Thrifty trip to France

The_Milkman

qwertyuiop

Mr_Wang

The_Milkman wrote: »

Hi all, we are planning a trip to france going to be there mid March so plenty of time to prepare the finer details but I do have a few questions regarding saving as much wonga as we can.

Firstly, money, we bank with the nationwide and have a debit/credit card with them would it be sensible to just withdraw what we need from local ATM's in France or should we change everything to euros before leaving???

The other thing is data on my mobile phone with orange I need a small amount of data each day for browsing/GPS navigation etc any decent deals out there or is the orange offering of 3 quid for 16mb ok?

Is petrol cheaper in france, what about the chunnel any money saving tips for our fuel and tunnel expenses?

Thanks all - First post here BTW.

Top money saving tip for France - Camp, or don't go.
If you do, ferry is much cheaper than the tunnel.

dunx

French petrol prices are here:
http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/

For spending, if you have the Nationwide cards which charge no foreign currency loading, then get your cash from cash machines with your debit card, and put larger purchases on the credit card.

You will usually find that the best-value meals in restaurants are to be found at lunchtime. Also, if you are staying in a hotel and breakfast is not included in your room rate, you will very probably be able to find cafes that do very reasonable French-style breakfasts for a fraction of the standard hotel charge (I've stayed in hotels where an average buffet breakfast is between €12 and €16).

knightstyle

dunx I think you will find that Nationwide do charge a fee for cash withdrawals in France! Best way to get cash is with a Halifax clarity credit card or similar which do not charge a fee but you will be charged a small amount of interest until you repay the cash advanced. We use this card all the time in France, pay slightly more than the cash withdrawn asap and pay purchases after getting the monthly statement.
If you are driving make sure you know about the speed limits and rules on having things like a reflective waistcoat in reach of the driver at all times.

Jonnytwotimes

Take bucket loads of cash for french tolls. If the price of french tolls is not something you are aware of then prepare for a shock _pale_ if you dont factor this into your budget.

Anselm

16mb isnt really enough (atleast i wouldnt trust it to be enough anyway) i get 500mb for £6 off O2 could you get something similar?

artha

Jonnytwotimes wrote: »

Take bucket loads of cash for french tolls. If the price of french tolls is not something you are aware of then prepare for a shock _pale_ if you dont factor this into your budget.

This link may be useful in route planning as it calculates toll costs and estimates fuel costs
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/

sutty1966

If you aren't in a rush then you can do most journeys without toll roads, with a bit of planning. I've done this before, with a map - many non-toll roads are parallel to the toll roads. I tend to put as much as possible on my Nationwide Credit Card, taking enough Euros with me for incidental expenses. Toll booths will take credit cards.

Tarry

Jonnytwotimes wrote: »

Take bucket loads of cash for french tolls. If the price of french tolls is not something you are aware of then prepare for a shock _pale_ if you dont factor this into your budget.

I think I must have paid 10euro last time I was over there on a day trip on tolls!

Jonnytwotimes

Tarry wrote: »

I think I must have paid 10euro last time I was over there on a day trip on tolls!

For a day trip your unlikely to pay much or anything in tolls, however the OP stated "I need a small amount of data each day" which to me seems like they will be there for a few days at least.

Now according to the via Michelin site from Calais to Paris a route which I have done many times it will cost just over £14 in tolls which sounds about right. Considering this is a journey which can be done in under 3 hours for somebody who is used to paying a few quid in the UK for tolls or probably nothing at all then I presume paying nearly £30 for a round trip to Paris will come as a bit of a shock for the OP, especially with the price of fuel these days.

As mentioned you can go around the tolls with some good planning and plenty of time on your hands.

sunshinetours

Give some more details of what your plans are (time there, family size, type opf accomodation etc) and I am sure you will get more useful answers

Diesel is generally cheaper than UK (as its cheaper than unleaded) but petrol similar or possibly slightly more than UK. As others have said either avoid toll roads (get a good Michelin map) and allow more time for travel.

Tunnel can be paid for with Tesco clubcard vouchers if an aption. Otherwise Dover-Calais ferry will usually be cheapest option.

Eat like a local in France and you will be OK. Things like fresh bread, local cheeses and meats/pates, local seafood (Moules especially), local wines all good value and very tasty in general.
In restaurants look for plat de jour which often offer 3 courses with wine for decent price. The french like theior food so don't really out up with crap quality so avoid the tourist based places and you will eat much better.

Try speaking some French as well - it goes down well rather than launching into English for everything

Watch out for speeding if driving. On the spot fines which you will be expected to pay and drink drive limit is lower and from this year you will need to have a couple of disposable breathalysers on you and disable your sat nav for speed camera updates