WiFi in France
 

Travelling around in France we were told internet access is not very easy. We are mainly staying at B&B's and an apartment in Paris for about 10 days. We are taking our own laptop with us with it's own Wifi. We have used McDonald restaurants in other countries but have been told this is not available in France.

Have you asked the B & B and apartment owners? Most places these days offer wifi. In smaller hotels and B & Bs it is often just in a lobby or lounge area. We stay almost exclusively in apartments in France and I can't remember not having it.

McDonalds in France do offer free Wifi. We made use of it last time we were in France. Every McDs in Paris offers free Wifi.

A cup of coffee is all you need to buy, or if there is a car park you can sit outside and access it too!

This type of observation is very usage dependent. If whoever is making the statement happened to want to use WiFi in places that does not meet one's criteria of what it meant by "easy," it might be declared "not easy." But what is the context?

Every place I stayed in France had WiFi access -- some free some not. If what you mean by "easy" means no cost, you might have more difficult time finding one. Last year, I bought a WiFi card at first hotel I stayed. It so happened that next two hotels also used the same ISP and I was able to use the same card at three different hotels. The hotel I stayed in Paris had a free WiFi access.

Thank you for your replies which have been very helpful. Most of our info came from an ex resident of France and he wasn't sure about access as he has not been back for a few years.

If you check out the Aussie in France blog ( http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2011/1...aris-and-wifi/ ) you will find information about wifi access in Paris - including free access at over 400 hotspot. You will find lots of inside information for visiting Paris on her blog.

I have not had any access problems for wifi anywhere in France for several years now. Free wifi is available in just about every hotel now.

Some B&Bs have in-room wifi, others have it in a public area, others don't offer it at all. Something to check before you reserve a room for the night.

If your in a smaller village just stop in at the tourist info office, we have always found they had wifi and some have a computer for you to use for a small fee. They will also usually have a list or map of the wifi spots in town. We never had a problem getting online and we stay in very small villages, even the campgrounds have free wifi.

Wifi is widely available all over France now. Post offices have it, tourist offices have it, hotels have it, MacDonalds have it, and there are internet cafés everywhere. You can also easily go online and google hotspots in France for specific locations.

Last March, I was in the 7th Arr. and got locked out of my apartment when the lock broke. I needed wifi access to contact the manager. I went to an Irish pub on Rue St. Dominique, where the bartender gave me the name of the local free wi-fi. He explained that there was a free wi-fi available for each arrondissement but the name of the wifi address was something like wifi7 or something like that. It worked, but it was slow.
I completely trusted that bartender, but only because what he said worked.
Has anyone else heard of wifi by arrondissement?

Google is wonderful. For paris, try this link: http://www.paris.fr/wifi

Aspersuader65 Where you staying in the VIP apt at 74 Rue St Dominique? We stayed there a few years ago and went to the Irish pub O'briens one night. Great apt, can;t wait to go back.

I think it was 70. Id 8 at the VIP site. I think its' name was the Classique. It was a really nice neighborhood, but we liked the area around Montorgueil better, so next year's trip will likely see us in that area instead of the 7th.

Yes that's the apt we had. I loved the neighborhood, loved stopping at the street market for ingredients for dinner.

'Wifi is widely available all over France now. Post offices have it, tourist offices have it, hotels have it, MacDonalds have it, and there are internet cafés everywhere'

While Wifi is much more available, in fact there are fewer and fewer Internet cafes now - most people have their own technology,and it's often hard to find an Internet cafe. I think they have gone the way of the phone booth.

I would agree, the internet cafe is a thing of the past, mostly. For the OP, I know Starbucks offers wifi at their stores. Not sure whether or not its' free, but they do offer it. Tried to use it last year but their server was down the day I got locked out of my apt., and had to use O'brien's bartenders recommendations.

Even in the smaller towns, there are usually several cafés with wifi but they don't often advertise the fact. In a B&B recently that said they had wifi, we couldn't get it to work despite the fact that they had the codes. However, the owner let me use their computer. I've checked out apersuader65's local free wifi in the 7th arrondissement in Paris and can only find information about the 2nd arrondissement where there is apparently an 18-month experimental free wifi scheme. I'll have to check it out. As FemmeFrancophile mentioned, I have described in detail in English how to connect to the hotspots in Paris in my blog ( http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2011/1...aris-and-wifi/ ).

Aussie, I have just now discovered your wonderful website! I will now be a devotee and look forward to reading it in preparation for our upcoming trip to France in September. Merci !

Does anyone know what the situation is in French campsites and more remote places? I run a business and may need access if client emergencies occur while I am away. We will be staying on caravan sites. THanks.