How to book a ferry from Spain to France
At the moment there is only 1 route between Spain and France, operated by 1 ferry company - Corsica Ferries. Ferries from Alcudia to Toulon depart weekly; travel time – 10 hours 30 minutes.
We have endeavored to ensure that this page contains the most accurate and up-to-date information, but as the frequency and duration of crossings may change from time to time, we advise you to inquire about current fares and timetables on the Alcudia to Toulon route between Spain and France.
Spain France Ferry Map
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About Spain:
Spain is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula and bordered by the Mediterranean Sea in the south and east.
Spain's magnificent weather, geographical location, beautiful coastlines and varied landscapes have made Spain one of the most popular holiday destinations in the world.
Its capital is the city of Madrid, which has winding streets that lead into the city center; and a favorite tourist destination, Barcelona is famous for its amazing Gaudi architecture.
About France:
For the past 20 years, France has been the world's most popular tourist destination and one of the most geographically diverse countries in Europe.
France is not only about the Eiffel Tower or the Mona Lisa; There are gorgeous villages in the countryside, beautiful lavender fields and vineyards - all this is just the tip of the iceberg of attractions in France. This is a country that is always ready to offer its guests something new.
In July 2009, we carried out such an experiment. We bought a ticket to the Caprici Hotel on the Costa del Maresme, Santa Susanna. I ordered a car online, but it didn’t work out there, so I had to order it in Barcelona. For a week, because The rental price for 4-5 days and for a week is the same. Avis company. Something around 250 euros. Seat Leon, diesel. Consumes extremely little diesel fuel. We bought a navigator from the company; we didn’t have our own at the time. An absolutely necessary item.
The route was developed as follows: overnight stays - 3 nights in the suburbs of Montpellier, 1 - Carcassonne, 1 - Toulouse. Cheap 1st Class hotels. Cells with a two-tier bunk and a cot that pulls out from under the bunk. Shower, toilet in the room, continental breakfast (so-so, coffee and bun). But - 45 euros for everyone per night. It couldn't have been cheaper.
Drive:
1. Santa Susanna - Barcelona (train). Barça - border - Sals fortress. Toll road for speed. Tolerable, about 20 euros. In the fortress we were flattered by the guide, because... without it they were not allowed inside the premises. In vain - she could hardly pronounce a couple of phrases in German (I understood), the rest was an excerpt in French! Amazing nutmeg in a store near the parking lot.
Then - to the suburb of Montpellier. We were flattered by the free road, the navigator took us to the center of Montpellier. We barely made it by 21.00; the receptionist was leaving later.
2. Hotel - Uzes. Free road. The navigator leads along goat paths, however, narrow but smooth. Uzès attempt to find the Pont du Gard aqueduct. The navigator leads you to cliffs, dead ends and barriers. Completely furious and tired. when they gave up and went to Avignon, they found a turn to the aveduct, but they no longer had the strength. Avignon - hotel.
3. Hotel Nimes. Nîmes - Arles. Arles - Sainte-Marie sur la Mer (via the Camargue nature reserve). Return to the hotel, the navigator leads to the Carrefour supermarket (Perekrestok). Cheese, cheese!
4. Hotel - Sete. Sete - Narbonne. Narbonne - Carcassonne. Hotel near Carcassonne. Night visit to the fortress.
5. Hotel - Morning visit to the fortress - through the mountains of Montenegro and Castris - Albi. Albi - Toulouse (hotel).
6. Walk around Toulouse - observation deck over Carcassonne - border - Gerona. Toll road. Walk around Girona. The strength is already running out. Return to Santa Susanna.
7. Persuaded the family to go for a walk through the towns in the mountains. Besalu - Olot - Santa Pau. The wife and son no longer wanted anything but the sea! Hotel Caprici, dinner.
8. The son stayed to swim and rest. My wife and I returned to Barcelona and returned the car. We walked around the city some more. We returned to the hotel.
Total 1250 km. The entire trip to France cost about 1,000 euros for three (car, hotels, parking, museum tickets, food, souvenirs).
It was a mistake to rent a hotel for three nights; returning every time is very annoying. You could rent a hotel in Nîmes or Avignon. Take a walk in the evening... By the way, we never got to Montpellier - there was no time.
But there is a sea of memories and impressions.
If you're interested, take a look
A person assumes - the work disposes. But sometimes you manage to get away to relax and travel. Finally, the moment has come, and our choice fell on old Europe.
At first we planned to fly to Germany via Frankfurt, take a car and visit France, Belgium, and Holland. However, life made its own adjustments. As luck would have it, the German embassy began to modify visa procedures and decided to abandon the idea of traveling around Europe, starting from Germany.
We analyzed the situation, estimated possible routes, and chose the following. Start in Spain, then travel to France. We will decide on the spot whether to go further.
Preparing for the trip
To begin with, we decided on the duration of the trip. It is unlikely that it will be possible to travel by car along the route we have planned and have a good rest by the sea in one week.
Therefore, we chose a tour for two weeks.
We did not contact hotel bookings in Spain, because... travel agencies offer a large number of hotels to suit every taste. We decided to take a tour to Spain with accommodation and meals for two weeks, and from Spain, as a springboard, we travel further.
