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Top France hotels

Paris Hotels: 22145 Reviews - 53809 Photos
Nice Hotels: 1782 Reviews - 3912 Photos
Lourdes Hotels: 111 Reviews - 243 Photos
Cannes Hotels: 442 Reviews - 1100 Photos
Avignon Hotels: 414 Reviews - 1172 Photos
Strasbourg Hotels: 826 Reviews - 2339 Photos
Villefranche-sur-Mer Hotels: 94 Reviews - 239 Photos
Marseille Hotels: 768 Reviews - 1747 Photos
Lille Hotels: 357 Reviews - 848 Photos
Caen Hotels: 142 Reviews - 374 Photos
Reims Hotels: 275 Reviews - 826 Photos
Aix-en-Provence Hotels: 331 Reviews - 711 Photos
Rouen Hotels: 430 Reviews - 1100 Photos
Toulouse Hotels: 544 Reviews - 1144 Photos
Bayeux Hotels: 183 Reviews - 522 Photos

France Warnings and Dangers

Not so Nice late at night

by NiceLife

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Not so Nice late at night
by NiceLife
Warnings and Dangers
by GrantBoone
Warnings and Dangers
by GrantBoone
Graffiti on Statue in Paris
by balhannah
Place Charles De Gaulle
by balhannah

Most Viewed Warnings and Dangers in France

Pick-Pockets Paris

180 Reviews In addition to the warnings posted here,visitors to Paris should be aware that the areas you would expect to be safest may be the most dangerous. Despite a generally vigilant approach and some...

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Dangerous Areas Nice

10 Reviews Avoid walking in deserted streets, around the train station area (especially Rue de Belgique). Be warned that if you decide walking along Promenade des Anglais, chances are you'll be approached by a...

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Beggars and Aggressive Vendors Paris

106 Reviews Just a warning that at the Trocadero, you will find dozens of touts trying to sell much of the same souvenirs. They aren't expensive, but if you don't want them, well, it doesn't really matter. Not...

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Stony beaches Nice

8 Reviews We live in California and we are used to sand on our beaches. Needless to say, the beach at Nice along the famous Promenade des Anglais was a shock the first time we saw it. There is no sand; it is...

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Safety Paris

54 Reviews Paris as a big city has its crimes, but knowing the city is tops in visitors in 2010 27 millions, and compare to other city of its side it is very safe. accidents happened and if need of information,...

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Pickpockets Nice

11 Reviews Keep your valuables close and be alert for pickpockets. Be aware of any person who is bumping into you, coming up too close, wants to stop and talk to you. But although you should be alert, don't be...

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Métro & Trains Paris

90 Reviews I made this mistake the first time I came to Paris, I won't make it again. I arrived at CDG early in the morning after an uneventful flight from Washington. So right away I got some euros from the...

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Tourists Nice

5 Reviews Nice seemed like a great place to celebrate my 18th with my other two female friends....NOT. Don't get fooled by the overall exterior appearance of Nice. It's a beautiful and vibrant place to visit,...

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Dog Droppings Nice

2 Reviews The Nicois love their little dogs. They cosset them, they dress them in coats in Winter, they walk them constantly, they pop them in shoulder bags on excursions, and those little dogs are very...

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10.

Long Lines and Queues Paris

19 Reviews Most of what I do in Paris involves little or no queuing, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I have recently come to realize that for some people the queuing situation in Paris can be a...

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11.

Toilets Paris

19 Reviews On our first trip to Paris we had heard about and then saw these public toilets scattered about Paris, but did not have the occasion to visit them. On our second trip in 2012 we did make a quick(?)...

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12.

Driving & Drivers Paris

52 Reviews As a tourist, do you really want to drive in Paris? Well, we didn't, we booked into a Hotel just outside and caught the RER into Paris central, 20 minute trip. Even where we were, it still was very...

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13.

Parlez-Vous Anglais? Paris

12 Reviews The sterotype of rude Parisians is just not true if you try and use a little French. I only speak a rudimentary amount but I did try to speak French first. In almost all cases I was rewarded with a...

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14.

Taxis Paris

15 Reviews Taxi drivers absolutely hate taking you to a hotel at the La Defense complex. There are a number of hotels here, some brands (such as Mercure or Sofitel) having more than one establishment As far as...

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15.

