Survival Guide - Discover France: Experience the Best of France - page 757

CATEGORY COST

€ budget < €70 (< €80 in Paris)

€€ midrange €70-175 (€80-180)

€€€ top end > €175 (> €180)

RESERVATIONS
Some tourist offices can make room reservations for you, often for a fee of €5, but
many only do so if you stop by in person.

B&BS
For charm, a heartfelt bienvenue (welcome) and solid home cooking, it's hard to
beat France's privately run chambres d'hôtes (B&Bs), which are urban rarities but
are plentiful in rural areas. Many hosts prepare an evening meal ( table d'hôte ) for
an extra charge of around €20 to €30. Pick up lists of chambres d'hôte at local tour-
ist offices, or find one to suit your style on the following websites:

Bienvenue à la Ferme ( www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com ) Escape to the country at a
chambre d'hôte on a farm. You can search online or order a catalogue.

Chambres d'Hôtes France ( www.chambresdhotesfrance.com ) Great selection of
B&Bs, all searchable by region.

en France ( www.bbfrance.com ) A hand-picked selection of B&Bs and gîtes from
Bordeaux to Brittany.

Fleurs de Soleil ( http://fleursdesoleil.fr , in French) Has a click-happy map of
France showing chambres d'hôte by region.

Gîtes de France ( www.gites-de-france.fr ) Acts as an umbrella organisation for
B&Bs. Check out their catalogue Gîtes de Charme ( www.gites-de-france-
charme.com ) , or ask at local tourist offices about Gîtes de France brochures.