An interesting and important moment is booking a car.
Despite the fact that some travel agencies operating in the Spanish direction already offer rental packages along with vouchers, we decided to take the prices they offered as base prices and study the market for car rental services on our own.
Minimum prices for compact class cars (the smallest cars in size, usually the average between a Tavria and a VAZ 2108, only “in size” of course!), with CDW insurance, but without air conditioning in travel agencies, started from 10,000 pst ( pst - Spanish peseta, exchange rate to the dollar, 180-185 per US dollar) for three days.
We turned to the giants of the global car rental market. After analyzing information from fourteen companies, we chose AVIS.
The company's website offered a 20% discount coupon for online bookings. After reviewing the fleet of cars on offer, we chose a class “C” car. This class was represented by Opel Astra cars, in three and five-door configurations, with air conditioning, but without ABS (a similar car with ABS belongs to class “D”, i.e. more prestigious, but also expensive accordingly). The gasoline used is 95.
One more detail: cars with an automatic transmission are extremely rare. On the vast majority of cars you will find a five-speed manual transmission.
When reserving a car, the AVIS reservation system asked to enter the tenant's country code. After experimenting with the options (RU, US, etc.), we came to a pleasant conclusion. Prices for Russians are lower than for residents of most other countries. Although, this is rather an exception, and usually the situation is the opposite. I was very pleased that the system included in the rental, in addition to the rental cost, CDW and TP insurance..
Summarizing the search results, we can conclude that it makes sense to rent a car yourself if you rent a car for a week or more. In our case (rent for 12 days), if we took the car to the coast, we would have to pay 40% more.
A small recommendation: when booking a car, try to indicate the most accurate return time. An earlier return is possible, but it is cheaper to indicate the exact time. The best option is 2-2.5 hours before departure. It took us no more than 15 minutes to return the car.
I would like to add that when renting a car at the airport (for example, in Barcelona, like we did), you will have to get to the rental point yourself. In our case, we traveled this route on an electric train, which in our understanding cannot be called an “electric train”. Comfortable seats, air conditioning maintains a temperature of 20 degrees, above each exit is an electronic display, like a ticker, showing the route, next stop, exact time, temperature.
If you are traveling to Barcelona from the north (from the Costa Brava resort), then most of the route will pass along the sea. We traveled more than 70 kilometers and we had positive emotions about this type of transport.
By the way, the electric trains described above are integrated into the Barcelona metro system, which makes them even more convenient.
A little about insurance and taxes...
Typically, tourists traveling abroad only have to deal with medical insurance. In our case, it, as usual, was included in the price of the tour package. With a car the situation is somewhat different.
For car rentals, there are usually two types of insurance: mandatory and additional. Without compulsory insurance, you simply will not be rented a car, and you cannot refuse it. In the Schengen countries, such compulsory insurance is CDW. All others are usually additional.
Conditional purposes of insurance:
CDW - protection against damage to a rented car;
TP - anti-theft protection;
PAI - insurance of your civil liability, sometimes includes insurance against theft of your belongings from a rented car.
In our case, CDW and TP were already included in the rental price.
It should also be remembered that in EU countries there is an analogue of sales tax (VAT), in mainland Spain it is ~16%. You can get back the tax withheld from you when leaving Schengen, but the specified tax is refunded ONLY for purchased goods. Unfortunately, services (including car rental) are not eligible for this refund.
The roads we choose….
The next stage is choosing a route. When trying to print a detailed map of the road to Paris, we encountered an interesting situation. Three famous map servers drew completely different routes from Barcelona to Paris!
More precisely, to Perpegnan (France) all the roads coincided, and then - some into the forest, some for firewood. We were offered three routes to the capital of France. Eastern - through Leon, western - through Toulouse, central - through who knows what. Just like in a fairy tale.
Having clarified the details, we found out that our fairy tale will sound like this. If you go to the right (through Leon) you will lose money (the whole road goes along “toll roads”), if you go to the left (through Toulouse, there are fewer toll roads, but the distance is longer) you will lose time, you will go straight -…. Well, it depends! Guess what we chose?
The central road was recommended to us by the eurocar.com server. Let's see what comes of it... By the way, roads in Schengen are designated as follows. The letter N stands for pan-European free trails. The letter C stands for national routes, and although in the map legends they are sometimes designated as free, in fact, do not be surprised if on such a route you are asked to pay. Letter A - commercial toll roads, but the highest speed ones. The letter D indicates that this is a local road.
Booking hotels...
There were no problems booking a hotel in Paris. The only problem is the problem of choice. The main search criterion for us was the availability of parking. We were unable to find a hotel with free parking in Paris itself. Almost all hotels either offered their own paid parking or reported that there was paid parking nearby. Prices for parking ranged from 50 to 120 francs per day.
After looking through photographs of rooms from two dozen hotels, we chose one of them, with what seemed to us a good location and parking for 70 francs per day.
We booked a room for three days. To make a reservation, a regular Visa debit card was required, since upon booking, 10% of the room rate per night was charged from it. A copy of the confirmation was received by e-mail the next day.
Note that when booking online, the minimum prices found per night (for a double room) in Paris started from 390 francs.
