Michelin Red Guide is Out: Here are the Paris Restaurants

Les 3 étoiles (10)

Le Meurice, Paris Ier.

L%26#39;Ambroisie, Paris IVe.

Arpège, Paris VIIe.

Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, Paris VIIIe.

Le Bristol, Paris VIIIe. (nouveauté 2009)

Ledoyen, Paris VIIIe.

Pierre Gagnaire, Paris VIIIe.

Astrance, Paris XVIe.

Le Pré Catelan, Paris XVIe.

Guy Savoy, Paris XVIIe.

Les 2 étoiles (15)

Carré des Feuillants, Paris Ier.

L%26#39;Espadon, Paris Ier. (nouveauté 2009)

Le Grand Véfour, Paris Ier.

Hélène Darroze - La Salle à Manger, Paris VIe.

Relais Louis XIII, Paris VIe.

L%26#39;Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris VIIe.

Les Ambassadeurs, Paris VIIIe.

Apicius, Paris VIIIe.

Le «Cinq», Paris VIIIe.

Lasserre, Paris VIIIe..

Senderens, Paris VIIIe..

Taillevent, Paris VIIIe.

La Table de Joël Robuchon, Paris XVIe.

Michel Rostang, Paris XVIIe.

Gordon Ramsay au Trianon, Versailles, 78. (nouveauté 2009)

Les 1 étoile (59)

Gérard Besson, Paris Ier.

Le Céladon, Paris IIe.

Le Pur%26#39; Grill, Paris IIe.

Benoît, Paris VIe.

La Tour d%26#39;Argent, Paris Ve.

Fogòn, Paris VIe. (nouveauté 2009)

Jacques Cagna, Paris VIe.

Paris, Paris VIe.

Le Restaurant, Paris VIe.

Ze Kitchen Galerie, Paris VIe.

Aida, Paris VIIe.

Auguste, Paris VIIe.

Les Fables de La Fontaine, Paris VIIe.

Gaya Rive Gauche par Pierre Gagnaire, Paris VIIe.

Il Vino d%26#39;Enrico Bernardo, Paris VIIe.

Le Jules Verne, Paris VIIe. (nouveauté 2009)

Le Divellec, Paris VIIe.

35° Ouest, Paris VIIe. (nouveauté 2009)

Vin sur Vin, Paris VIIe.

Le Violon d%26#39;Ingres, Paris VIIe.

L%26#39;Angle du Faubourg, Paris VIIIe.

L%26#39;Arôme, Paris VIIIe.(nouveauté 2009)

Le Chiberta, Paris VIIIe.

Dominique Bouchet, Paris VIIIe.

Laurent, Paris VIIIe.

Stella Maris, Paris VIIIe.

La Table du Lancaster, Paris VIIIe.

Jean, Paris IXe.

Au Trou Gascon, Paris XIIe.

Montparnasse%26#39;25, Paris XIVe.

Etc..., Paris XVIe. (nouveauté 2009)

La Grande Cascade, Paris XVIe.

Hiramatsu, Paris XVIe.

Passiflore, Paris XVIe.

Le Pergolèse, Paris XVIe.

Relais d%26#39;Auteuil, Paris XVIe.

La Table du Baltimore, Paris XVIe.

Agapé, Paris XVIIe. (nouveauté 2009)

Bath%26#39;s, Paris XVIIe.

Bigarrade, Paris XVIIe. (nouveauté 2009)

La Braisière, Paris XVIIe.

Les Pléiades, Barbizon, 77. (nouveauté 2009)

Auberge de la Brie, Couilly-Pont-aux-Dames, 77.

La Table St-Just, Melun / Vaulx-le-Pénil, 77.

Le Pouilly, Sénart /Pouilly-le-Fort, 77.

Le Camélia, Bougival, 78.

La Belle Epoque, Châteaufort, 78.

Auberge du Château «Table des Blot», Dampierre-en-Yvelines, 78.

Laurent Trochain, Le Tremblay-sur-Mauldre, 78.

Tastevin, Maisons-Laffitte, 78.

