Now it’s stuffed with expensive bars with names like Le CanCan all serving up burgers and chips

Now it’s stuffed with expensive bars with names like Le CanCan all serving up burgers and chips.Still in search of turn-of-the-century decadence, we went to Au Vieux Paris, a venue in the Marais where we had been promised French chanson, dancing and under-the-counter absinthe. When we arrived, we found a nicotine-stained caf?ith peeling walls, cracked lino and not a customer in sight The door was open but we didn’t dare go in. Suddenly, the Moulin Rouge seemed like a great night out.Getting there: Fiona Sturges travelled courtesy of Eurostar (08705 186 186). Prices from London Waterloo to Paris Gare du Nord start at £50 for a day return, and £70 for longer stays – book a fortnight in advance Flights can be even cheaper.

For a Heathrow-Paris return, www.thomascook is quoting £64.30 for August.Accommodation: The writer stayed at the Buci Latin hotel at 34 Rue de Buci (00 33 1 4329 0720), where a double room with shower costs Fr 1,112 (£104), or with a bath Fr1,312 (£122), including breakfast.You can also book through Design Hotels: 0800 169 8817. Shows: Le Moulin Rouge is at Place Blanche, 82 boulevard de Clichy, 75018 Paris. For bookings and enquiries, call 00 33 1 53 09 82 82; fax 00 33 1 42 23 02 00; e-mail: reservation moulinrouge.fr. Admission costs Fr820 (£77) for dinner and show, or Fr550 (£52) at 11pm for a half-bottle of champagne and show Au Lapin Agile is at 22 rue des Saules. For bookings and enquiries, call 00 33 1 46 06 85 87 or visit www.au-lapin-agile . Admission costs Fr130 (£12).. Q.Thanks to a tip-off in The Independent some months ago, we’ve booked a cheap crossing on SeaFrance from Dover to Calais next weekend (28 July) with our two children aged eight and 11. The problem is, we’ve got to get from there to our apartment in Beziers on the Mediterranean coast, and I’ve heard that it’s going to be the busiest weekend of the summer on French motorways. Help! Fiona Brunton, Nottingham

Q.Thanks to a tip-off in The Independent some months ago, we’ve booked a cheap crossing on SeaFrance from Dover to Calais next weekend (28 July) with our two children aged eight and 11.

The problem is, we’ve got to get from there to our apartment in Beziers on the Mediterranean coast, and I’ve heard that it’s going to be the busiest weekend of the summer on French motorways. Help!
Fiona Brunton, NottinghamA.Schools are closing down for the summer both in the UK and on the Continent so, yes, next weekend the roads in France will be extremely busy. Your trip is roughly 1,100km (nearly 700 miles), so planning your route is obviously important. You should find two websites particularly helpful – both of them free to users. Even if you are not a member of the Automobile Association ( www.theaa ), you can take advantage of its easy and straightforward travel planning service. Enter your starting point and your final destination, and you’re presented with several detailed pages of instructions complete with road numbers, distances, service areas and the duration of the journey under normal road conditions.However, this time of the year is anything but normal, so you will need to make provision for the trip taking longer than anticipated It also offers several alternatives. You can choose between a fast route (mainly by toll roads), a toll-free route (bearing in mind a journey such as yours could set you back almost £70 in toll fees) and a scenic route which will be less busy than the previous two but will take longer.