Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to France. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they take this tour. Although we do our best to make sure that what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document that will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING FRANCE: United States citizens need a passport valid for six months beyond the intended length of stay. At the time of writing, no visa is required for US citizens spending 90 days or less in France. Citizens of other countries should consult their French embassy or consulate to inquire about entry requirements and visas.
FRANCE MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view maps of France in the University of Texas series here. You can review the U.S. Department of State background notes on France here.
HEALTH: This tour is not a strenuous one: walking, occasionally over rough or steep terrain, is the only physical requirement. Mosquitoes can be a problem in some areas, so bring an insect repellent; ticks are present in some areas. It may be impossible to obtain certain prescription medications during the tour, so bring all you are likely to need with you in their original labeled containers. The Centers for Disease Control advise that all travelers make certain that their routine vaccinations vaccinations (such as for influenza, chickenpox or varicella, polio, measles/mumps/rubella, and diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus) are up to date. The CDC also suggests that vaccination for hepatitis B and a booster for tetanus-diptheria may be needed for visitors to Western Europe. Check with your personal physician or local health department for more information well in advance of traveling, and review the latest CDC advisories here. Tap water is safe and widely drunk in hotels and restaurants in France.
Please note that any health/medical information contained herein is gleaned by WINGS from websites that are dedicated to traveler’s health issues. Advisories and recommendations by agencies such as the CDC can and do change frequently. We urge you to consult with your physician, local health department, or the CDC for the most up-to-date health advisories for travel to France. You can check with the CDC online.
CLIMATE: Temperatures typically range from morning lows in the mid-50s to highs in the mid-80s F; it may well be colder (possibly even snowy) on Mont Ventoux, where warm clothing (including hat and gloves) may be helpful. Afternoons in the lowlands can be hot. You will be most comfortable if you dress in layers that can be shed as the day goes on. Although June is usually relatively dry and sunny, rain is possible at any time, and it is best to be prepared with a light rain jacket or umbrella. Wind can be expected on most days.
PACE OF TOUR AND DAILY ROUTINE: This is a relaxed tour. We will be based in a single, comfortable hotel in Arles, from which we will drive to our birding and sightseeing localities each day; the longest drive is the 2 hours to Mont Ventoux, with none of our other destinations much more than an hour from Arles. Though the sun rises very early in June, our group starts will be relatively late (on most mornings around 7:00, with one day as early as 5:30 and one as late as 9:00 am), and on all but one morning (a picnic breakfast in the field) we will have breakfast in Arles before leaving. Lunches, with one exception (a picnic on shaded tables in the eastern Camargue), will be hot meals in restaurants. Some afternoons we may take short breaks in the hotel. On most days we expect to return to the hotel by 6:00 pm, where we will work through our birdlist together before strolling through Arles to dinner.
Our birding walks are all moderately easy, on good paths or trails. Our walk at 6,000 feet on Mont Ventoux, weather permitting, includes some inevitable uphill stretches, but they are short and quite gentle. In the Camargue, we bird mostly from the roadsides; at one preserve, the blinds are reached on slightly narrow (but level and even) trails and a short but steep staircase. We will also walk a mile or more on a wide, flat path between the marshes and the sea at Stes-Maries. The trail we will use at La Caume is an abandoned paved road. Our early morning walk across the pancake flatness of La Crau is also on a road, this one unpaved. The Pont du Gard is approached on wide, well-built sidewalks.
The most challenging walking of the tour will be found at historical and cultural sites. All of the churches we visit are accessible only by stairs, some of them narrow and steep. The cobbled streets in Les Baux are steep, but they are punctuated with restaurants, shops, and other opportunities to rest; portions of the castle ruins there require considerable nimbleness of foot, though again, there are abundant places to simply sit and watch. The papal palace in Avignon is built on a bewildering variety of levels, requiring the ascent and descent of several staircases; the art museum there is entered by stairs as well. In general, it is well to recall that European cities—including hotels, restaurants, and museums—generally have more stairs, curbs, and other obstacles than you may be used to.
ACCOMMODATION: Our hotel in Arles is less than a five-minute walk from the city’s shopping area and its major Roman and medieval sites. Rooms are in general smaller than in an American hotel, but are modern and clean, with private bathroom facilities in each. Elevators provide access to the upper floors. The hotel restaurant serves excellent meals. The reception staff and many of the restaurant staff speak English.
FOOD: Breakfasts in our hotel are served buffet-style. Our restaurant lunches are full meals, an opportunity to relax between the activities of the morning and the afternoon; our one picnic lunch will include local breads, cheeses, meats, and fruits. Note that southern France eats late in the evening, and though we will make every effort to be seated as early as possible, some dinners may go until after 10:00 pm.
TRANSPORTATION: We will travel from our hotel to our birding sites in a minivan driven by the leader. In continental Europe, the emphasis is decidedly on “mini” rather than on “van,” but happily none of our drives exceeds two hours each way. Participants will switch seats each day and must be able to sit in any seat in the vehicle.
DRESS: Dress will be “birder casual” during our time in the field, though somewhat nicer (but still informal) clothes are recommended for evening meals out and for visits to museums and churches.
SMOKING: Smoking is not allowed in the vehicles or when the group is gathered. If you smoke and are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If any accommodation or location where the group is gathered has a stricter non-smoking policy than the WINGS policy, that stricter policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION AND CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information and Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to France will be sent to each registrant on receipt of the booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel address, etc., will be sent to you about three weeks before the tour starts. Other news will be communicated as necessary.
Updated: July 2008