Home > Rick Steves' Guidebooks > Guidebook Updates

Rick Steves' France

Updates since the 2010 edition:

Normandy

Caen

The Caen Memorial Museum (now officially titled Le Mémorial de Caen: Cité de l'Histoire pour la Paix), now opens at 9:30 (Tue–Sun, closes at 18:00; summer hours resume in March: daily 9:00–19:00). The museum will close January 1, 2010, and reopen again Jan. 26. Entry tickets are valid for 24 hours, no matter what time of day they were bought. The museum's 9:00 minivan tours now cost €59/person, and €75/person for the 14:00 tours (no longer at 13:00). One of the films played at the museum, D-Day and the Battle of Normandy (rather than Jour J), now plays hourly. Also, the "Worlds for Peace" wing, and the British Gardens, have been closed.

Alsace

Strasbourg

The Strasbourg–Vienna night train is no more (Paris–Vienna overnight routing will now include a change of trains at Munich.)

Updates since the 2009 edition:

General

Sleeping

If you're considering renting a home anywhere in France or an apartment in Paris, France Homestyle is a small, reliable outfit run by a Franco-American team. They personally inspects every property offered (300 French homes, 50 Paris apartments, fair rates, US tel. 206-325-0132, US fax 206-328-3673, www.francehomestyle.com, info@francehomestyle.com).

A website listed in this section of the introduction, www.charming-french-hotels.com, is no longer active.

Transportation

A new website lets you book advance reservations on the TGV (France's class of fast trains): http://www.tgv-europe.com/en/home. For your pick-up option, choose a country other than the US and outside western Europe, and you'll be able to print tickets at home or pick them up in the station.

IdeaMerge allows travelers who are planning to lease a car in France to do side-by-side price comparisons of Renault and Peugeot leases, along with motorhome rentals (US toll-free tel. 888-297-0001, US tel. 503/715-5810, www.ideamerge.com, ebredesen@ideamerge.com, Eric Bredesen).

Paris and Nearby

See updates for our Paris guidebook.

Normandy

Rouen

The hours for Notre-Dame Cathedral are: Mon 14:00–19:00, Tue–Sun 8:00–19:00; closed during Mass Tue–Sat at 8:00 and 10:00, Sun at 8:30, 10:30, and 12:00; also closed Nov–March daily 12:00–14:00.

The interior of the St. Maclou Church is closed Tue-Thu.

Bayeux

Don't leave your car on place St. Patrice on a Friday night, as it will be towed early Saturday.

The open hours for the Bayeux tapestry have changed: daily May–Aug 9:00–18:15, March–April and Sept–Oct 9:00–17:45, Nov–Feb 9:30–11:45 & 14:00–17:15.

The Baron Gérard Museum, which houses a modest painting gallery and a collection of porcelain and lace, is closed until 2012.

The Hôtel Tardif has changed its email to hoteltardif@orange.fr.

D-Day Beaches

Ellwood von Seibold, who runs D-Day Battle Tours, now only requires one person (instead of four) in order to run a tour (tel. 02 33 94 44 13, mobile 06 32 67 49 15, ellwood@ddaybattletours.com).

Mont St. Michel

A new bus company, Keolis-Emeraude, has replaced Couriers Bretons, providing service from Mont St. Michel to Rennes, Pontorson, and St. Malo. The website listed in the book (www.lescourriersbretons.fr) leads to the new company's site: www.keolis-emeraude.com.

Brittany

Dinan

Rent a bike at the port at Vélo Corsaire, where helpful Serge has what you need, including kids' bikes, child trailers, and baskets. He also offers one-way rentals for the 20-mile ride to St. Malo (closed Tue, at the port on rue du Port, tel. 06 86 11 53 59). The TI lists more bike-rental companies.

The Best Western Hotel Jerzual has a new website and email address: www.bestwesterndinan.fr and reservation@bestwesterndinan.fr.

Near Dinan

To get to Hotel Manoir de Rigourdaine from Rennes, take N-137 toward St. Malo, then N-176 toward Saint-Brieuc, take the Plouër-sur-Rance exit, and look for signs to Langrolay and then the hotel.

