Preliminary Information

The Landing-Places on the French Side of the Channel.

The six principal ports on the French side of the English Channel connected by railroad with Paris are:—

Dieppe—distant from Paris 125 miles; passing Clères Junction, 100 m.; Rouen, 85 m.; Gaillon, 58 m.; Mantes Junction, 36 m.; and Poissy, 17 m. from Paris. Arrives at the station of the Chemins de Fer de l’Ouest, Saint Lazare. Time, 4½ hours. Fares—1st class, 25 frs.; 2d cl. 19 frs.; 3d cl. 14 frs.

London to Paris via Newhaven and Dieppe (240 miles):—tidal; daily, except Sunday, from Victoria Station and London Bridge Station. Fare—1st class, 31s.; 2d cl. 23s.; 3d cl. 16s. 6d. Sea journey, 60 miles; time, 8 hours. Time for entire journey, 16 hours. For tickets, etc., in Paris apply to Chemin de Fer de l’Ouest, Gare St. Lazare, Rue St. Lazare 110, ancien 124. Bureau spécial, agent, M. Marcillet, Rue de la Paix, 7. A. Collin et Cie, 20 Boulevard Saint Denis.

From Dieppe another line goes to Paris by Arques, Neufchâtel, Serqueux, Forges-les-Eaux, Gournay, Gisors, and Pontoise. Distance, 105 miles. Time by ordinary trains, 5 hours 10 minutes. Fares—1st class, 21 frs.; 2d, 15½ frs.; 3d, 11¼ frs. Arrives at the St. Lazare station of the Chemins de Fer de l’Ouest.

From Tréport a railway extends to Paris by Eu, Gamaches, Aumale, Abancourt, Beauvais, and Creil. Distance, 119¼ miles. Time, 8 hours 40 minutes. Fares, 1st class, 24 frs.; 2d, 18 frs.; 3d, 13 frs. Arrives at the station of the Chemin de Fer du Nord. There are few through trains by this line.

BOULOGNE—distant 158 miles from Paris; passing Montreuil, 134 m.; Abbeville, 109 m.; Amiens, 82 m.; Clermont, 41 m.; and Creil, 32 m. from Paris. Arrives at the station of the Chemin de Fer du Nord, No. 18 Place Roubaix. Time by express, 4½ hours. Fares—1st class, 31 frs. 25 c.; 2d cl. 23 frs. 45 c.; 3d cl. 17 frs. 20 c.

London to Paris, via, Folkestone and Boulogne (255 miles):—tidal route; from Charing Cross, Cannon Street, or London Bridge. Express trains daily to Folkestone, and from Boulogne, first and second class. Sea journey, 27 miles; time of crossing, 1 hour 40 minutes. Fares from London to Paris by Boulogne—1st class, 56s.; 2d cl. 42s. Time for the entire journey, 10 hours. For tickets, etc., in Paris apply to the railway station of the Chemin de Fer du Nord.

CALAIS—185 miles from Paris; by Boulogne, 158 m.; Montreuil, 134 m.; Abbeville, 109 m.; Amiens, 82 m.; Clermont, 41 m.; and Creil, 32 m. from Paris. Arrives at the station of the Chemin de Fer du Nord, No. 18 Place Roubaix. Time by express, 5½ hours. Fares—1st class, 36 frs. 55 c.; 2d cl. 27 frs. 40 c.

London to Paris, via Dover and Calais (mail route, distance 283 miles);—departing from Charing Cross, Cannon Street, or London Bridge. Sea journey, 21 miles; time about 80 minutes. First and second class, express. Fares—60s.; 2d cl. 45s. Total time, London to Paris, 10 hours. Luggage is registered throughout from London, and examined in Paris. Only 60 lbs. free. For tickets, etc., in Paris apply at the railway station of the Chemins de Fer du Nord.

CALAIS—204 miles from Paris; by Saint Omer, 177 m.; Hazebrouck, 165 m.; Arras, 119 m.; Amiens, 82 m.; Clermont, 41 m.; and Creil, 32 m. Arrives at the station, No. 18 Place Roubaix. Time, 7 hours 40 minutes. Fares—1st class, 36 frs. 55 c.; 2d cl. 27 frs. 40 c.; 3d cl. 20 frs. 10 c.

DUNKERQUE—190 miles from Paris; by Bergues, 185 miles; Hazebrouck, 165 m., where it joins the line from Calais; Arras, 119 m.; Amiens, 81 m.; Clermont, 41 m.; and Creil, 32 m. Arrives at the station, No. 18 Place Roubaix. Time, 10½ hours. Fares—1st class, 37 frs. 55 c.; 2d cl. 28 frs. 15 c.

England and Channel, via Thames and Dunkirk (screw):—tidal; three times a week from Fenning’s Wharf. Also from Leith, in 48 to 54 hours.

LE HAVRE—142 miles from Paris; by Harfleur, 138 m.; Beuzeville Junction, 126 miles; Bolbec-Nointot, 123 m.; Yvetot, 111 m.; Rouen, 87 m.; Gaillon, 58 m.; Mantes Junction, 36 m.; and Poissy, 17 m. from Paris. Arrives, as from Dieppe and Cherbourg, at the station of the Chemin de Fer de l’Ouest, No. 124 Rue St. Lazare. Fares—1st class, 28 frs. 10 c.; 2d cl. 21 frs. 5 c.; 3d cl. 15 frs. 45 c. Time by express, 4 hours 50 minutes, and nearly 3 hours longer by the ordinary trains.

