Appendix - France 2014 - page 1544

credit-card numbers. If you're not convinced a connection is secure, avoid accessing any
sites (such as your bank's) that could be vulnerable to fraud.
Mail
You can mail one package per day to yourself worth up to $200 duty-free from Europe to
the US (mark it “personal purchases”). If you're sending a gift to someone, mark it “unso-
licited gift.” For details, visit www.cbp.gov and search for “Know Before You Go.”
The French postal service works fine, but for quick transatlantic delivery (in either
direction), consider services such as DHL ( www.dhl.com ) . French post offices are some-
times called PTT, for “Post, Telegraph, and Telephone”—look for signs for La Poste .
Hoursvary,thoughmostareopenweekdays8:00-19:00andSaturdaymorning8:00-12:00.
Stamps and phone cards are also sold at tabacs . It costs about €1 to mail a postcard to
the US. One convenient, if expensive, way to send packages home is to use the PTT's
Colissimo International XL postage-paid mailing box (allow 6 days to reach the US). It
costs €36-47 to ship boxes weighing 5-7 kilos (about 11-15 pounds).
Transportation
By Car or Public Transportation?
If you're debating between public transportation and car rental, consider these factors:
Cars are best for three or more traveling together (especially families with small kids),
those packing heavy, and those scouring the countryside. Trains and buses are best for
solo travelers, blitz tourists, and city-to-city travelers, and those who don't want to drive
in Europe. While a car gives you more freedom, trains and buses zip you effortlessly and
scenically from city to city, usually dropping you in the center, often near a TI. Cars are
great in the countryside, but an expensive headache in places like Paris, Nice, and Lyon.
In cities, arriving by train in the middle of town makes hotel-hunting and sightseeing
easy. But in France, many of your destinations are likely to be small, remote places far
from a station, such as Honfleur, Mont St-Michel, D-Day beaches, Loire châteaux, Dor-
dogne caves, and villages in Provence and Burgundy. In such places, taking trains and
buses can require great patience, planning, and time. If you'll be relying on public trans-
portation, focus on fewer destinations, or hire one of the excellent minivan tour guides I
recommend.
I've included two sample itineraries—by car and by public transportation—to help
you explore France smoothly; you'll find these in the Introduction.