Results for "Péloponnèse+|+124+>+211"

Bonjour

D'habitude je voyage avec peu d'argent liquide, j'utilise mes cartes bancaires le plus possible et je retire de l'argent aux guichets automatiques au besoin. Mon agent de voyage m'a prévenu qu'en Grèce les commerçants préfèrent vraiment l'argent liquide et que les cartes bancaires sont assez souvent refusées. Est-ce bien vrai ? Je me demande si je pourrai assez facilement retirer de l'argent aux guichets ? Quelle est la solution pour ne pas avoir à partir avec un magot caché dans le fond de ses souliers?

Bonjour,

Nous avons l'opportunité d'être logés pour une huitaine de jours à Athènes pendant les vacances de la Toussaint (fin octobre début novembre), vive l'échange de maison ! Nous sommes quatre : 2 adultes et 2 enfants de 11 et 10 ans. Notre objectif est de visiter des sites archéologiques et de voir de beaux paysages, de profiter un peu de la mer mais pas de nous rendre dans les îles, on reviendra en été pour ça ! Nous avons donc envisagé : - visite d'Athènes centre 2 jour pleins + jour d'arrivée et de départ - Cap Sounion 1 jour - Delphes et Osios Loukas 1 grosse journée - Mycènes, Nauplie, Epidaure : 2 grosses journées avec nuit à Nauplie

Est-ce-que ça parait jouable sachant que les déplacements se feront avec une voiture de location ? L'aller-retour Delphes et Osios Loukas dans la journée c'est faisable ? Idem pour Mycènes, Nauplie, Epidaure en 2 jours ? J'ai vu que les tours opérateurs proposent ça en une journée !

Avez-vous des bonnes adresses pour dormir vers Nauplie ?

Un autre itinéraire vous parait-il plus pertinent ?

Merci d'avance pour vos réponses.

Bonjour, j'aimerais effectuer un voyage en Grèce éventuellement pour automne 2013 ou été 2014

je pense à faire un voyage organisé. j'habite montréal, donc je recherche une agence du Québec.

Quelle agence me suggerez vous..il y en a tellement..air transat a l'air pas si mal..il y a aussi l'agence uniktour qui offre des voyage en voilier..ça semble vraiment intéressant également, il y a aussi traditour qui est plus cher.

j'imagine que les iles greques sont beaucoup plus intéressante que le continent..

Quel mois de l'année est le mieux. y a t'il des endroits attrappe touriste qui n'est finalement pas super intéressant de visiter..

j'aimerais l'avis de gens qui ont fait des ''voyages organisés en Grèce'' et non ceux qui on fait un itinéraire par eux même..car je ne pense vraiment pas organisé moi même ce voyage..

Es-ce qu'un voyage de 16 jours est suffisant ?

quel sont les meilleurs endroit pour la baignade à la plage ?

croyez vous que les voyages organisé sont plus adapté aux couples ou entre amies (is) certainement pas pour une personne seule...existe t'il des voyage organisé pour les célibataires ?

je n'ai jamais fait de voyage organisé..

merci

Bonjour,

je suis en pleine indécision pour ma destination de cet été (mon ami et mes 3 enfants) 🤪

J'avais pensé a la crete mais j'ai peur que cela ne nous revienne trop cher a cause de l'obligation de louer une voiture. 😕

Y a t il pour la grece des traversées en ferrie pour partir avec la voiture? le camping est il courant et a quels prix?

Nous partirons la dernière semaine d'aout/début sept.😏

Merci d'avance 😉

Carla

Bonjour à tous,

Je me présente, mon nom est Mathieu, je suis québécois, j'ai 19 ans et je suis passionné des voyages !! 😄 J'ai planifié de partir en Europe l'automne prochain (de septembre à décembre) avec quelqu'un d'autre, malheureusement cette personne vient tout juste de se désister.... Ça ne m'a pas empêché de décider de partir seul quand même.

Je tiens beaucoup à ce voyage, je désire faire le vide et découvrir mes limites. Le temps va un peu trop vite à mon goût et je ne voudrais pas avoir des regrets plus tard. Aussi, je tiens à perfectionner mon anglais. Cependant, je vais être franc avec vous, j'ai certaines craintes de partir seul, du point de vue sécurité et ennui.

J'ai toujours rêvé d'aller en Grèce, visiter Athènes et les Cyclades ! Les paysages et l'histoire de ce pays me passionne beaucoup. Aussi, dans le but de perfectionner mon anglais, je prévois séjourner en Angleterre ainsi qu'en Irlande. L'Italie m'intéresse également, mais je ne suis pas totalement certain d'aller faire un tour dans ce pays.

Alors j'aimerais savoir si ces pays sont plus risqués côté sécurité que d'autres pays de l'Europe (France, Allemagne, Espagne par exemple) Bien sûr, en considérant que je ne m'attires pas de soucis (en ne faisant pas parraître que je suis un touriste) , est-ce que ces endroits sont sécuritaires, par exemple est-ce que les risques de me faire voler sont élevés ? Également, avec les conflits présentement en Grèce, est-ce tout de même une bonne idée de partir dans ce pays?

Auriez-vous des endroits vraiment intéressants à me suggérer pour les pays que je prévois visiter? Des endoits incontournables?