L%26#39;Angélique, Versailles, 78.(nouveauté 2009)

Le Saint-Clément, Arpajon 91.

Au Comte de Gascogne, Boulogne-Billancourt, 92.

Ducôté cuisine, Boulogne-Billancourt, 92. (nouveauté 2009)

L%26#39;Escarbille, Meudon, 92.

La Truffe Noire, Neuilly-sur-Seine, 92.

Auberge des Saints-Pères, Aulnay-Sous-Bois, 93.

Les Magnolias, Le-Perreux-sur-Marne, 94.

La Bretèche, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés / La Varenne-Saint-Hilaire, 94.

|||

Not familiar with the guide. Are the numbers (78, 92 etc) a ranking based on a score of 100?

|||

The Michelin Red Guide is the definitive source for the best hotels and restaurants through out France and at all price levels (not just for the starred restaurants Les has noted above).

This list is closely watched by those keenly interested in food. The Guide however is a invaluable source for anyone traveling in France and it is the only guide book that I definitively carry while traveling.

The numbers following each entry above are location identifiers, specifically arrondissements (I to XX) and administrative departments. 75 through 94 are locations in and around Paris.

|||

Is the list this person%26#39;s personal opinion?

I think the Michelin Red Guide isand has been pretty well accepted for many years.

Another well recognized source for good up-to-date information is e-gullet.

|||

What%26#39;s a bit of a hoot is that Alain Sendersens closed down his Michelin-starred LUCAS CARTON, ostensibly to get away from the %26#39;star-chase%26#39;....and he%26#39;s right back in it with the replacement SENDERSENS at the same location.

|||

Glad to see Pascal Barbot is keeping L%26#39;Astrance in the 3 star category.

Loved our meal there (when it was still a 2 star place in 2005). In fact, the intimate dining room and innovative cuisine was more to our taste than the (then) 3 star Le Cinq - and we allow ourselves some parochial pride at the Australian connection in his training.

|||

I do understand the Michelin Guide%26#39;s star system and prominence. My small and befuddled non-French speaking brain just caught on that etoile=star.

Need to order Rosetta Stone before I contemplate this trip...

|||

Do you mean Senderens KDK?

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Do you mean Senderens KDK?%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

Apologies for the mis-spelling YES. Alain Senderens%26#39; SENDERENS, 9 Place de la Madeleine, 75008...formerly LUCAS CARTON at the same location.

|||

We have to admit that Alain Senderen is a great cook and his restaurant (or %26quot;bistro%26quot; as he likes to call it) is indeed very good, and not as overpriced as many other restaurants in Paris.

|||

Senderens is really excellent and the service is perfect. It%26#39;s beautiful too. And for 100 euros you can have dinner and wine. Compared to what the other places are asking, it%26#39;s a %26quot;bargain%26quot;.

Train reservations a must?

Arriving in Avignon on May 18 for 4 days. Was told by rep at RailEurope that I need to reserve train trips to Aix and Cassis now or may not get a seat. Is that true? Also, isn%26#39;t there another train line that doesn%26#39;t require reservations?

|||

Do not book through RailEurope. They charge a substantial fee on top of the ticket price, and do not list all the trains.

All the trains are listed on the French rail operators%26#39; web site: www.voyages-sncf.com but stay with French. If you switch to English you get shunted to another site that does not list all the trains.

It is unlikely that the trains will sell out, but you can book with SNCF. Hints on how to do this are at seat61.com/…20voyages-sncf.com

|||

The RailEurope Rep is either ignorant or a bare-faced liar.

Almost all services from Avignon Centre train station to Cassis use TER trains on which seat reservations are not possible and which therefore cannot %26#39;sell out%26#39;. The same applies to journeys from Avignon Centre to Aix en Provence Centre via Marseille.

The only journeys even with a possibility of selling out are those from Avignon TGV train station, either to Aix en Provence TGV, or to get to Marseille for a train to Cassis.

|||

Unless something has changed drastically very recently, if you are travelling from Avignon to Aix, the only direct train service is using the TGV from the TGV station in each town. They journey is very quick, 20 minutes, but of course you have to add to the transfer time to each TGV station.

