France: Essential Travel Tips
Fact file
Area: 547,030 sq km (210,026 sq miles)
Capital: Paris
Population: Around 65.3 million
Language: French. Minority languages (Breton, Alsatian, Basque, Occitan, Catalan and Corsican) are still spoken in several parts of France, but first-time visitors are unlikely to encounter them.
Highest mountain: Mont Blanc 4,808 metres (15,775ft)
Religion: Roman Catholic (51 percent), with large Muslim (6.3 percent) and other minorities.
Time zone: CET/CEST
Currency: the euro (€)
International Dialling Code: 33
Transport
Getting to France
By air
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG; tel: 3950; www.aeroportsdeparis.fr), also known as Roissy, is France’s pre-eminent air hub and the entry point for most visitors from outside Europe. It has flights from every part of the world, with Air France (www.airfrance.com) and also British Airways (www.britishairways.com), Air Canada (www.aircanada.com), American Airlines (www.aa.com), Delta Airlines (www.delta.com), Emirates (www.emirates.com), Cathay Pacific (www.cathaypacific.com), Qantas (www.qantas.com) and many other major carriers. For transport to the city from the airport see below Getting into Paris.
Air France, British Airways and some other major carriers also have direct flights to other major French cities such as Lyon or Nice, but the principal providers of flights to France’s many regional airports from other parts of Europe are the low-cost airlines. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to over 25 airports all around France from the UK, Ireland, Germany and other European countries; easyJet (www.easyjet.com) flies between both Paris airports (Charles de Gaulle and Orly) and destinations in the UK, southern France, Spain, Italy and Eastern Europe; Flybe (www.flybe.com) flies to French regional airports from every part of the UK and Ireland. By using these airlines travellers can bypass the congestion of Paris.
By rail
International rail services from around Europe converge on Paris, and connect with the French high-speed rail (TGV) network. Eurostar trains (tel: UK 0843-218 6186; www.eurostar.com) run to Paris from London via the Channel Tunnel; Thalys trains run from Belgium, Holland and Germany; TGV Lyria trains run from Switzerland; Artesia trains from Italy, and nightly Elipsos sleeper trains (which are not yet TGV speed) from Spain. Some Eurostar trains also stop at the special station for Disneyland Paris theme park. Information on all trains is on www.raileurope.com, which also handles bookings.
Travellers who do not wish to visit Paris itself can also change trains in other hubs of the TGV network, such as Lille or Lyon, for destinations in other parts of France. Changing trains there will be much quicker than in Paris.
By road
Motorways from throughout Europe run into France and converge, like everything in France, on Paris. To drive to Paris from Brussels will take about 3hrs 15min, from London via ferry or the Channel Tunnel takes about 6–7 hours, from Berlin a minimum of about 10 hours, from Rome around 14 hours, not allowing for any stops. Vehicles travelling from the UK through the Channel Tunnel must board a shuttle train (Le Shuttle) actually to go through the Tunnel, which takes around 35min. There are four trains an hour each way during the day, and at least one an hour at night; for information and bookings see www.eurotunnel.com.
Driving from Southern Europe (Italy or Spain) will generally be slower than routes in the north because of the more mountainous terrain. For more on roads in France see below Getting around France.
Buses provide one of the cheapest but also the slowest means of getting to Paris and other parts of France from elsewhere in Europe. Eurolines (www.eurolines.com) is a consortium of European coach companies operating routes from around the continent to many places in France. Since buses stop frequently, journey times are long. Megabus (www.megabus.com) now offers even cheaper bus services to Paris from Amsterdam, Brussels and many places in the UK.
By sea
Several ferry routes operate from the UK, the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands to ports in northern France. Dover–Calais and Dover–Dunkerque are the shortest and busiest routes, mainly served by P&O Ferries (www.poferries.com) and DFDS Seaways (www.dfdsseaways.co.uk). Ferry prices are keenly competitive with the Channel Tunnel and often cheaper, but ferries are slightly slower, and can be affected by bad weather. Several routes in the western Channel (Portsmouth to Caen, Cherbourg and St-Malo, Poole to Cherbourg, Plymouth to Roscoff and Cork to Roscoff) are offered by Brittany Ferries (www.brittanyferries.com), and Irish Ferries (www.irishferries.com) sails regularly between Rosslare in Ireland, Cherbourg and Roscoff. Western Channel routes are longer and more expensive, but depending on where you intend to go in France can save a lot of time by avoiding the busier areas of central France.
