Although I have been to France a number of times before I
have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
to and was hoping someone would help:

1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?

2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?

3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
before I leave.

The only one of your questions I can help with is the one regarding MasterCard:
I used both VISA and MasterCard all over Paris with no trouble at all.

On Tue, 13 May 2003 14:08:32 GMT, [email protected] (Ed Krol) wrote:

    >Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    >have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    >to and was hoping someone would help:
    >1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?
yes
    >2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?
yes
    >3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
    >before I leave.
ask the hotel

"Ed Krol" a écrit dans le message de news:
A%[email protected]...

    > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?

Yes, it is very widely accepted, second only to Visa.

    > 2. How far is it from the RER station to
    > Versailles? Is it walkable?

It is about a mile from the palace, and entirely walkable. Most people, in
fact, walk between the palace and station, so you can just follow the
crowds.

    > 3. How can I find out if there are convienent
    > Laundromats to my hotel before I leave.

No easy way, but in most parts of town you can just walk around nearby
streets with shops and eventually you'll come across a laundromat. The
hotel itself can often tell you where laundromats might be. You can also
look in the Yellow Pages (http://www.pagesjaunes.fr); click on the British
flag to use it in English, and search for "Laverie automatique".

"Ed Krol" wrote in message
news:A%[email protected]...
    > Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    > have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    > to and was hoping someone would help:
    > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?

Yes, as well as Visa and American Express.

    > 2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?

Absolutely -- about a 10 minute walk.

    > 3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
    > before I leave.

Call your hotel?

"Ed Krol" a écrit dans le message news:
A%[email protected]...
    > Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    > have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    > to and was hoping someone would help:
    > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?
    > 2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?

The RER is within Versailles (Versailles is a town), but I think you mean
the palace.
Actually, there are several stations in Versailles. Versailles chantiers
(main station, RER C, trains from Montparnasse and from Saint-Lazare) is the
furthest, but it is walkable, at least by european standards. Versailles
Rive droite (trains from Saint-Lazare), is a little nearer (or maybe it is
the same ?). Versailles-Rive -Gauche (RER C) is the nearest (about 500m),
but there are fewer train.

a map here :
http://www-rocq.inria.fr/codes/WCC20...ailles-map.pdf

JPh

"J-Ph" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "Ed Krol" a écrit dans le message news:
    > A%[email protected]...
    > > Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    > > have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    > > to and was hoping someone would help:
    > >
    > > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?
    > >
    > > 2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?
    > >
    > The RER is within Versailles (Versailles is a town), but I think you mean
    > the palace.
    > Actually, there are several stations in Versailles. Versailles chantiers
    > (main station, RER C, trains from Montparnasse and from Saint-Lazare) is
the
    > furthest, but it is walkable, at least by european standards. Versailles
    > Rive droite (trains from Saint-Lazare), is a little nearer (or maybe it is
    > the same ?). Versailles-Rive -Gauche (RER C) is the nearest (about 500m),
    > but there are fewer train.
    > a map here :
    > http://www-rocq.inria.fr/codes/WCC20...ailles-map.pdf
    > JPh
It's important to pay attention to which RER C train you board if you want
to arrive at the nearest station to the chateau - Versailles Rive Gauche.
Line C splits before Versailles with the C5 train going to Rive Gauche and
the C7 train going to Chantiers. I have made the mistake of boarding the C7
and ending up with a much longer walk (about 20-25 minutes, I think) instead
of 5-10 minutes.
GG

In article , [email protected]
says...
    > Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    > have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    > to and was hoping someone would help:
    >
    > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?
Yup, look for a logo sticker on a shop's front.
    >
    > 2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?
about 10 minutes, loads of signs.
    >
    > 3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
    > before I leave.
Call or fax the hotel.

--
Met vriendelijke groeten/Best regards
Jeroen Wijnands
http://spam.pagina.nl

Just be certain your RER train is going to Versailles Rive Gauche
(R.G), not Chantiers.

http://wgc.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi

If this pages comes up in English, plug in "laundry" and "Paris." On the
next page check "laundry- self service" and hit -->enter

If it comes up in French, plug in "laverie," "Paris" and then on the
next page "laveries pour particuliers, laveries en libre-service"

Ed Krol wrote:

    > Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    > have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    > to and was hoping someone would help:
    >
    > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?
    >
    > 2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?
    >
    > 3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
    > before I leave.

Ed Krol wrote:
    > 3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
    > before I leave.


Go to www.pagesjaunes.fr; you'll see a box at the right for Les Photos
de Villes. Select Paris, then enter the address of your hotel in the
pop up. You can then navigate up and down the street, down side
streets, etc., seeing photos of every building. I love this site.

On 13/05/03 16:08, in article A%[email protected], "Ed
Krol" wrote:

    > Although I have been to France a number of times before I
    > have a couple of quick questions which I couldn't quite find answers
    > to and was hoping someone would help:
    >
    > 1. Is a Mastercard any good in France?

YES, both Visa and Mastercard are the standard cards in France. Amex is
less accepted since its fees are higher, so stores lean towards Visa/MC
except the fancier ones.