You can travel from Avignon to Aix by TER (local) train but you have to take one train to Marseille and another to Aix it would take much longer, given that the Avignon-Marseille bit is about 40 or 50 minutes and the Marseille-Aix bit another half hour or so, and you may have a wait for the connection in Marseille. The advantage is you don%26#39;t have to book the TER trains, or get shuttle bus to the station.

A further thing to bear in mind is that the TER line from Marseille to Aix was being refurbished last year and there was a replacement bus. I posted an enquiry on here a few weeks ago about this line and it is open again, but apparently not running smoothly.

However, there is a direct bus service a few times a day, see lepilote.com/Img/…LER-23_Aix-Avignon.pdf This might be cheaper, quicker and simpler, and I doubt you have to book it more than a couple of days in advance, if at all.

To get to Cassis, you have to get to Marseille by the transport means of your choice and then get the TER train from Marseille St Charles station and then shuttle bus or taxi or walk the two miles from Cassis station to the town, or get a bus from the Marseille city centre to Cassis centre.

Hope this helps and if I%26#39;m wrong on anything, could someone please let us all know!

|||

Seems accurate to me, and a great deal more helpful than my earlier post, which suggested that you can go from Avignon to Aix via Marseille. You can, but it%26#39;s a very poor way to go - ChicChantal%26#39;s routes are massively preferable.

|||

If you decide to travel via the TGV you WILL need a reservation, as all TGV seats require one.

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 1:23 am, October 09, 2009

Versailles Back to Paris

What is the best way to go from the Versailles train station to Gare de la Montparnasse in Paris?

|||

Take RER Line C from Versailles Rive Gauche towards Paris and get off at Invalides. Chanage there to Metro Line 13 towards Chatillon Montrouge, and get off at Montparnasse Bienvenue.

You really need to get hold of a guide book on Paris. It will have a map of the metro system, so you can work out simple things like this for yourself. And it will have a whole load of information that will help you enjoy your visit.

|||

Go directly to the source

www.ratp.info/orienter/cv/carteparis.php

will give you an interactive map of the RER and metro stops, voyage time and cost

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 1:23 am, October 09, 2009

Caveat Emptor: VRBO #179622, Apt. owned by Leigh Dance & Al

My husband and I are frequent travelers to Paris, but this was by far the worst experience we’ve had renting an apartment. So far with VRBO we’ve had one home run and two strikes, so I would hesitate before using the listing service again, as there are plenty of other services out there. The home run was VRBO #70921, a fabulous rental recently renovated but with the historic architectural details intact—much nicer than the photos might indicate (much roomier and with more light) and suitable for 2 couples in the 6th on Blvd. de la Tour Maubourg. The second time we tried VRBO we found what we thought was the perfect apartment: a penthouse for 2 in the 7th. About a month after we paid our deposit we were contacting by the owner explaining that she had double-booked the apartment and that another couple was scheduled to arrive in the middle of our stay. She refunded our money, but it left a bad taste behind, and VRBO #179622 was the next apartment we settled on.

The apartment is in the 7th, about a 10 minute walk from Musée d’Orsay. Although the owners claim it’s on a quiet street, they neglect to mention the club on the corner that closes at 2 am on Friday and Saturday and expels a constant stream of noisy drunks who weave past the apartment screaming at the top of their lungs until 5 am (this is in winter with the windows closed, I can only imagine what it is like in the spring or summer).

The first thing the housekeeper said to us when we toured the apartment for the first time upon arrival (stained carpeting, poor lighting, old food left behind in the fridge) was that there was “no real hot water” in the bathroom. Actually that’s not entirely true; the water temperature ranged from lukewarm to tepid . . . with occasional bursts of scalding, presumably when someone in one of the other apartments flushed.

