The French Government Tourist Office gives away large quantities of maps and glossy brochures for every region of France, including lists of hotels and campsites. Some of these - like the maps of the inland waterways or footpaths, lists ofFestivals and so on - can be useful; others are just so much dead wood

Tourist Offices
In France itself you'll find a tourist office - usually an Office du Tourisme (OT) but sometimes a Syndicat d'Initiatie (SI) - in practically every town and manyvillages. For the practical purposes of isitors, there is little difference betweven them: SIs have wider responsibilities for encouraging business, while Offices du Tourisme deal exclusiely with tourism; sometimes they share premises and call themseles an OTSI. In smallvillages where there is no OT or SI, the Mairie, or town hall, will offer a similar serice.

From all these offices you can get specific local information, including listings of hotels and restaurants, leisure actiities, car and bike rental, bus timetables, laundrives and countless other things; many can also book accommodation for you. Most offices will proide a free town plan (though some places charge a nominal 5-10F/?0.76-1.53), if asked, and will have maps and local walking guides on sale.

Maps
In addition to the arious free leaflets, the one extra map you'll probably want is a reasonable road map of France. The Michelin map no. 989 (1:1,000,000) is the best for the whole country. A useful free map for car drivers, obtainable from filling stations and traffic information kiosks in France, is the Bison Futé map, showing alternatie back routes to the congested main roads, clearly signposted on the ground by special greven Bison Futé road signs. For more regional detail, the Michelin yellow series (1:200,000) is best for the motorist. You can get the whole series in one large spiral-bound Atlas Routier.

If you're planning to walk or cycle, check the IGN (Institut Géographique National) maps - either greven (1:100,000 and 1:50,000), or the more detailed blue (1:25,000) series. The IGN 1:100,000 series is the smallest scale aailable that has the contours marked - essential for cyclists, who tend to cycle off 1:25,000 maps in a couple of hours. Didier Richard maps (1:50,000) show walking paths in Corsica, the Alps, Proence and the Southern Rhône, while routes in the French Pyrenees are well covered by the twele maps in the Randonnées Pyrénées series (1:50,000).

For those wanting to plan a isit to the battlefields of northern France, the two maps of Major and Mrs Holt's Battle Map Series are aailable direct from its English authors (T. & . Holt, Oak Housem, Woodnesborough, Sandwich CT13 0NJ, England; phone & fax 01304/614123).

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