The main features of the transport geography of France briefly. Ways to deliver tourists to Paris

The state-owned Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Français (SNCF) is in charge of land transport. Small bus companies are subordinated to departments.

Domestic air travel is partially regulated by the state, but local carriers continue to fight for independence. By train you can get from one city to another, buses between rural settlements run infrequently. To travel to remote areas, you will need your own car.

Water transport

Enjoy a relaxing journey through France by cruising along the canals and navigable rivers. Cruise ships usually carry between 4 and 12 passengers. All amenities for a comfortable stay are created on board. Any person who has reached the age of 18, who has been instructed, can operate a river vessel.

On the canals, the traffic limit is 6 km/h, on the rivers – 8 km/h. Rental price - from 1100 euros per week for a small boat. On weekends, the price rises by 55%, in this case it is more profitable to take 4-5 day cruises. During high season, reservations must be made. Here are the most popular rental agencies:

Barging in France (www.barginginfrance.com)

Canal Boat Holidays

Worldwide River Cruise (www.worldwide-river-cruise.com)

Hitch-hiking

Hitchhiking is unsafe in any country in the world, and we have no right to advise this type of transportation. When you get into someone else's car, be aware of the risk you are taking on. It is a little safer to travel in pairs, and with those who know the geography of the area. Hitchhiking in France is not very common. It is especially not recommended to catch a ride for women, even if they are not alone.

"Hitchhiking" in the city center is useless, you can only be a little more lucky on the outskirts. It is forbidden to catch a ride on the tracks. There are various organizations that provide assistance in finding fellow travelers. Usually you need to pay a flat fee per kilometer.

Buses and trams

If you are going to travel around the regions, then it is better to choose a train as a means of transportation. The number of regional bus routes is limited. Bus service is widely developed in short directions within the same region, especially to those rural areas where trains rarely go (and Normandy, for example).

Recently, disadvantageous rail lines have been replaced by SNCF bus services. If you have a rail pass, trips on these buses will be free.

Cars and motorcycles

If you have a private car, you are absolutely free in your movements and can go to the most remote corner of France. Unfortunately, car rental is an expensive service, and the problem of heavy traffic and parking is a constant headache in the heads of drivers.

Motorcycle trips are a great form of active tourism. Along the way, you can admire the magnificent landscapes. The main thing here is to be well prepared in case of bad weather.

Roads

The fare on the motorway from Paris to Nice (about 950 km, 8 hours) costs about 150 euros. In comparison, a second-class ticket on the Paris-Nice train will cost you 106 euros or even less.

On weekends and holidays, French roads are overcrowded with cars. Liability insurance is mandatory when renting and buying a car, the number of the company where you can contact in an emergency is indicated in the insurance documents, which usually lie in the car itself. Make sure you have a set of winter or all-season tires - in case of snowfalls, you will need them.

rental

Motorcycle and moped rentals are quite popular, especially in beach resorts. Unfortunately, the statistics of accidents associated with these modes of transport is deplorable. To rent a motorcycle, moped or scooter, you need to leave a deposit. You will lose it if you get into an accident.

If you are transporting a right-hand drive car from the UK or Ireland, then you need to attach deflectors to the headlights so as not to dazzle oncoming drivers. An imported vehicle must have a sticker indicating the country of registration.

All drivers need to bring with them: national identity card or passport, driver's license, car documents, insurance. The International Driving Permit is valid for a year. It is available in your country.

95 gasoline costs about 1.3 euros per liter. It is most expensive to refuel at those gas stations that are located on highways, cheaper - at those that are near supermarkets.

If your car suddenly breaks down, you will need to find a car service of the company that services your brand of car. Repairs can be made at Peugeot, Renault and Citroën, but if you have a non-French car, but in rural areas, there may be problems with repairs.

You can only rent a car for those who are 21 years old and who have an international driver's license, plus a credit card. Here are the main companies offering car rental:

All TGV train lines are connected to each other, so you can travel, for example, from Lyon to Nantes or from to Paris without a change. At major stations, passengers can rent a DVD player for 9.95 euros.

Classes and sleeping cars

Most French trains have first and second class carriages. On night trains, there are 6 seats in the second class compartment, and 4 seats in the first class. In addition to a set of bed linen, you are entitled to a bottle of water. Sometimes separate compartments are reserved for women traveling alone or with children.

