meal).
  • Most restaurants accept credit cards, processing them at your table with a portable machine.
  • There is often a daily special (suggestion du chef or suggestion du jour) for the first course (l'entrée) and the main dish (le plat).
  • The French don't share food as a rule. Pizzas are ordered individually and even in Chinese restaurants each person orders his/her own dish.
  • If you don't want a prix fixe menu, order a single dish from the carte, such as a salad (from les entrées) or a main dish ( les plats).

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Stores (les magasins):       Hours vary a lot, but in general:
  • Most non-food shops open from 9 to 12 and from 2 to 6.
  • Food shops (les épiceries) about 8 am, earlier for bakeries (les boulangeries), to 12:30 and 4 or 5 pm to 7 pm.
  • Most stores and services closed Sundays, though some food shops open Sunday mornings.
  • At Homps, on the highway leading to Carcassonne and Trèbes, there is a petrol (gas) station with a small, well-supplied supermarket that is open most of the time, including Sundays.
  • In a small shop, you should always say Bonjour when you enter and Au revoir when you leave.
  • Bargaining is rarely practised in France.
  • A guest's tip: "On visiting a region for the first time, we always ask if there are any local specialities and have found some wonderful local cheeses by doing this, and some baked clams in Brittany."


Telephones (les téléphones):

Most phone booths take cards.
  • There are disposable cards with a microchip that can be used in phone booths at any time
  • There are also cards that can be re-charged at the post office or by phone, with a credit card
  • Rates may vary according to the time of day


Trains (les trains):
  • The SNCF provides excellent service and the trains are almost always on time.
  • Check schedules and make bookings in English on the SNCF site or, just for the high speed trains on the TGV site
  • You can take the TGV directly south from terminal 2 at the Paris CDG (Charles de Gaulle) airport (often referred to as Roissy).
  • A guest's tip: "Book in advance on the TGV and you not only save money but can print your tickets via your home computer and printer, foregoing the ticket purchase lineups at CDG or the Gare de Lyon."

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Walking (la marche for short walks, la randonnée for long ones):
  • Lots of paths; the official ones are usually marked with small yellow lines, the long-distance ones (les grandes randonnées) with parallel red and white lines.
  • Access almost everywhere, unless indicated otherwise. It is understood that walkers will respect private property and not (for example) pick grapes from vines before harvest (after the vendanges, it's perfectly acceptable to take whatever grapes were left by pickers or machines).
  • Always take sufficient water with you; dehydration is a big problem here when it's hot.
  • Use sunscreen and wear a hat.
  • To avoid ticks, stay on the path, tuck pants into socks and check for ticks when you get back from your walk.
  • Another reason for staying on the path: poisonous adders (we've never seen one, even when walking off the paths while we still had our dog, Tina - we didn't know about the adders then)
  • Hunting begins mid-August for wild boar, mid-Sept for other game and ends late Jan. It is only allowed in vineyards once grape harvest finished.
    • Wear bright clothing when walking in hunting season
    • Hunting not allowed on Wednesdays (in our area)

Water (l'eau):       Safe to drink from taps everywhere, unless indicated Non potable.


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