Before you come to France, keep in mind…
Money
We suggest that you order Euros from your bank before you come to avoid an unfair exchange when you arrive at the airport—you’ll need Euros for tolls, parking, etc.
American Express Travelers checks are no longer accepted in most parts of France—don’t bother to bring them. Master Card is much more widely accepted than Visa, but either may charge a 2 to 3% surcharge on every purchase made in a foreign currency. American Express Cards are generally not accepted. You may want to call your card provider in advance to tell them you will be in France.
Bring a bank card for cash withdrawals from ATM machines in France. Your US bank account will be charged the equivalent in dollars. ATMs are widely available throughout France.
Gadgets
If you bring a hairdryer, make sure it is able to accept up to 240 volts. If not, we have hairdryers at Le Mas de Gancel already. Don’t bother to bring your 110 volt hairdryer.
For any other dual voltage (110-240 volts) electric items you will need a France plug adaptor only—not a voltage converter. Tri-band cell phones, digital cameras, PDAs, I-pods, razors and laptop computers are almost universally dual voltage, but check to be sure.
Telephones
You will find the phone number to the villa you reserved on the driving directions found on the villa’s individual web page.
Cellular
For cell phone coverage, you will need your own tri-band phone or else to rent a SIM card or cell phone for France. Cellhire can deliver either to your home be for you leave.
If you will not come with a cell phone, think about bringing an international calling card with local access numbers. International and France domestic calling cards are widely available in France at Tobacco and newspaper shops.
Dialing instructions:
France’s international country code is 33
From within France dial 04 90 59 10 76 (an example of a standard domestic number)
Dialing France:
From the United States or Canada: 011 33 490 59 10 76
From elsewhere in Europe 00 33 490 59 10 76
NOTE: The above examples drop the first 0 from the France domestic number.
Dialing out of France:
Dialing internationally from France, just dial 00 the country code and number.
Broadband internet access
If your villa has wireless ADSL access, you will need to bring a recent model laptop (Apple or Windows 2000 or XP) for this to work.
In the event that you have an older computer or that the ADSL is down, think about bringing local (France) dial-up numbers for your Internet Service provider. These should be available online. If not, you should be able to find internet cafes in larger villages or cities.
Suggested Reading
FYI: We have not found Lonely Planet books to be suitable to the luxury traveler.