Food, Dangerous Food... Paris

17 Reviews When traveling in Paris it would be wise to bring your own bottled water if possible. Soft drinks and water are expensive, often costing 5euro per bottle. Having spent a fortune to stay hydrated while...

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16.

Money Matters Paris

19 Reviews Common sense Acommon Travel rules as to where ever you go. #1. Don't go where you shouldn't go. #2. Follow the rule of law in the country that you reside. #3. Adhere to the rule of law from your home...

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17.

Dog Souvenirs Paris

13 Reviews If you have a dog in Paris, you'd better clean up after it, otherwise they'll fine you 183 Euros (if they catch you). This poster on the garbage truck reads: "Pas de ça chez vous? Paris c'est chez...

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18.

Labour Strikes (Greves) Paris

12 Reviews Mrs Thatcher would be turning in her grave with the power that the public service unions exert in Paris. Barely a month seems to go by without one group or another airing their greivances in...

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Confusing Duplicated Place Names

by pedroswift

Elsewhere in my France generic pages I have encouraged readers to be aware of the names of Departments of France if only to help decode the multiple places all with the same name. (see "things to do" - 'visit Villages Chic').Some may have the Department name appended to differentiate from similar named places. eg: "Aix en Provence". More often than not "sur" (upon) - and the name of the river on which the town is located is added.eg. "Chalon-sur-Saone"Try typing into ViaMichelin a place name like "Celles" and see how the mapping programme asks for more information because there are so many places of that name. Or type "Saint Hilaire" into the vt 'Destination' search engine (top right of the page) to see how many are in vt data base. OK! You are too lazy to do that! I can tell you there are 96 matching places...yikes.I have suffered at the hands of the map makers a couple of times and...

Security on Road Trips in France

by pedroswift

The advice given below applies to all parts of France not just the "south".Recently, I have heard tales of woe from 2 couples with whom I'm acquainted who lost all of their luggage from locked hire vehicles in Southern France. They were left with the clothes in which they stood. Imagine being left on vacation with nothing except maybe just your wallet, handbag & the clothes you are wearing. Does your Travel Insurance cover such a loss?Number plates on cars in France reveal the Department in which they are registered. Leased cars have distinctive white & red number plates so it is easy for the bad guys to pick the cars from out of town.... The ones most likely to contain luggage, cameras, laptops, Passports and cash even. Hire cars are easily identified as well! The US State Department has warnings worth reading.French source of warnings...

Foreign Currency Exchange

by wandering360

The currency converter page that I normally use on Oanda is http://www.oanda.com/currency/converter/ but I wouldn't simply use the default INTERBANK rate. Consumers don't get this rate (even border crossings and tax-collectors WILL use it for tax and duty purposes). Click on the drop down and select "INTERBANK +/- 2% (Typical ATM rate)". Then. be sure to select EUR as the "Currency I WANT". Then, the amount in the "Currency I HAVE" box will show how much the purchase or ATM withdrawal will be in another currency. This procedure will add in the commission the bank charges. Note that the drop down lists "+/- 5%" as the typical KIOSK rate which means the kiosks charges the highest commission. Similarly, if you exchange currency INSIDE the bank, you will likely be charged 4 to 5% for having to deal with physical currency notes. (So the "no fee" transaction can actually cost more.)Each time...

Avoid ATM / Bank Machine Service Charges

by wandering360

Global ATM / Bank Machine Networks such as PLUS or CIRRUS (found at most banks around the world) already charge a fee (about US$5) for using their network. One of the ways to avoid THESE charges, you can open a HOME bank account with one of the banks in the GLOBAL ATM ALLIANCE. Then, when you travel you can withdraw WITHOUT a network fee at one of the partner banks. * Bank of America (United States) * Barclays United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and certain countries in Africa) * BNP Paribas (France) * Deutsche Bank (Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal and Italy) * Santander Serfin (Mexico) * Scotiabank (Canada, Caribbean, Peru, Chile and Mexico) * Westpac (Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands) o Westpac Banking Corporation (Australia, Fiji, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu) o Westpac New...

NARROW ROADS

by balhannah

Thank-goodness we hired a small car for our tour of France. I would suggest you to do the same if you are going to drive through the small country villages.A lot of these Villages are very old, dating back to the days of cobblestone roads, and narrow streets made for Horse & cart, not for motor cars.It was quite scary in some towns, sharp corners, they did have mirror's, but I still didn't feel very comfortable, as the locals drove fast!

