PRACTICAL TRAVEL INFORMATION (PARIS & LONDON)
Observations based upon my trip to France & London, 7/17/05-7/28/05. --Mike--

 

Changing Dollars, Euros or Pounds to the local currency

Be very careful where you exchange your money! There appear to be few regulations to protect tourists, and the rates vary wildly.

Basically, there are two ways currency exchanges make their money.

The first is their spread between what they buy, vs sell, currencies.

The second is with transaction fees.

OK, there's a 3rd way they make their money- because people invariably buy more local currency than they need. The truth is that virtually everyone takes credit cards, so there's rarely a need to have more than $200 equivalent in local currency.

A couple typical (and very expensive) currency exchanges.

In the photo above is a currency exchange at the Eurostar terminal in Paris, but it might as well be at any airport or, for that matter, a Thomas Cook agency isn't much better.

Why? What makes it so bad? A closeup of the rates on the right (found on the Champ Elysees in Paris, ironically across the street from the all-time best exchange place I've ever found) tells the story.

They'll buy Euros from you for $1.14, and sell them to you for $1.29. The larger the spread between buy & sell, the greater cut they're taking from you. For $1, they're selling you .78 euros (you should always bring a pocket calculator with you, since you need to divide 1/1.288 to get the rate per dollar, so you can more easily compare things).

But wait, there's more. This place, as do most, also charges a transaction fee, ranging from 3-5%, depending upon the amount.

So if you want, say, 200 euros, it will cost you 1.288 * 200 = $257.60 plus a $10.30 transaction fee (4%) for a total of $267.90.

Hotels can be even worse; the one I stayed at in Paris was .70 euro/dollar, making the total $286.

 
  Now let's check out a much more favorable currency exchange!

This one, located in the Galeria du Claridge shopping mall on the Champ Elysees, has a better exchange rate to begin with. $.81 per euro. But wait, there's more. NO TRANSACTION FEES regardless of amount. So, if you want to buy 200 euros, do a bit of math again... divide 1/.81 to get 1.23/euro, so your total, for 200 euros, will cost you $246. That's over $20 less than across the street.

By the way, the "official" exchange rate at the time was about $1.20 euro/dollar, so their cut was 2.5%.

It sounds more complicated than it really is.

All you really care about is this- if you give the guy, say, $300... what do you get back in euros (or pounds or whatever). Ask that question before handing them any money!!! Once you've passed money to them, the transaction is final, you can't back out.

But again, what you should watch out for, are large price differences between what they'll buy vs sell a currency, as well as any transaction fees.
The relatively-obscure location of Galerie du Claridge in Paris

According to the number on the building, it's 74 rue Champ Elysees, but the easiest way to find it is the fnac store next door. The actual exchange business is maybe 100 feet off the street, on the right-hand side of the hallway.

Unfortunately, I'm not yet aware of something equivalent in London.
 
     
  Best "Fast Food" at Paris (and now some London locations) Airports & the Eurostar station.

"Paul" makes fantastic sandwiches that you won't break your teeth biting into, and with many more options than just Jambon (ham) our Poulet (chicken). Fairly reasonable prices too.

English is spoken almost exclusively at the airport & train station locations, but at their Champ Elysees and Opera stores, it will be good to learn a few basics about ordering food in French.
Nothing so special about the Eurostar

But nothing so bad about it either. 1st & 2nd classes are similar to their counterparts on the French TGV, although the price differential is quite a bit larger between the two classes, probably because 1st class on the Eurostar includes a meal.

The trip is a bit under 3 hours, and not terribly exciting (the time in the tunnel under the channel is actually pretty short).

Security & passport control is at the departure end, and while they tell you to arrive 30 minutes before departure, I think that's cutting things way too close. 45 minutes would be advisable.
 
  Nice terminal in London (at Waterloo Station)

Very similar design to France's TGV terminal in Avignon. However- the Waterloo station really isn't near much, so you're going to be taking a cab ride (if you have luggage; otherwise you can take their subway system, called "the tube" or "the underground").

About London cabs- They're expensive, and it's self-serve as far as luggage goes. That's right, you can look like you're overwhelmed, exhausted, overloaded, and the cab driver is just going to be sitting there while you hoist your luggage into the cab, right next to you. At least the drivers seem very friendly!
Security on the London Subway wasn't as obvious as I thought it might be.

Considering that we arrived in London on June 25th, just a couple days after their 2nd series of attempted terrorist bombings, I was somewhat surprised not to see armed guards (or any guards at all) on the actual trains.

There were a fair number of security people in the stations, however.

Did I feel safe riding "the tube?" Yes, although I did pay attention to anyone with a backpack, and made sure never to carry one on "the tube" myself.

 
  What are the Must-See things in London?

If you're there during the summer, I'd highly recommend catching the BBC "Proms" series at the Royal Alber Hall. This is a beautiful setting for a casual night out (no fancy dress code!).
The "Proms" series basically plays a greatest hits selection of classical music; we saw a performance that included Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.

Tickets are available on-line, where you may pay for them by credit card and pick them up at the door, about one hour before the concert begins.

Please note there are no local opportunities for food in the area! But if you plan ahead, there are a number of restaurants at Royal Albert Hall itself which may be booked with your ticket. We did manage to snag a meal at their "Cafe" which, thankfully, hadn't been booked solid that night (but I wouldn't count on that always being the case).
 
  For my FlyerTalk friends on the 'net, this is a poor photo of the United Airlines RCC (Red Carpet Club) at London's Heathrow Airport.

The RCC is a much nicer place to wait for your flight to depart than the very crowded main terminal, and includes serve-yourself basic drinks and some munchies. Power to plug in your laptop is also available, as well as tables, comfy chairs and a few internet-connected computers that are constantly in use. Wi-Fi is an extra charge, about $18 for 3 hours, if I recall correctly.

How do you get into the RCC? You need to be flying either business or first class (I'd upgraded, using miles, to business class for my return) or have very high status with the airline.
Still not sure what all the hoopla is all about regarding the "warm" bowls of nuts United serves in business & first class, but here's a picture to show they still exist. But note that they're loaded with a pretty heavy percentage of walnuts, which I don't recall being the case on a trip last year.  
  United's new exit signage?

Sharon, a very nice FA on our LHR/ORD flight, having a bit of fun with a "Depart" sign we'd snagged from one of the stages of the Tour de France.
  And now for something completely practical-

If you've got a cell phone, laptop, and maybe even digital cameras that all require battery chargers, you quickly discover that hotel rooms rarely have many plugs. What to do? Simple! You buy the appropriate adapter for the wall socket (France & England use different ones, by the way), and plug those into a simple 3-way outlet, like you see here.

Regarding laptops & the Internet- Wi-fi & high-speed ethernet are becoming increasingly common in hotels in both England & France, but be prepared to pay quite a bit for the privilege, typically $15-30 per day!
     
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