Helpful Notes for Visitors to France

Festivals & Events

France offers a myriad of festivals, from well-renowned local or town ones, which attract visitors from other areas, to specific celebrations of wine harvests, and many cultural events. Peruse our list of Festivals and Events for a selection. To view French public holidays, go to this page.

Flights

Little Hotels doesn't arrange flights. However it is very easy to book flights on the internet at the same time as you book your hotel. We have a list of flights and airlines (including links to the airlines' websites) on our Flights page.

Ferries

If you wish to take your own car, a hop across the channel may be just the ticket. We carry links to a ferry company's website on our Ferries page.

Car hire

Little Hotels is partnered with BCO to provide our clients with very competitive rates on car hire. You can book directly by going to our Car Hire page.

Driving tips

If you’re coming from driving in Britain or Ireland, you will find that it is perfectly easy to adapt to driving on the right. You should take extra care when you start out in the morning though, or on minor roads where you're not getting a cue from other traffic.
Remember to take care about driving on the left when you get home. Because it seems more familiar, it might be the time when you are more likely to make a mistake.
Most of our own heart-in-the-mouth moments have arisen through misunderstanding junction layouts. They take more time to adapt to than just driving on the other side.
The trickiest aspect of driving to get used to in France is the ‘priorité à droite' system (‘priority to the right'). This originated at a time long ago when it made more sense, but now you must take care when driving along a stretch of main road to be aware of cars pulling out of small side roads. The situation is rendered a little confusing because ‘priorité à droite' no longer applies everywhere. For instance, a white diamond with a yellow centre gives you priority at all intersections apart from those indicated by a red-bordered triangle with a black cross in it, where you give way to your right. Equally, the priority that vehicles on these side roads may have can be shown by white posts with red bands near the top. It should be added that your priority ends when the yellow diamond sign has a black band across it. In short, play it by ear (and eyes) and always be aware of what is to your right.
A further extension of ‘priorité à droite' is that cars joining a roundabout have priority over vehicles going round it. This is not one of France's great contributions to easy traffic flow, so many roundabouts have Give Way signs to reverse the rule to that which is normal in other countries.
In some areas, both drivers and pedestrians seem to have a laissez-faire attitude to pedestrian crossings. Take care, especially if you are the pedestrian.
Be sure to have spare bulbs and a warning triangle. This is now the law.
Seat belts, child seats and rules on mobile phones are pretty obvious and don't need detailing here. A lot of traffic transgressions carry on-the-spot fines.

Documents

Although it is not obligatory to carry ID, it is perhaps best to at least carry a photocopy of your passport.
Make sure to carry your driving licence when with your vehicle, as well as the vehicle documentation.

Plug adaptors

France operates on 220v 50Hz, just like the rest of Europe, but different from North America. If you are coming from a country that uses 110v, check if your appliances are dual voltage before using them. Some have a switch. Others, like battery chargers for camcorders, may be automatic.
French plugs are different from the UK, North America and some European countries. You can buy adaptors at the airport. Usually they are labelled "Southern Europe" or something similar.
The plug in the bathroom of a French hotel may look like a British shaver plug but it is actually slightly different. Make sure you have an adaptor that will take your shaver plug as well.

Mobile Phones

British mobile phones and those from most other countries will work in France , as long as you have ‘roaming' activated on your account. Check with your phone service provider before you leave.
The cost of roaming is coming down, partly thanks to new EU legislation, which specifies that from July 2011, a call will cost no more than 35 euro cents per minute. Until then, it will probably work out at about 50-70p per minute, and that includes receiving calls as well as making them.
Mobile phone coverage in France is generally excellent.

Currency

The French currency is now the Euro, so that makes life dead easy for visitors from other countries in the Eurozone.
Generally you can get cash from a hole-in-the-wall ('distributeur') with your British or other credit or debit card. Make sure you know what your card company will charge you for using the service. It's very convenient, and it's usually (but not always) quite cheap as long as you take out a reasonable amount in one transaction.
Of course, you can also use your credit card in hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. The exchange rate is usually as good as you will find anywhere.
If you take travellers cheques in sterling or dollars, cash them at a bank to get the best exchange rate. If you have Euro travellers cheques, you should get the full face-value wherever you cash them.

VAT

VAT is known as 'TVA' in France. Little Hotels always make sure it is absolutely clear whether prices are "including VAT" or "plus VAT". When we confirm availability, we make sure that the price we quote is fully inclusive. The standard rate is 19.6%, but in 2009, the French president confirmed a drop for restaurants to 5.5%, due to the importance of this sector for the country.

Tipping

Most restaurants include tax and a 15% service charge (‘service compris') within the prices. If you have particularly enjoyed your meal, another 2-3% is usually a given, alongside leaving the change if you pay in cash. If service is not included, 15% is considered appropriate. In some circumstances you may come across the sign "Pourboire Interdit" - tipping forbidden.

Smoking

Smoking is now banned inside French cafes, restaurants and bars.
Many of the hotels on Little Hotels are completely non-smoking. Others limit smoking to certain areas and provide the option of ‘smoking' or ‘no smoking' rooms. Just a few hotels place no limitations on smoking.

Medical Care

EU citizens are entitled to the same rights as a French citizen as long as they are carrying a EHIC form. British visitors should get one from their post office before they travel. For peace of mind, there is no substitute for good travel insurance. Keep the documents near to hand, just in case.
The E111 form has been replaced by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The UK belatedly started issuing EHICs during 2005. As the old-style E111 form expired at the end of 2004, there was an interim E111 to fill the gap until EHICs became available.

The French 'Menu'

The word ‘menu' can cause a bit of confusion for English speakers in France . Normally, ‘menu' refers more to what we know as a ‘set menu' of options. ‘Carte' is the more correct translation for the English ‘menu'.

Weather

Good weather is the key to a good holiday for most people. A link on each hotel page will give you an idea of what to expect. Also, look at our weather page to compare the weather in different areas, summer and winter.

Sun & Water

The media continually bombard us about the hazards of sunburn so there's nothing more that we can add.
Dehydration can creep up on you in hot places, so we suggest you always carry a bottle of water with you and take frequent sips.
Tap water in France is generally safe to drink, and often tastes excellent, although not always so.

Travel insurance

We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance for your holiday. If you take more than one holiday per year, you'll find that you get much better value from an annual policy, which should also provide some cover for travelling in your home country. Shop around, because prices vary considerably; we think the insurance available from our own website is good value, and it's underwritten by one of the largest insurance companies in the world.