On the way back to Spain we planned a stop in Toulouse (about 400 km from Barcelona). We found a suitable hotel with free parking quickly and for a price almost half that in Paris.
Rooms and car are reserved. Let's hit the road….
We've arrived...
We successfully flew to Barcelona, applauding the pilots loudly after a successful landing. Less than two hours later, we were already at the hotel, delivered by a bus from the host travel agency. The vacation has begun!
A little recommendation. In our opinion, it is more convenient to take a car not immediately after arrival, but after checking into a hotel, a short rest and acclimatization. We rented the car a day later, which we don’t regret, because... in the first two days we managed to figure out the hotel’s location, parking and other useful nuances. In addition, if you do not know the exact location of the hotel, the entrances to it, possible parking places and, finally, the road to the resort, then I think this option will be optimal for you.
Speaking of parking. Even before the trip, I was not too lazy, called the host hotel and asked a question about parking. The madam from the reception said that the price for a day of parking is 2000 pesetas (about $12).
The parking lot itself looks like this: You are given a key to the parking lot gate (usually a square fenced with a chain-link fence) as security. When entering (leaving) you open (close) the gate yourself.
On the first day of the visit, we found places where you can park your car without any problems. We no longer faced the issue of parking at the resort.
More about parking; parking spots are indicated by colored lines. The yellow (orange) line on the curb prohibits parking in this area. A blue line or marking usually indicates paid parking. When leaving your car, you must pay the parking fee from a machine, which is usually located somewhere nearby.
True, once I parked my car in an area with blue lines (markings), I spent a long time looking for a machine to pay for parking. Well, he’s gone and that’s it! And there is a marking with a drawing of a hand squeezing money (a typical designation for paid parking)! Desperate to find the failed machine gun, he asked the native where to find this ill-fated machine gun. Luckily for me, the guy understood a little English and explained to me that the markings had remained from last year, and the machines had either been removed or taken away for repairs. But still, it’s better to clarify such things, because... our guide authoritatively stated that fines in Spain are not small. Even by Aboriginal standards!
And so, having rested and acclimatized, a day later, in the morning, we reached the nearest electric train station. We bought tickets without any problems (electric trains run every half hour) and safely arrived at the airport terminal. It’s called “Airport”.
Approaching the airport, we no longer expected to meet the Spanish controllers, but a man in uniform appeared as if out of nowhere and made signs asking us to show our tickets. Having checked them, he disappeared just as quickly. By the way, many tourists (apparently “savages”) travel with their things to the airport (and from it, respectively) on this electric train.
Leaving the train through a special passage equipped with a horizontally moving escalator, we pass about 200 meters above all roads and parking lots, and get straight to Terminal B of Barcelona Airport.
It took some effort (and time) to find the AVIS office (as well as other rent-a-car companies). The airport building is large and has three main terminals: A,B,C. Car rental offices are located in Terminal B.
We take the car...
I go to the AVIS counter and hand over the printed confirmation. I'm lucky. I was served by a senior manager, which affected the speed of filling out papers and settling other formalities. Standing next to me was a respectable elderly married couple from Switzerland and a democratically dressed middle-aged Pole.
What I paid special attention to was the fact that they all used coupons and discount cards. At the same time, the Pole presented coupons and a discount card cut out from some publication, and the married couple presented the number of the discount program from the travel company that sent them.
Then an interesting episode occurred. Apparently the discount program number presented by the Swiss has already expired. The girl manager told them about this, offering to take the car at the regular price. The Swiss were quite outraged (by their standards, of course). As I understand it, the difference between the prices was as much as... 4000 pesetas, which is as much as 20 dollars!
The Swiss is indignant and demands to see the general manager, who is filling out my documents half a meter away from him. The manager says “sorry” to me and turns his head towards the Swiss. For five minutes we all stand and listen to the triad of this “Alpine shooter”. Having listened to this fiery speech by Swiss standards, the general manager looks with a calm face at the Swiss and repeats to him the proposal that the girl manager had already told him (the Swiss) earlier. He says “sorry” to the Swiss and turns back to me and continues working with my papers. True calm of a bullfighter!
v At this time, the Swiss was covered with red spots and was no longer much different from an angry bull. It even seemed to me that casualties were already inevitable. However, the descendant of “hereditary manufacturers of watches, cheese and chocolate” retreated towards the nearest telephone, running off to call the travel agency that sent him to Spain.
Whether he managed to pay twenty dollars for an international call to Switzerland remains a mystery to me. My paperwork for the car had already been completed and the general manager handed me an envelope with the keys to the car.
We go to the parking lot and start looking for a car. I went through the whole row twice. Well, there is no Opel Astra and that’s it!
There are other types, sizes, brands of cars, but this one doesn’t exist! That's it!
I go to the parking attendant and explain the problem. He is even more surprised, and together we go to look for the car. We approach the indicated parking space, and the employee confidently points to the parked car. This is, like, your car!
My surprise knew no bounds! Instead of the compact three-door Opel Astra, we saw the Renault Magane, and even a station wagon! For reference, I’ll say that the length of the latter is more than half a meter longer, plus all the delights of a “station wagon” (by analogy, if instead of a VAZ 2108 you were given a “Volga Station Wagon”). To top it all off, we discover that Renault also has a diesel engine!
