Give them a Gift, a
River Cruise for a Special Occasion!

Avalon Waterways
Rooms With a View

Region of Poitou-Charentes

A - Z Info Links 

• Camping
  • Very good listing of camping sites, by cities within Départements; contains addresses, phones, faxes, etc [Language: English]
• Chateaux
  • Chateaux Rentals [Chateaux Lodging Accommodations] in France.
  • Château de Montvillargenne
• Hotels
  • Book Your Hotel Online
  • Hotel Directory Search Engine
  • L'Hôtel de Franceis situated in Aubeterre sur Dronne
  • Le Cedre Hotel

Amusement Parks - Family Parks

• Amusement Parks and Park Tickets
• Family Parks, and Child Events and Tickets

Aquariums/Gardens/Parks/Zoos

• A directory for Aquariums and to purchase passes
• A directory for Animal Parks - Wildlife Safari - drive though, Zoos
• A directory for all Parks

Architecture/Historical Sights

• List of Cathedrales in Poitou-Charente
• athedrales in Picardie
• Société  d'Histoire & d'Archéologie de Senlis

Art - Art Events - Artists

• Artprice, for the true price of fine art complete directory on how to buy art, to sell art, art events, art evaluation, upcoming auctions around the world, and all about artists.  There is no other Art information website as complete as this one.  In five languages: English, French, Spanish, German and Italian.

Auto Information & Car Rentals

• Driving in France
  • Free Article on driving in France
  • France Road Signs - copy and take with you.
• France Car Rentals - Auto Hire
  • The best deals in renting a car in France can be found here.

Banks - ATMs - Currency Conversion - To open a bank account in France
you'll need to know the following information:

You can open a bank account at a savings bank or at the Post Office [ below].
It will take about 10 days to receive a checkbook, and or a credit cart.  You may be offered overdraft protection, but definitely check with the bank. Check books are usually free.  Bank Credit Cards will cost you approximately 15 - 30 Euros a year.

You will need a valid passport; proof of where you are living [utility receipt, rent receipt, or official document from a private French citizen that you're staying in residence with that person, etc; 
 

• ATMs and Information [they load slow, but it's worth it]
  • Visa ATM Locator - just click on country, city or postal code.
  • MasterCard ATM Locator - put in country and info for  ATM locations.
• Banks
  • Link to all of  the banks in France & French Speaking Countries
• Currency Converter Information
  • Information on the Euro currency
  • Universal Currency Converter
  • Worldwide currency converter site

Cabarets/Night Clubs/Extravaganzas

• Nighttime Activities, spectacles and more

Bistros/Cafes/Restaurants

• France Best Restaurant Recommendations by Alain Neyman.
• French Restaurants - restaurant guides, restaurants by Regions and more.

Books - CDs - DVDs - Micro - Telecom and More

• Books, books and more books.  Books for the whole family, audio books, books by categories and more.
• Cameras, DVD Players, Film, etc.
• DVD directory listings.
• Micro and Telecom category directory.

Business

• Visit A to Z Business Links

Calendar of Events Locally

• Official Region of Picardie site for local French Activities.
• Calendar link to official French Holiday

Chamber of Commerce

• Directory Links to France Chamber of Commerce's by Region.

Chateaux - Castles - Fortresses

• French Chateaux Information Center - offers information about the royal and historical chateaux in France, Regional Chateaux to rent or lease, and all about Chateaux [Castles] in general.

Cultural Events

• See specific events - Art - Architecture - Dance - Festivals - Music All Categories - Classic Music Events - Theatre - Museums - Outdoor Plays - Cinema - Local Calendar of Events - Book Signings - Circus - Equestrian

Embassies/Consulates/Customs

• French government visa information to enter France
• American Consulate in France regarding passports and visas
• French Consulate in Washington DC, Visa section 
• Passports & Visa Information
• U.S. express passport service

Emergency Services

• Link to other health and medical information

• Emergency assistance France [French only]

• U.S. and France air medical ambulance services

Employment

• Link to Employment Information in France

Gourmet Food - French Cuisine - Wine

• French Cuisine
  • Gourmet
  • Chefs Secrets to Cook Fine French Cuisine
  • French Cooking Basics
  • French Sauces
  • All About French Cheese
  • The Great Chocolates of France, Belgium & Switzerland
• Herbs
  • All About Herbs
  • Cooking with Fresh Herbs
• Links to French Culinary Terms
  • French/English Culinary Terms
• Specialty dishes from the Region
  • Picardie Food Specialties
• Wines from Picardie
  • All About Cognac France

Local Government Websites

• Serveur du Conseil régional
• Alphabetized lists of towns and villages, by Départements [with population], with a link to each location's tourist office for phone, fax and address
  • The Département of Charente [16]
  • The Département of Charente-Maritime [17]
  • The Département of Dreux-Sevres [79]
  • The Département of Vienne [86]

Maps

• Map of the Département of Charente
• Map of the Département of Charente-Maritime
• Map of the Département of Dreux-Sevres
• Map of the Département of Vienne

Medical

• A dentist and doctors directory for France [click on Regional map]
• A great information hospital site, with Regional click on map. [French]
• Internet Health Link
• Link to more health and medical information
• US State Departments medical information for Americans traveling abroad with a listing of travel insurance
• WebMD.com  This site provides a vast resource of medical information on a wide range of topics

Movies/Cinemas

• Listing of Cinemas and other Art and Culture Events, and purchase tickets.

Museums/Monuments

• All museums, monuments and landmarks in France information links.
• Directory of Cathedrals around France
• Museum passes for Paris and France Regions
• Private Guided Museum Tours

Newspapers/Radio/TV

• Directory of Media by Regions of France and other French speaking countries.