In the Mediterranean there are regular ferries from North Africa. SNCM (www.sncm.fr) sails between Marseille and Algeria and Tunis, and Grande Navi Veloci to Sète from Tangier and Nador in Morocco.
Getting around France
By air
Because of the high quality and fast speeds of French railways domestic flights are used less than in some other countries, but there is an extensive range of flights available, mostly with Air France or its subsidiary Air Régional (www.regional.com). Ryanair and easyJet also now operate several routes within France. In Paris some flights operate from Charles de Gaulle but most domestic flights operate from the city’s second airport, Paris-Orly (ORY; tel: 3950; www.aeroportsdeparis.fr), in southern Paris. RER suburban trains and direct buses connect between the two airports.
Apart from Orly, other domestic flight hubs are Lyon and Toulouse. One part of France for which internal flights can naturally be useful is Corsica, where the four airports (Ajaccio, Bastia, Calvi and Figari) have frequent flights from Paris CDG and Orly, Lyon and many other parts of France with Air Régional, easyJet and other airlines.
By rail
France’s national railway, the SNCF, is famously fast, comfortable and efficient, and generally makes taking the train the best way to get around the country for anyone without a car, especially since you can see so much on the way. There are three main types of SNCF train within France, with some variations in each group. Luxury TGV high-speed trains are the stars of the system, travelling between cities and towns at speeds up to 300kph (186mph), so that total journey times can be shorter than those for flights. Trains are extremely comfortable, with high-standard restaurant cars and, in some, play areas for young children. Intercité trains are slower but still comfortable long-distance trains that operate in areas that still have no TGV service, and stop more frequently. Some are overnight sleeper services, including some motorail services in which you can put your car on the train, as on the Calais–Avignon route. Lastly, TER trains are regional services on the SNCF’s great many branch lines through small towns, stopping at every station and allowing you to reach sometimes very remote spots. In some cases where rail services are no longer economical SNCF buses now run on the same TER routes.
Tickets, information and other services
Seats on TGV and Intercité trains must be booked in advance, but bookings can be made up until 5 minutes before you travel. You can book and buy tickets from machines or ticket windows at any SNCF station (not just the one from which you will travel), but you will find better prices and choice of seats if you book ahead online, through www.raileurope.com or the SNCF’s own site (in English) www.voyages-sncf.com, which also have full TGV and Intercité timetable information. For each route there are several price options, depending on when you travel; look out for Prem fares (advance fares), which give substantial savings. A wide range of Eurail or France-specific rail passes is also available from RailEurope, but note that unless you travel by train a lot it may be cheaper to buy separate tickets.
Information on local TER trains is not provided on the RailEurope or Voyages-SNCF sites but only on the separate www.ter-sncf.com (in French only). From the map of France there are links to the TER pages for each region, with detailed maps of all lines and available stations. It is not usual or necessary to book TER tickets much in advance.
With (almost) all tickets, on all trains in France, you must remember to date-stamp (composter) your ticket before you board the train, by inserting it into one of the orange machines by station platforms. You can be fined if you do not do this. The only tickets that do not have to be composté are e-ticket printouts for online bookings.
By road
Most motorways (autoroutes) in France are toll roads. Tolls can be paid in cash, by credit card or (for regular users) prepaid subscription cards, and the website www.autoroutes.fr (in English) usefully allows you to calculate potential tolls for any particular route. To drive across France from north to south, using motorways as much as possible, should cost about €70–75 in tolls. There are also, though, many main highways that are toll-free: all those around Paris, Lille and some other major cities, all those in Brittany and most in Alsace.
The benefit of using the autoroutes is only speed. Away from the motorways driving in France can be hugely enjoyable, because of the low traffic densities, but can also get slow when you come upon some farm traffic. Country and coast roads become much more congested during French holiday seasons, especially during August.