I go to the employee again to look for consensus. He listened to me attentively, spread his hands, and noted in surprise that the new car was “cooler” than the one I ordered for the whole class. Like, you should be happy, a free, one might say, gift from the company! Well, what are you going to explain to them?!
Having resigned ourselves to fate, we sit down on the “iron horse” sent “from above” and set off!
However! Subsequently, as it turned out, this replacement still had many more advantages than disadvantages. Firstly, the price of gasoline starts from $0.9 per liter, while the price of diesel fuel (Gasoil) is only $0.6 per liter! Secondly: the diesel engine turned out to be quite economical, because The average consumption according to the computer was 5.7 liters per 100 km (this is both in the city and on the highway). Thirdly, I did not experience any problems with the operation of a diesel engine, compared to a gasoline engine. Fourthly, class D cars are more comfortable and spacious, and are also equipped with ABS. Summarizing all this, we can conclude that replacing the class of the car with a higher one (at the initiative of the lessor) will most likely really be a pleasant gift!
Barcelona-Paris.
Our journey to Paris began at eight thirty in the morning. The day before, we agreed at the hotel that meals during the days of our absence from the hotel would be given to us as dry rations. The only hitch was that usually a “packed ration”, a “picnic”, as they call it in hotels, is issued for a day, or at most two. In our case, we planned to be away for at least four days. However, the problem was solved, and after loading a large box with a variety of products, we set off.
At the gas station we purchased a road map for Spain-France (there is also such a map option). We highly recommend using “fresh” maps, from the current year or at most from the past, since road construction in Schengen is proceeding at a fairly fast pace.
The map server also gave us information about the travel time and the average speed along the chosen route, which is more than 122 km/hour. And it was nice to feel that without limiting ourselves in the desire to “press on the gas,” we usually moved without exceeding the speed limit.
On toll highways there are the following speed limits: in dry weather - up to 130 km/h, during precipitation - up to 110 km/h.
These restrictions were usually enough for us, which cannot be said about local drivers. I had to constantly be convinced that in Schengen Europe “they don’t drive fast, but fly low.” At the same time, the “pilots” mainly included not expensive cars, but the most natural mid-range cars and even small cars. The average portrait of the “pilot’s” car is similar to the portrait of our VAZ 2108 (or even Tavria), and this is only in SIZE, of course! The “flight” speed is usually 160 – 200 km/h! Somewhere, after two hours of travel, we passed the Spanish-French border. This structure is a structure similar to a toll collection point for using a toll road, with the exception that even barriers are completely absent here. "Control" is only valid when entering France. From the outside it looked like this. Having slowed down to 50 km/h in front of the checkpoint, we approach the border. We drive past a booth (like our small kiosks) with border guards, and, as we are about to stop, we notice a rather hairy hand sticking out of the “kiosk”, which began to make signals like “come on, pass!” with gestures.
We crossed the border at a speed of about 40 km/h. The information that there is a complete lack of control between Schengen countries is not true. Typically, control procedures at such borders are carried out by representatives of a country with a higher standard of living (in our case, these were the French). In this case, it seems to us that “face control” is mainly used. In our presence, French border guards stopped a car with Arab drivers and began checking documents.
Having entered the territory of France, we immediately began to feel a higher standard of living. The quality of the roads has improved, and the roads themselves, it seemed to me, have widened by about one lane in each direction (traffic on toll roads is almost always separated).
The service in rest and stop areas (analogous to the rest area) is not comparable with Spanish at all. Since in Spain there was practically no service in such areas, in France there was usually a set of the following services: telephone, vending machines with food and drinks, toilets, well-equipped large picnic areas, playgrounds for children, gas stations and many other services. Although there are a lot of these zones and they are all different.
These zones are located along the highway, usually every 20-80 km.
I would also like to note the driving style of Europeans. The vast majority of them strictly follow the traffic rules (with the exception of the speed limit). When driving, drivers usually occupy the rightmost lane, EVEN if there are two or three empty rows nearby and there are practically no cars in sight! I have often observed a picture where dozens of cars are walking along the rightmost lane (with a distance of 100-300 meters), and the more left-hand lanes are COMPLETELY empty. But you get tired when driving on Schengen roads an order of magnitude less than here.
Another specificity in overtaking. More precisely in the designation of the latter. Unlike us, Europeans turn on the LEFT turn signal before starting a maneuver and turn off the same left signal ONLY after they have completely completed the maneuver. The right turn signal is NOT used AT ALL when overtaking.
Despite a couple of half-hour halts, at the beginning of eight o'clock in the evening we entered Paris. And we immediately felt the inimitable atmosphere of this city.
Firstly, before Paris, all the drivers heading to the city seemed to go crazy and rushed towards the city at maximum speed (the average speed of the flow is about 150 km/h), as if trying to save time before the Parisian traffic jams.
Secondly, Paris greeted us with quite intense traffic, but smoothly, flowing from traffic jam to traffic jam, we still reached our hotel in half an hour. Therefore, we recommend that you take into account that in large automobile metropolitan areas, especially severe traffic jams can be encountered in the morning hours on the way to the city (everyone is going to work) and in the evening hours in the opposite direction. Evening traffic “normalizes” usually after 20:00 local time.