London and Channel, via Southampton and Le Havre:—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9 P.M. from Waterloo Station, leaving Southampton 11.45 P.M. Sea journey, 80 m.; time, 8 hours.

CHERBOURG—231 miles from Paris; by Lison, 184 m.; Bayeux, 167 m.; Caen, 149 m.; Mezidon Junction, 134 m.; Lisieux, 119 m.; Serquigny Junction, 93 m.; Evreux, 67 m.; Mantes Junction, 36 m.; and Poissy, 17 m. from Paris. Time by express, 8½ hours; slow trains, nearly 13 hours.

French, Belgian, and German Railways.

On these railways the rate of travelling is slower than in England, but the time is more accurately kept.

To each passenger is allowed 30 kilogrammes, or 66 lbs. weight of luggage free.

Railway Time-Tables.

Time-tables or Indicateurs. For France the most useful and only official time-tables are those published by Chaix and Cie, and sold at all the railway stations. Of these excellent publications there are various kinds. The most complete and most expensive is the “Livret-Chaix Continental,” which, besides the time-tables of the French railways, gives those also of the whole Continent, and is furnished with a complete index; size 18mo, with about 800 pages. The “Livret-Chaix Continental” is sold at the station bookstalls. Price 2 frs.

Next in importance is the “Indicateur des Chemins de Fer,” sold at every station; size 128 small folio pages, price 60 c. It contains the time-tables of the French railways alone, and an index and railway map.

The great French lines of the “Chemins de Fer de l’Ouest,” of the “Chemins de Fer d’Orleans,” of the “Chemins de Fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée,” of the “Chemins de Fer du Nord,” and of the “Chemins de Fer de l’Est,” have each time-tables of their own, sold at all their stations. Price 40 c. Size 18me. With good index.

For Belgium, the best time-tables are in the “Guide Officiel sur tous les Chemins de Fer de Belgique.” Sold at the Belgian railway stations. Size 18me. Price 30 c. It contains a good railway map of Belgium.

For Italy, use “L’Indicatore Ufficiale delle Strade Ferrate d’Italia.” Containing excellent maps illustrating their circular tours. Price 1 fr.

In Spain use the “Indicador de los Ferro-Carriles,” sold at the stations. The distances are, as in the French tables, in kilometres, of which 8 make 5 miles. Lleg. or Llegada means “arrival”; Salida, “departure.”

In England consult the “Continental Time-tables of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway,” sold at the Victoria Station, Pimlico, price 2d.; or those of the London and South-Eastern, 1d.

In the Railway Station.

Before going to the station, it is a good plan to turn up in the index of the “Livret-Chaix Continental” the place required, to ascertain the fare and the time of starting, which stations are supplied with refreshment rooms (marked B), and the time the train halts at each on its way.

On arriving at the station join the single file (queue) of people before the small window (guichet), where the tickets (billets) are sold. Your turn having arrived, and having procured your ticket, proceed to the luggage department, where deposit your baggage and deliver your ticket to be stamped. The luggage tickets are called also “bulletins.”

After your articles have been weighed, your ticket, along with a luggage receipt, is handed you from the “guichet” of the luggage office, where, if your baggage is not overweight, you pay 10 c. or 2 sous. Before pocketing the luggage ticket, just run your eye down the column headed “Nombre de Colis,” and see that the exact number of your articles has been given. The French have a strange way of making the figures 3, 5, and 7. Whatever is overweight is paid for at this office; but remember, when two or more are travelling together, to present the tickets of the whole party at the luggage department, otherwise the luggage will be treated as belonging to one person, and thus it will probably be overweight. Another advantage of having the entire number of the party on the “Billet de Bagage” is that, in case of one or other losing their carriage tickets, this will prove the accident to the stationmaster (chef-de-Gare) and satisfy him. If, after having purchased a ticket, the train is missed, that ticket, to be available for the next train, must be presented again to the ticket office, to be re-stamped (être visé).

The traveller, on arriving at his destination, will frequently find it more convenient not to take his luggage away with him; in which case, having seen it brought from the train to the station, he should tell the porter that he wishes it left there. He retains, however, his luggage ticket, which he only presents when he desires his luggage again.

On the Railway.

In the carriage cast the eye over the line as given in our railway map, and note the junctions; for at many of these—such as Amiens, Rouen, Culoz, Macon, etc. etc.—the passengers are frequently discharged from the carriages and sent into the waiting-rooms to await other trains. On such occasions great attention must be paid to the names the porter calls out when he opens the door of the waiting-room, otherwise the wrong train may be taken. To avoid this, observe on our railway map what are the principal towns along the line in the direction required to go; so that when, for example, he calls out, “Voyageurs du Côté de Lyon!” and we be going to Marseilles from Macon, we may, with confidence, enter the train, because, by reference to the map, we see we must pass Lyon to reach Marseilles. The little railway map will be found very useful, and ought always to be kept in readiness for reference.

Buffet means “refreshment-room”; and Salle d’Attente, “waiting-room.”

There are separate first, second, and third class carriages for ladies.

Express trains have third class carriages for long distances.

Railway Omnibuses.

At the stations of the largest and wealthiest towns three kinds of omnibuses await the arrival of passengers. They may be distinguished by the names of the General Omnibus, the Hotel Omnibus, and the Private Omnibus. The general omnibus takes passengers to all parts of the town for a fixed sum, rarely above half a franc; so that, should the omnibus be full, it is some time till the last passenger gets put down at his destination. The hotel omnibus takes passengers only to the hotel or hotels whose name or names it bears.