Si vous avez certains questions, n'hésitez pas ! J'attends vos suggestions! Merci beaucoup

Bonjour, je suis déjà en train d'organiser mes vacances d'été et nous voudrions partir 2 semaines fin aout debut septembre en Grèce. Nous sommes ouverts à tout, car nous ne connaissons rien la bas! L'idée c'est un peu de plage, un peu de visites, 4 ou 5 endroits en 15 jours en arrivant probablement à Athènes et en louant une voiture sur place. Donc ce que je recherche surtout ce sont des noms de petits villages sympas sur le continent ou dans des iles, où on peut trouver de chouettes hotels dans des lieux pas trop trop touristiques mais à proximité de sites à visiter...En fait ce qui est compliqué c'est que les enfants n'ont plus l'age d'aller en poussette mais ne sont pas hyper motivés pour faire de grandes visites à pied non plus 😛

Des idées????

Merci beaucoup, je vais bien éplucher le forum en attendant vos réponses 🙂

Bonjours, je regarde pour location autos a athene pour le mois de septembre 2011 pour visite de athene et ces alentours j'aurai 5 jours environs pour visites de athene (quoi voir a athene ? ), des meteores, delphes, olympie, épidaure , canal corinthe et quoi d'autres vous conseiller ?? connaissez-vous un itinéraire pour ces visites et endroit ou coucher (hotel) par quoi commencé ? ah oui milieu septembre fait-il encore chaud le soir sans mettre de manche longue ? merci pour info😉

Bonjour vous tous, je suis à la recherche d'une destination pour cet été, environ un mois. Nous sommes 5, un couple et 3 enfants. Je pense fortement à la Grèce sans pour autant avoir approfondi quoi que ce soit, j'en suis juste au stade "et si..." J'aimerai me faire une idée plus précise sur comment y va t'on avec sa voiture ? J'ai vu que l'on pouvait prendre des bateaux de l'Italie, quel est le meilleur port de départ ? Sinon en prenant par la Croatie, est ce possible, ou y a t'il des difficultés à traverser certains pays ? Et une fois sur place, si j'envisage de faire qques iles des Cyclades, y a t'il un intérêt à traverser sa voiture ou faut-il la laisser en parking qque part ? J'en voie qui sourient, je vous l'ai dit tout au début, ce n'est vraiment qu'un balbutiement de préparation, mais avant d'aller plus loin je cherche à savoir ce qui est faisable ou non... Merci d'avance à tout ceux qui auront qques minutes à m'accorder ! Amicalement

Bonjour à tous,

Voilà notre projet. Nous aimerions partir en Grèce depuis Bordeaux en voiture en famille à 4 avec nos enfants déjà adultes ;)

On a 4 semaines, mais sur la période la plus touristique (Aout) avec un budget limité. On se dit qu'en partant en voiture avec deux canadiennes dans le coffre on devrait pouvoir s'organiser quelque chose de sympa.

On voudrait : - Culturel - Détente - en dehors des sentiers battus - Photos (mais pas de sites, des gens, des villages, des ambiances) - Itinérance sans réservation

Voyage :

L'idée n'est pas de tracer, mais d'y aller pépère et pour des raisons d'économie ne pas prendre le bateau en Italie. Comment sont les routes ? Trouve - t - on facilement des camping, des pensions pour dormir ? Avez vous sur le trajet des endroits pour se détendre au calme, les pieds dans l'eau avant de repartir frais et dispos le lendemain ou le sur lendemain si le coin est super ;) Combien dure le voyage (sans parler de haltes bien sur) ?

La Grèce :

En Aout, trouve t on facilement des camping, des pensions à prix raisonnables sans avoir réservé ? Quels coins vaut il mieux éviter ? On aimerait rester à Athenes 2 ou 3 jours, et passer par le péloponèse. Avez vous des endroits avec peu de touristes que vous conseillerez (mer et interieur) Faut il éviter les cyclades en cette saison ? Si on y va, pouvons nous laisser la voiture dans des parking gardiennés ?

Bref encore milles questions, mais je vais y aller en progressif.

L'essentielle est de savoir si c'est absurde de faire autant de route pour se retrouver dans des campings bondés. Si c'est le cas, on irait en Croatie mais c'est pas du tout le même voyage. Surtout que ce sont probablement les dernières longues vacances que l'on passera avec nos enfants (19 et 21 ans) et que l'on aimerait beaucoup voir avec eux ce berceau de notre civilisation.

Merci à ceux qui prendront un peu de temps pour nous aider

Bonjours,

Je vais cet été et avec un ami traverser l'europe d'ouest en est avec interrail avant de finir par deux semaines au liban. Interrail me permet de prendre le bateau jusqu'à rhodes ou la crète, et j'aurais aimé savoir si il y avait une liaison régulière entre l'une de ces deux iles et chypres, d'ou j'ai lus et entendu qu'il y avait une connection régulière avec Beyrut ou jounieh. Mes question sont donc les suivantes : y a t il une connection entre crète ou rhodes et chypre, ou même directement avec le liban, et une fois à chypre est-ce compliqué de se rendre au liban?

Parallèlement, si vous avez des information, des tuyaux ou des idées de choses que vous conseilleriez de ne pas manquer à Bruges, Roterdam, Amsterdam, Berlin, Varsovie, Cracovie, Prague, Vienne, Bratislava, Budapest, Bucarest, Sofia, Istanbul, Athènes, la crète, rhodes, chypre et le liban, qui sorte un peu de l'ordinaire, je prendrais tous les conseils que vous pouvez avoir :]

Ps : étudiants, nous voyageons avec un budget restreint, tout idée ou astuce qui pourrais nous permettre de sauver des sous sur la route est également la bienvenue :]

Bien à vous,

Hi there, I’m heading to Athens alone for a week from November 27th to December 4th. I want to visit Athens and Santorini. I’m not sure how feasible this route (Athens-Santorini-Athens) is—I don’t know the country or the distances. Is it doable and realistic to visit both in one week? If it’s possible, is it better to take a flight or a ferry from Athens to Santorini? Where’s the best place to stay to make the most of my time? Would you recommend "Athens Backpackers"? Thanks in advance for your help!

