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carriages which are not designated by the officers of the train or placarded, "For those who do not smoke" (Fur Nichtraucher).

THE

HOTELS.

HE names of hotels are inserted in an "HOTEL LIST " following page 13, ante. The characters of hotels are given either from the author's own knowledge, or from that of respectable persons who are well known to him. Where changes for the better may have occurred in any hotel not favourably noticed, the author, on receiving satisfactory evidence through his publishers of such improvement, will be glad to make the proper corrections in future editions.

It is advisable, before reaching any town where the traveller is to stop, to fix upon the hotel at which he intends to reside, and on coming out of the railway station, or on leaving a steamer, to at once call for the porter of that hotel. This announcement will relieve him from the clamours of the mob of porters and touters who in many places attend upon the arrivals of trains and steamers.

Having reached the hotel, the tourist will find it to his advantage to ask to be shown the apartment which the hotel-keeper proposes to assign to him, and to ask the price, if even for one day; and this before the baggage is deposited in the hotel and the cab has been sent away. Phillips, in his recently-published "Guide," says on this point, "It is always prudent to ask, and, if need be, discuss the price of apartments before occupying them. In order that the amour propre of my reader may not be wounded, let me say that this precaution is now the mode; the English, who are wise tourists, having given us the excellent example.' If any traveller will take the trouble to test the efficacy of this advice, he will be surprised to see how much the course here recommended will diminish his daily expenditure. There is no impropriety in asking the price of entertainment in advance, and Americans would do well to follow in this respect the example of their British cousins.

Travellers intending to leave by early morning conveyances, should see that proper notice to that effect is given to the porter, and that the hotel bill is presented, before they retire for the night.

The author deems it proper to add that recommendations of hotels or other establishments in this Guide Book cannot be obtained by purchase; and that no person has been, or will be, authorised to contract with hotel-keepers or other persons for favourable notices therein.

NOTE. When there are several hotels of the first class in any town or city, and the author wishes to indicate that they are of very nearly equal merit, the names are printed in capital letters.

VALETS DE PLACE.

T is best, if the traveller is not accompanied by a courier who is

I thoroughly acquainted with the chief cities upon the Continent,

to employ at once, upon his arrival, a competent local guide, or valet de place. They can always be found at the principal hotels. If a little care is taken to ascertain if the valet is competent to point out the objects best worth seeing, and to give correct information

in relation to them, his employment will not only be a source of saving, but will add greatly to the interest of the traveller's visit. As much may generally be seen in a single day under the guidance of a competent valet as in two days if the traveller makes his way unaided. An experienced valet will frequently procure admission to places which are ostensibly closed to the public, and he generally pays much less for pour boire, or gratuities, than the traveller himself would pay. Caution should be exercised in making purchases at shops recommended by valets, as they are naturally disposed to favour those who pay them the highest rate of commission upon sales to persons introduced by them. These commissions are, of course, added to the price of the articles purchased. In a few of the Routes the author has given the names of valets de place who are known to him to be competent and trustworthy. The wages usually demanded are from five to seven francs per day.

TH

LANGUAGES.

HE tourist who would receive the maximum of advantage and of pleasure from a tour in Europe, should be familiar with the languages of the countries which he visits. He who has no knowledge of them will derive much less pleasure from his travels than he who possesses a little; but let no one hesitate to undertake the tour of Europe if circumstances have rendered it impossible for him to acquire even a smattering of its tongues. The English language is spoken at all the leading hotels frequented by strangers upon the Continent; in every city, valets de place who speak English are to be found, and, at terminal stations upon the great lines of travel, interpreters, licensed or employed by the companies, are present, to assist travellers on their arrival and departure.

ΤΗ

FUNDS.

HE most convenient way of carrying money for use in Europe is by a traveller's "letter of credit," issued by a banker who deals in credits of that kind. These letters are available in every part of Europe. American travellers may procure them of several banking houses in New York; among others, of Brown, Brothers, & Co., Morton, Bliss, & Co., John Munroe & Co., Drexel, Morgan, & Co.* English travellers may procure letters of credit from any of the leading London or provincial bankers.

A very convenient as well as economical and safe way of carrying money is in circular notes, which are issued in denominations of £10 and £20, and in larger denominations, by Morton, Rose, & Co., the Union Bank of London, the London and Westminster Bank, and several of the leading banking houses. These notes are available throughout Europe.

English sovereigns pass currently in Belgium, Holland, and Germany; but the most advantageous coins in any part of the Continent are Napoleons, which are everywhere current.