Motoring advice: Drivers must have a red warning triangle, a yellow reflective waistcoat and spare headlamp bulbs in their car, and should always drive with dipped headlights in poor weather or reduced visibility. In France, it is now also a legal requirement to carry your own breathalyser kit in the car.
Parking in Paris is very restricted, and if you do drive into the city it’s advisable to leave your car in a hotel car park or one of the large pay car parks. In nearly all French towns, as well as pay car parks there are restricted parking areas marked in blue (zones bleues) where you must pay to park at a machine and display the ticket on the car. Charges are rarely high and there is often no charge during lunch (noon–2am).
In country districts you need to be wary of the priorité à droite rule, which means that if there are no special markings on the road you have to give way to vehicles entering from the right, even if you are on a larger road. Speeding and other fines can be levied on the spot. Also, be warned traffic lights are not always visible until the last moment.
An invaluable source of information on current traffic conditions in France, including blocked roads, is the official Bison Futé service (www.bison-fute-equipement.gouv.fr), in English and French.
By sea
Car and passenger ferries run frequently from Marseille, Toulon and Nice to different ports in Corsica (Ajaccio, Calvi, Ile Rousse and Bastia, operated by Corsica Ferries (www.corsicaferries.fr), SNCM (www.sncm.fr) and La Méridionale (www.lameridionale.fr). There are also direct ferries with the same companies to Sardinia, and between this Italian island and Corsica. Though Corsica ferries are frequent, they still need to be booked well ahead for the July-August holiday season, when they are in great demand.
Getting into Paris
By air
From Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport
Paris-CDG is 23km (15 miles) northeast of Paris via the A1 autoroute. The quickest and most reliable way to get to central Paris is by the RER suburban train, Line B. Trains run every 15 minutes from 5am to 11.45pm to Metro Gare du Nord or Châtelet-Les Halles. The average journey time is 50 minutes and a single ticket will cost €9.25.
Several buses are also provided to other parts of Paris: Air France buses run to Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile (the Arc de Triomphe) and Gare Montparnasse (every 30 minutes, 5.45am–11pm; fare about €15), and the Roissybus run to Rue Scribe, near Place de l’Opéra, stopping at all the main rail stations (every 15–30 minutes, 6am–11pm) and taking about 45 minutes. Fares are similar to those for the train.
Taxis into Paris from CDG can take from 30 minutes to well over an hour, depending on the traffic. The fare should be around €50, with higher rates after 5pm and on Sundays, and supplements for luggage.
From Orly Airport
Orly is 14km (9 miles) south of central Paris, and has two terminals. To get a train into Paris take the shuttle bus from either terminal to Pont de Rungis station on RER line C, for east-central Paris, or the Orlyval shuttle train to Antony station on RER line B, for the heart of the city. Shuttles run 6am–11pm daily and fares are around €11.
Air France buses run to Les Invalides and Gare Montparnasse, daily 6am–11pm, and Orlybus to Montparnasse, 6am–11.30pm. A taxi from Orly to central Paris should take around 40 minutes (much longer in rush hours) and cost about €40.
RER line B can also be used to transfer between the two airports, and they are also connected by Air France buses (every 15 minutes daily 6am–11.30pm, fare €20). There are also shuttle services from both airports to Disneyland Paris.
By rail
Train travellers arriving in Paris do so at one of seven main stations in a ring around the centre: from Britain on Eurostar, Belgium, Holland, north Germany and northeast France at the Gare du Nord; from central and southern Germany, Lorraine and Alsace at the Gare de l’Est; from Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, Switzerland, the Mediterranean coast, Italy and eastern Spain at the Gare de Lyon or nearby Gare de Bercy; from most of Spain and southwest France at the Gare d’Austerlitz; from Brittany and western France at the Gare Montparnasse; and from Normandy at the Gare St-Lazare. Allow an hour if you have to change between stations. Note, most stations do not have lifts, so if you have luggage you will have to factor in time for carrying cases up and down steps.