Est-ce possible? Quelles iles choisir? A l'aide...!!!

Bonjour à vous toutes et tous.. Je viens bientot faire un petit circuit en Grèce..10 petits jours, pr visiter ce très beau pays.. Je sais..ce n'est pas assez..

du coup, j'ai le choix entre visiter Olympie.. Sparte et Mystra ou, les iles Hydra - Poros - Engine...

Ces trois destinations sont elles différents.. Ont elles des spécifités bien précises ?

D'avance merci !!!

🙂

Alors voila je veux partir avec mon amie au mois de Juin. Deux destinations nous attire la Grèce et la Turquie. Néanmoins les hôtels que nous avons pu voir ne nous conviennent pas vraiment. Ils se trouvent toujours dans des endroits ou il n'y règne que touristes et grand bâtiments. Alors voila j'aurais besoin de vos conseils pour m'indiquer les meilleurs régions de la Turquie ou de la Grèce pour y passer un séjour. Notre budget tourne a environ 800 850Euros par personne. Voila merci de votre aide

Bonjour à tous,

je pars en grèce au mois de septembre. j'ai plusieurs questions... :-)

On compte louer une voiture. Est ce que vous connaisez des agences bien? est ce qu'il vaut mieux réserver sur internet ou sur place?

Une fois qu'on sera dans les villes un peu touristiques, est ce que c'est compliqué de se garer? est ce que les prix sont parkings sont chers, ou est ce que il y a moyen de trouver des places gratuites?

Enfin, derniere question. On aimerait faire du camping sauvage (petit budget oblige :-)) est ce que c'est toléré? La police vient si on se fait repérer??

merci bcp pour vos réponses, et bon voyage à tous

bonjour,

J' aimerais louer une voiture pendant une semaine en Grèce en partant d' Athènes et j' aimerais savoir si l' agence EUROPCAR a l' aéroport d' athènes est fiable?

sinon conaisssez vous une bonne agence ?

merci

Petit Mémo d’un Paris (Orléans) – Istanbul en deux mois (mai et juin : c’est idéal, vers la fin la chaleur est vraiment présente) Par le sud : Italie, Grèce, Iles Grecques, et la Turquie par la côte méditerranéenne (Sud) puis Konya et la Cappadoce On a fait des choix de principe * le plus autonomes possible en repas et couchage * des trajets en trains ou bus si besoin * campagne campagne campagne

Matériels On a développé quelques petites idées qui peuvent peut être vous en inspirer d’autres : * photocopies des cartes en double (beaucoup mieux pour écrire dessus et pour l’entente entre partenaires). Nombre de cartes régionales européennes sont consultables et empruntables à la bibliothèque municipale de Paris qui se trouve à Trocadero, ainsi que les guides et autres atlas. * photocopies réduites mémo linguistiques (tiennent roulés dans la poche avant) * bâche + couverture de survie au lieu de tente (de l’air et des étoiles, de la débrouillardise quand la pluie menace) * un truc immangeable mais qui aide à grimper : la musculine, dénichée dans un monastère en Bresse à base de sucre et de viande crue…effet coup de pouce garanti ! On regrette : * d’avoir porté autant d’outils de réparation (on peut compter sur les garages) * les hamacs (peu utiles) * les sites d’hôtes sur Internet (laborieux, peut être à consulter bien avant de partir) * d’avoir perdu un des crochets qui maintient les sacoches avant Ortlieb au cadre (ils ont tendance à se dévisser avec les vibrations, les vérifier de temps en temps) * que les capes de vélos soient aussi peu isolantes pour le bas du corps * de n’avoir pas persévéré dans les échauffements avant et les étirements après le vélo * que ni en Grèce ni en Turquie il n’y a de capsules à gaz qui se vissent (butagaz only) * d’avoir oublié une fois les têtes de compteurs de kilomètres sur les vélos…les enfants en raffolent… on était bien contents d’avoir eu : * des tendeurs supplémentaires * une moustiquaire * une poche à eau de 10litres vendue au vieux campeur comme douche, qui malgré une fermeture à corriger, permet avant le dernier arrêt, d’embarquer assez de flotte pour la popotte, la vaisselle et se laver. Elle tient dans une petite pochette et peut servir de " machine à laver " au besoin. * du patex et du gaffer * de l’huile de massage à l’arnica * en homéopathie arnica (efforts prolongés, chocs) rhus toxicodendron (avant la tendinite) et apis mellifica (piqûres d’insectes : ah les guêpes qui vous foncent dessus ou qui se prennent dans les cheveux…) j'ai fait quatre chapitres distincts : France, Italie, Grèce, Turquie

Bonjour,

Nous arrivons à Patras et comptons faire le Péloponèse. Nous sommes un couple avec notre fils qui aura 14 mois. Comme c'est un pays que nous ne connaissons pas, j'aurais besoin de quelques conseils...

Quelle région de la côte ouest est la moins touristique ? La plus sauvage ? Dans quel coin aller (an altitude) s'il fait vraiment très chaud ? Le prix du gazoil est le même qu'en France ? Que pensez-vous des moustiques grecs ? Quelles visites peut-on faire aux heures les plus chaudes (des sites frais ?)

J'aurais sûrement d'autres questions...

Merci beaucoup !!!