Sleeping cars of night trains are more comfortable. Breakfast is usually served in these carriages in the morning. The second class carriage can accommodate up to three years, and the first - one or two.

Prices

Significant discounts are available for regular flights. The cost of full price tickets is quite high, for example, a seat on the TGV train costs 76.3 euros one way. First class tickets cost 50% more than second class. At the height of the tourist season, on weekends and holidays, ticket prices always go up.

Tickets can be purchased with a credit card through the SNCF website. You can receive it by mail or pick it up at any SNCF ticket office. Every railway station has at least one electronic ticket machine that accepts credit cards. Large stations have windows for selling tickets for international flights, long-haul and suburban lines.

Before boarding the train, the ticket must be stamped in one of the yellow machines that stand on the platforms. If you suddenly forgot to do this, then be sure to find a conductor to “break through” the ticket, otherwise you will not be able to avoid a fine.

The booking fee is EUR 1.5. Reservations are a must if you are traveling on the TGV, Eurostar or Thalys, want to reserve a seat in a sleeping car, or are planning a weekend or holiday trip. The ticket can be booked by phone or through the SNCF website.

Tours

Various travel companies offer a wide range of excursions in France. Organized hikes, bike tours, city tours - some types of tours are more convenient to master at your own pace, on foot or by car, while others are more interesting with the comments of an experienced guide.

Most organized tours also include accommodation, meals and travel costs.

Detailed information about routes, ticket prices, tourist passes can be found in the offices of travel agencies and local transport companies.

Taxi

There is a taxi rank at all stations. In small towns and villages, there are 4 types of taxi fares. Prices go up in the evening and at night, as well as on Sundays and holidays.

The cost of trips up to 20 km is calculated by the time spent (about 15 euros per hour), and not by distance. If you take a taxi at the airport or train station, you will be charged an additional fee of approximately 1 euro. There is also a surcharge for luggage and a fourth passenger.

Air Transport

All major cities in France have their own airports. The national airline Air France (0 820 820 820; www.airfrance.com) controls the vast majority of domestic flights. The British air carrier EasyJet provides transportation from Paris to Nice and Toulouse. Also, other foreign companies have recently begun to appear on the domestic air travel market.

At any French travel agency or Air France office, you can book a ticket for a domestic flight. You can save up to 84% of the price if you buy a ticket 3 weeks before the expected departure. Significant discounts are available for children, youth, families, the elderly and married couples. Special offers are posted on the Air France website every Wednesday.

Bicycles

In general, cycling in France is very convenient, thanks in large part to the well-developed network of secondary and tertiary roads, which are characterized by low traffic density. There are bike paths in many cities, sometimes they even connect one city to another. We advise you to never leave your bike outside at night, unless, of course, you want to see it safe and sound the next morning.

Bicycles are required by French law to have two functioning brakes, a bell, a red reflector at the rear and yellow reflectors on the wheels. In conditions of poor visibility, you need to turn on the headlight in front.

Bicycles cannot be transported on intercity buses or trams. On some local train routes, you can take a bicycle with you for free (usually there is a bicycle icon next to the number of such a train on the timetable).

SNCF Sernam Luggage Service delivers your bike door to door for 49 euros. The service operates throughout France, delivery within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.

Here is a useful resource for all cyclists – www.ffc.fr.

Bicycle rental and purchase

Every city has at least one shop that rents mountain bikes (15-25 euros per day) and inexpensive touring bikes. As a rule, you need to leave 150-300 euros as a deposit. If the bike is broken or stolen, the deposit will not be returned to you. In some cities, such as Strasbourg, there are inexpensive bicycle rental agencies that are under the jurisdiction of the municipality.

A mountain bike can be purchased for only 250 euros. At the end of your French trip, you can sell the bike for almost two-thirds of the original price to a specialty shop. Visit www.velo101.com for announcements and tips for cyclists.

Transport

At the moment, the most important mode of transport in France is road, which is increasingly replacing the rail.

The length of the railway in France is 35 thousand kilometers, and the length of motor roads of national importance is over 90 thousand kilometers.

The main transport center of the country, of course, is Paris. 11 main railway lines and over 1.5 dozen important highways converge to the capital from all over the country. Railways in France find it difficult to compete with road transport. The length of the main railway lines in the country has decreased by 38,000 km, and the total length of the dense network of highways has already exceeded 350,000 km.