Getting around Paris
Paris is one of the most densely populated urban centres in the world, divided into 20 arrondissements (districts). Its main attractions are all within a tight area, now limited by the Boulevard Périphérique ring road, except for a few suburban excursions like Disneyland Paris and Versailles. There is little point in driving within central Paris, and because of the traffic even taxis move slowly. The city is ideal for strolling and many places are within walking distance of each other, and for longer journeys an excellent public transport system provides the best way to get around.
Public transport
Parisian public transport forms an integrated system, operated by the RATP transport authority. Extensive information on tickets, routes and so on is provided in English on www.ratp.fr, and there is a special information line on tel: 3246. Free Metro and other maps are also available from all stations.
Bicycles: Paris is the home of the public bike scheme (Velib’), with which you can rent cycles cheaply from many points around the city and return them at another. Traffic may make this intimidating during the week, but it’s more attractive at weekends. For full information see www.velib.paris.fr.
Buses: There is a comprehensive bus network, with most routes operating daily 6am–midnight, and Noctilien night buses through the night. Route details are posted up at bus stops. Parisian buses travel slowly but can be a good and cheap way to sightsee. Many are now wheelchair-accessible. In Paris, as on city buses everywhere in France, you board the bus at the front, and get off at the middle or rear doors.
Metro: The Paris Metro (underground railway) is quick, efficient and generally the most convenient way to get around the city. There are 14 lines that operate daily 5.30am–1am (Sat until 2.20am). Lines are identified by number, a colour and the names of the last station in each direction. Supplementing the Metro is the RER, five suburban rail lines, identified as A–E, which run out from the centre to destinations such as the airports, Disneyland Paris and Versailles. In the centre of Paris, RER lines have fewer stops than the Metro, so are faster.
Tickets and passes
The RATP has common tickets for all systems. The same T-Tickets are valid for Metro, buses and RER trains within the city, and can be bought at Metro and RER stations, airports, tourist offices and tobacco shops (tabacs). Metro/RER stations have ticket machines and staffed booths. Buying a single ticket (€1.70) every time you travel wastes time and money, so it’s better to buy a carnet of 10 tickets (€12.70). There are lower fares for children aged 4–9, and free travel for those under 4.
Another option specially for tourists is the Paris-Visite card, which is valid for from 1 to 5 consecutive days on the Metro, bus and rail lines in Paris and the Ile de France, in zones 1–3 or 1–6. Prices for adults vary from about €10–55. Card holders also get discounted entry to many museums and attractions, and again there are reduced rates for children. Cards can be bought from Metro and SNCF stations, airports and tourist offices.
France A–Z
Accommodation
France has a very wide choice of accommodation, much of which is listed on the excellent national, regional and départementale tourist websites. Every town of any size has at least one small hotel, traditionally family-run. Many small hotels are represented by the Logis de France association (www.logis-de-france.fr).
France also has many chain hotels oriented to business travellers, which may not offer great charm but do have reliable modern facilities and good-value rates. Many are in the different brands of the huge Accor group (www.accorhotels.com), which cater for all tastes and budgets, from luxury (Sofitel) through mid-range (Mercure, Novotel, Ibis) to cheap and no frills (HotelF1). Some have particularly good facilities for families, especially Novotels.
Top of the range, meanwhile, are the luxury hotels, including some of the most sumptuous in the world, which may be in a château or other historic monument. See for instance www.relaisetchateaux.com or, www.bienvenueauchateau.com.
Bed-and-breakfasts with fewer than 5 bedrooms, called chambres-d’hôtes in French, are very popular in France and often the most enjoyable and characterful places to stay, in the countryside and, increasingly, in towns. Since generous breakfasts are included they are also often better value than comparable hotels. Chambres-d’hôtes can be found through tourist office websites or through two main organisations, Gîtes de France (www.gitesdefrance.com), which mainly lists rural locations, or Clévacances (www.clevacances.com), which has addresses in towns. Both represent hundreds of members throughout France, and also list self-catering houses and apartments for holiday rentals. For B&Bs in Paris, try www.goodmorningparis.fr.
France is extremely well equipped with campsites – you can find information about them at www.campingfrance.com.