Nous descendons de Belgique, prés de lille france, à deux moto (BMW1200RS ET HARLEY) le 14avril, pour prendre ferry le 15 à Anconna italy, vers la gréce INGOUMESTA?QUElQU'UN PEUT ME DIRE si le passage mont blanc en moto se fait sur transport ou non, et aussi le prix du passage merci bernardin

Bonjour,

Je souhaiterais partir fin septembre avec mon chéri en Grèce afin de passer une semaine reposante et néanmoins enrichissante. Nous aimons les petits hotels de charme (pas le gros complexes) et recherchons un coin où nous aurions la possibilité de visiter les alentours (en louant une voiture) tout en pouvant nous reposer sur la plage les jours de flemme... Savez-vous quelles serait la destination idéale pour ce que je recherche? J'ai vu certaines info sur Santorins et environs et ça à l'air sympa..

Merci pour votre aide.

Julie

bonjour, quelqu'un connait-il l'hotel LONG BEACH à longos ? nous y passerons des vacances, et j'aimerais avoir un avis sur cet hotel, et sur la région

Bonjour,

Pour ceux qui ont fait cette expérience, j'ai quelques questions à vous poser : quel ferry avez-vous prix, quel prix, que fut le port d'embarquement et celui de l'arrivée, sur place, peut-on circuler facilement avec un camping car ? connaissez-vous des coins pour faire du camping sauvage ?

Bonsoir, en avril 2007, nous envisageons d'effectuer un séjour d'une petite semaine en Grèce. Nous serons 5 adultes et 2 enfants, et irons là-bas pour la première fois. Nous aimerions visiter Athènes, Delphes et pourquoi pas une île. Est-ce réalisable en une semaine? J'aimerais savoir combien de temps il faut prévoir pour visiter Athènes, en alternant visites culturelles et balades dans les différents quartiers. Pour ceux qui connaisssent bien le pays, quels conseils de visites pourriez-vous me donner? Quel budget moyen faut-il prévoir? Merci par avance à tous ceux qui me répondront.

Bj, Ns envisageons un voyage de 6/7 semaines printemps 2007 en Gréce. Aller par la route : Trieste / Rijeka / Dubrovnik / Thessalonique Retour par bateau : Igoumenista / Ancona .

Ce sera notre premier voyage en Gréce, n'ayant pas la prétention de découvrir tt la Gréce en 5/6 semaines, je solicite les conseils de chacun pour établir mon iténéraire.

Hormis l'aller-retour un rythme moyen de 50 km/j ns paraît déjà beaucoup . . . Ns préférons (si possible), les bivouacs "sauvages" aux campings. Ns souhaitons allier tourisme culturel, tourisme "gastronomique", et profiter pleinemnt de dame nature . . . Et tout ça bien sûr dans un budjet tres limité ...

Merci de vos contibutions

Qui est déjà parti avec cette organisme? rapport qualité prix, circuit / séjour? est ce mieux que marmara? des points négatifs? toutes les infos st les bienvenues. merci

NOUS ALLONS EFFECTUE UN SEJOUR DE 7 SEMAINES EN GRECE AVEC NOTRE CAMPING CAR . NOUS AVONS PENSE A CE CIRCUIT : PATRAS / PELOPONESE / ATHENES / COTE EST JUSQU'A VOLOS / PELION / METEORES / IGOUMENISTA . CE PROGRAMME VOUS PARAIT- IL CORRECT ? LONG ? D'AUTRES REGIONS A RAJOUTER ? AVEZ-VOUS DES RENSEIGNEMENTS SUR DES RANDONNEES PEDESTRES ET VTT SYMPATHIQUES DANS TOUTES CES REGIONS ?

bonjour a tous les voyageurs du monde

je compte prochainement attaquer un lyon istambul en velo (seul)mais en lisant la plupart des tutos sur le sujet vous parlez tous de faire du camping et de manger au rechaud mais comment savoir si il y aura un camping sur ma route et en ce qui concerne les centre commerciaux comment savoir en k de grosse panne le minimun vital que je doi avoir sur moi et deniere question je compte partir fin avril pensez vous que c une bonne date?? merci

Nous cherchons des idées de destinations en Club pour la dernière quinzaine d'août.

D'habitude, nous louons une maison à 2 familles. Mais cette année, nous choisissons la formule Club (pour les activités proposées aux enfants et le repos pour nous tt en pouvant partager des balades ensembles). Nos enfants sont âgés de 6 et 2ans 1/2. Le dernier faisant 3 ans le 27 août, nous cherchons des clubs avec mini-club pour moins de 3ans (car nous pensons qu'il ne sera pas accepté dans les mini-clubs à partir de 3 ans; on se trompe peut-être).Nous recherchons le soleil, la plage, la nature. Nous sommes allés à Djerba avec la + grande et partons en Avril à Marrackech aussi qu'avec elle, le +petit bouge tt le temps et demande beaucoup d'attention (d'où le besoin d'1 système de garderie avec activité en août).

Nous avons commencé à chercher mais il semble que partir en Club en famille coûte cher (plus de 5000€). Avez-vous des bons plans à cette période ?

Exemples de destinations auxquelles nous avons pensées: Guadeloupe (peur de la chaleur très lourde et humide à cette période), Mexique, Cuba, Indonésie, Croatie, Maroc, Corse, Grèce, Sicile... ou autres à nous suggérer.

Merci d'avance pour toutes vos idées!!!

Okay, it wasn’t a total disaster either. Actually, I hesitated before starting this travel journal: is it even worth writing about a holiday that won’t leave an unforgettable memory? In the end, I went for it (there aren’t many recent travel journals about this destination). So, read on... or don’t .

Every time we’ve been to the Canary Islands, it’s been by default (basically: where can we go in winter or early spring when we only have a week—so not too far, not too much jet lag, but with decent weather?).

This time, we had two weeks, but the winter plan kept changing: first Thailand (dropped for personal reasons), then Martinique (dropped because of work leave dates that weren’t up to me), and finally, the Canary Islands.