> 2. How far is it from the RER station to Versailles? Is it walkable?

Walkable, you can pick the train up at the Saint Michel station.

    >
    > 3. How can I find out if there are convienent Laundromats to my hotel
    > before I leave.

Ask somebody at the hotel reception desk. They are harder to find in
the tourist areas of central Paris, I don`t know if there is one, for
instance, within two blocks of Notre Dame. Often they will be down
a side street, rarely a major street. Getting to the yellow pages
is difficult. Your room might not have one. The Paris yellow
pages are set up for each arrondissement, so you look up "LAVERIE"
and then run down the list for the area you are in. Same for doctors
although there the best thing for a tourist to used is "SOS Medicins".
They will come to the hotel within 30 minutes and the cost is about
50 euros. This it totally covered by French social security but
for visitors you pay up front.

The more modern Laveries will have change machines (taking bills) and I
think run around 3-5 euros for 5 kg for the wash. They usually have a soap
machine too. The instructions are somewhere but usually you just have to
put your items in the machine, select a temperature and put in the soap,
close up the machine and look around for a machine on the wall in which you
punch in the number of the machine and put in your money. Dryers same
thing.

Some places around will have "laver secher" (wash and dry) service, you
leave a sack of stuff off with the "lady" and pick it up at the end of the
day. That will cost more, but probably not double. Such people will also
have dry cleaning services but that takes a few days. Often you will see
"Libre Service" on the window, meaning you can do it yourself. The term
"Laverie" is used for a laundromat but some will have "cute" names like "Lav
Club".

A wash takes about one hour and I have never had items stolen. I put the
stuff in, head off and come back in a hour. Saturday and Sunday afternoons
are heavy wash days, but you`ll find most places empty at 9AM on a weekday.
People will remove your items and put them in a basket if you are not back
right on time and all the machines are being use. The same general practice
occurs throughout France.

We gave up on washing machines at home over 30 years ago, back in
California. They break down and what does one do with a dead washingmachine?

Earl

"GG" [email protected] wrote:

    >It's important to pay attention to which RER C train you board if you want
    >to arrive at the nearest station to the chateau - Versailles Rive Gauche.
    >Line C splits before Versailles with the C5 train going to Rive Gauche and
    >the C7 train going to Chantiers. I have made the mistake of boarding the C7
    >and ending up with a much longer walk (about 20-25 minutes, I think) instead
    >of 5-10 minutes.

Yes, we made the same mistake last month and it was a significantly longer
walk. The person in the ticket booth simply told us what platform to go to and
said that the next train would take us to Versailles. I never did see where
the C7 or C5 designation was.

MW

    >> It's important to pay attention to which RER C train you board if
    >> you want to arrive at the nearest station to the chateau - Versailles
    >> Rive Gauche. Line C splits before Versailles with the C5 train going
    >> to Rive Gauche and the C7 train going to Chantiers. I have made the
    >> mistake of boarding the C7 and ending up with a much longer walk ...

Not only that, but there are also *eastbound* Line C trains that loop
around and eventually end up at Versailles Chantiers. If you're in
central Paris and heading for Versailles, you really don't want these!

    > The person in the ticket booth simply told us what platform to go to
    > and said that the next train would take us to Versailles. I never
    > did see where the C7 or C5 designation was.

It's not shown at all prominently anywhere. In navigating the RER, like
the Metro, it's best to go by the "direction" (meaning the terminus that
your train is heading toward), because this *is* shown wherever possible.
--
Mark Brader | "This is the most unreadable book I've ever seen. ...
[email protected] | I can imagine someone wanting to assassinate the author,
Toronto | but not for religious reasons." --Peter Moylan

My text in this article is in the public domain.

"Mark Brader" wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > >> It's important to pay attention to which RER C train you board if
    > >> you want to arrive at the nearest station to the chateau - Versailles
    > >> Rive Gauche. Line C splits before Versailles with the C5 train going
    > >> to Rive Gauche and the C7 train going to Chantiers. I have made the
    > >> mistake of boarding the C7 and ending up with a much longer walk ...
    > Not only that, but there are also *eastbound* Line C trains that loop
    > around and eventually end up at Versailles Chantiers. If you're in
    > central Paris and heading for Versailles, you really don't want these!
    > > The person in the ticket booth simply told us what platform to go to
    > > and said that the next train would take us to Versailles. I never
    > > did see where the C7 or C5 designation was.
    > It's not shown at all prominently anywhere. In navigating the RER, like
    > the Metro, it's best to go by the "direction" (meaning the terminus that
    > your train is heading toward), because this *is* shown wherever possible.
    > --
    > Mark Brader | "This is the most unreadable book I've ever seen. ...
    > [email protected] | I can imagine someone wanting to assassinate the author,
    > Toronto | but not for religious reasons." --Peter Moylan
    > My text in this article is in the public domain.

I don't remember about the C line, but the B line platforms at the
St.-Michel RER station have electronic signs hanging over them that indicate
the destinations of the next few trains that will arrive. You also have to
pay attention there because the B trains don't all go to CDG Airport where
we were headed that morning. Maybe all/most RER stations have such signs??
GG