Festivals
Every part of France hosts some kind of cultural festival and fête, especially during the summer, when they take the place of regular theatre and music programmes. Extensive information can be found through the national Franceguide and local tourist websites, and (in French) on www.culture.fr. Among the highlights are the Nantes Carnaval in April (www.nantes.fr), the Festival d’Avignon in the city in July, France’s most prestigious multi-arts festival (www.festival-avignon.com), and the Festival Interceltique in Lorient in August (www.festival-interceltique.com), for Breton and Celtic music and culture.
The primary national holiday Bastille Day (14 July) is naturally celebrated with parties and fireworks throughout the country, but one event not to be missed if you’re in France at the time is the Fête de la Musique on 21 June, when leading musicians give free concerts in squares and other special venues, and also anyone who can play an instrument throughout France is encouraged to perform too in the streets, to charming acclaim from their neighbours.
Arts and activities
There is a huge variety of live entertainment in France, much of it concentrated in Paris and other cities, but even in small towns you can often find attractive exhibitions or outdoor concerts. In the summer, many cities (and even small towns) present a programme of events, including music and drama festivals featuring street theatre and other outdoor performances that are often free. Village fêtes take place throughout the summer, and offer a window into true French provincial life, with varied activities from pétanque competitions to dances (bals) and communal food.
In Paris, the theatre and opera companies of the Comédie Française and Opéra National de Paris are most famous for their classical productions, but there is a good choice of theatre, concerts, opera and ballet for all tastes. Look out for the adventurous concerts and performances at the Pompidou Centre, the classical music seasons at the Musée d’Orsay, and the many music recitals in churches.
Summer is dominated by a range of festivals around France, while conventional theatre and opera seasons generally run from September to June, so that many city theatres and music venues are closed in July and August.
Son et lumière displays are highlights of some sites, notably Versailles, Amiens Cathedral, Chartres and Mont St-Michel. Performances normally begin at dusk.
Guides to events can be found on national and local tourist office websites, and for more information and reservations contact local tourist offices. In Paris the weekly listings magazine Pariscope (www.spectacles.premiere.fr) is the first-choice guide to what’s on in the city, from cinemas and exhibitions to nightclubs.
Budgeting for your trip
Paris and some other cities are generally more expensive to survive in than rural France, and what you spend will vary according to how lavishly you live, but as a rough guide across France you’ll need to allow for the following:
Accommodation: Double room per night (including breakfast) in an average hotel: €60–120, depending on the season. Hotel prices around the coasts go up significantly in July–August, and in winter resorts in December–February.
Meals: Modest à la carte or menu du jour lunch will cost €13–20 per person; a three-course à la carte dinner with wine, around €30–50 per person.
Sightseeing: Admission charges: €10–20 per person per day, and miscellaneous (drinks, snacks, tips, etc.): €20 per person per day.
Paris has a range of all-in-one discount cards help reduce costs for visitors seeing several of its sights. Most popular is the Paris-Visite travel card, but there is also the Paris Museum Pass (www.parismuseumpass.com), valid for 2, 4 or 6 days, which gives you access to over 60 museums and monuments in Paris and area (including Versailles) for around €40–70, a major saving if you visit all the main museums. Pass holders can also bypass queues. The Paris Pass (www.parispass.com) is a more expensive package that includes Paris-Visite and Museum Pass cards.
Children
France is a great place for a family holiday, although you might have to adjust your itinerary to include more child-centred attractions. Disneyland Paris is the country’s number-one family attraction, and the Eiffel Tower will also be a highlight of any child’s stay. Elsewhere in the country there are other theme parks, and you’ll never be far from a wildlife attraction or activity centre – you only have to ask at the local tourist office.
A variety of discounts make life easier for families travelling in France. There is free admission to all national monuments and museums for EU residents aged under 25 and for everyone under 18, and most private venues have lower prices for children under 12. Under-12s also travel for half the adult fare on most transport, and children under 4 (or 6, in some cities) travel for free. Many hotels and chambres-d’hôtes have well-sized family rooms or connecting rooms, and the hotels of the Novotel chain have particularly good family offers. Many restaurants have a reduced-size children’s menu (menu enfants) for under €10.
