Getting there from
Britain
The quickest way of
reaching France from
most parts of Britain is
by air, though in the
southeast this is now
rivalled closely by the
Channel Tunnel
London-Paris rail link,
which makes the
340-kilometre journey in
just three hours. The
standard rail-or
road-and - sea routes
are significantly more
affordable, but can be
uncomfortable and tiring
- and if you're just
going for a short break,
the journey time can
significantly eat into
your holiday.
Getting there from
Ireland
The fastest and most
cost-effective way of
getting to France from
Ireland is by plane.
There are good deals out
of the regional airports
as well as out of Dublin
to Paris. It is also
possible to fly direct
from Belfast, but there
are fewer options and
the costs are generally
much higher. Your best
bet is to get a flight
into Paris, from where
you can make connections
to France's regional
airports, or book a
flight to London or
Amsterdam and travel on
to France from there. It
is also possible to sail
to northern France from
Cork and Rosslare,
though the journey time
is long (around 15hr)
and the costs are not
significantly lower than
the deals offered by the
airlines that fly out of
western Ireland;
however, if you do need
to take your car, and
northern France is your
main destination, then
sailing - especially for
groups of two or more -
could prove to be a
cheaper and more
convenient option.
Getting there from
North America
Getting to France from
North America is
straightforward; there
are direct flights from
over thirty major cities
to Paris, with
connections from all
over the continent.
Nearly a dozen different
scheduled airlines
operate flights, making
Paris one of the
cheapest destinations in
Europe. If France is
part of a longer
European trip, a Eurail
train pass may be a
useful option
.
Getting there from
Australia and New Zealand
Many people travelling
to France from Australia
and New Zealand will
choose to travel via
London although there
are scheduled flights to
Paris from Sydney,
Melbourne, Brisbane,
Cairns, Perth and
Auckland. Most airlines
can add on a Paris (or
any other major French
destination) leg to any
Australia/New
Zealand-Europe ticket.
Travelling time is
around 22 hours via Asia
and 30 hours via the US
- not counting time
spent on stopovers.
Fares to
France vary according to
the season and the
carrier. In general, low
season lasts from
mid-January to the end
of February, and from
the beginning of October
to mid-November; high
season is from mid-May
to the end of August,
and from the beginning
of December to
mid-January. Seasonal
fare increases are
A$/NZ$200-400.