One more important detail. You will need a map of Paris indicating driving directions in the city, since many streets are one-way and some of them can only be reached by driving around the entire block.
A little about parking and the hotel...
Accommodation in a Parisian hotel made such an unforgettable impression on us that I would like to talk about it in particular.
To begin with, it is necessary to say about the Parisian hotels themselves. For ourselves, we divided them into “professional” and “reconstructed”. We included hotels that were originally planned and built as hotels. We included the so-called “reconstructed houses” in the second group. The fact is that, having become one of the tourist capitals of Europe, Paris began to attract more and more visitors, which led to a shortage of standard hotels (according to our classification - “professional”). Homeowners have begun to take advantage of this. After all, the profitability of a hotel in the center of Paris is much higher than renting out apartments. And so it began. There are a huge number of such “reconstructed” houses in Paris.
Our hotel turned out to be one of these “reconstructed” houses, with an official category of 2-3. We must give credit to the guys who took pictures of this hotel for the catalogue. To take a photo from a “busy” Parisian street (always “clogged” with pedestrians, moving vehicles and parked cars) into a “quiet corner of paradise” - you need to be able to do this!
First they attached the car. The parking lot really turned out to be next to the hotel, one might even say very close - these were adjacent entrances. However, they differed from each other only in that there was a door at the entrance to the hotel! The dimensions of the entrance and entrance were, one might say, identical (unfortunately, not in favor of the parking lot).
The parking lot itself was the same “reconstructed” house, but where all the walls on the floors were removed and markings were made for parking spaces for cars. The pinnacle of entrepreneurialism of the parking lot owner was the presence of SIX levels of parking, i.e. all five floors and the ROOF were used for parking. With all this, it looked very much like this house was built at the beginning of the century! The entire parking lot was served by just one Arab employee, who knew two words from the entire English language: money and later, i.e. money later. It took ten minutes to convince him that it was NECESSARY to take payment from us immediately for all days in advance, so as not to even return to this issue later. True, this payment method had another great advantage, since when we arrived at the parking lot we did not have to wait for the employee to hand over and receive the keys to our car from him.
We get a place on the fourth floor and begin to climb up the steep climbs, which we called “argali’s dream.” The width of the rise, in my opinion, was designed to be maximum for the Oka, and fitting into these turns on the Renault Megane was not a very pleasant experience.
The fact that this task did require some skill and luck was evidenced by fresh and not so fresh traces of paint on the sides of the cars that had already passed here. The color palette of the tracks was the most diverse!
Having found our place and parked the car, we discovered that despite the presence of lamps, there was no lighting “in principle.” I had to look for a way out “by touch.” Later, we nevertheless discovered a cleverly hidden switch, by pressing which you can turn on the light on the floor for a couple of minutes, but for what reason it was placed on the opposite wall, 50 meters from the entrance, remained a mystery to us. Maybe this is how they save energy?
Having sorted out the placement of the car, we moved towards the hotel. We especially appreciated the convenience of the short route between the parking lot and the hotel when carrying our things.
We give the girl at the reception confirmation of your room reservation. Despite the fact that she practically did not speak English, the registration took no more than five minutes and we, having received the key to the room, went up to our floor. Everything is clean and tidy. The only thing that bothered me was the low ceiling height. And this house, apparently, was also the same age as the century.
Opening the door of the room, we freeze in surprise. We did not expect to see such a room, even in the most “forgotten by Allah” inn in Egypt.
The size of the room could hardly accommodate a double bed, and all four walls had completely different colors and finishing materials. The smell of tobacco was so strong that the tobacco factory workshop would seem like a pine forest. The dilapidation of furniture was reaching a critical point, i.e. completely antique condition, and not amenable to any restoration. The fact that we are already living in the twenty-first century was indicated only by the latest model of television and the dates on our wristwatches. The words I spoke over the next five minutes are not subject to publication due to censorship reasons. But in a short press release on the fact of this speech, we can say that the mothers and other close relatives of the builders and owners of the hotel were remembered, as well as the builders and owners of this hotel themselves, plus the organizations that issued this hotel a category of 2-3 stars (in different sources published different information about the “star rating” of this hotel). Without stopping for a second, he quickly went downstairs to the reception.
Apparently, my appearance more eloquently than any words showed the girl manager that something terrible was about to happen. But France still remains a civilized country and the following dialogue begins between us. The girl politely asks if she can help me with anything, and lo and behold, it turns out that she can! It turns out that tourists from Russia want to get a room, not a storage room with antiques and a TV. Apparently not really understanding the humor, the girl began to convince me that they didn’t have rooms with a storage room! I suggest showing you where it is!
At this time, two respectably dressed gentlemen appear in the hall, and lo and behold, one of them is the owner of this hotel, and the other is the director of the same establishment! Some miracles!
Having bowed, we begin to clarify the situation. Unlike the girl, the hotel owner has excellent English and things went faster. Having clarified the problem of the respected client, the hotel director began to check with the manager which room was provided to the respected client.