Emergency Numbers
All emergency services: 112; it can be faster to call individual services directly
Ambulance: 15
Fire brigade: 18
Police: 17
Climate
The French climate is varied and seasonal. In the north there is a moist, Atlantic climate, and springtime is often suggested as the best time to see the capital. However, be prepared for showers. In the autumn, mornings can be quite sharp, but by midday the skies are usually clear and bright.
In the southeast, summers are dry and temperatures frequently rise to over 30°C (86°F). However, watch out for heavy thunder and hailstorms. Winters are mild (the temperature rarely falling below 10°C/50°F on the Mediterranean coast) and often wet; spring is even wetter.
Many areas of France have quite distinct microclimates, and the weather can change rapidly. The south coast has its own particular bête noire, the fierce wind known as the Mistral, which blows from the northwest, mainly in winter and spring, leaving clear blue skies in its wake.
Disabled travellers
Facilities, services and access for travellers with special needs and mobility problems in France have improved greatly over the last 20 years. There are well-indicated disabled parking spaces in all public car parks and many streets, which holders of the European-standard blue parking badge can use for free. On trains, the SNCF (French Railways) operates the Accès Plus scheme, through which wheelchair-users and others with disabilities can reserve spaces and free assistance on and off trains, by calling tel: 0890-640 650. More information on the scheme can be found on the English pages of www.sncf.com (under Services), but complete details are in French only on www.accessibilite.sncf.com. All taxis are required by law to carry wheelchair-users for no extra charge, but adapted taxis (taxis aménagés) are available from many companies.
Many hotels and chambres-d’hôtes (B&Bs) have adapted rooms, which are indicated on booking agency websites. Access ramps and other facilities are also provided at most public museums, but architecture still makes visiting some historic buildings difficult. A blue label, “Tourisme & Handicap”, is used in France to indicate facilities and venues of all kinds that have full access. A very useful introduction is provided on the national tourist service’s FranceGuide websites, under “Special Needs Travellers”, and every city and local French tourism information website has dedicated sections on disabled facilities.
Eating out
Eating out is one of the quintessential pleasures of a stay in France, and in the summer it’s never hard to find a shady outdoor terrace for lunch. While the range of choices to eat is huge, there are certain characteristics that are worth being aware of. One is timing: in rural and small-town France people keep regular mealtimes, and anywhere called a restaurant or bistro will expect to take orders for lunch around 12.30–1pm, and for dinner at 8.30–9pm (later at weekends). Once you have sat down you can stay as long as you like, but if you arrive much earlier or later you may well be disappointed. The traditional alternative to the restaurant is the brasserie, which is open for breakfast and between mealtimes, has a more varied menu and may serve snacks during the afternoon, but these are scarce in rural France. In Paris, especially, and other major cities and resort areas mealtimes are more flexible.
Crêperies serve Breton pancakes, either thin with varied sweet toppings (crêpes) or slightly thicker savoury ones (galettes) made of buckwheat flour, and are a great standby for anyone with children. Salons de thé serve light lunches as well as tea.
Most French restaurants offer a choice of fixed-price (prix-fixe) set menus, with a few choices for each of two or three courses, and sometimes including wine and coffee. At lunch many also offer a plat du jour, a single main dish. Choosing from the set menu is the most usual and most economical way of ordering in restaurants. If you order dishes separately from the much larger carte offered by most restaurants, your meal will be much more expensive.
Embassies and Consulates
Paris
Australia: 4 Rue Jean Rey, 75724 Paris, tel: 01-40 59 33 00; www.france.embassy.gov.au.
Canada: 35 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris, tel: 01-44 43 29 00; www.canadainternational.gc.ca/france.
Ireland: 12 Avenue Foch, 75116 Paris, tel: 01-44 17 67 00; www.embassyofireland.fr.
South Africa: 59 Quai d’Orsay, 75343 Paris, tel: 01-53 59 23 23; www.afriquesud.net.
UK: 16 Rue d’Anjou, 75008 Paris, tel: 01-44 51 31 00; http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk.