We’ve already been to Tenerife (which we really liked) and Lanzarote (which we liked a little less). This year, two options: Gran Canaria or one of the smaller islands west of Tenerife (La Palma, or even La Gomera or El Hierro). We chose Gran Canaria... not sure it was the right call! Whose fault is it? Storm Thérèse’s! Yes, Storm Thérèse followed us on arrival, and its effects lasted quite a while. We had to adapt, cancel visits, change activities...

But even without Thérèse...

Saturday 21/03 Departure from Orly at 6:10 AM with Transavia. The plane took off on time and landed a little early, tossed around by strong winds before touching down. It had just rained, but it was (almost) no longer raining.



We quickly picked up our luggage and then the car at the Cicar counter. We got a Seat Arona instead of the Corsa we’d booked. Well, while the driving position didn’t feel great at first (I got used to it), the engine’s smoothness and power were much appreciated on the island’s winding and sometimes steep roads.

It was only 10 AM, and we couldn’t theoretically check into our accommodation until 3 PM (the owner promised to message me if it was ready earlier). So, we headed to the (big) *Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo*, where we planned to spend a few hours. We found a huge parking lot... empty. The passenger in the car in front of us (yes, we weren’t the only ones at the closed gate—there was a car in front and one behind) went to ask for info: it was closed due to the storm 😕. So, we calmly headed toward Puerto de las Nieves, on the northwest coast of the island.

The plan: go to a restaurant, visit the village, and do some shopping while waiting for early afternoon. As soon as we got out of the car, it started raining... we took shelter under the awning of a shop, waiting for it to pass. But the rain turned into a downpour, and within minutes, awning or not, Gore-Tex or not, we were soaked!

Since we were already wet, we might as well go to the restaurant—they weren’t far! But here’s the thing: contrary to what Google Maps said, they all opened at 1 PM, not noon! Back to the car, wading through 5 cm of water because all the village streets were flooded . The rain let up, we did some shopping, went to eat, and I got a message from the owner saying the accommodation was ready 🙂.

So, off we went to La Suerte, a few kilometers north of Agaete. The downside of the place, especially with luggage, is that you have to climb several flights of stairs via an outdoor staircase (after parking more or less far away on a steep street) to get there 😛). Of course, on the way from the car to the apartment, it started pouring again—the bags got soaked! Enough rain for today! We settled in quietly, and by late afternoon, we could (finally!) go admire the view from the terrace.

“Hey, your Marker... - My Marker? - The one you used to make hitchhiking signs.”

The marker in question is sitting proudly on the kitchen table. Marielle found it at the bottom of a moving box.

I’ve been meaning to tell the long story of my love affair with hitchhiking for years. Here we go.

To be honest, I’m not quite sure when it started. My earliest memory goes back to a fair with a bike race in my maternal grandparents’ village. I was with my cousin, my little sister, and three girl cousins. There were six of us, ages ranging from six or seven to thirteen or fourteen. Our parents stayed at the fair, and we’d had enough. So we decided to walk home. Only it was four kilometers away. So we hitchhiked. A guy driving an old car picked us all up and dropped us off at the farm. He probably found it amusing to see us thumbing a ride by the side of the road, but maybe it also worried him a bit. With everything you read in the papers...

Around fifteen or sixteen, I started hitchhiking regularly, alone or with a friend, to go to the nearby town. But it was especially when I started boarding school in Orléans that it became more regular. The first year, I’d leave Monday morning and come back Saturday noon by bus. It was an old, uncomfortable bus where we froze in winter. To make matters worse, I often got motion sickness if, as was too often the case, I ended up sitting in the back. In the spring, a high school friend suggested I hitchhike back. It meant a slight detour, but the advantage was taking only national roads.

So that’s how, from the end of tenth grade to twelfth grade, I’d thumb a ride every Saturday on the Pont de Bourgogne. Drivers were used to seeing young people hitchhiking, and it worked pretty well. Our biggest fear? Soldiers! At that time, military service was still mandatory, and on weekends, it wasn’t rare to see them competing with us. They’d keep their uniforms on to go home. That gave people confidence—with everything you read in the papers—and they’d rarely wait more than five minutes. We, with our long hair, were definitely less popular. From time to time, three big red-faced guys in a van coming back from a construction site would flip us off, yelling things like “go get a haircut, you bums!” Those were the good old days.

We still had a good laugh, though. Patrice, the friend I’d hitchhike back from school with on Saturdays, is a musician—I’d later discover he’s an excellent composer. A die-hard Beatles fan, he knows their repertoire by heart and spends his time singing at the top of his lungs while we thumb a ride. One Saturday late morning, we’d been waiting for a while at the exit of Châteauneuf-sur-Loire when a little lady came up to him and asked if he could please sing a little quieter: a baby was sleeping in the house. He put on the most sorry face: “Oh, sorry ma’am, we didn’t realize.” No sooner had the lady gone back inside than he started again. Luckily, a car stopped just then, sparing me the embarrassment of seeing the lady come back out.

Saturday was also the day when the cigarette pack was dangerously low. So before leaving, we’d go buy some “Parisiennes,” the “P4s” as we called them back then. They were slightly thinner cigarettes with a mix of tobacco scraps. Sometimes they tasted like light tobacco, sometimes like dark. Not great, but by the end of the week, our pocket money was gone. They were sold in small packs of four, hence the name P4. We’d only pay 20 centimes. On Saturdays, it was rare for the two of us to manage to scrape together 1.50 F to buy a whole pack of Gauloises...

