I need some advise.....we will be planning 3 weeks in France this July 2011. Should we have all our accommodations booked in advance or should we just find places when we arrive at towns and villages?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Sharon, Especially in July, I would definitely pre-book accommodations! The alternative will be spending a lot of of your valuable holiday time trying to find a place to sleep when you arrive in each new town, possibly not finding anything and having to move on (when you're tired and hot) OR having to take something that's "less than ideal" (ie: "a dump") OR having to pay significantly more than you anticipated. I'd suggest going through the France Guidebook, finding lodgings that meet your criteria and price range and pre-booking. Most of the listings in the books provide web and E-mail addresses. Happy travels!
Posted by
Anacortes, WA, US
56 posts
Ken is giving you very good advice. We booked the critical accommodations for our May 2011 visit almost a year out. The apartment we booked in Paris is now completely sold out through September. You may find more flexibility in smaller towns, but you may find yourself sleeping in some pretty scraggy leftovers --- or the back of your car.
Posted by
Kingsville, Ontario
165 posts
We pre booked with bookings.com for a July holiday. Very glad we did, reduced the stress of being in a strange place with no place to sleep. The bookings were like way points to be followed ( if it's Tuesday were in St Malo) pre booking saved our beds, when the town we arrived in had music festival, and all rooms were sold out for 20k. Saved some money too, booked 2 nights in Paris in April, extra night, same room booked in May more than twice the 2 night price. All the bookings we made allowed cancellations up to 24 hours before arrival, and stated no show rates.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10218 posts
July--yes, book in advance.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Reservations are safest that time of year, but I honestly believe it is possible to travel without them, arguably even advisable for some people in some parts of their itineraries. These would be flexible people who are happy to stay in one-star or no-star places that might not be in the heart of their favorite neighborhood. You know what kind of traveler you are. Reservations are most important traveling to small towns, I think. Elsewhere, a trip to the TI can usually turn something up.