At Fodors, we spend considerable time choosing the best places in a destination so you dont have to. By default, anything we recommend in this book is worth visiting. But some sights, properties, and experiences are so great that weve recognized them with our Fodor's Choice designation. Disagree with any of our choices? Care to nominate a new place? Visit our feedback center at www.fodors.com/feedback.
Fodors partnership with TripAdvisor helps to ensure that our hotel selections are timely and relevant, taking into account the latest customer feedback about each property. Our team of expert writers selects what we believe will be the top choices for lodging in a destination. Then, those choices are reinforced by TripAdvisor reviews, so only the best properties make the cut.
Hotels have private bath, phone, TV, and air-conditioning, and do not offer meals unless we specify that in the review. We always list facilities but not whether youll be charged an extra fee to use them.
Unless we state otherwise, restaurants are open for lunch and dinner daily. We mention dress only when theres a specific requirement and reservations only when theyre essential or not acceptedits always best to book ahead.
We assume that restaurants and hotels accept credit cards. If not, well note it in the review.
Hotel and restaurant price categories from to $$$$ are defined in the opening pages of the respective chapters. For attractions, we always give standard adult admission fees; reductions are usually available for children, students, and senior citizens.
Fodors France 2012
Editors: Robert I. C. Fisher, Salwa Jabado
Editorial Contributors: Linda Dannenberg, Jennifer Ditsler-Ladonne, John Fanning, Sarah Fraser, Linda Hervieux, Ann Mah, Christopher Mooney, George Semler, Heather Stimmler-Hall
Editorial Production: Jennifer DePrima, Linda Schmidt, Evangelos Vasilakis
Design: Jessica Walsh, Jennifer Romains
Ebook Production: Lillian Sullam
Copyright
Copyright 2012 by Fodors Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.
Fodors is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Fodors Travel, a division of Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Limited, Toronto. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York.
No maps, illustrations, or other portions of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
ISBN 978087637142-8
Excerpted from Fodors France 2012 (ISBN 978-0-679-00941-2)
AN IMPORTANT TIP & AN INVITATION
Although all prices, opening times, and other details in this work are based on information supplied to us at publication, changes occur all the time in the travel world, and Fodors cannot accept responsibility for facts that become outdated or for inadvertent errors or omissions. So always confirm information when it matters, especially if youre making a detour to visit a specific place. Your experiencespositive and negativematter to us. If we have missed ormisstated something, please write to us. We follow up on all suggestions. Contact us at fodors.com/contact-us.
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Photo Credits
France Cover, SIME s.a.s/eStock Photo
Album 1, Luciano Morpurgo/shutterstock.com
Album 2, Sean Nel/shutterstock.com
Album 3, Edyta Pawloska/shutterstock.com
Album 4, Asher Welsead/shutterstock.com
Album 5, Archana Bhartia/shutterstock.com
Album 6, Steven Allan/istockphoto
Album 7, Christian Musat/shuttertock.com
Album 8, Demd Borodin/shutterstock.com
Album 9, Posztos (Colorlab.hui)/shutterstock.com
Album 10, L F File/shutterstock.com
France Contents, jovannig/shutterstock.com
Experience France, Ferenc Cegledi/Shutterstock.com.com
France Today, Steven Allan/iStockphoto
Whats Where, Lane Clark, Fodors.com member
France Planning, PixAchi/Shutterstock.com
Getting Around, iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Top Attractions, Louvre by simo0082 http://www.flickr.com/photos/37929379@N07/3488281539/ Attribution License
TopExperience, Paris Opera full frontal architecture, May 2009 by Peter Rivera http://www.flickr.com/photos/13057030@N00/3736516253 Attribution License
Quintessential France, hidden kitchen: amuse bouche: BLT with gazpacho by Meg Zimbeck http://www.flickr.com/photos/mufoo/2189689680/ Attribution-License
If You Like, Adam Kimmel - Paris showroom by TRS BIEN SHOP http://www.flickr.com/photos/tresbienshop/4004298483/ Attribution-License
History You Can See,wikipedia.org
Great Itineraries, Luciano Morpurgo/shutterstock.com
France Lodging Primer, Fabrice Rambert
Paris, Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock.com
Welcome To Paris, Ekaterina Pokrovsky/shutterstock.com
Exploring Paris, TEA/shutterstock.com
Where to Eat, Dana Ward/Shutterstock.com
Where to Stay, The Leading Hotels of the World
Nightlife and the Arts in Paris, equiles28, Fodors.com member
Shopping In Paris,Tupungato/shutterstock.com
Ile-de-France, Jose Ignacio Soto/shutterstock.com
The Western Ile-de-France, onairda/shutterstock.com
The Eastern Ile-de-France, Vitaly Titov & Maria Sidelnikova/shutterstock.com
The Loire Valley, S. Greg Panosian/iStockphoto
Welcome To the Loire Valley, Galchenkova Ludmila/shutterstock.com
From Tours To Orleans, Chteau de Colliers
Villandry to Langeais, Chateau Villandry by Casper Mollerhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/caspermoller/2674244859/ Attribution-License
Normandy, Lya_Cattel/istockphoto
Welcome To Normandy, clodlo/istockphoto
Upper Normandy, kompasstudio/istockphoto
Honfleur to Mont-St-Michel, iStockphoto
Brittany, Chris Marlow, Fodors.com member
Welcome To Brittany, schwaja, Fodors.com member
Northeast Brittany and the Channel Coast, Guillaume Dub/iStockphoto
The Atlantic Coast, clu/iStockphoto
Champagne Country, Gyukli Gyula/shutterstock.com
Welcome To Champagne Country, teresaevans, Fodor.com member
Champagne, Michel de Nijs/iStockphoto
Excursion: The Cathedral Cities, Claudio Giovanni Colombo/Shutterstock.com
Alsace-Lorraine, Brian Ferrigno, Fodors.com member
Welcome To Alsace-Lorraine, klondike, Fodors.com member
Nancy, Orlik Meert/shutterstock.com
Lorraine: Joan of Arc Country, Wikipedia.org/Public domain
Stasbourg, Tree4Two/istockphoto
Alsace, photostockar/shutterstock.com.com
Burgandy, lynnlin/Shutterstock.com
Welcome To Burgundy, clodio/istockphoto
Northwest Burgundy, clodio/istockphoto
Dijon, Tupungato/shutterstock.com
Wine Country, PHB.cz (Richard Semik)/istockphoto
Lyon and the Alps, wug, Fodors.com member
Welcome To Lyon and the Alps, Jakez/shutterstock.com
Lyon, Thierry Maffeis/shutterstock.com
Beaujolais, PHB.cz (Richard Semik)/shutterstock.com
The Rhone Valley, PHB.cz (Richard Semik)/shutterstock.com
Grenoble and the Alps, Lazar Mihai-Bogdan/Shutterstock.com
Provence, Crisma/iStockphoto
Welcome To Provence, Earl Eliason/iStockphoto
Arles and the Camargue, Wieslaw Jarek/iStockphoto
The Alpilles, Wikipedia.org/Public Domain
Avignon and the Vaucluse, lillisphotography/iStockphoto
Aix-en-Provence and theMediterranean Coast, Giancarlo Liguori/shutterstock.com
The French Riviera, Christian Musat/Shutterstock.com
Welcome To The French Riviera, cote d'azur (Villefranche-sur-Mer) by http://www.flickr.com/photos/37556068@N06/3718656336/ Attribution-License