The last twenty kilometers, I’d usually do alone, Patrice having reached his destination. From time to time, luck would smile on me: an acquaintance would just happen to pass by and stop. One January Saturday, at the exit of Gien, I ran into another guy from Argenton whom I knew a little. That day, the weather was nice, but the temperature was well below zero. It was around noon, and it was the off-peak hour. We were shivering, stamping our feet by the side of the road, when a Citroën “Tube” arrived: it was his father’s boss’s, a mason. They were both sitting in the front, but since they were obese, they had us climb onto the open back. Even though we huddled against the cab to shelter from the wind, the twenty kilometers felt very long, especially since we were only going sixty kilometers an hour. Our hands and cheeks were blue when we finally arrived.

The year I took my baccalaureate, a friend with a 2CV would take me Monday mornings with one or two others we’d pick up in nearby villages. We’d share the gas costs, but it was still cheaper than the bus. And in winter, the bus was my nightmare. You had to get up at five to catch it at six. Not enough sleep, and outside it was freezing or raining—or both. The 2CV was luxury. Plus, Philippe would pick me up at home. On the other hand, since I didn’t have class Saturday mornings—well, I did, but we only had PE the first two hours and nothing after—I’d skip class and slip out right after breakfast to thumb a ride at the Pont de Bourgogne.

Those three high school years were formative in this optional subject that was hitchhiking. Little by little, I learned the rules of the game. First, you shouldn’t walk along the road while thumbing. Cars go too fast and can’t stop easily. Accepting a ride that’s too short is also a no-go. The guy who offers to take you a little way but drops you off at some vague crossroads in the middle of nowhere? No thanks. You need to get dropped off in a town. If it’s a fairly big city, you often have to cross it from one end to the other, but it’s better. At the exit, you have to choose your spot well. Actually, you have to put yourself in the driver’s shoes: they need to see you early enough, not be going too fast, and be able to stop easily without risking an accident. So when leaving a city, it’s better not to go too far. It’s wiser to find a spot where cars go slowly and can stop easily. And preferably near a café. The café is for when you still have a few coins for a coffee and need to warm up. From time to time, you’d run into someone nice who’d make a detour to drop you off at a better spot to start again. Finally, if possible, avoid hitchhiking on Sundays. Cars are packed with whole families who, most of the time, aren’t going far. And then there’s the little worry of those people who rarely leave home: with everything you read in the papers...

During those high school years, it was only short trips, rarely exceeding a hundred kilometers. Later, I aimed bigger, and things were a bit different. In 1973-74, I crossed part of France for the first time on two or three occasions, coming back from the German border or returning to Bordeaux, where we lived briefly. Since there weren’t many highways back then, we took national roads. It was during these trips that I realized it was better to leave in the evening. As I said earlier, Sunday is to be avoided, but on weekdays, there’s another problem: if you leave in the morning, you only make short hops. First, it often takes longer to get going because drivers are people going to work nearby. Which brings us back to those who drop you off in a bad spot, far from everything. There, you have to know how to refuse. You thank the driver for stopping—oh, if only everyone could be like you—while explaining why you’d rather stay put. People don’t take offense, by the way. Those who pick up hitchhikers often hitchhiked themselves when they were in the military or before they had a car. In the late afternoon, you’d often run into salespeople or truckers, in other words, people who drive a lot. At that time, salespeople no longer had appointments and were more relaxed. They wanted to talk about something other than the merits of their products. On the radio, it was time for *Les Grosses Têtes*. You’d also quite often run into small business owners, professionals, or even hippies. The conversations were pleasant and often enriching. A little later in the evening, truckers would take over. They’d already driven a few hundred kilometers, and the depot or customs was still far away. So they’d gladly take a hitchhiker to stay awake at the wheel and chat. The radio with Max Ménier’s show *Les routiers sont sympas*, you’d eventually get tired of it. So a hitchhiker was a change. Others, who’d hit the road at midnight to be at their destination by morning, were nice and offered to let you lie down on the bunk while they drove. When you’d been hitchhiking since six in the evening, freezing in the wind between two vehicles, you weren’t unhappy to take a little nap.

Speaking of Max Ménier, he’d often make announcements for hitchhikers. One evening, I called him. It was getting late, and I still had quite a way to go. No luck: the show had ended for good the day before!

In short, it’s better not to rush, sleep in, and leave after lunch, or better yet, in the late afternoon. Obviously, I’m talking about when you have several hundred kilometers to cover. That’s when you have to play it pro.

First thing, especially at night, but it also applies in the middle of summer when the light is blinding: dress to be seen from far away. I’ll admit I have an advantage over most other hitchhikers: I’m small and don’t scare people. To balance that out, racist drivers often take me for an Arab and are less likely to pick me up, but overall, the balance tips in my favor. Back to the need to be seen: at night, I wear light-colored clothes. In headlights, you can see me from far away.

Second thing: travel light. Forget the big backpack with a frame. Drivers don’t always have room in the trunk or on the back seat, especially if it’s rained and the ground is wet. Plus, it forces them to get out of the car. If they’re nice enough to pick up a hitchhiker, you shouldn’t ask for too much either.

Third thing: bring a cardboard sign and a big marker—like the ones in the photo at the start of this post—to write the name of your destination. In the early 80s, I ran a tourist house in the Cher, but I lived in the Netherlands. In the off-season, it was only open on weekends. On Fridays, I’d leave Holland and return on Mondays. 1200 km round trip. On the way there, in Paris, I’d stand at Porte de la Chapelle. At that spot, the road is very wide, and drivers could stop easily. Obviously, on the sign, I didn’t write Eindhoven, which not everyone knows, and even less Amsterdam because of its seedy reputation. In that case, you’d expect to see a police car stop and two officers in kepis ask for your papers. So as a first destination, I’d write Compiègne. We were well out of Paris, and since it wasn’t too far, a trucker or salesperson was less reluctant to stop. Once past Compiègne, I’d take out my Lille sign. Once in Belgium, it wasn’t really necessary to use a sign anymore, since everyone was going in the same direction. Usually, the guy who picked me up at Porte de la Chapelle would say he wasn’t going far but could take me a little way. Before that, I’d still ask if there was a gas station on the highway where he could drop me off before exiting. While talking, the guy would realize he wasn’t dealing with a dangerous criminal. He’d pretend to check his watch, think for a moment, then say that actually, he was going to Belgium and could take me to the border or a little beyond. To leave Paris on the way back, I’d take the train to Melun, where it was easier to hitchhike than at Porte d’Italie.