Be Watchful. You Drive Your Own Issues

by acommon1

Common sense Acommon Travel rules as to where ever you go.#1. Don't go where you shouldn't go.#2. Follow the rule of law in the country that you reside.#3. Adhere to the rule of law from your home country.#4. Respect and "pre-" read up on the culture(s).#5. Gain some familiarity with the country's national language prior to your trip.#6. Practice the local language with the locals.#7. If concerned with lodging then don't do what isn't familiar to you.#8. Eat what has been cooked.#9. Drink bottled water that has a seal. Open it yourself.#10. Know your coordinates (esp. North & South). Memorize the major cross-roads prior to taking your trip. #11. Have a copy or two of your Passport in a safe place (either on you personally or in an emergency place).#12. Go electronic (with back up paperwork) when you can.#13. Be reluctant to share your full plans with strangers. #14. Be flexible.#15. How...

BE WARNED

by DaveDeakin

Hi Have just returned from a day trip to France and Belgium. This is something we do 4 or 5 times every year (usually without any problems), to stock up on wine, beer, cigarettes and tobacco etc and despite taking every precaution we had our goods stolen from our car. After landing in France, thought the Channel Tunnel, we drove up the coast to Belgium to get our tobacco etc. After purchasing our goods and making shore every thing of value was in the boot and out of view, we returned to Calais for lunch. We parked the car, opened the boot of the car to get our coats out, and this is when we think somebody must have been watching us, secured the car once more and went for lunch. On our return the rear passenger door window had been smashed, the percal shelf ripped up and all the tobacco gone. So even though the goods were in the locked boot, out of view, they still managed to take our...

Beware when you book a room !

by sourbugger

The French seem to be particularly keen to make sure a new 'law' is followed when you book a hotel room. Although I failed to get to the legal basis of it all it seems that unless a room is designated as a 'quad' then the maximum number of people in a room is three. I had presumed that a baby would not count it such a situation - but they do, even from one day old.This means that if you have a couple of kids the cost of a holiday could be quite sharply up. In addition if you have booked only one room, and they are no spare rooms then you are in quite a fix ! Booking an 'apartment' gets round the problem, as does booking a 'quad' room - but when you can actually find them they tend to be even more than booking two standard rooms.I'm not recommending breaking the 'law' (hey! when did the French suddenly have a thing for observiong laws - this isn't germany) but book a room where the...

DEATH AT THE EIFFEL TOWER !

by DAO

WHAT THE TOURIST AUTHORITIES DO NOT WANT YOU TO READ !Just to put it into perspective, you can find this quote all over the internet – “The Société de la Tour Eiffel has indicated that there have been only 349 successful suicides from the tower.” Wow. What a success. I don’t think so. This structure has been plagued by death since before it was fully built! They try and tell you no one died during the construction – false. No one fell off of it. They died on the ground. So only hundreds have died at the tower. Most of these are suicides, but there have been others. An Austrian tailor named Franz Reichellept jumped from the first deck in 1912 to test a tent-like parachute coat he had invented. He should have tried it first at a lower height. The impact area was a meter deep. Verdict: failure.The first suicide was reportedly a printer's mechanic (what?) who hanged himself from the north...

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Beware of Anywhere Anytime France Rail Pass

by wrldtrvlr3341

The Anywhere anytime France Pass looks good on paper, but what is not apparent in it's description is the fact that one needs to travel with their own computer as reservations can only be made, cancelled, or rescheduled on-line by computer, additionally, tickets may be printed only by kiosk at the train station. I missed my first train because I did not understand that my name needed to be entered by last name first, and the kiosk would not accept the reservation number. After standing in line toask for assistance, I was told, everything would need to be accomplished on-line. I also found that, unless you are travelling more than 4 hours from your base, there is no savings in cost per ticket. Since the pass appears to be relatively new, many train conducters may give you a hassle because they are only familiar with Eurail Pass. Anywhere anytime France (raileurope.com) is absolutely no...

Top 3 Hotels in France

Four Seasons George V Paris Paris

5 Reviews and 706 Opinions The Four Seasons George V is truly one of the world's great hotels. I really, really love to stay...

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Hotel Negresco Nice

9 Reviews and 316 Opinions I didnt actually stayed there. But I was told it is the most expensive hotel in Nice. From the...

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Hotel Regent Petite France Strasbourg

1 Review and 177 Opinions 1190ff per room per night. Superb location, excellent standard of decoration and lovely public...

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