We will end our chapter of advice by quoting from a well-known editor the following advice to travellers (taking the liberty of

* These firms have branch establishments at Paris.

changing a word or two):-"We advise the traveller to make up his mind beforehand what line of route he proposes to follow, and gain some acquaintance with the countries before setting out, by perusing the best works descriptive of them; that he should lay in such a stock of good temper and patience as is not likely to be exhausted whatever mishaps may befall him; and that he should divest himself as soon as possible of his prejudices, and especially of the idea of the amazing superiority of his own over all other countries, in all respects.

THE

BOOKS.

HE author desires to acknowledge his indebtedness to the authors of the following works, from which he has derived valuable assistance. He deems it his duty to state that tourists who intend to spend time enough in Europe to thoroughly explore its by-ways as well as its great thoroughfares, and to whom the cost and bulk of the works named are not objectionable, will do well to purchase Black's Guides to England, Ireland, and Scotland, three volumes, and Murray's Handbooks, comprising about thirtyfive volumes-Baedeker's Guide Books, eleven volumes; and "Les Guides Joanne," about twenty volumes. All the works named are admirably compiled, and contain a large amount of matter of great interest to the student and man of letters, as well as the tourist, and the works of each author contain much of value which is not included in those of other writers.

The author, in conducting the traveller to the objects best worth seeing in the great cities of Europe, has been careful to omit nothing the omission to see which would cause regret, but he has been compelled to omit many things of secondary interest to which compilers of local guide books devote their attention. Travellers who intend to spend a considerable time in the great cities, and who desire to explore them more minutely than they will be able to do under the guidance of the present work, will find, in nearly all of them, local guide-books, which are generally accurate and exhaustive. desires to especially commend Murray's Modern London and Galignani's Paris Guide.

THE BEST SEASONS FOR VISITING THE DIFFERENT PARTS OF EUROPE.

He

land, and Scotland, Northern France, and Germany; May, June, July, August, and September are all good months for Switzerland. The winter months are the best for Southern France, Italy, and Malta.

The great majority of tourists visit Switzerland in the heat of summer, when the hotels and public conveyances are crowded to excess, and when prices are at the highest. Not only are the early and later parts of the season more agreeable in that delightful country, but persons resorting there before the middle of July, and after August, besides avoiding the crowd, have the advantage of the greatly reduced tariff of prices during the periods named, which has been adopted by all the best hotels.

ROUTES

FROM LONDON TO SOME OF THE CHIEF CITIES OF THE CONTINENT.

T

1.

O BRUSSELS.-Those wishing to avoid a long channel passage will prefer the route via Dover, Calais, and Lille. Time, 10 hours (channel passage, 1 hours). Fares, 1st class, £2, 10s. 6d. ; 2d, £1, 17s. 6d. Another route is via Dover and Ostend, 10 hours (channel passage, 5 hours). Fares, 1st class, £2, 6s. 9d.; 2d, £1, 13s. A cheaper route is by steamer from St Catherine's Dock every Sunday noon to Antwerp, fare, £1, thence by direct railway to Brussels. Time usually about 16 hours. See pages 264 and 277 of this Guide Book. Another route is by the Great Eastern Railway (Liverpool Street Station) to Harwich, and thence by steamer on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays to Antwerp. Fare from London to Antwerp, £1, 6s.

2. TO BERLIN.-The best route is via Brussels, as above, thence via Verviers and Aix-la-Chapelle to Cologne, thence by direct railway to Berlin. Time to Cologne, 15 hours; to Berlin, 26 hours. Fares, 1st class, via Calais, £6, 4s.; 2d, £5, 6s.;-via Ostend, 1st class, £6; 2d, £5, 2s. 6d. See pages 277 and 495 of this Guide Book.

3. TO COLOGNE-The best route is that via Calais and Brussels, as above (see No. 2 above). Fares, via Calais, 1st class, £3, 10s. 9d.; 2d, £2, 12s.;-via Ostend, 1st class, £3, 6s. 6d.; 2d, £2, 7s. 9d. Time from London, 15 hours.

4. TO FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAIN.-Via Calais or Ostend to Cologne, as above, thence by direct railway, 21 hours. Fares, via Calais, 1st class, £4, 9s. 9d.; mixed (i.e., 1st class to Cologne, thence 2d class), £4, 5s.;-via Ostend, 1st class, £4, 5s. 9d.; mixed, £4, 1s. (Tourists preferring it may take the Rhine steamer from Cologne to Mayence, and go thence by railway, 28 miles, to Frankfort.)