Along the way, we talk with the owner about business. Having learned that we were from Russia, his surprise knew no bounds. It turns out that we, and this with our English, were mistaken for Englishmen. Although this situation was possible, since we were not asked for passports, and to register at the hotel we only needed a plastic card and confirmation of booking (passport data was already in the computer from the moment of booking and the security deposit was withdrawn from the card).
Next, I explain that the photographs of the room on the Internet are slightly different from what I have already seen here. A minute later, I find out that this room is under reconstruction and they couldn’t put me in it. Everyone apologizes and we take our leave. What about the number?!
They offer to take the best number available, and the director himself will help you choose a replacement.
With several keys we go to look at other rooms. Having opened the first room, I am amazed, it’s a clean room, good modern renovation and furniture, normal size. Satisfied, let's take it! The director also suggested that it is better to take a room overlooking the courtyard, because rooms with windows facing the street are very noisy due to heavy traffic on the street. Once again we bow and say goodbye. At the same time, the French discovered that in Russia there is the Internet, credit cards and some requirements for the quality of service. And we learned that the French do not really favor the inhabitants of the British Isles and became even more firmly convinced that if something does not suit you, calmly go and solve the problem that has arisen. And there will be results!
Walking around Paris...
Having checked into the hotel, we began to plan our program of stay. A list of attractions and excursion programs was presented in abundance on a special stand near the reception desk. Already having some idea about the intensity of traffic in Paris, we decided to take a night trip around the city. We hoped that there would be few cars and we could drive through all the places without any problems.
Having left the hotel at one in the morning, we discovered that the traffic had indeed decreased, but its intensity in the center was not much different from the daytime. The decrease in the number of cars was more than offset by increased speeds.
If you decide to go for a night walk, then the minimum number of cars on the street occurs between 3.30 and 5.30 in the morning. But, taking into account the difference between our time and Paris, indicated above, the trip was a great success for us.
Special mention should be made about parking in Paris. Parking in the center, on the street, and even near some tourist place, is quite a difficult task. Firstly, there are usually almost always no places there, and where there are, parking is usually prohibited. Disturb, get acquainted with the precise work of Parisian tow trucks.
The most acceptable parking option in the center is parking in special underground parking lots (parking lots), which are available at almost all famous tourist places. The cost of such pleasure is about 15 francs per hour. Such underground parking is indicated on the vast majority of published maps of Paris.
I would also like to say separately about discipline on the roads. In the French province, traffic rules, however, are followed like others, but as we get closer to Paris (as it seemed to us), morals and standards of behavior become looser. Constant speeding has already been discussed above. In large cities, numerous motorcyclists (mopedists, mokikists and other mo....) are added to this disaster. The fact is that the latter prefer to drive, bypassing any markings, often maneuvering dangerously between cars, changing lanes, etc., etc.... If the mopedist is also from Africa (or from an Arab country), then this may add the possibility of moving the intersection to red light. I had to be convinced of such ethnic characteristics in behavior on the road quite often. One more nuance. A lot of young people (age from 15 to 18 years old) ride mopeds, which periodically forced them to additionally strain their attention when moving.
The positive aspect of participating in traffic, both in Paris and throughout France, is that, despite the large number of cars, the psychological stress on the roads is less than in Russia. Even if you perform an action that is incorrect in relation to other road users, then most likely they will not scold you and will not honk at you furiously, but will simply try to stay away from you.
I had to personally encounter one of the other features of the movement in France. It is good practice, both in Spain and in France, to stop and let pedestrians pass. During our short stay in Europe, we also completely got used to the role of “polite” drivers. We arrive in Paris and notice that, despite the fact that this is also Europe, pedestrians here are not held in such esteem by drivers. The capital, after all, has its own rules and laws!
But, having already become infected with the “disease” of politeness, by inertia we continue to politely let pedestrians pass. And so, on one of the narrow one-way streets, the following scene takes place. The movement is tense. Cars follow each other at intervals of no more than two meters. The column stretched for hundreds of meters. There is no end in sight. Two French women just need to cross this ill-fated street. Judging by their appearance, they had not been able to cope with this task for quite some time. And suddenly, our car stops and lets them through! French women quickly cross the road. One of them looks at our car and notices. ...SPANISH numbers! Her gratitude knew no bounds! We were guaranteed a smile and a monologue in praise of the “polite Spanish” drivers. We part with mutual smiles. At the same time, French women probably think that there are still “polite drivers in the world, and even those are Spaniards,” and we think “and even those from Russia!”
When planning the duration of your stay in Paris, we suggest that you start from the fact that for a minimum first visit to this city, you will need two to three full days (if you are driving your own car). During this time you will have time to visit most of the famous tourist places in the city and its suburbs. Then it's up to you.
