Cost breakdown – getting to France for the Tour
I thought I’d post a cost breakdown from our 2009 trip to France for Le Tour and L’Etape on suggestion by Liz at Corsica Journeys.
So, the damage from 2009, including airfares, accomodation/carhire (campervan), fuel, tolls, food etc is listed below. All prices are in Australian dollars, convert to your currency here. Costs were shared between 2 people. We had an extra 15kg free baggage allowance on Malaysian. If you want a detailed cost breakdown, as well as tips on how to minimise these costs, you need to check out Guide to Cycling through France I wrote.
- Airfare: Malaysian into Frankfurt from Melbourne: $1800 inc tax
- Hotel: N/A – we had a campervan
- Car hire: includes accomodation as it was a campervan – $2800 ($1400 each)
- Meals: $6-8 AU per day breakfast per person (croissants, coffee or cereal), lunch same (baguettes, cheese, tomatoe), dinner up to $40-60 pp eating out (main, beer, dessert), or $5-10 if cooking in campervan
- Fuel: we spent $250 each/$500 total in 18 days, driving about 1600km.
- Tolls: $100 each/$200 total, spent in Tunnel de Frejus, and on the southern and hautes alpes tollways. No tolls in Germany, or Switzerland (we had a Swiss tollways pass in the van, which came free)
More Information on Cycling in France
Like I said, if you want detailed information about how to do this properly and minimise your costs and hassles, you need to check out Guide to Cycling through France I wrote.
The guide is ~75 pages and contains info on:
- A “Hassle-Free Checklist” for pre-trip planning (from airports to auto hire, baggage and beyond)
- Detailed baggage/excess costs the airlines use when handling your bike (must-have data for most major airlines into the EU)
- The pros and cons of taking your own bike versus hiring (covering cost, convenience, and even how to pack your bike)
- How to save thousands (yes thousands) on mobile and data roaming
- Important things to watch out for when watching the Tour from roadside
- What you must know before participating in L’Etape du Tour (planning, pitfalls, tips, and more)
- Must-have French phrases for making touring around France a breeze
- Tips for finding free wifi (free and unsecured)
- How to avoid surprises with road quality/types, travel times and toll gates
- The smart way to decide between car versus campervan hire
- Weather tips that will keep you happy (and dry!)
- All the best places to base yourself for rides – and where to avoid
- Comprehensive equipment list suggestions – what’s critical, what’s nice-to-have
- Essential contacts, handy web links and more!
You can download a free preview copy here.
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