Travel Tips

About the city

The crowd is attracted to sparkling ski slopes of the Alps, sunlit vineyards and sun-baked beaches of this beautiful country. France is a country which draws more tourists than any other country. It is easy to see why this is the case given Frances great reputation for fine wines, good food, high fashion and relaxed lifestyle. But while France is undoubtedly a place to eat and drink till your heart is content, there’s much more to this fascinating country than only cutting-edge cuisines. Spring is the best time to be here, and those interested in winter sports can drop at the Alps and Pyrenees with some polar gear. The summers are very hot and winters are moderate. An all-weather coat and pair of comfortable shoes are a must. Women, especially, should carry cocktail dresses as some of the restaurants ask for it. When visiting any religious site, refrain from wearing sleeveless shirt and shorts, as they are disliked at such places.

Culture

English is widely spoken here, although French is the official language. Handshaking is
customary greeting and women should be kissed on both cheeks and should be addressed
as Monsieur or Madame. French people are popularly known for their like for stylish sportswear
and of course perfumes. Nudism is allowed on some beaches only. Social functions, fine
restaurants, and clubs call for more formal dressing. When at a formal dinner, wait till the host
gestures to start the dinner. Smoking is banned in public places.

Site Seeing

Paris, the city of love, is a massive city with many attractions in reachable distance thanks to the
highly efficient public transport system. It boasts of more than 80 museums and 200 arts
galleries. A trip to Disney land and the magnificent Eiffel tower will make the trip worthwhile.
The attractive tourists spots are the Arc de triomphe which spans over the tomb of an
unknown soldier, the forbidding gothic architecture of the Notre Dame cathedral, the picturesque
Sacre Coeur, to Leonardo da Vincis Mona Lisa, the Moulin Rouge and boat tours along the
Seine. Get the Carte Musees-Monuments pass, which gives access to 70 monuments and
museums.

Shopping

Although service tax is included in the bill, a humble tip wont cost much. An extra dollar can be given as tip to the waiter. A tip of $2 can be left for the bus drivers.
Electricity

220-volt, 50-cycle AC current.
Getting There

The national airline that operates here is Air France. Many low-cost airlines, too, provide services from UK. Paris-Charles de Gaulle also known as Roissy-Charles de Gaulle is the major airport of France, which is 23km away from the city. Coaches, taxis, limousines services are provided at the airport. The railway facility provided by the airport, claims to reach all the terminals within eight minutes. These trains run 24 hours. The other airports that offer flight services are Paris-Orly, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Toulouse.

Ferry and cruise trips can be made from ports such as Atlantic, North Sea, Mediterranean, and Havre.

Duty Free Items

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 1liter of spirits over 22 per cent or 2liter of alcoholic beverage up to 22 per cent
3. 2liter of wine
4. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette
5. 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract
6. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract

Food and agricultural products should be avoided.

You cannot go on an Italy vacation without doing some sightseeing. In fact this is one of the most cited reasons for visiting Italy. The country has a rich culture and a rich history. All over Italy are historic buildings, monuments, museums and all kinds of places to visit that will make your Italy vacation truly eventful. Italy is also a center for high fashion and along with the great food, friendly people, wine and the Catholic Church this may be one of the best sightseeing vacations you have ever been on. It is important to make sure you see the most important sights before you leave. So where do most people go to when they are on an Italian Vacation?

When you go to Italy you must visit Rome. There are several popular places here for sightseers. The Colosseum is a very famous landmark in Rome. It is a huge open air theatre that was built by Emperor Titus in AD80 for games and gladiatorial battles. When many people see the Colosseum the movie “Gladiator” comes to mind. Another magnificent sight is the Pantheon in Rome. It is a huge temple built in AD120 and up until 1960 it had the largest dome in the world. Rome is also the home of the Pope in Vatican City, another popular destination for sightseeing on an Italian Vacation. Other cities in Italy that are popular for sightseers include Milan, Venice, Naples and Sicily.

Pisa is a smaller city but it is world famous due to the Leaning Tower. It is a bell tower in the Pisa Cathedral that is made up of a group of 4 beautiful white marble buildings. Construction on this started in 1173 and went on for 200 years because of a lot of interruptions. Since the construction took so long, the bell tower started to lean hence the name.

If you are a savvy sightseer or traveler and know some Italian you may be able to arrange to see all these sights for yourself. But you may want to consider having everything arranged by someone else because you don’t want to miss any of the important places and you will benefit greatly from a guided tour. There are several sightseeing companies that offer tours for visitors. Guided tours will usually follow a pre-set route through a city or town during your Italy vacation. Not only are the guides fluent in English but they also have a wealth of information on the historical sights and there are opportunities to ask questions. Some tours on your Italian vacation will allow you to get off the tour vehicle to explore and then catch another tour vehicle from the same company later on.

Or if you prefer not to walk, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride without leaving the bus. Sightseeing tours on your Italian vacation range in price. There are luxury tour coaches, full day tours, night tours and also several tours for vacationers on a budget.

Along with London, Paris and New York, Milan and Rome are on the list of the famous fashion centers of the world. When you are on your Italy vacation you may not be able to help yourself but to indulge a little in this aspect of Italian culture. By all means make sure you visit the rolling hills of Florence, take a gondola trip through Venice and visit a vineyard in Tuscany. But don’t forget that you are in the country of the likes of Armani, Versace, Fendi, Prada and Valentino. If this at all interests you do find out if your visit coincides with any fashion exhibits or public fashion shows in Rome or Milan.

When you are in Rome make sure you visit the Vatican City but you must go to the original stores of all the Italian designers. You will not only see little old ladies in Italian villages while on vacation in Italy but when you arrive you will quickly realize that Italians have a very high fashion sense, care very much about their looks and are very sophisticated especially in Rome and Milan. You must visit the famous shopping strip Via Montenapoleone in Milan. Here you will find boutiques for Chanel, Dolce e Gabbana and Fendi along with numerous others. Even if your budget does not allow you to purchase anything, this will make for an unbelievable window shopping experience during your vacation in Italy. Many of these boutiques are open from 10 am till 7 pm Tuesdays through Saturdays with shorter hours on Mondays and are closed on Sundays.

Italy is especially known for its high fashion industry or “haute couture” and the runway fashion shows that the designers use to debut their new collections each season. The houses of Valentino and Fendi originated in Rome while the houses of Prada, Versace and Armani originated in Milan. With near perfect craftsmanship, Italian fashions are said to rival those of France and many people even feel the Italian fashions are superior.

During your Italy vacation you may hear of AltaRoma, an organization that has been responsible for putting Italian designers on the map over the years through its yearly fashion shows. These fashion shows feature established designers as well as new designers. They are closed to the general public but AltaRoma also organizes another event that is open to everyone. If your Italy vacation is in mid July the Donna Sotto del Stelle is worth catching. It means “Woman under the Stars.” It is an open air fashion event that takes place at the Piazza de Spagna in Rome and features several newer designers.

To further take in the couture culture during your vacation in Italy, you should also visit the most prominent fashion school in Rome. This school has produced some very talented new designers and usually has fashion exhibits and shows open to the public. Valentino also opened a fashion school in 1990 which also hosts some fashion and art shows open to the general public.