Over all those years, I think I was pretty lucky. Or maybe philosophical enough not to imagine a car would stop after a few minutes. An hour’s wait was average. Sure, I sometimes waited three, four, or five hours. Most often at odd hours and in terrible weather. When it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But there’s always a moment when things pick up. Sure, when you’re soaked in freezing rain in the early morning after a sleepless night, you’re less philosophical than when I’m writing these lines comfortably at my computer, but it still holds true.

Earlier, I mentioned clothing and the importance of being well-rested before leaving. When you’ve eaten well and just gotten out of the shower, shaved, you’re in a better mood. And somehow, drivers sense it. Or at least, that’s the impression I’ve always had. It’s better to look in shape than disgusted at standing there, half-heartedly thumbing a ride. In short, when I’d start to get fed up with waiting, I’d go into the first café I saw for a coffee. Coming back out, I’d be refreshed, and most of the time, a car would stop within minutes. I’ve often said that when I stood by the side of the road thumbing a ride, I felt a bit like a gambler in front of a slot machine. It was a matter of giving luck a chance. And well, it worked out pretty well.

Then, there are countries where hitchhiking works really well and others where it’s harder. In the 70s-80s, it worked best in Germany and England. In the late afternoon, it wasn’t rare to be invited for tea. Well, that was in England. Tea meant being offered room and board. In Germany, they’d offer you coffee. Once there, they’d first show you the guest room and point out the bathroom before sitting you down in front of a big plate of cold cuts. In the evening, they’d go out in town, and the next morning, they’d usually drop you off at a good spot for hitchhiking. On the other hand, in Mediterranean and Scandinavian countries, you’d better be patient. In Spain or Italy, it’s better to take the train, which was dirt cheap back then. However, if you’re a couple traveling light, it’s already easier in most countries.

In 1982, I went on a trip around Turkey with my girlfriend. We only had two small bags, which was plenty. It was November-December, and we wore our warm, bulky clothes. Leaving Eindhoven at nine in the morning, we arrived in Graz, near the Yugoslav border, at eleven at night. 1300 km in a day! In just four or five vehicles. One to the German border, about fifty kilometers from Eindhoven, the second to Hagen in the Ruhr, the third to Salzburg, and the last to Graz at the Yugoslav border. Record broken. During the night crossing of Yugoslavia, we ran into a trucker close to retirement who lent us the truck’s bunk. So we arrived fresh and rested near Skopje the next morning. We continued to Thessaloniki in northern Greece before taking the train to Istanbul. In Turkey, we traveled a good part of the country by hitchhiking too. With truckers in old, overloaded, slow trucks that climbed hills at fifteen kilometers an hour, but also in cars where five or six people were already crammed in. And every time, we were invited for tea. Once, we were even picked up by a big shot in his Mercedes with a chauffeur. Until then, the average speed was around fifty kilometers an hour. There, we were going two hundred. On a national road, not a nice European highway.

I’ve also hitchhiked in Nepal, from Lumbini, Buddha’s birthplace, to a village on the way to Pokhara. It must have been midday. No bus until the next day. I gave it a try. A small truck overloaded with rice sacks, with two or three young people already perched on top, stopped. I rode on the roof of the cab. At fifty kilometers an hour when it was going well, with a breathtaking view. Coming back from India, I also crossed part of Iran by hitchhiking, from Tehran to the Turkish border. I did this trip with an Austrian I met at the hotel who, like me, had to watch his pennies. We gave it a shot. There was almost no traffic, but to our great surprise, the first car that passed in the area would always stop. They’d just ask for a modest contribution for gas, and it cost next to nothing.

Sometimes, you get scared too. After leaving Turkey in early December 82, we spent about two weeks in the southern Peloponnese harvesting olives. A few days before Christmas, we hitchhiked back to Holland. A girl picked us up in her little Fiat 500. We were driving on a mountain road, and that morning there was a bit of black ice. After crossing a pass, we saw the old Ford Taunus ahead of us at fifty meters start to skid. The driver let out a “heeee!” while grabbing my knees. I reflexively grabbed the wheel. Finally, the Taunus got back on track. And we didn’t swerve. But those few seconds felt very long.

In January 77, while I’d been living in Germany for a few months, I decided to spend a few days in Italy. By hitchhiking, of course. I left in the early afternoon, and by ten at night, I wasn’t far from Frankfurt. I saw a big Mercedes stop. The four or five young people crammed inside were listening to Schlager at full volume. Beer cans littered the floor. They didn’t have a precise destination, and as long as they were going south, that was fine with me. They’d finished their military service that very day and had clearly already celebrated their discharge. The driver was going 160, zigzagging dangerously from one side of the highway to the other. I should have realized he wasn’t entirely sober either. Luckily, there was almost no traffic. Finally, I managed to get dropped off at a gas station just before Frankfurt, relieved. I hope their trip didn’t end tragically.