The air gates of Paris - 2 airports annually receive and send about 4.5 million passengers and a huge amount of cargo.

France is a maritime country. The largest port on its northern coast is Le Havre, located at the wide mouth of the River Seine, and on the south coast Marseille is the most important port.

Le Havre is the first French port in terms of passenger traffic and Marseille - in terms of cargo transportation. Cotton and wool, coffee and rice, rubber, mahogany, spices and other goods are imported to France on ships.

Administrative and state structure

France is divided into 95 departments, including a special territorial administrative unit - Corsica, and 22 regions (communes). There is also a division into 37 historical provinces. In addition to the metropolis, France includes 4 overseas departments:

Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Reunion; 4 Overseas Territories: New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, and French South Antarctic Territories; the capital Paris is also an independent unit.

France is a bourgeois republic. The country has a constitution of the 5th Republic of September 28, 1958. The political regime of the 5th republic is characterized by the concentration of political power in the hands of the head of state and the strengthening of executive power by restricting the rights of parliament. The head of state is the president, elected by an absolute majority of votes by universal direct suffrage for a term of 7 years. The president appoints the prime minister and ministers without the approval of parliament.

The executive power is exercised by the president and the council of ministers (government), the prime minister is appointed by the president, and the legislative power by the parliament, which consists of two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate.

In the departments, the central authority is represented by a prefect appointed by the president. In communes, the local authority is a municipality elected for 6 years, which is headed by a mayor.

The monetary unit adopted throughout the country is the French franc.

Feature of the national economic complex. France has a significant share of the public sector in it. 25% of the employed population work at state enterprises. State monopolies control 25% of industrial production. Foreign monopolies play an important role in the development of the country's economy.

France is a highly developed post-industrial country with a powerful agro-industrial complex. However, in structure. GNP share of industrial products is several times higher than the share of agricultural products.

Industry

characteristic trend of industrial development. France in recent years are the high pace of development of industries that determine. NTP. For this, the country has highly qualified personnel, transport communications, and new technological equipment. A significant role is played by industries processing agricultural products.

Since own energy resources. France provides less than half of its own needs, the fuel industry focuses mainly on imported raw materials. The share of mined hard coal in the country's energy supply is approximately 9%. Oil refineries process about 60 million tons of crude oil. Oil comes from countries. Persian Gulf and North. Africa, natural gas from. Algiers.

The nuclear power industry is especially developed, according to the level of development of which. France ranks second in the world after. USA, and in terms of the share of generated energy at. Nuclear power plants (more than 85%) - the first place in the world. Nuclear power plants operate mainly on their own uranium, the extraction of which is about 1.5% of the suite.

Ferrous metallurgy c. Lorraine, where the old factories are located, is in a state of depression. Now it in the country is almost completely focused on imported raw materials and fuel, and therefore the enterprises of this industry t gravitate towards seaports and regions where cheap hydroelectric power is produced. The country has a developed non-ferrous metallurgy, especially aluminum and lead-zinc. The first focuses on its own raw materials - bauxite (south of France). The country ranks fifth in lead production in the world.

Mechanical engineering is the country's leading industry. France is famous on the world market as a manufacturer of competitive products, especially diesel locomotives, electric locomotives and electronic products, household electrical appliances. The automotive industry stands out in particular. For the production of passenger cars. France ranks fifth in the world. The country is a leader in the manufacture of bullet trains. In terms of TV production, it is in the top ten among the countries of the world.

In. The aerospace industry has gained great importance in France. The third country in the world launched its own artificial satellite into space. Earth. It has its own spaceport. An important industry - shipbuilding, has recently been in a state of depression.

Most machine-building enterprises are concentrated in the region. Big. Paris. Lyon,. Marseille, industrial centers of the north of the country

The chemical industry has reached a high degree of development, especially such branches as the chemistry of organic synthesis and basic chemistry. They specialize in the production of polymers, synthetic fibers, mineral fertilizers, rubber, plastics, perfumes, medicines, and caustic soda (the fifth largest in the world). Chemical industry enterprises are guided by raw materials (Lorraine, Alsace), cheap electricity; the main chemistry is concentrated in the refinery center.

Among the branches of light industry in. France is in the lead in clothing and textiles. The country ranks third in the production of textiles. Europe. Textile industry enterprises are located in most of the large and medium-sized cities of the country.

