Travel and transport

• The French state railway is fast, practical and comfortable and travelling by train is one of the best ways of getting around the country. The extensive rail network is run by the SNCF, (Sociéte Nationale de Chemins de Fer). The grandes lignes, main lines, link Paris with most major towns, and every town is connected by the stylish TGV (train à grande vitesse) high speed train. Paris is also served by the RER (réseaux express régionale) regional express trains.



• Since the introduction of TGV Mediterranée, a high-speed link to the South of France, travelling times from the north to the south have been cut dramatically. Marseille on the southern coast is now just three hours away from the capital. Equally, the continually expanding Eurostar system has recently improved its line from London to Paris, cutting the journey time to just 2 ½ hours. If you are travelling long distances, however, most trains have couchettes, bunk beds, which you can book in advance.



• Ticket prices vary according to the level of comfort and time of departure time. SNCF offers discounted fares on off-peak travel - these are listed on timetables as périodes bleues, blue periods, and périodes blanches, white periods. Over-60s are entitled to half price travel with une carte senior, a senior discount card. There are also several discounts for the under-26s such as Interail passes offering unlimited travel over certain periods. Note reservations are always compulsory on TGV trains. Tourist trains, such as the Train Jaune, yellow train in the Pyrenees and Chemin de Fer de Provence, are very popular and although not operated as part of the SNCF system, some offer discounts to rail pass holders.



• To avoid the queues at ticket desks, you can purchase rail passes and tickets before you leave for France. Many French stations do however offer a touch-screen ticket system that can speed things up once you're there. Don't forget that you must composter votre billet, punch your ticket, in the orange machines on station platform entrances before you can travel.



• France is served by nearly all international airlines while the country's main domestic airlines are Air Inter, Air France, TAT and Air Littoral. Fares reach their peak during the summer season from July to September, although low-cost, no-frills airlines link the UK to cities and towns all over France, all year round.



• If you prefer to drive through France, its autoroutes, motorways, are well maintained with frequent stations-services, petrol stations, and les aires, rest areas. However, if you want to save on les péages, motorway tolls, you can take the scenic and more leisurely drive along les routes nationales and départementales, national and regional roads. Look out for les flêches vertes, the green arrow signs, which show alternative routes. Motorways have the prefix 'A', national roads 'N' and minor roads 'D'. Many travel companies can also organise a Rail 'n' Drive pass, which combines a few days of rail travel with a few days of car rental.



• To plan your journey and avoid traffic black spots, motorists can make use of the information published by the Bison Futé, the national traffic centre. They provide information on traffic safety and on potential hold ups such as school holiday dates and road works. They also publish a colour-coded map indicating the itinéraires bis, alternative or secondary routes to major destinations across the country.



• Not surprisingly in the country which invented the Tour de France, cycling is a major pastime in France and you'll find well-maintained cycle paths in many regions. In Paris the roads running alongside the Seine are completely reserved on Sundays for pedestrians, cyclists and roller-bladers. If you're in the countryside, you can hire bikes in most villages and towns and at many train stations. Try un VTT (vélo tout terrain) a mountain bike, great for taking in the diverse landscape and rugged terrain.



• For walkers and hikers, there's an impressive network of long-distance footpaths called les grandes randonnées. The best known of these is the GR10 (for 'grande randonnée no. 10') which traverses the Pyrenees, and the GR20 which crosses Corsica. Look out for the topoguides, detailed guides to all of these walks, available from most tourist offices.

Links

TGV - the official site, with details about travelling on France's slick train network.

Rail Europe - for information on Eurostar, French motorail and the various rail passes on offer.

Les Aéroports Français - lists of all airports in France plus useful information to help you plan your trip

Association des Sociétés Française d'Autoroutes - for traffic conditions on the autoroutes, plus a handy guide to help calculate how much tolls and tunnels will cost on your journey.

Bison Futé - advice on safety and potential traffic black-spots during the holiday periods on the French Government-run website

GR-Infos - maps and trail information for all the grandes randonnées in France.