Another time, coming back from Holland with my wife, we were picked up early in the morning near Senlis by two guys from Lille. They were going to work near Tours and could drop us off at Porte d’Italie. Apparently, they were coworkers but barely knew each other. The driver offered us a beer—at six in the morning, sure!—before opening another can for himself. He was clearly having trouble staying in the right lane. We politely declined, the passenger too. Everyone was tense. Luckily, it was rush hour on the ring road, and we were going slowly. When we got out of the car, the passenger said goodbye with the look of a guy being offered the condemned man’s rum and cigarette.

Finally, there are the annoying remarks from drivers who are either gay when you’re alone or turned on by the sight of your girlfriend when you’re a couple. In those cases, I’d get in the back so the guy wouldn’t feel too confident. And if the conversation got a little too suggestive, we’d deflect until we got dropped off.

And luckily, there are the times, not so rare after all, when you run into really nice people who invite you to eat and sleep at their place and drive you to a good spot the next morning. In Germany and England, that was common. And then there are the big strokes of luck, like during our trip to Turkey when we crossed most of Germany in one car, or that other time when some Germans drove me from the exit of Geneva all the way to the Costa Brava.

Going back to “with everything you read in the papers” and its variant “with everything you see on TV”—and now on the internet—it’s always left me perplexed. Personally, I’ve never heard of hitchhikers assaulting drivers, even if it may have happened. On the other hand, what was most common were hitchhikers being assaulted, especially girls. Anyway, even armed, it seems a bit stupid to assault the driver—wouldn’t that risk causing an accident?

Finally, since that time, I’ve occasionally wanted to hitchhike somewhere far away in France. Most often, too busy with work, it never happened, but the nostalgia hasn’t completely disappeared.

* * *

Other Hitchhikers

And then one day, I... settled down to become a driver myself. Ten years had passed, and you saw fewer and fewer hitchhikers. Or maybe I saw fewer because I had a regular job and wasn’t traveling the same way. And then I understood a few things.

Several times, I was tempted to pick up a hitchhiker, but they didn’t meet the required conditions. They were walking along the road instead of staying at the exit of the previous town. Hard to stop without risking an accident. Or the guy looked really scruffy. Or he was sulking, if not both. Then you think of that famous “with everything you read in the papers.” Not that I was scared, but unfortunately, the few hitchhikers I did pick up later were rarely interesting.

A few years ago, we picked up a young guy at the exit of a small town in Sologne. Not an easy spot for hitchhiking. Bad luck, he was a pretentious little jerk. He was barely 20 or 25 and talked like a bitter old man. He was a waiter in a restaurant. According to him, it was lucky he was there, otherwise the boss would have closed up shop long ago. You’d think he had thirty or forty years of professional experience behind him. As we approached Blois, he started ranting about Arabs, blaming them for all evils. And he laid it on thick. That morning, we were going to a teenager’s funeral who had just committed suicide, so he really got on our nerves, Mr. Know-It-All. Out of anger, I dropped him off next to a shopping center a few kilometers from downtown. Not nice, but it felt good.

Some time ago, we were driving around the Limousin on a Sunday to try out the used Twingo we’d just bought. We picked up a guy in his forties. A German who spoke French well. He started talking about the environment. He was a green Khmer. He got worked up all by himself with his pseudo-eco rant and, after a few kilometers, was almost yelling at us. As we were about to leave the main road for a small one, I dropped him off at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere. Normally, I would have made a little detour to take him to a better spot, but this time, I didn’t feel like doing the... eco-warrior a favor.

On the other hand, I’ve still done my good deed a few times. One June morning, coming back from Orléans, I saw a man in his sixties hitchhiking. The poor guy had had a rough time. He was from Montpellier and was coming back from Caen, where he’d been promised a job. Once there, they bluntly told him the position was already taken, and he had to go back. Except he didn’t have enough money left for the train. He’d spent the night hitchhiking without success. I could only take him as far as Lamotte-Beuvron, where I dropped him off near the fire station. Apparently, there was some vague shelter there or something, but it only opened a few hours later. In the meantime, he settled on the grass in a corner to sleep a little. While he was doing that, I quickly went to the train station to check the price of a ticket to Montpellier. It was within my means. Since he was sound asleep, I slipped the train ticket and 100 francs into his pocket. I couldn’t imagine him continuing to hitchhike all the way to Montpellier. And I bet he didn’t even have a piece of cardboard and a marker!

When we go to Brazil, we usually rent a small car. One day, we were coming back from Paracuru to Fortaleza when we saw a whole family hitchhiking. Two adults and two or three small children. Here near the equator, the sun sets very quickly, and it would soon be night. There was little traffic, and trucks wouldn’t stop because there was no room in the cab. As for the rich people driving big 4x4s, they wouldn’t stoop to picking up the lower classes. The only hope for this kind of family was usually a farmer or artisan who’d let them ride in the back of his pickup. Obviously, they were a bit surprised to see us. Everyone crammed in as best they could in the back of our little car. When we dropped them off, we got a whole string of “Deus lhes abençõe”—God bless you.

Still in Brazil, we were on the road from Barreirinhas to São Luís do Maranhão. About 150 km of deserted road with an isolated mud house here and there. A young woman flagged us down. She was very pregnant and had to get to the clinic twenty or thirty kilometers away to give birth. Someone was supposed to drive her, but the first signs of labor started earlier than expected, and the driver was unavailable. Even driving fast, we weren’t feeling great: it would be just our luck if she gave birth in the car!

Today, we’re in the age of smartphones and carpooling apps. Safety. With everything you see on TV... Three or four years ago, we signed up on a platform. Our first, and only, “client” was a little jerk who didn’t say a word the whole trip. No hello, no goodbye, and certainly no thank you. The next day, we found his Ray-Bans in the car. We didn’t run after him to give them back. Ha!