Among the branches of the food industry, winemaking is of great importance, which is concentrated in. Eastern and. Southwestern regions. France is the largest producer in. Europe butter, cheese, meat

Agriculture

Agriculture. France in terms of total agricultural production ranks first among European countries, and second only to the world. USA and. Canada. A large share of it is produced by small farms (up to 20 hectares of land). However, in the face of increased competition from countries. The EU is becoming increasingly important large farms, which enjoy the support of statevi.

The structure of agriculture is dominated by animal husbandry. Grain farming is the leading one in agriculture. Wheat occupies 1/4 of arable land, and its yield is 60 centners per 1 ha. The annual harvest of one hundred and new wheat is about 40 million tons (fourth place in the world), and of all grains - 60 million tons. Of other crops, corn and barley are important. The main wheat growing areas are the northeast. France, kuk urudza and wheat - southwest. Among industrial crops, sugar beet stands out in the northern part, and sunflower in the southern part. In some areas, flax, rice, potatoes, hops, tobacco, color and olive are grown. Among fruit orchards, apple orchards predominate, especially in the northwest. France has a high level of development of viticulture and vegetable growing. In terms of grape production, it comes only in the world. Italian women of Italy.

leading livestock industries. France is cattle breeding of meat and dairy direction, pig breeding and sheep breeding. It is predominantly concentrated in Western and. In the central regions, animal husbandry is characterized by a high level of intensity. Northern and. In the Parisian districts, hunting is a branch of specialization of the districts located along the Atlantic coast.

Transport

. Transport complex. France is one of the most Europe Railway transport ranks second in terms of cargo turnover, although its importance has recently been decreasing. The length of the railway tracks - more. 3000 km, half of them are electrified 4

The leading role is played by road transport, which transports most of the passengers and goods. The country is provided with a dense network of high quality roads "their length is the longest in Europe - about 900 thousand kilometers.

The country has many pipelines that stretch from seaports to. Paris and. Strasbourg. Waterways. France have a length of almost 7 thousand km

Maritime transport plays a leading role in foreign trade. France, is important in cabotage

Air transport annually transports more than. 3 million passengers. The largest center of air transportation is. Paris

Foreign economic relations

One of the most important forms of economic relations. France with foreign countries is the export of capital, which markedly exceeds foreign capital investments (USA, countries. EU). According to the level of external commodity yoke. France is also one of the world leaders.

The country's exports are dominated by finished products of industry and agriculture, namely: equipment, cars, chemical products, consumer goods. For the export of products of the chemical industry. F. France ranks third in the world, and grain crops - second, second only. USA.

Imports are dominated by industrial raw materials, equipment for various industries, cars, fuel and energy resources

Approximately 2/3 of foreign trade. France accounts for countries. European. Union. Significant state revenues from international tourism, as well as transport and other services

Rail transport in France is the most popular of all types. Among the members of the European Union, the country ranks first in the field of high-speed rail transport. Although rail transport is not cheap, its advantage has always been speed and comfort, which the French appreciate very much.

Due to the influx of tourists from all over the world, air transport is also developing rapidly. The country has its own large company called "Air France".

Maritime transport in France is not developing as fast as others. Although the country has 89 seaports, their cargo turnover is small. The largest port, Marseille, transports only 50 million tons.

Among other modes of transport in France, metro and trams are very common. Metro is in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. The first of them was opened in 1900. You will be interested to know about the features of the Paris metro. Trams are interesting because they are one of the oldest modes of transport in the country. Its active development fell on the second half of the 19th - the first half of the 20th century. After the war, it seemed that this mode of transport would gradually disappear. But, in 1970, due to oil strikes and overloading of city centers, a new wave of development of this type of transport arises. In 1985, the world's first network of modern trams appeared in France, which began to operate actively in eight major cities of the country; in 2000, the number of cities that use tram services increased to nineteen.

Original French transport laws

1) If you are going to travel in France on a flying saucer, then you should know the law of the French government, according to which it is forbidden to land or park this type of transport in vineyards throughout the state. So, owners of flying saucers, we strongly recommend: be careful when parking your vehicle!

2) Also of interest is the fact concerning the control of stowaways. In France, there are practically no controllers, but the fines for traveling without a ticket are prohibitive. Therefore, a person who wants to ride a “hare” is at great risk not only with his reputation, but also with his material condition.