US: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75008 Paris, tel: 01-43 12 22 22; http://france.usembassy.gov.
Gay and lesbian travellers
France claims to be the first country in the world to legislate against discrimination on the basis of sexual preference, and is generally an easy-going, gay-friendly place, although you might feel more at ease in one of the great cities or Mediterranean resorts than in a small village where life is more traditional. Paris in particular prides itself on its innumerable gay and lesbian bars, clubs, cabarets and shops. Le Marais is renowned as the centre of the city’s gay life. Two good sites to go for information are www.paris-gay.com and www.tetu.com.
Health and medical care
Citizens of non-EU countries should ensure they have a travel and health insurance policy. EU citizens can use the French state health services with an EHIC card, but note that under the French system you will usually have to pay for treatment, and then reclaim most of the cost later following the procedures indicated in the booklet that came with your EHIC card. At a hospital (hôpital), the emergency room/casualty department is indicated by urgences. In case of a serious emergency, call an ambulance on tel: 15.
Pharmacies (designated by a green cross) are open Mon–Sat 9am–noon and 2–7pm. Sunday and evening rotas are posted in all pharmacy windows. The duty pharmacy is officially on call at night – you will find a bell (sonnette de nuit) by his door. Doctors also have night and weekend rotas. They, and pharmacies, are listed in local papers under Pharmaciens de Garde and Médecins de Garde.
In Paris, the Pharmacie Dhéry, 84 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, tel: 01-45 62 02 41, is open 24 hours (Metro: George V). Two private hospitals serve the Anglo-American community: American Hospital of Paris, 63 Bld Victor-Hugo, tel: 01-46 41 25 25; www.american-hospital.org; and the Hertford British Hospital, 3 Rue Barbès, Levallois-Perret, tel: 01-46 39 22 00; www.british-hospital.org.
Nightlife
Inevitably, the best French nightlife is confined to the big cities, and if you are demanding you might not want to stray out of Paris. But provincial cities have their share of nightspots, and there is usually something going on in coastal resorts during the summer. Wherever you are, it is worth asking around, as almost every town and village stages an annual fête which usually includes a disco or a performance by a live group, sometimes outdoors. If you’re lucky and the weather’s good, you might get a night out on a balmy summer’s evening for free.
Paris
The action starts in Paris as soon as the sun goes down. Bars and clubs are all over the city, but particularly in the central areas around the Marais, Bastille, Montmartre, Pigalle and the Latin Quarter. Check the listings magazine Pariscope to find out more, or log on to www.lemonsound.com and www.novaplanet.com. For national information try www.cityvox.com, www.citegay.fr or www.flyersweb.com.
Opening hours
Hours of business vary across the country, but as a rule, shops open 8 or 9am to 7pm. In small towns and quieter city districts many shops close for lunch, typically between midday and 2pm, although some shops including small supermarkets may close 1pm to 3.30 or 4pm. Large stores and out-of-town hypermarkets and chain stores do not close for lunch, and may stay open later in the evening, although each operates its own policy. In many towns all the shops are closed on Monday. Boulangeries (bakers) and patisseries are traditionally the only shops open on Sundays, but you may now also find some small convenience stores that are open, and in central Paris a much wider variety will be.
Markets generally start work early, around 8am or earlier, and in provincial France will often by closing up by noon–1pm. City bank branches are normally open Monday–Friday 9am–5pm, and sometimes on Saturday mornings, but small-town and suburban branches often close for lunch, from 12.30–2pm.
Postal services
Provincial post offices – Bureaux de Poste – are generally open Mon–Fri 9am–noon and 2–5pm, Sat 9am–noon (opening hours are posted outside); in Paris and other large cities they are generally open continuously 8am–6.30pm. The main post office in Paris is open almost 24 hours every day, at 52 Rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris.
Stamps may be purchased in post offices, cafés, tobacco shops (tabacs) and newsstands. Post boxes are yellow, but at large post offices there are separate boxes for domestic and foreign mail.