Outdoor Activities

• Biking, Hiking & Walking
  • Discover France - specialists in Bicycle and Walking Tours throughout France.
• Fishing
• Golfing
• Mountain Climbing Activities

Personal Services - Baby Sitting - Care Services

• Babysitting and Other Care Services
• Day Care Service and after school and more

Real Estate [For Rent/For Sale]

• Directory of Real Estate Agents [ Immobiliers ] in France.

Restaurants

• France Best Restaurant Recommendations by Alain Neyman.
• French Restaurants - restaurant guides, restaurants by Regions and more.

Schools - Art - Cooking - Language - Other

• Cooking Schools in France
• Language Schools in France
• Universities Educational Information
• University [ French ] Teachers Associations

Shipping Services in France

• DHL France
• FEDEX France
• UPS France

Shopping - By Type of Store

• Major Stores of all Types [all stores may not be found in all Regions]
  • BHV (Bazar de l’Hotel de Ville) Hardware/Home Improvement
  • Bricolage France (like Home Depot & Lowe’s) home improvement
  • Carrefour super and hypermarché  stores (similar to our Target & Walmart super stores, but more) is the largest retailer in Europe  and consists of the following stores:  Carrefour, Champion, Contact GB, Dia, Di per di, Docks Market, Ed, 8 à Huit,   GS, Promocash, Prodirest, Proxi, Shopi  Marche M Plus, Norte, Ooshop, Puntocash
  • Castorama (like our Home Depot & Lowe’s) home improvement
  • Darty for major appliances, computer & software, cameras, telephones,  televisions
  • FNAC Department Store for books, computers  & software,  dvd & video, music, mobile phones and more
  • France Loisirs for cds, dvds, music and more
  • Galeries Lafayette Department Store (the capital of fashion)
  • Habitat inexpensive furniture and furnishings for your home
  • IKEA reasonably priced furniture & other home furnishings
  • Laserland dvd equipment
  • Le Bon Marche Department Store
  • Le Printemps the trendy place Department Store
  • Monoprix department & grocery store chain that includes: BHV, Galeries Lafayette, Inno, Nouvelle Galeries & Prisunic
  • Sport 2000  France (brand names for sports)
  • Twinner / Groupe S.E.D mountain & skiing specialists
  • Virgin on line catalog of the cds,dvds, music & more megastores

Sports Activities/Sporting Events

• Directory of Sporting Events and Tickets for Events

Telephone Usage and Information

• Telephone Codes for France
  • ACR's Calling Code Directory For France
• Telephone Usage
  • Useful information for using the telephones in Paris and France. This site has other useful information regarding phone related services.
  • U.S. site on French postal and telephone information
• White and Yellow Pages France
  • White Pages France [English and French]
  • Yellow Pages France [English and French]

Tours - Travel Agents - Sight Seeing

• Paris Bus Tours
  • The best and least expensive way to visit Paris and surrounding areas.
• Paris Minibus Tours
  • Travel for the weekend or faraway places
• Seine river cruises
  • Seine River Cruises are delightful, and a must do while in Paris.
• Eiffel Tower tours
  • The most visited monument in Paris is the Eiffel Tower - it's great!
• Illumination Tours
  • Travel for the weekend or faraway places
• Shows - Cabarets - Dinner and Dancing
  • Visit the Cabarets of Paris, combined with River Cruises & Bus Tours
• Special Places in France to Visit
  • The special places you'll want to visit on your trip to France
• Tours From Paris
  • The famous Yellow Bus Tours of Paris, from 2 tour groups.
• Travel Agents
  • Directory for Travel Agents and Tour Guides in France

Transportation Services & Facilities

• Airlines - Flight Package Deals
  • The Best Deals Going in Air Fares
• Auto Rentals
  • Official French Auto Rental Sites
• Bus
  • Tour Bus Companies
• Train Information & Schedules
  • Poitou-Charentes Train Schedule
  • A train station is called a Gare, select your train information from the following:  SNCF gare locator,  SNCF Paris,  the TGV (fast trains), the RER [regional trains], and the Eurostar
  • France Rail Passes and Regional Train Schedules

Useful Information - Weather - Calendar of Events

• Useful Information [Credit Card/Postal/Travel, etc]
  • General
    • Use of Credit Cards in France
    • Information on the Euro currency
    • Link to more useful information
  • Post Office and Zip Code Information for France
    • The Departement Denotes the Zip Code Information -
      Take Paris for Example: Paris is in Ile-de-France, the Code is 75000 for Paris.
    • Postal Codes in France, enter the town name in the 'Commune' box and hit rechercher. Example:  If the town is Aix-en-Provence, just enter Aix, it will bring up all the towns with Aix in them.  The same with Saint, or Ville [there's 587 Ville....something]
    • Infobel's zip code person/request form
    • La Poste's French/English Postal Dictionary
      La Poste English/French or French/English postal information dictionary
  • Weather
    • France Regional Weather Info
    • Weather Information  by City or Town [click on links]  
  • What to Wear
    • Complete how to pack light for your trip, with practical advice to boot!

Words and Phrases - English to French

• French/English Cooking Conversions and Words/Phrases
• French/English French Words and Phrase Link Words/Phrases
• French/English Days, Months &  Time Words/Phrases
• French/English Food Store Words/Phrases [3 pages]
• French/English Restaurant Words/Phrases
• French/English Vegetable Words/Phrases
• French/English Link to more culinary words & phrases

Youth and Students

• Student Information
  • Link to Schools and Universities
  • The Student in France
• Youth & Family Activities
  • Summer camps and family holidays in France
• Youth Hostels
  • FUAJ hostels click on map of France by Department
  • GAF hostels with click on map of the Regions
• Youth Organizations
  • Scouts of France with links to scouting sites and the national organization.