INTRODUCTION - France 2014 - page 5

Orientation includes specifics on public transportation, helpful hints, local tour options,
easy-to-read maps, and tourist information.
Key to This Topic
Updates
This topic is updated every year, but things change. For the latest, visit
www.ricksteves.com/update . To report your travel experiences—good and
bad—check out our survey at www.ricksteves.com/feedback .
Abbreviations and Times
I use the following symbols and abbreviations in this topic:
Sights are rated:
▲▲▲ Don't miss
▲▲ Try hard to see
▲ Worthwhile if you can make it
No rating Worth knowing about
Tourist information offices are abbreviated as TI, and bathrooms are WC s. To
categorize accommodations, I use a Sleep Code (described on here ) .
Like Europe, this topic uses the 24-hour clock. It's the same through 12:00
noon, then keeps going: 13:00, 14:00, and so on. For anything over 12, subtract 12
and add p.m. (14:00 is 2:00 p.m.).
When giving opening times, I include both peak season and off-season hours
if they differ. So if a museum is listed as “May-Oct daily 9:00-16:00,” it should be
open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. from the first day of May until the last day of October
(but expect exceptions).
For transit or tour departures, Ifirstlistthefrequency,thentheduration.So,a
train connection listed as “2/hour, 1.5 hours” departs twice each hour, and the jour-
ney lasts an hour and a half.
Sights describes the top attractions and includes their cost and hours.
Self-Guided Walks takeyouthroughinterestingneighborhoods,withapersonaltour
guide in hand.