EuroCheapo's France Articles

Feb 22 Because the French railway network extended its tentacles only slowly north from Paris to the ports, there was a spell in the mid-19th century when the Channel port of Boulogne remained conspicuously isolated from the rest of France. Brits could get there easily from London, using the new rail routes to the Kent coast and » Read more

Dec 19 By Tom Meyers— A few months ago I had to make a key decision while planning a trip from Paris to Berlin. Plane or train? I could take a €50 budget flight on easyJet and be there in about two hours. Or I could take the TGV to Germany, and then board an ICE train » Read more

Nov 30 Europe’s new rail schedules come into effect on Sunday December 11, 2011. And these new schedules will, for the most part, apply through December 2012. The latest monthly edition (dated December 2011) of the Thomas Cook European Rail Timetable has just landed on our desks, and we’ve been taking a peek at what rail travelers » Read more

Nov 16 Rail travelers through Germany who have no great aptitude for languages usually manage to pick up the bare essentials after a few days. Among those essentials is the marvelously Germanic compound tongue-twister Schienenersatzverkehr (“SEV” for short). It’s not a word you’ll want to use a lot. And it’s not a word you’ll want to hear too » Read more

Oct 12 Barely 20 miles separate England from France across the Strait of Dover. And though the Channel Tunnel now takes a lot of traffic that might hitherto have gone by sea, there are still plenty of ships anxious to berth in Dover – which remains Europe’s busiest ferry port. This week, we’ll take a look at ferries » Read more

Aug 22 By Theadora Brack in Paris— Got 24 hours to spend in Paris? Grab the cameras and bucket lists, and let’s shoot the city like there’s no tomorrow. Here are six of my favorite iconic backdrops for photo ops, perfect for your social media portraits and status updates, too. There’s no sin in boasting. Besides, it’s » Read more

Aug 15 By Bryan Pirolli in Paris— Few experiences in Paris will leave you as spellbound and awestruck as the massive monarchical monolith that is the Palace of Versailles. Louis XIV’s palatial compound and spectacular gardens still wow visitors today just as they did during a period when nobles and mistresses filled the halls, hoping for a » Read more

Aug 10 Having a sense of local travel patterns is a smart way of seeing Europe at its best and trimming costs. High school holiday dates are often a key determinant of accommodation costs. And with kids already heading back to school in some parts of Europe, that opens up opportunities for Cheapos looking for bargains. Summer » Read more

Aug 08 By Theadora Brack in Paris— This week, let’s go-go vintage clothing shopping! Throughout Paris, you’ll find “friperies” (second-hand clothing shops) and “depôts-ventes” (consignment shops). Possessing a mad penchant for collecting the garb of yesteryear but on a budget, I’ve three favorite hunting grounds: Abbesses, the Marais, and the Porte de Vanves flea market. But first, » Read more