Finding you the perfect camping holiday at : New Road Safety Measures in France
http://bestfrenchcampsites.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-road-safety-measures-in-france.html
January 2011
Our article about Michelin Guide Travel and Restaurant Apps for iphone :
http://bestfrenchcampsites.blogspot.com/2011/01/michelin-apps-for-iphone.html
November 2010
Our article about the Beautiful French Villages Travel App
http://bestfrenchcampsites.blogspot.com/2010/11/beautiful-villages-france-travel-app.html
December 2010
Our article about downloadable French City Maps and information :
http://bestfrenchcampsites.blogspot.com/2010/12/downloadable-brochures-guides-to-french.html
28/07/10
900,000 Passengers Expected Through Parisian Airports This Weekend !
A busy weekend is expected at the Parisian Airports this weekend with 900,000 passengers expected. Facilities have been set up to entertain families with children.
http://www.francesoir.fr/tourisme-transports/les-aeroports-de-paris-prets-pour-les-grands-departs
27/04/10
Some Excellent Travel Information Sites for Drivers in France
There are some excellent sites for travel information in France. They allow you to print route itineraries and also some let you plan which service stations to stop at en-route.
The Society of Autoroutes http://www.autoroutes.fr/accueil.html
From "Autoroutes du Sud de la France" ASF there is a website for routes to and within the South of France: http://www.asf.fr/control/index.aspx?alias=Internet2007Anglais.home
The North and East of France has the organisation "sanef" which has this website : http://www.sanef.com/fr/index.jsp
For Paris and Normandy Routes http://www.sapn.fr/index.php
Has anyone else found any better sites, particularly covering the West of France ?
Blogging with information to help us enjoy our camping holidays from Best French Campsites
05/04/10
More Strikes !
I was really hoping to bring you some good news about holidays but instead I have spotted on the French France Soir site that there is another travel strike about to start ! So if you are travelling to France this week and planning to use the SNCF trains then you better read this article. If you have a Google toolbar you will find that you can easily translate French articles if your French isnt quite up to translating this.
However it looks like there is to be at least a 24hr strike beginning this Tuesday 6th Arpil 2010 at 2000 hrs.
http://www.francesoir.fr/social-transports/sncf-les-syndicats-divorcent-sur-fond-de-greve
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24/03/10
National Strike Affecting Rail Services in France
A National Strike in France may affect those holidaying in Paris who want to travel by train. About half the trains were running on Paris commuter lines on Tuesday morning 23rd March, while nearly two-thirds of national high-speed TGV services were operating, according to French news agency AFP.
National rail operator SNCF said services would be disrupted until early on Wednesday. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8582485.stm
19/03/10
Hire Car Charges Discussed on You and Yours
There was an interesting discussion about Hiring Cars abroad on Radio 4's You and yours today. People have been hit with hidden charges but there are now some new EU regulations. To hear more please listen again at :
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/items/02/2010_11_fri.shtml
Snow Causing Problems on Roads in Eastern France -7/3/2010
More than seventy road accidents, one fatal, occurred on Saturday 6th March on the roads of eastern France after snowfall. On Sunday, the snowy should start around mid-day in the Rhone Valley.
In the area of Belfort, there were five accidents on Saturday morning, mostly in the north of the department, on the border between Alsace and Franche-Comte, where the snow had made movement difficult on the A36. Accidents have been reported in Lorraine, Moselle, the Vosges and in Alsace, but injuries from these were minor. After the disruption of the snow on Saturday, temperatures will drop below freezing overnight into Sunday, causing frozen pavements, so caution is recommended.
http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2010/03/07/apres-l-est-de-la-france-la-neige-menace-la-vallee-du-rhone_1315582_3244.html
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High Winds Lash France over the Weekend
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8540762.stm
22/02/10
Total Oil Workers Strike Suspended
The Strike by Total Oil workers has been suspended after various Union demands were met. There is to be a review of France's energy needs and Total will review its refinery needs.
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22/02/10
Total Oil Workers Strike
The French Government has pledged that the public will not be affected by petrol or diesel shortages as a result of the continuing strike by Total Oil Workers. The workers, from France's largest oil company, have been picketing the company's six main refineries in France for more than a month.
The dispute is over the possible closure of Total's Dunkirk refinery. Total stopped production at the refinery last September because of a fall in demand. Talks between Total and the CGT union broke down on Sunday 21st February.
The CGT is now calling for the strike to spread to the two French oil refineries owned by US group Exxon Mobil, where strikes are planned for Tuesday. The union says that 80% of Total's refinery workers remain on strike.
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21/02/10
"Aires" or Motorway Stopovers.
In France, you pay to travel on most motorways [autoroutes] (there are a few free motorways, around large cities and in Northern France) but there is one benefit that comes with this cost – an immense variety of "aires". Government regulations demand that aires are placed at a maximum of 20 km intervals, so there is one without fail every twelve miles or so.
The aires range from small picnic areas with an emergency telephone, almost open air toilet and wash basins and a few picnic tables/seats, to filling stations with a variety of services including shops, restaurants and often with incredible views.
If you look carefully there are quite often wildlife areas and we stopped last year and sat watching various butterflies hovering over a variety of wildflowers.
The "aires" can get busy during the tourist season but are generally not too busy. The ones in and around the larger cities can be more busy and crowded so if you can plan to stop in the countryside that is probably a better plan.
There is a guide book to these motorway stopovers. This book seems to be aimed at Motorhome owners looking for cheap stopovers but it may also be useful for ordinary drivers. I will try and find out more !
There is also an excellent website with interactive maps of motorway aires at
http://www.abelard.org/france/motorway-aires1.php
posted by Go Back to Best French Campsites
Voies Vertes
These are French cycle ways rather like the UK Sustrans network.
Some are entirely off road and some are on quiet roads.
The website has a map and you can see if there are any cycle routes where you are holidaying. You can then download an excellent pdf file with a description of your chosen route.
http://www.voiesvertes.com/
