TRIP PLANNING
To assist in making your travel plans, we offer links to the following websites:
Where to Stay Before and After Your Cruise
The French Government Tourist Office at www.franceguide.com has information on all the towns and cities in France with links to hotel websites. We can recommend the very elegant and less expensive B&B accomodation in Carcassonne, Domaine St. Louis or the Maison Coste In Toulouse. The Grand Hotel de L'Opera in Toulouse, is a beautifully converted convent and best possible location.
Travel To and From the Barge
You will embark on your cruise Sunday at 4:00 pm. Departure time is 10:00 am Saturday. On arrival and depature, you will be transported to/from a local train station, hotel, or car rental agency. The fast track TGV train is the best way to get from major cities to the barge. TGV fast trains and regular trains service Castelnaudary and Carcassonne. You can find schedules and buy tickets online at either www.raileurope.com or www.sncf.com.
Toulouse and Montpellier have international airports Carcassonne and Perpignan also have RyanAir/Easy Jet low cost regular flights to London. Rental cars are in all the towns.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend purchasing Travel Insurance to cover all parts of your journey. If you need to cancel due to illness, you’ll be able to recoup the cost of your barge trip, which Boutique Hotel Barges cannot refund. Contact your own insurance agent, AAA, or Jeannette Hermann of Travel Guard at jt.jeannette@gmail.com.
Weather Predictions
A handy site for checking weather forecasts is www.weather.com. We recommend bringing a comfortable pair of walking shoes, a bathing suit for the on-deck spa, and informal clothing.
Internet Access and Cell Phones
Call your cell phone company and/or Internet service provider and pre-arrange rates for the duration of your travels if you intend to bring your mobile devices. Please know there is no wireless Internet service on board, although Internet access is available in some towns we visit.
Bank Cards and Money Exchange
Call your bank and advise them you’ll be using your credit and/or debit card(s) in France. Posting a Travel Alert will avert cancellation due to suspicion of fraudulent use.
We recommend you use Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) to withdraw cash, and not change Dollars to Euros at a bank. Make sure your Personal Identification Number (PIN) is four digits long. Check with your bank regarding transaction fees for withdrawals and credit card purchases. For instance, Bank of America has an agreement with BNP bank in France and does not charge a transaction fee for cash withdrawals.
Check www.x-rates.com for the current exchange rate. Prices for Boutique Hotel Barge deposits and balances due are subject to change following Dollar / Euro fluctuation.
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