Identity card Formalities : passport or identity card. The UK is not part of the Schengen area, so there is always a (slight) police check on arrival.
Area code : + 44
Time difference : - 1 hour compared with France.
Language : English. Currency: the pound sterling. The English pound and the Scottish pound are used interchangeably. But beware: retailers in the rest of the UK sometimes refuse to accept Scottish pounds. 1 € = 0,87 £.
Electricity : 240 V with three-prong sockets. Adaptor essential.
Best season : spring, when the days are long, or autumn, when the heather lights up the landscape. Winter should be avoided, except for skiing, as Ben Nevis, the UK's highest peak, is in Scotland. In summer, average temperatures hover around 20°C, but there are plenty of tourists and rain is fairly frequent.
Group size : from a few participants to several thousand people.
For more information
Scottish Tourist Board, represented in France by the TQC agency
8 rue Médéric, 75017 Paris
Tel: 01 47 66 63 37
Fax : 01 42 12 93 88
E-mail : info@tqc.fr
Internet : www.tqc.fr, www.visitscotland.com and www.conventionscotland.com
Embassy of the United Kingdom
35, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, 75383 Paris Cedex 08
Tel: 01 44 51 31 00
Fax : 01 44 51 32 34
Internet : www.ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk
How to get there
Easyjetwhich has just taken delivery of its 200th aircraft, offers daily flights from Paris CDG to Edinburgh and Glasgow, every day except Tuesday. The low-cost airline connects Nice and Edinburgh four times a week, and serves the Scottish capital from Lyon twice a week.
Internet : www.easyjet.com
Air France and its partners operate direct flights between Paris CDG and Scotland. City Jet, its Irish subsidiary, flies four times a day to Edinburgh; the British company Fly Be, under a commercial agreement, flies daily to Glasgow, while Régional, a subsidiary of the national airline, offers up to three daily rotations to Aberdeen.
Internet : www.airfrance.fr
Ryanair connects Paris Beauvais and Carcassonne with Glasgow and Paris Beauvais, Bordeaux, Marseille and Poitiers with Edinburgh.
Internet : www.ryanair.com
Hotels
Blythswood SquareGlasgow. Open since 2009, this boutique hotel in the heart of Glasgow has taken possession of an elegant Victorian property dating from 1823. Traces of its glorious past, when it was home to the Royal Scottish Automobile Club, are everywhere: on the lobby staircase, on the marble fireplaces, in the woodwork. This aristocratic backdrop serves as a backdrop for the colourful decor and contemporary furnishings in the 100 rooms, where black and purple warm the atmosphere, as they do in the public areas. A designer spa completes the range of services on offer at this refined address, which lends itself to medium-sized events of up to 100 people. A private projection room - with 40 tartan seats! - for product launches and presentations. The Rally Bar organises prestigious cocktails and dinners...
11, Blythswood Square. Glasgow, G2 4AD
Tel: +44 (0) 141 248 8888
E-mail : reserve@blythswoodsquare.com
Internet : www.townhousecompany.com/blythswoodsquare
Cameron House HotelLoch Lomond. This 17th-century castle-like building on the shores of Loch Lomond, 30 minutes from Glasgow, has been transformed into a 128-room hotel, with contemporary and typically Scottish decor. The site offers a first approach to the Highlands for visitors who cannot travel further north. A large function room, the Lomond Suite, can accommodate up to 250 people, with several others catering for groups of between 10 and 40. In addition to the four restaurants, the cosy whiskybar will appeal to epicureans. The resort also offers a wide range of sporting activities: cruising, sailing, tennis and golf on the 18-hole course.
Loch Lomond, Dunbartonshire. G83 8QZ
Tel: + 44 (0) 1389 755 565
E-mail : reservations@devere-hotels.com
Internet : www.cameronhouse.co.uk
Isle of Eriska Hotel. With 25 elegantly decorated rooms in shades of beige, grey and purple, this delightful manor house and its square keep can only accommodate small operations, for a timeless experience. The hotel, which can be fully privatised, is nestled on a 150-hectare desert island in the middle of the Highlands, just fifteen minutes from Oban. Ideal for working in complete tranquillity. Even though it's isolated, the hotel offers all the technological facilities you could wish for, and is nonetheless very well equipped: a meeting room, two restaurants, including a renowned gourmet restaurant, a spa, a 17-metre indoor swimming pool, a sports hall, a 9-hole golf course... and water sports such as kayaking.
Benderloch, by Oban. Argyll, PA37 1SD
Tel: +44 (0) 1631 720 371
E-mail : office@eriska-hotel.co.uk
Internet : www.eriska-hotel.co.uk
Hotel MissoniEdinburgh. Hotel Missoni has found a prime address on the Royal Mile. Housed in a sleek building, the 136-room hotel plays the contemporary card, with modern furnishings and an avalanche of brown, green and burgundy colours, appealing to a trendy clientele. Two meeting rooms with natural daylight can accommodate groups of up to 70 people. A private dining room.
