Train information

The national railway company is Societe National de Chemins de Fer Francais (SNCF):
www.sncf.com or www.voyages-sncf.com
Train types: TGV, Thalys, Artesia and Eurostar (high speed trains) and TEOZ (InterCity), reservations are required; Corail (intercity), reservations are recommended; TER and Transilien (regional trains), reservations are not required. Note that trains requiring reservations may have only a limited number of seats available for InterRail Pass holders, so always try to book in advance or look for alternatives with Corail and TER services.

Ferries, ships, buses… everything but train

In France there are several different public transport companies operating mostly at
a local and regional level. In order to find bus or metro times, you also need to look
for local information (e.g. for Paris go to www.ratp.fr and for Lyon, www.tcl.fr). There
are many ferry connections to/from Great Britain, Ireland and Corsica.

Food and drink

The French kitchen offers an almost infinite range of typical dishes and local
delicacies. Try Blanquette de Veau (veal stew); Coq au Vin (capon rooster cooked in
wine); Escargots (snails); Cuisses de grenouilles (frog legs); Raclette (a French cheese, usually served melted with potatoes, ham or dry meat); Ratatouille (vegetable stew). Also try croissants, baguettes (long thin crusty bread) and Camembert cheese.
Drink red Bordeaux from Medoc or dessert wine from Sauternes. Pastis is aniseed
flavoured liquor, which is very popular in France.
Find a table at: www.dininginfrance.com

Accommodation

Note that in France, the word Hotel doesn’t apply to the usual meaning of
conventional hotels, but to official buildings (e.g. Hotel de Ville = city hall). Find a bed
at: www.france-hotels.com
Local Hostel Association: www.fuaj.org (Federation Unie des auberges de Jeunesse).
There are countryside cottages to rent called GITES – www.gites-de-france.com
‘Logis de France’, an organisation of small hotels often connected with a typical
restaurant: you’ll have the chance to taste the best hospitality and food. Check all of
them on www.logishotels.com
Camping: www.campingfrance.com – free camping is forbidden.
Note: it’s possible to camp in the grounds of a private property with the consent of
the owner, check out: www.gites-de-france.com

Travel information

• Local Tourism Board: www.franceguide.com and www.parisinfo.com is the official website for tourism about Paris
• National Parks: www.parcsnationaux.fr
• French Alpine Club (Club alpin francais): www.ffcam.fr