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| Car
Hire and other transport matters. Many of our guests arrange hire cars for their transport in France. Firstly, there are the famous "tax free lease" deals where you choose the exact model and fuel. Many of these lease vehicles also come with GPS Satellite Navigation (Citroen, Renault or Peugeot). |
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Leasing is the best option if you
want a car for more than 17 days to a maximum of 180 days, but you must
organise your lease car at least 4 to 6 weeks before you travel. There
is a little more paperwork involved in arranging a lease car (eg: you
need to provide your bank account or credit card numbers in case you
forget to return the car!), but once you are in France the process of
pickup and return is very straightforward – especially with the highly
organised Peugeot Sodexa and
Renault Eurodrive &
Citroen DriveEurope
companies. We have found this company great to deal with for any kind of lease or hire car deal. You will get the best rates with the convenience of a "one stop shop": GLOBAL CARS (Sydney, Australia) http://www.globalcars.com.au As you can see by the map, there are many locations
for collection and return. Cars can also be returned to major locations
in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Germany and the UK. |
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Which side of the road to drive on? Do
you need an International Driving Permit? For information about these matters, refer to this page. (click here) |
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For shorter stays,
hiring is the way to go. Note that you will usually get dramatically better rates if you book your car (Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar or Hertz) from back home - often half the price of the same car from the same company booked on French shores. But check the extras such as the almost compulsory insurance excess waiver fee before booking. globalCARS tell you exactly the inclusions & exclusions before your book. |
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| Money
and Banks Sadly, the Franc (abbreviated with an F) is a thing of the French past. Now the Euro reigns supreme. Banknotes come in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5; coins in 50,20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 eurocents. The most widely recognized credit card is VISA which is accepted almost everywhere and will allow you to draw from most cash dispensers. Conversion rates for withdrawing cash with your VISA or MasterCard are about the best available. Banks are generally open from 8.30am-12.30pm and 1.30-4pm; they close on Sunday, and most close either on Saturday or Monday as well. Exchange rates vary, and nearly all take a commission of varying proportions. |
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| All our villages have at least one of these so there is no problem obtaining cash. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The
Importance of Speaking (just a little) French! The French are a friendly and polite people, but it is important to observe a simple precept: Open your conversation with them in French, even if you must revert to English after only a few words. The response will be warmer! Here is how to do it…
C’est ça!…(That’s it!) |
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