When making inquiries about the rental I asked specifically if the television received international cable channels (we were keeping close tabs on post-election news) and was told by both of the owners that the satellite service was in the process of being installed, and that we would have phone service that was “practically free,” as well as a cable modem hookup for the internet, as the apartment’s wifi was subppar. Despite their assurances the service was not installed when we arrived, and there was no phone service. The wi-fi worked fine for several days and then quit. When we arrived the housekeeper was at the apartment waiting for the satellite serviceman to arrive; he did not, and another appointment was scheduled during our stay. The man who arrived was very polite, but explained that the service could not be installed in the apartment, and that the owner needed to make the arrangements by stopping by the satellite company’s office. The owner had the gall to suggest that we stop by the satellite company ourselves; evidently not comprehending that for most of us, travel is a vacation from doing chores such as sitting around waiting for the cable guy to arrive!

We were forced to spend several hundred dollars in phone charges (this was a working vacation for me, and I had to be in frequent touch with my client). The owners of the apartment offered to reimburse us for the full amount of the charges, but went back on their word and made only a partial payment. They were uncommunicative and uncooperative, particularly once they received our money, and although they now claim that everything in the apartment is “fixed,” I would not take these people at their word, they are simply untrustworthy.

|||

I hope you communicate this with VRBO. Since one bad experience may cost them several bookings I would think they would want to expel non-performing listers or at least coerce them into keeping to their word.

|||

Travelbug...How horrible! I am so sorry that you had such a terrible apartment and Gall is not the word I%26#39;d use more like Balls! Right, I%26#39;ll just go stand in line at the cable joint on my vacation getting your %^@t done.

I%26#39;d dispute that charge with my CC company. At least 1/2 back is fair.

We stayed in Barcelona once and there was a night club off the lobby and OMG the drunks, screaming, yelling, crying going on all night. And the trash those jerks left the next morning made me wonder how could the hotel have this place in their lobby when it disturbs the guests...Makes you wonder....

|||

Can%26#39;t blame you at all for being very upset.

Me? I would have gone absolutely ballistic, and would have demanded recompense IMMEDIATELY at that time.

As far as sending a letter, or message, to VRBO?

WASTED EFFORT!

Notice that you cannot post a bad review on VRBO? That all reviews must be approved by the property owner?

While I still use VRBO, I always check out the apartment on other sites where it%26#39;s listed, before making a commitment. That takes some work, but it can be done.

A shame that this happened, and that there%26#39;s not much more than posting how poorly you were treated here and there....

|||

What a shame, the nerve of that owner asking YOU to go to the cable company,, are some people nuts or what?

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

TripAdvisor staff removed this post because it did not meet TripAdvisor's forum guideline with regards to harassment of another user. We will remove messages that include personal attacks or hostility directed at an individual user or group of users, threatening language or attempts to force a user to discontinue participation on our forums.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 10:22 am, April 11, 2009


|||

Onb VRBO you can post a comment IF the owner has activated that option. If you make a guest comment that is negative, of course the owner will disallow it BUT that a negative comment occured (indicated in red) remains. It isn%26#39;t that obvious however, because a potential renter needs to click on the See All Guest Comments section to go to the page that shows it.

Also, you can complain to VRBO. It took me a while to find it, but go to the Help Form link at the bottom of the page and you will find your way to a contact page. VRBO of course doesn%26#39;t mediate between renters and landlords, but they do state that if they get enough complaints, they may find that they don%26#39;t want VRBO associated with that property...that they want their site to have integrity.

I know this because I recently complained about a landlord in Palm Springs who, in spite of many calls and emails, continued to fail to return a large security deposit. Luckily, I had used my credit card and disputed the charge. The VRBO people took my complaint, but so far, I have heard nothing more. I suspect they get few complaints because the process is not easy to find.

Just so you know.

|||

TravelBug - I%26#39;ve rented thru VRBO at least 8 times over the past 6 years and have never had a problem. And each time the house in person was nicer than the photos.

