INTRODUCTION - France 2014 - page 9

the currency, and figure out how to estimate prices in dollars. Those who expect to travel
smart, do.
Trip Costs
Five components make up your trip costs: airfare, surface transportation, room and board,
sightseeing and entertainment, and shopping and miscellany.
Airfare: ParisandNicehavethemostconvenientflightsfromtheUS.Abasicround-
tripflightfromtheUStoParisorNicecancost,onaverage,about$900to$2,000total,de-
pending onwhere youflyfromandwhen(cheaper inwinter). Smaller budget airlines may
provide bargain service from several European capitals to many cities in France. Within
France,theseinexpensiveflightscangetyoubetweenParisandothermajorcities(suchas
Nice, Marseille, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Lyon, and Bordeaux).
France at a Glance
These attractions are listed (as in this topic) looping counterclockwise around
France, starting in Paris and ending in Champagne.
▲▲▲ Paris World capital of art, fashion, food, literature, and ideas, offering his-
toric monuments, grand boulevards, corner cafés, chic boutiques, cutting-edge ar-
chitecture, and world-class art galleries, including the Louvre and Orsay.
▲▲ Near Paris Europe's best palace at Versailles, the awesome cathedral of
Chartres, Monet's flowery gardens at Giverny, and a mouse-run amusement park.
▲▲▲ Normandy Pastoral mix of sweeping coastlines, half-timbered towns, and
intriguing cities, including bustling Rouen (Gothic architecture, Joan of Arc sites),
the little romantic port town of Honfleur, historic Bayeux (remarkable tapestry on
the Battle of Hastings), stirring D-Day sites and museums, and the almost surreal
island abbey of Mont St-Michel.
▲▲ Brittany Windswept and rugged, with a forgotten interior, gorgeous coast,
Celtic ties, and two notable towns: Dinan (Brittany's best medieval center) and the
beach resort of St-Malo.
▲▲▲ The Loire Picturesque towns (such as Amboise and Chinon) and more than
a thousand castles and palaces, including Chenonceaux (arcing across its river),
the huge Château de Chambord, Villandry (wonderful gardens), lavishly furnished
Cheverny, and many more.