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Internet access in France

Hi, It will be our first time travelling by car in France and our Quebec provider does not offer coverage in Europe.

What options is best for Internet access in France please.

Posted by
1634 posts

Depending on where you are staying you may have hotel specific free/paid for WiFi which is increasingly common. It will be through the chains provider though and you will connect to their network. Accessing your e-mails will depend on what kind of e-mail account you have.

Posted by
4 posts

Thank you MC, since we do not know where exactly we will stay, it is the reason why we want the Internet access to find places to stay.

We are going on the west side of the country, St Malo, Rennes, Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Lemans then back to Paris to fly back in Montreal.

Maybe all those places has WiFi availability but if we are in between those places, what do we do...

Thanks again MC

Posted by
1634 posts

From the French Tourist Office in the UK, this should give an idea on getting WiFi in France. When it comes to WiFi etc France is a very tech savvy country. Hope this is of help.

Posted by
23178 posts

Our experience last Spring in western France was that the internet access was everywhere. Every restaurant, bar, cafe had internet access. Sometimes you have to ask for the code other times not. And every hotel big and small provided access.

Posted by
16893 posts

See some related communication topics at https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/phones-tech. Regular pay phones still exist, though much less used than they used to be. It sounds like you know the towns where you hope to stay, so won't be completely "winging it" as you go. In general, I'd try to book your next accommodation before getting in the car for the day. If you can book a few days ahead, even better. Worst case scenario, you arrive at your destination town and look around in person, or with help from the Tourist Info office, or find a Wi-Fi spot there.

Posted by
4324 posts

Rick also raves about carrying a wifi hotspot around with him. So wherever you have cell service you have your own wifi.

You could also look into tethering to the cell phone you'll be using. Just be aware that data is expensive and may not be high speed.

Posted by
782 posts

You can get a data plan for your cell phone and get mail anywhere,we were just in Brittany this Fall.
Mike