In addition, when planning a trip by car, we can recommend the following options that will save you money:
hotel accommodation in the suburbs of Paris (the difference in prices between Paris and the suburbs can be very significant);
to refuel a car, it is better to choose “quiet places”, far from “busy” routes (for example, a liter of diesel fuel in a residential area of Paris, near the La De Fence area, cost 5.17 Fr versus 5.98 Fr in the city center and near routes);
when visiting tourist attractions, use discount packages (cards, programs), information about which can be obtained free of charge at the reception in the vast majority of hotels:
when parking your car on the street, keep in mind that local residents can park their car having at their disposal a parking space the length of their car plus 30-40 cm, while in France (and especially in Paris) it is not something extraordinary to knock a little bumper on the car in front or behind, or both cars together, but remember that after that you will still have to hand over your car to the lessor!;
make the most of the Internet.
I would like to tell you about one more funny episode. One day we were returning on foot from an evening river walk along the Seine. The weather was good and the hotel was not far away, so we went on foot. Despite the fact that this is the very center of Paris, the streets are slightly different from the central ones, have a minimum of public lighting, and if not for the windows of shops, restaurants and offices, then we can say that there is practically no lighting.
Already approaching the hotel, we decided to take a shortcut and walk along a small alley. It was a space between two blocks, no more than four meters wide. Stone bag, without doors or windows. Of course, there is no trace of light, only a perpendicular, busier street is visible in the distance. In short, the place is “a robber’s dream.” The impressions were strengthened by the criminal-looking Arab he had seen earlier. Having turned into an alley and walked a few meters, we notice several shadows moving towards us. These were not the best seconds of the trip. We quickly became closer to the owners of shadows and... Having already missed them, we heard our native RUSSIAN SPEECH! The shadows (it was a married couple with a child) were animatedly discussing the meeting! Yes of course! Who else walks the dark alleys of Paris - only ours! Having heard our native speech, our compatriots we met also cheered up. Apparently their impressions also coincided very much with ours!
Paris-Toulouse
Having stayed in Paris for three days, at nine o'clock in the morning of the fourth day we left for Toulouse. We got out of Paris without any problems and headed south. Having experience from the road to Paris, the road to Toulouse, less than 700 km, “flew” without stopping. The quality of the track is good, the speed is accordingly.
At about three o'clock in the afternoon we entered Toulouse. It should be noted that Toulouse is a major European center of the aviation and space industries. The city is quite beautiful and has many attractions. So we recommend visiting.
We found the hotel quickly. In contrast to the Parisian one, it turned out to be recently built and equipped with the latest technology. In addition, free parking, great price and good service. We settled in with pleasure. After talking with the natives, we found out that in Toulouse it is very difficult, if not impossible, to “not find” a hotel.
By chance and the weather, I had to spend a couple of evenings watching TV. I can’t help but share what I saw on French TV. What do the French care about?
Firstly, it seems that what D’Artagnan’s descendants are most concerned about is illegal immigration. Entire news blocks, special programs and investigative programs are devoted to this. Lots of hidden camera footage and painted over faces.
Secondly, the increase in crime, especially among illegal immigrants. Again, a lot of documentaries and stories. I remember one of them, where it was shown how gangs of immigrants from Arab countries operate. The camera filmed how at one of the intersections, where drivers are forced to stop at a traffic light, a group of Arabs (with their faces wrapped in turban-type rags) runs up to the cars. They open the doors of parked cars and snatch valuables from the interior (handbags, purses, business card holders), and then run away. If the robbed drivers try to pursue them, then, as a police representative says, they can throw a special mixture of red pepper and other rubbish into their eyes, so that after this the pursuer may be left, not only without any remaining valuables, but also without vision. Russia is also not forgotten on French television. In that short time spent watching TV, I managed to watch two whole documentaries about life in Russia. Yes! Such “chernukha” is no longer shown even here! Knowing our realities a little, I had to be surprised at what was shown to the French. Horrible! By the way, this sometimes explains the surprise of the French at the sight of our tourists as normal, civilized people.
Toulouse-Catalonia and casino…
Having had a good rest at the hotel and once again, having taken a tour of Toulouse, we left for Spain. Having left hospitable Toulouse, at about two o'clock in the afternoon, at six o'clock in the evening we opened the door to our room at the resort. The trip to France is over!
To summarize, let's say that more than 2,800 kilometers have been added to the Renault speedometer, and we have many new impressions.
Concluding the story about our trip, I would like to dwell on the entertainment. A car at a resort provides many advantages for leisure and entertainment. Numerous discos, nightclubs, amusement parks, karting centers and much more become available to you. But we were especially interested in the casino.
As we were told, there are only three casinos in Spain. One of them is located in the Costa Brava resort, in the town of Lloret de Mar. This is the casino we visited.
Having the opportunity to compare with other casinos, we concluded that this casino is clearly kept in a “black body”.
Firstly, this is one of the few paid cauldrons in the world. The cost of the visit, which is estimated by the administration at 550 pesetas. However, on your first visit you will be given a card for another free visit or drink.
Secondly, the casino is located on the ground floor of the hotel of the same name and, in comparison with its more famous counterparts, occupies a small area. In the entire casino we found only three dozen “one-armed bandits”, several tables for roulette and playing “twenty-one”. Quite modest. With all this, no more than two roulette tables of each of the two types were operating. There were no more than a hundred visitors, most of whom acted as observers.
For information, I will say that appropriate “evening” clothing is required (albeit in a loose version). The minimum bet on roulette is 250 pesetas. Bets can be placed in: Spanish, English and French. You can pay for chips with a plastic card without commission if the amount is more than 50,000 pesetas.
