Where to stay in France when touring?

Question

Hi

I am going to be driving around south of France into French pyreenees, Toulouse, Andorra etc and want to book accomodation night by night wherever I end up.

When can I stay? What is the French equivalent of Bed & Breakfast? Can I book through the equivalent of the tourist board?

Appreciate info

MGB

Answer 1

There are lots of "motels" in France where you can stay very cheaply. Good for one or two nights but not "hotels".

The chain I use most often is actually called "B&B" http://www.hotel-bb.com/index.phtml - rooms have a bed, television and your own bathroom. They are usually clean, some have air conditioning and the sound proofing is good (important when you need to sleep!). Breakfast is optional and is self service - eat as much as you like style.

The cheapest is probably "Formula 1" - I haven't stayed in one for a while but when I did it was a shared bathroom that cleaned itself automatically. http://www.hotelformule1.com/formule1/in...

This is another chain: http://www.hotels-akena.com/accueil/inde...

There are lots of other chains like this and they are usually found near the "zone commercial" where the big supermarkets are. Usually you can book online and you can cancel your reservation right up until the afternoon of your arrival - which is handy if your plans change.

Try searching under budget hotels on www.TripAdvisor.co.uk

If you want something more rural you can stay in a "Gîtes" but you usually have to make your own breakfast. http://www.gites-de-france.com/gites/uk/...

Answer 2

A Pension is a strictly B&B establishment, but you do not often see them advertised outside of the Tourist Info Office.

Logis de France are a wide spread chain of independant family run hotels  between 1 and 3 star situated in the country and small towns. Usually they excel at offering local cuisine.

Climat De France is another chain of 2 star hotels (indpendant) that are always sitauated on the outskirts of a town.

Cafe Couette chain specialise in just b&b and are very good value for money.

For something different try Moulin Etape, 1 to 4 stars, all in converted wind or water mills, quite picturesque.

Apart from this well known (in France) chains they are plenty of small cheap hotels that are best contacted via the tourist info office for the towns you are planning to stay in

The Accor hotel chain offer everything from Formulae 1 ( very cheap and clean) to the Sofitel (sheer luxury) but these tend to be around or in the larger cities such as Toulouse - and of course in Andorra

Answer 3

Bed and breakfast in France is called "Chambre d'Hote" which translates as "Host's bedroom."  The standard of french b and  b's  is very high and the charges very reasonable. We have used many all over France and have never been disappointed. Buy the AA Guide to Bed and Breakfast in  France from WHSmith's. My copy cost £12.99 but that was 2 years ago. Many b and b's can be booked via email but we tend to book daily by phone (using a mobile) and going to where ever we can find a room. However, dduring August we find that several calls need to be made before finding a vacancy. But it's all part of the fun.  The other alternative is to use the "Travelodge" type of "cheap hotel. The french equivalents are "Ibis" (which we prefer) and "Campanile."  There are others (Formule 1 is very cheap).  Go online and get the brochure from Accor which is a group which includes Ibis, Etap Hotels, Formule 1, Motel 6 and others. If you stay in one for the night they will book you onwards for the next night free of charge. And, at the moment, they are reducing rooms at Ibis Hotels by 10 euros a night. In fact I have booked rooms at Ibis Hotels today.

There are Ibises in Biarritz, Pau,  Toulouse, Perpignan and Andorra among other places.

Answer 4

Pension is the roughly the same as a B&B.   Or a country Inn. Do they have Hostels, there?  That's actually a bit closer to what we call a Motel in the US, though people really don't travel by car as much in Europe, so the whole concept of "Motel" doesn't really work there...Try booking yourself online.  Just pick a town.  Make your reservations that way.