Cycling & B&B's in France

In France, the B&B system is vast and often the only option in rural settings. This makes it an ideal place of lodging for cycling and hiking travelers who want to go into the back country. Some things to know about B&B's in France:

1. a Chambre d'Hote, as it is called in French, come with a rating system of "epis" or strands of wheat to symbolize quality. Like a star rating system, 1-4, is the scale with 1 being most basic and 4 most elegant.

2. a Chambre d'Hote, to be classified as Chambre d'Hote (B&B) cannot offer more than 6 guest rooms. Above that, it becomes a hotel.

3. A gite is not a chambre d'Hote although you can sometimes find both in the same establishment. A gite is a house rental, or apartment rental. So, sometimes a chambre d'Hote will also have a separate room or building on site that is fully equipped with kitchenette and other supplies to offer on a weekly rental basis. Gite customers are totally independent and subject to different booking terms than chambre d'hote customers.

4. a Chambre d'Hote may also be a "table d'Hote" meaning that dinners are prepared on site as well. Dining is usually family style, served at the same time, and sometimes around a big table, but not always. Guests of different backgrounds may share a meal together this way with the hosts - owners.

5. a chambre d'Hote is not a hotel. This means that rooms sometimes don't have individual telephones, sometimes no TV in the each room, no bar with anytime service, and internet access is often only the owner's private account. Also, room access isn't always possible throughout the day, all day. The owners are the reception, cleaning, and restaurant and need to run errands and keep their own lives on track. Expect to vacate the property for some time during the day to go visit.

Its like staying in someone's house, and to foreigners traveling to France who want to stay in a B&B, we recommend that you consider yourself in someone's home and though you are paying for certain services you should expect to pay for anything extra someone may do for you that is not in the service. Example - internet access, picnic lunches, aperetif, telephone calls, etc.

For a vast website with gite and chambre d'hote availability, see www.gites-de-france.fr

Bon voyage!