The Loire

Tours

The Detours du Loire bike rental is now located at 35 rue Charles-Gilles, and their phone number is now tel. 02 47 61 22 23.

Amboise

The N-152 highway near Amboise has been renamed D-952.

To call a taxi in Amboise, dial 02 47 57 13 53 or 02 47 57 30 39.

Garage Jourdain car rental has new hours: Mon–Fri 7:45–12:00 & 14:00–18:00, Sat 9:00–12:00 & 14:00-17:00, closed Sun.

La Grange Chambres has a new email address: info@la-grange-amboise.com.

Domaine des Bidaudieres Chambres has a new email address: contact@bidaudieres.com.

Chenonceaux

The Hôtel la Roseraie has a new website and email address: www.hotel-chenonceau.com and info@hotel-chenonceau.com.

The #2 city bus no longer runs between Blois, Chambord, and Cheverny, but an excursion bus makes the trip three times a day from mid-April to mid-September.

There are now 8 trains a day from Chenonceaux to Tours, Amboise, and Chinon.

Blois

The TI is now open April–Sept Mon–Sat 9:00–19:00, Sun 10:00–19:00; Oct–March Mon–Sat 9:30–12:30 & 14:00–18:00, Sun 10:00–13:00.

The château is now open July–Aug until 19:30 and offers free lockers. Horse-riding demonstrations now go daily from May to September only — usually at 11:45, with a second demonstration at 16:30 in summer and on weekends.

Valençay

The château has new hours: Daily June 9:30–18:30, July–Aug 9:30–19:00, April–May and Sept 10:00–18:00, Oct 10:30–17:30, closed Nov–March. Admission now includes a free audioguide of the château and gardens.

Chinon

The TI has a new website: www.chinon-valdeloire.com.

Markets take place Thursday on place Jeanne d'Arc and Sunday around place du Général de Gaulle.

The Café des Arts has a new website and email: www.hotelrestaurant-cafedesarts-37chinon.com and contact@hotelrestaurant-cafedesarts-37chinon.com.

Les Années 30's correct address is 78 rue Haute St. Maurice.

More Château Gardens

The Château du Rivau has new hours: Easter-mid-Nov Wed–Mon 10:00–12:30 & 14:00–19:00, closed Tue except July-Aug, closed mid-Nov–Easter.

The château at Ussé has new hours: Daily April–Aug 10:00–19:00, mid-Feb–March and Sept–mid-Nov 10:00–18:00, closed mid-Nov–mid-Feb.

Dordogne

Sarlat

Bike Bus has changed their website to www.bike-bus.co.uk. They can deliver your rental bike, either to your hotel or to the start of your ride, and pick it up as well. Delivery is free within a six-mile (10-km) radius of their base in Castlenaud. If you are renting for a week or more, or spend €100 or more per person on your rental, delivery is free within a 12-mile (20-km) radius, or up to 18 miles (30 km) for road bikes. For a fee, bikes can be delivered and picked up within a 120-mile (200 km) radius.

Castelnaud

The new email address for Château Nineyrol is admin@nineyrol.com.

Languedoc

Carcassonne

The correct email address for Notre-Dame de l'Abbaye is contact@abbaye-carcassonne.com.

Sleeping Near Carcassonne, in Cannes-Minervois

Hotel d'Alibert has a new website, www.hoteldalibert.com. Book on their website to receive a free breakfast and 10 percent discount on stays of 2 or more nights.

Collioure

The email address for the Hôtel les Caranques has changed to les-caranques@little-france.com.

Provence: Arles, Avignon, Pont du Gar, Les Baux, Orange, Côtes du Rhône, Luberon, and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

See updates for our Provence & the French Riviera guidebook.

The French Riviera: Nice, Villefrance-sur-Mer, the Three Corniches, Monaco, Antibes, and Inland

See updates for our Provence & the French Riviera guidebook.

Burgundy

For a terrific wine tasting, try Château l'Ange Gardien. Co-author Steve Smith calls it "one of the best wine experiences [he's] had in Burgundy" (rue des Barrigards, Ladoix Serrigny, tel. 03 80 26 03 69, www.chateau-langegardien.com.

Beaune

The correct website for the TI is www.ot-beaune.fr.