And if you are lucky, after you receive your winnings at the cashier, a casino employee will come up to you and offer you free roulette chips worth 5-10 dollars and personally escort you to the gaming table if you agree to accept them.
The completion of the trip went smoothly. We arrived at Barcelona airport by our own car. To return the car with a full tank, we refueled at the very entrance to the airport (for reference, the price of fuel at this gas station is quite low). Delivery of which took no more than 15 minutes. The rental company employee inspected the car and compared it with the damage report filled out before handing the car over to us. By the way, do not forget to record any damage and large scratches you see in a special form to fill out before receiving the car. After that, he printed out the final invoice and wished him a pleasant flight.
In conclusion, we would like to thank you for reading our story to the end. We really hope that our information can help you. Please consider our “creation” to be completely subjective. Thank you. Good luck!
Vsevolod Boltnev
[email protected]
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On an excursion from Spain to France, it will be convenient to travel by high-speed train. Four railways go to France from Spain, two of them bypass the Pyrenees and two cross the Pyrenees through a whole system of tunnels.
From the province of Girona, Costa Brava, you can quickly and easily get to France or Paris. In 2010, a railway connection was opened between the city of Figueres and France. Figueres is located one kilometer from one of the historical centers of Spain. This railway route is operated by the French company SNCF.
It is expected that the speed of trains in Spain and France will increase to 300 kilometers per hour.
Travel from Barcelona to Paris by rail stops at Firegues, where passengers transfer from the train to a high-speed train. The total travel time from Barcelona to Paris is 7 hours 25 minutes.
Excursions from Spain to France are a very interesting and exciting event, as they can occur almost simultaneously or with short intervals in time. This is all thanks to the short distances between countries connected by high-speed trains. Excursions move smoothly from one country to another and back. Tourists are fascinated by the diversity and splendor of the sights and cultures of these countries.
In Spain, flamenco and bullfighting, modernity and centuries-old traditions are closely intertwined. Excursion to Madrid, the main attraction of which is the Prado Museum, which has the world's richest collection of works of art. The “Secrets of the Madrid Court” tour allows you to visit the luxurious Royal Palace. Next we visit the most Spanish city - Zaragoza, this is an amazing city with Roman walls, Carmen Gate and other famous attractions. Next, the excursion involves moving to Paris.
This excursion was called “First Date with Paris.” This is an opportunity to visit Notre Dame de Paris, visit the Eiffel Tower with beautiful observation platforms from which a panorama of the amazing city opens. Next, you can visit the “Encyclopedia of the Ages - Louvre”, admire the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, Rembrandt and other world-famous geniuses who worked in their time in France. A visit to the heart of France - the Loire River valley, whose banks are decorated with hundreds of ancient castles.
Tourist visas are issued to traveling tourists, or to travel agencies for groups of travelers. When applying for a tourist visa, you need a tourist voucher and a hotel reservation. This visa is not for a long stay in the country.
Tour cost: 600 euros (including car) Duration of the tour: 8-10 hours. Languages: Spanish, English, Catalan, Russian, French, some Italian and Hebrew
Catharism, one of the branches of the Christian religion, was considered a dangerous heresy in the Middle Ages, and its adherents were brutally persecuted by the Catholic Church and subjected to severe torture and complete extermination. Excursion with a Russian guide in Madrid. It was in the south of France in the 11th-13th centuries. Catharism became widespread both among ordinary peasants and among aristocrats who zealously defended the freedom of their faith. Here crusades were waged against Christians, and Catholics burned hundreds of Cathar heretics on the sacred pyres of the French Inquisition. Tour in Madrid. Since those times, many ruined castles have remained, where the Cathars once desperately and hopelessly defended themselves. Now these romantic ruins are stormed by tourists to admire the dizzying landscapes from above and pay tribute to the heroism of people confident in their ideas.
During the tour we will go up to some of the Qatari castles in the south of France. You will learn about the basic principles of Catharism, about the symbols, rituals and daily life of the Cathars, about their mysterious history and persecution by the Catholic Church. You will visit an area that sheltered heretics a thousand years ago, and where a tragic outcome awaited them.
This area is rich in vineyards, there are many small cellars along the roads, and here you can combine a visit to historical sites with a tasting of light local wines.
Additional Information
| Basic information: | |
| Tour cost: 600 euros (including car) | |
| Tour duration: 8-10 o'clock | |
| Languages: Spanish, English, Catalan, Russian, French, some Italian and Hebrew | |
| Tour price includes: | |
| Transfer: | YES |
| Pick up at the hotel: | YES |
| Delivery to the hotel: | YES |
| Transport: | YES |
| Food and drinks: | NO |
| Additional paid services: | |
| Entrance fees (concerts, theater, museum, circus...): | YES |
| Translation services: | NO |
| Booking hotels, restaurants, air tickets: | NO |
| Visa support: | NO |
| Additional Information: | |
| Book a tour at least 7 days before the tour date: | NO |
| The tour is carried out with a minimum of 2 tourists: | NO |
| The cost of the tour is subject to change: | YES |
| Tour suitable for children | YES |