Here%26#39;s my rule of thumb:

1. only rent units that show a good number of photos online; in this case there was

2. only rent units that have a good number of guest comments posted, preferrably none more than 3 months old

Its the guest comments that are the real %26#39;rent%26#39; for me.

|||

there%26#39;s actually a 3rd:

3) look at pending bookings on the calendar; units that are in demand have good recommendations outside of VRBO guest comments online

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

TripAdvisor staff removed this post either because the author requested it, or because it did not meet TripAdvisor's forum guidelines.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 12:16 pm, April 12, 2009


|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 3:18 am, October 24, 2009

SNCF-why not Canada?

Booking train travel from Dijon to Paris, July 2009. When it asks for which country - why does it not give the option of Canada - my precious home?

|||

Exactly what site are you using? When I use www.voyages-sncf.com it does not ask me about country.

|||

Just choose France and then you can either pick at the station or print online.

I hope you are using http://www.voyages-sncf.com/

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 12:32 am, October 10, 2009

The New "Paris Pass"

Anyone out there know anything about this pass. It %26quot;seems%26quot; to be a good deal but the Metro part is only good for districts 1-3 and most of those places we will never have time to get to as we have only 7 days.

Just wondering if anyone has thoughts about it.

Thanks!!

|||

Hi,

As mentioned in this forum by me and many others, the %26quot;Paris Pass%26quot; isn%26#39;t a good deal, as you figured it out yourself when saying %26quot;most of those places we will never have time to get to%26quot;

I suggest considering buying a museum pass (see http://www.parismuseumpass.com/en/home.php) and a separate pass for the transportation. In order to help you with the transportation pass, could you please specify which areas outside Paris you%26#39;ll visit (if any), how do you plan to go from the airport to your hotel and on what days of the week will you be in Paris?

P.S, the number 1-3, that you mentioned isn%26#39;t districts (arrondissements), but zones. All the 20 arrondissements of Paris are included in zone 1.

|||

We too are in Paris soon and I was thinking about the 5 day combo pass through conciergerie .com.

We will be in the 5th and are coming from airport via taxi .

Any advice on how to keep spending on unnecessary travel to a minimum would be much appreciated.

We want to go to Versailles but this is just an add on of around 5euros I believe. thanks

|||

Hi

Thanks for your reply!!! I really do appreciate it. The reason I used the word %26quot;District%26quot; is because I could not spell arrondissement!! Now that you have done that for me I will copy and paste it!!

I can say the french word just could not spell it :- D

I believe the 18th arrondissement for le marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen is about as far as we will need to go. So, your information has been very helpful. I have been to Paris before but my niece bought the passes for us. I will buy the Museum Pass and refer to Rick Steves guide for the Metro.

Thanks very Much!!

Birdfan

|||

%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;Any advice on how to keep spending on unnecessary travel to a minimum would be much appreciated.%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;

%26#39;..unnecessary spending..%26#39; is a highly subjective term. As an example, there are several significantly lower cost options/alternatives to a taxi as a mode of airport transfer--RER %26#39;B%26#39; ligne train/Metro; Roissybus, Les Cars Air France--between CDG and one%26#39;s destination within central Paris. Unless one has physical mobility or other %26#39;special needs%26#39; issues, a taxi could easily be described as %26#39;..unnecessary spending..%26#39;.

Perhaps you can explain your own definition/criteria of %26#39;..unnecessary spending..%26#39;?

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 12:32 am, October 10, 2009

Where (and how) to Buy Gas (petrol)

We will be renting a car in June and driving from Paris through Normandy and to Mt St Michel.

Could anyone explain WHERE the best places are to buy gasoline and HOW the process works in France?

We are used to pumping our own with a credit card -- but I would like to be able to do it %26quot;the right way%26quot; on our trip.

We will be driving a hybrid -- so any extra advise on that would also be welcome.

MERCI

|||

A Prius? I rented one in Canada a couple of years ago and had fun driving it. Watch out when going slow in parking lots etc... if the car is running on electric it%26#39;s very quiet and pedestrians don%26#39;t hear you coming.

As far as gas is concerned, your best prices will usually be at the huge grocery stores you%26#39;ll find at the edges of towns. The worst prices are on the autoroutes.