Public holidays
January: 1 New Year’s Day; March/April: variable Easter Sun/Mon; May: 1 Labour Day, 8 VE Day; May/June: variable Ascension Day, Whit Sun/Mon; July: 14 Bastille Day; August: 15 Assumption Day; November: 1 All Saints’ Day, 11 Armistice Day; December: 25 Christmas Day.
Shopping
In many ways France is a shopper’s paradise, with many small, local shops clinging on to loyal customers in small towns. The personal service you get in such places is an attraction in itself.
The best places to hunt for bargains are local markets. Most towns hold one on an advertised day each week. Although the emphasis is on food and drink, there are usually other items for sale too.
Almost everywhere you go in France there are local craftspeople who open their studios to the public and sell their products direct.
At the other end of the scale are the great hypermarkets to be found on the outskirts of every French city and large town. They stay open later than smaller shops and don’t close at midday.
Paris
Elegant department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Au Printemps are on the Right Bank, as are the expensive shops of the Champs-Elysées. For younger (and cheaper) fashions try the Left Bank, particularly around St-Michel and St-Germain boulevards.
The flea market (Marché aux Puces) opens Sat, Sun and Mon (Metro: Porte de Clignancourt). For flowers and plants: Ile de la Cité (Quai de la Corse), Mon–Sat 8am–7.30pm (Metro: Cité). Other street markets are at Rue Mouffetard and Rue Poncelet (Metros: Censier-Daubenton and Ternes respectively), daily 9am–1pm and 4–7pm except Mon and Sun morning.
Telecommunications
All phone numbers have 10 digits. Paris and Ile-de-France numbers begin with 01; the rest of France is divided into four zones (northwest 02, northeast 03, southeast and Corsica 04, southwest 05). When calling from outside the country, omit the initial 0. Freephone numbers begin 0800; 0836 numbers are charged at premium rates; 06 numbers are mobile phones. France Télécom directory enquiries is tel: 118 712.
Most French phone boxes do not accept coins but only a phone card (télécarte). They can be bought from newsstands, tabacs and post offices.
If you wish to buy a phone to use in France, all the major local networks like Bouygues and Orange France have phone shops throughout the country, and offer low-cost pay-as-you-go deals.
Tipping
The practice of adding 12–15 percent service charge to bills is common in restaurants, hotels and cafés all over France, so there is no obligation to leave anything additional, although most people either round up the change or leave around €1 extra, depending on the size of the bill, especially if the service has been notably good. Tip room service in hotels; taxi drivers usually get 10–15 percent.
Tourist information
France’s tourist information and help services are exceptionally comprehensive and well organised, and mirror the structure of French administration. The national tourist service’s FranceGuide (www.franceguide.com) leads automatically to separate websites for whichever country you access it from, and provides ample information on all aspects of France, including accommodation. It also has links to the next level down, the regions, each of which has its own tourist board (CRT) and website, and to the département (CDT) and city websites. The further you go down, the more detail you will find, and départements in particular produce an enormous variety of material on facilities and activities, and excellent free maps.
Paris
The Paris city tourism bureau’s website, www.paris.info, provides comprehensive information and an accommodation-finding service. The main tourist information office is at the bottom of the Champs-Elysées at 25 Rue des Pyramides (Metro: Pyramides),and is open daily May–Oct 9am–7pm, Nov–Apr 10am–7pm. There are other permanent offices at the Gare de l’Est, Gare du Nord, Gare du Nord, Boulevard Rochechouart (Metro: Anvers) and Porte de Versailles, and in summer additional information points are open on the Champs-Elysées and at Notre-Dame, the Hôtel de Ville and Place de la Bastille.
The Paris-Ile-de-France regional tourism authority (www.new-paris-ile-de-france.com) has information desks at the airports (all terminals), Versailles, and Disneyland Paris.
French tourist offices abroad
All can be contacted through the relevant page on www.franceguide.com.
Canada: tel: 514-288 2026
UK: tel: 0906-824 4123
US: tel: 514-288 1904
Monaco: Direction du Tourisme et des Congrès de la Principauté de Monaco, tel: 377-92 16 61 16; www.visitmonaco.com
UK: tel: 020-7491 4264
US: tel: 800-753 9696 or 212-286 3330