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phone (some countries use different frequencies than what’s used in the United States) and your service provider uses the world-standard GSM network (as do T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon), you can probably use your phone abroad. But be warned: this is often the most expensive calling option, with hefty toll charges on incoming and outgoing calls, sometimes as high as $4 per call. Roaming fees can be steep, too: 99¢ a minute is considered reasonable. Sending an international text message is usually a cheaper option, but be aware that fees abroad vary greatly (from 15¢ to 50¢ and up), and there’s usually a charge for incoming messages.

If you just want to make local calls, consider buying a local SIM card for about €30 (note that your provider may have to unlock your phone for you to use a different SIM card) or a cheap pay-as-you-go phone (sans abonnement). You can then have a local number and can make local calls at local rates. If your trip is extensive, you could also simply buy a new cell phone in your destination, as the initial cost will be offset over time.

TIP If you travel internationally frequently, save one of your old mobile phones or buy a cheap one on the Internet; ask your cell phone company to unlock it for you, and take it with you as a travel phone, buying a new SIM card with pay-as-you-go service in each destination.

Contacts: Cellular Abroad (800/287–5072 | www.cellularabroad.com) rents and sells GMS phones and sells SIM cards that work in many countries with inexpensive per-minute rates. Mobal (888/888–9162 | www.mobalrental.com) rents mobiles and sells GSM phones (starting at $49) that will operate in 140 countries. Per-call rates are competitive but each sms (text messages) costs 80¢. Planet Fone (888/988–4777 | www.planetfone.com) rents cell phones, but the per-minute rates are expensive.

EATING OUT

All establishments must post their menus outside, so study them carefully before deciding to enter. Most restaurants have two basic types of menu: à la carte and fixed-price (prix-fixe or un menu). The prix-fixe menu is usually the best value, though choices are more limited. Most menus begin with a first course (une entrée), often subdivided into cold and hot starters, followed by fish and poultry, then meat; it’s rare today that anyone orders something from all three. The restaurants we review in this book are the cream of the crop in each price category.

A few pointers on French dining etiquette: diners in France don’t negotiate their orders much, so don’t expect serene smiles when you ask for sauce on the side. Order your coffee after dessert, not with it. When you’re ready for the check, ask for it: no professional waiter would dare put a bill on your table while you’re still enjoying the last sip of coffee. And don’t ask for a doggy bag; it’s just not done. The French usually drink wine or mineral water—not soda or coffee—with their food. You may ask for a carafe of tap water if you don’t want to order wine or pay for bottled water.

MEALS AND MEALTIMES

What’s the difference between a bistro and a brasserie? Can you order food at a café? Can you go to a restaurant just for a snack? The following definitions should help. Many say that bistros served the world’s first fast food. After the fall of Napoléon, the Russian soldiers who occupied Paris were known to bang on zinc-top café bars, crying “bistro”—”quickly”—in Russian. In the past, bistros were simple places with minimal decor and service. Although nowadays many are quite upscale, with beautiful interiors and chic clientele, most remain cozy establishments serving straightforward, frequently gutsy cooking. Brasseries—ideal places for quick, one-dish meals—originated when Alsatians fleeing German occupiers after the Franco-Prussian War came to Paris and opened restaurants serving specialties from home. Pork-based dishes, choucroute (sauerkraut), and beer (brasserie also means brewery) were, and still are, mainstays here. The typical brasserie is convivial and keeps late hours. Some are open 24 hours a day, a good thing to know since many restaurants