Your credit card won%26#39;t work at the pumps so you%26#39;ll need to pump and go inside to pay. Watch out late evenings and weekends as there may not be anyone manning the cash so you%26#39;ll effectively not be able to fuel up. On the autoroutes I never came across a situation where there was not someone to take my cash or credit card... it%26#39;s only at the pumps your card won%26#39;t work.

If you take any autoroutes your credit cards won%26#39;t work at the tolls either... we always make sure to have cash for the manned booth.

Bon voyage!

Rob

|||

The best and cheapest places to buy %26quot;essence%26quot; (gasoline) %26quot;SP95%26quot; (regular unleaded grade) are the numerous out of town %26quot;hypermarche%26quot; (supermarkets). Look out for %26quot;LeClerc%26quot;, %26quot;Champion%26quot;, %26quot;Carrefour%26quot; and %26quot;Intermarche%26quot;, which are usually signposted on routes into or out of towns. Use the stop to take a break and grab a picnic or a meal in one of larger stores. The LeClercs are often the nicest places of the four, as they tend to be a little more up market.

Failing that, some of the Esso stations are cheaper that the French brands. Avoid filling up on the Autoroutes, where you will pay the highest prices for the convenience. If you want a break, the %26quot;aire de repos%26quot; stops without services are usually more pleasant, being smaller and sometimes wooded.

Most stations are %26quot;24-hours%26quot;, but unmanned when the corresponding shops are closed. I have a European chipped (%26quot;puce%26quot;) credit card with a PIN. The French have long ceased to accept magnetic swipe cards and signatures, although they should do in theory by telephoning for authorisation. Anyway, this isn%26#39;t going to happen when the pumps are unattended.

The process is to insert the credit card, enter your PIN and fill up. For some reason I have never worked out, I only get a 50% acceptance rate on my card, so I always have a station or two planned out in reserve. Best time to fill up is during the day when the pumps are manned, as the cashier will often accept the card even though the pump has rejected it.

I recommend you check here before setting off:

www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/

You can plan out your journey, get details of the gas stations on your route and see how much they are charging. If your hybrid uses liquified propane gss(%26quot;GPL%26quot;), you can find that here too.

Or perhaps your hybrid is a gas/electric. I had the use of a Toyota Prius for a month. It drives just like a normal automatic, but doesn%26#39;t have much spare horsepower at high speed, so plan your overtaking carefully. French drivers are not tolerant of slower vehicles in %26quot;their%26quot; lane and they will tailgate you through until you can clear whatever it is you pulled out to pass.

If you have the time to meander, check out Monet%26#39;s garden at Giverny and the American art museum. Then cross the Seine via the Pont de Normandy which is one of the longest cable stay bridges in the world and take a short detour into Honfleur for another break.

|||

THANKS -- Giverny is our FIRST STOP after we leave the airport.

MERCI

|||

You will not be able to pump your own with a credit card. Your card will not have a chip and so will not be accepted by any unattended machine, such as petrol pump, metro ticket sales, or toll booth.

The petrol areas at supermarkets usually have a number of pumps where you serve yourself. You then get in your car and drive to the exit, where there is a cashier. You tell the cashier the number of the pump you used (write it down if you don%26#39;t know how to say it in French) and pay.

Note that, even at staffed cashiers, you may have difficulty in having your card accepted: many French no longer understand cards that do not have a chip. Carry adequate cash.

|||

Be sure to fill up in advance of a holiday, when gas pumps will not have attendants to take your U.S.-style credit card.

I find it astonishing that the U.S. card issuers apparently have no plans to implement chip cards. I keep on asking Citibank, and the answer is always a variation on %26quot;Maybe sometime in the future.%26quot;

|||

Just to add to your worries, rural France closes for lunch. That often includes supermarkets, especially in small towns. It also includes things like church sites and other places that are not MAJOR tourist attractions. You can of course, go with the flow and drop into the local restaurant as all the French are doing. You can expect things to be closed roughly 12-2.00 or 2.30 and on Monday they may not open at all.

|||

-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-

This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.

To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html

We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.

Removed on: 12:32 am, October 10, 2009