Reserving a bed for the night using email or the accommodation website’s contact form does require some basic French.
This simple formula has worked well for me every time. I give the day I will arrive and the day I will leave and ask if they have a room available.
Bonjour Madame, Monsieur,
Je vais randonner sur le [name of walk or walking path] et je voudrais réserver une chambre simple avec la demi-pension pour une nuit.
L’arrivée – samedi 10 septembre
Le départ – dimanche 11 septembre
Avez-vous une chambre libre s’il vous plaît?
Bien cordialement,
Melinda
where…
name of the walk—Chemin de Saint-Jacques, GR 34 etc
chambre simple—single room
chambre double avec deux lits—double room with two beds
demi-pension—set-menu dinner, often served at a communal table with other walkers
lundi / mardi / mercredi / jeudi / vendredi / samedi / dimanche are the days of the week (starting Monday)
janvier / février / mars / avril / mai / juin / juillet / août / septembre / octobre / novembre / décembre are the months of the year
This is just the start of the conversation. The owner will likely respond to your request with some questions—
(1) Souhaitez-vous le petit dejeuner?
Would you like breakfast? Good Lord, OUI! (unless you’re happy to start the day with trail mix)
(2) Souhaitez-vous une chambre (€xx) ou demi-pension (€xxx)?
Would you like a room only (€xx) or the half-board rate which includes a set-menu dinner (€xxx)? If the host offers a demi-pension option and you have not requested it in your email, they will likely confirm this with you in their reply.
Communal dinners are a highlight of walking through France. They offer an opportunity to chat with your fellow walkers and discuss any difficulties you may be encountering (such as how to treat blisters). If the weather has been particularly rainy, your host may offer suggestions for bypassing sections of the trail that may be more difficult in these circumstances.
I like to think that walking through France is an excuse to wander from one delicious meal to the next, and when I first began long-distance walking, I was reluctant to lock myself into a set menu without knowing what else was on offer. But over the last decade of walking, I’ve found that my most memorable meals in France have been those lovingly prepared by my host with produce sourced from local farms.
NOTE: In very small villages, there is unlikely to be a local café. Before you say no the demi-pension, consider whether you’ll be just as happy munching on trail mix or saving half your lunch for dinner.
(3) Merci de confirmer avec cheque de 20 euros ou nous envoyer 20 euros d’arrhes.
Once the room requirements are agreed upon, the owner may request a deposit to confirm the booking—usually 20 or 30 euros—and ask that you email back your credit card details (never do this), send a cheque or transfer funds to their bank account. I don’t have a cheque account and foreign exchange transfers incur a large fee, but the best way to do this is with a Wise or other similar international money transfer account.
I reply that I am in Australia and ask if I can pay via PayPal?
Bonjour Madame, Monsieur,
Merci de confirmer ma réservation.
Je suis en Australie. Est-ce que je peut vous payer par PayPal s’il vous plaît?
Bien cordialement,
Melinda
NOTE 1: The vast majority of small family-run hotels, chambres d’hôtes and gîtes in France do not sign up to be listed on hotel booking websites. The high commission fees charged decimate their profit margins and make it difficult to maintain the excellent value they take great pride in providing. Because most are not listed, you’ll find that a search on these websites returns, at best, links to ten percent of the available accommodation (or more frustratingly for the walker, links to every hotel within a twenty-kilometre radius!).
NOTE 2: If you are having your luggage transferred each day, keep in mind that luggage transfer companies will not leave luggage at unsecured or unattended locations. If you book a room through a company that provides access via a security code or key left in a remote location, your luggage will not be transferred unless you can nominate an alternative secure collection point.
Many more practical tips for long-distance walking in France