1, George IV Bridge. Edinburgh EH1 1AD
Tel: +44 (0) 131 220 6666
E-mail : info.edinburgh@hotelmissoni.com
Internet : www.hotelmissoni.com
Balmoral HotelEdinburgh. This is Edinburgh's historic address, built in 1902. Ideally located just off the Royal Mile, the hotel has been taken over by Rocco Forte. Its 188 refined rooms are decorated in the brown and green colours of the Scottish countryside. There is a ballroom for up to 350 people and 9 meeting rooms, all with views over the city, a Michelin-starred restaurant and a spa, designated as the best in Scotland.
1 Princes Street. Edinburgh EH2 2EQ
Tel: +44 (0) 131 556 2414
E-mail : reservations.balmoral@roccofortecollection. com
Internet : www.roccofortehotels.com
Agencies and receptives
Best of Scotland Holidays
Tel: +44 (0) 1333 360 395
E-mail: Lesley@best-of-scotland.co.uk
Experience Scotland
Tel: +44 (0) 1968 679 969
E-mail : enquiries@experiencescotland.co.uk
Hello Scotland
Tel: + 44 (0) 141 944 7224
E-mail : inspireme@helloscotland.com
JAC Travel
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7870 8551
E-mail : groups@jactravel.co.uk
K & N Associates
Tel: +44 (0) 131 557 6896
E-Mail : sales@knscot.com
Liberty Incentives & Congresses
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7840 9060
E-mail : liberty@libertygb.co.uk
Prometour
Tel: +44 (0) 207 099 6152
E-mail : camille@prometour.fr
Sterling Travel
Tel: +44 (0) 1628 783 682
E-mail : enquiries@sterling-travel.co.uk
Reception venues
The Royal Yacht Britannia. Docked in Edinburgh, the Queen's former yacht hosts exclusive evening events for 20 to 380 guests. The programme includes a tour of the boat, cocktails in the saloon and a meal in the dining room. Everything is prepared in the ship's kitchens, from bread to ice cream. Churchill and Mandela have all dined here... Unique! Ocean Terminal, Leith. Edinburgh EH6 6JJ
Tel: +44 (0) 131 555 8800
E-mail : events@tryb.co.uk
Internet : www.royalyachtbritannia.co.uk
Tha Corinthia Club. This majestic building in the centre of Glasgow once housed a bank before becoming a highly sought-after reception venue. Nine rooms with distinctive atmospheres: a tavern with ad hoc tables, a lounge bar or a chic salon. There's even a nightclub, karaoke lounge and casino. 191 Ingram Street, Merchant City. Glasgow
Tel: +44 (0) 141 552 1101
Internet : http://www.thecorinthianclub.co.uk/
Riverside Museum. Opened on 21 June, Glasgow's transport museum houses stagecoaches, carriages, locomotives and boats. Bordering the River Clyde, it opens its doors for cocktails and parties. 100 Pointhouse Place. Glasgow
Tel: +44 (0) 141 287 2720
Internet : www.glasgowmuseums.com
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society. This club for whisky lovers offers two venues in Edinburgh, one in the city centre, the other near the port. For tastings or dinners for up to fifty people. The Vaults, 87 Giles Street. Edinburgh
Tel: +44 (0) 131 555 2266
E-Mail : events@smws.com
Internet : www.smwsevents.co.uk
Good ideas
- A treasure hunt on board "cabsBritish taxis on the streets of Edinburgh.
- A seaplane flight over the Highlands.
- An evening "haunted in a private château.
- Whisky tasting at a distillery.
- A journey or a stay on board the legendary Royal Scotsman train.
- Team-building based on the Highland Games.
- A gala evening in a kilt, with the outfit left in the guests' room.
Conference centres
Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) > Set on the banks of the River Clyde, Glasgow's conference centre, whose architecture is reminiscent of the Sydney Opera House, has two auditoriums seating 600 and 3,000, five exhibition halls covering a total of 22,000 m2 and around twenty meeting rooms. Exhibition Way. Glasgow G3 8YW
Tel: +44 (0) 141 248 3000
E-mail : info@secc.co.uk
Internet : www.secc.co.uk
Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) > The Edinburgh conference centre has five halls and can host events for 150 to 2,000 people, including 1,200 in the largest hall. The Exchange. Edinburgh EH3 8EE
Tel: +44 (0) 131 300 3000
E-mail : sales@eicc.co.uk
Internet : www.eicc.co.uk
Practical guides
Guide du Routard, Hachette
Lonely Planet
Green Guide, Michelin
Guide Voir, Hachette
Petit Futé
Scotland: cities of history, lands of poets
Scotland - Cities of history, lands of poets
- Scotland - Practical guide