5. To DRESDEN.--Via Cologne, see above. From Cologne the most speedy route is via Minden, Magdeburg, and Leipsic. Time from London to Cologne, 15 hours; from Cologne to Dresden, 16 to 18 hours. Fares, via Calais, 1st class, £6, 10s. 9d.; mixed (first class to Cologne, second beyond), £5, 12s. Another and very agreeable route is to Cologne, as above, thence up the Rhine by railway or steamer to Mayence, and thence by rail to Frankfort-on-the-Main, and thence via Eisenach and Gotha to Leipsic and Dresden. This route would require five or six hours' more time, and would cost but a trifle more than the other.

6. To VIENNA.-The most direct route is from London to Cologne (see No. 3 above), thence by railway up the Rhine to Mayence, Darmstadt, Wurzburg, Nuremburg, and Passau. (It is almost as convenient to go from Mayence to Frankfort-on-the-Main, and thence to Wurzburg, Nuremburg, &c.) Fares, from London to Vienna, via Calais, 1st class, £9, 4s.; mixed, £6, 17s. Time, about 48 hours. From Frankfort-on-the-Main to Vienna the fares are

(via Nuremburg and Passau), 1st class, 46 florins-£3, 16s., or $18.40; 2d, 33 florins--£2, 14s., or $13-20. Travellers wishing to reach Vienna, via Paris, may take one of the routes from London to Paris, described in this Guide (see pages 264, 267, and 268). The best route from Paris to Vienna is that via Cologne, and thence to Mayence, Darmstadt (or Frankfort), Nuremburg, and Passau. Time from Paris to Vienna, about 38 hours. See page 354 of this Guide Book.

Tickets from London to Vienna, via Paris, good for one month, are sold by the South-Eastern Railway Company and the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Company in London. Fare, 1st class, £10, 8s. 6d.

Tourists desiring to go to Vienna by way of Dresden, will follow No. 5 above to Dresden, and go thence to Vienna, via Prague (no change of carriages between the two cities). Time from Dresden to Vienna, 10 hours. Fares, 1st class, $12.00; 2d, $9.00. See page 589 of this Guide Book.

7. To MUNICH.-To Frankfort-on-the-Main, as in No. 4 above, thence via Heidelberg, Bruchsal Junction, Stuttgart, and Ulm, to Munich. Time, 34 hours. Fares from London, via Calais, 1st class, £6, 14s.; mixed, £5, 17s. 6d. ;-via Ostend, 1st class, £6, 9s. 9d.; mixed, £5, 13s.;-via Paris, 1st class, £7, 17s.

8. TO PARIS.-The mail route is via Dover and Calais; distance to Paris by this route, 283 miles. Time, 10 hours. Distance from Dover to Calais, 21 miles; time occupied in crossing, about 1 hours. Fares, 1st class, £3; 2d, £2, 5s. Trains stop at Amiens 20 minutes. See pages 264 and 274 of this Guide Book.

The tidal route, via Folkstone and Boulogne, is the shortest between London and Paris, the distance being 255 miles. Time, usually 9 to 10 hours. Distance from Folkstone to Boulogne, 27 miles; time usually occupied in crossing, 2 hours. Fares, 1st class, £2, 16s.; 2d, £2, 2s.

The tidal route, via Newhaven and Dieppe, is one of the shortest. Channel passage, 5 to 6 hours. Time from London to Paris, from 16 to 19 hours. Fares, 1st class, £1, 13s.; 2d, £1, 4s. See page 268 of this Guide Book.

Route, via Southampton and Havre. Time, usually 18 to 20 hours. Channel crossing, 8 to 9 hours. Fares, 1st class, £1, 13s.; 2d, £1, 4s. See page 262 of this Guide Book.

Steamers from London directly to Boulogne in 8 or 9 hours, thence by rail to Paris. Fare, 1st class, £1, 9s. 6d.

9. TO NICE.-To Paris, as in No. 8 above. Thence via Lyons and Marseilles. Time, 24 hours from Paris, 34 hours from London. Distance from Paris, 676 miles. Fares, 1st class, francs, 132-80c.; 2d, francs, 99.50. See page 366 of this Guide Book.

10. To MILAN.-To Paris, as in No. 8. Thence by Lyons railway to Macon, Culoz, and St Michel, to Modane, thence through the Mt. Cenis tunnel to Turin and Milan. Time from London, 38 hours. Fares, 1st class, £7, 11s. 6d.; 2d, £5, 12s. 6d. See pages 363 and 611 of this Guide Book.

11. TO FLORENCE.-As far as Turin, see above, No. 10. Thence by railway, via Alessandria and Bologna to Florence. Time, 47 hours. Fares, 1st class, £8, 19s. 9d.; 2d, £6, 12s. 9d. See page 652

of this Guide Book.

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