Hints
Porters
Most of them have an official scale of charges, but it is usual to give
about 5 FF extra, depending on the number of bags.
Taxi drivers
Tip about 10 % to 15% of the amount marked on the meter.
Hotel staff
5 to 10 FF for every item of baggage to the hotel porter who carries bags on
arrival and departure.
You are not obliged to tip the concierge (hallporter), doorman, etc,
if you have not used their services. Leave about 10 FF per day for the
chambermaid.
Restaurant waiters
Service is generally included in the bill. If not, leave an extra 10 to 15
% of the total amount.
Cafe waiters
Tip is generally included. If not, leave an extra 10 to 15 % of the total amount.
Guides
For group visits to museums and monuments, 5 FF per person is a reasonable tip.
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STUDENT INFORMATION
Student with valid ID cards ( an International Student Identity Card or the French carte jeunes )
benefit from many discounts. CIDJ offices provide a comprehensive service for students.
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The major public holidays in France are:
January 1st, Easter, Easter Monday, Ascension Thursday, May 1st(Labor Day),
May 8th (End of world war II), Whit Monday, July14th (Bastille Day),
August 15th, November 1st, November 11th and Christmas
On those days, banks, shops and almost everything else will be closed.
Make sure you have enough money and a full tank of gas (petrol).
During July/August all of France goes on vacation. So traffic conditions may be
congested on highways and the hotels often fully booked out, except in Paris,
which you may so have all to yourself
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This GUIDE lists which days of the week sights are open.
Generally, hours are from lOam-5:40pm with one late evening
per week. Most sights close onpublic holidays. National
museums and sights are normally closed on Tuesdays, with a few
exceptions which close on Mondays. Municipal museums
normally close on Mondays. Churches open every day but
shut at lunchtime. Always check the opening hours for private
museums as they may not comply with standard opening times.
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Most of France has switched to 220-230 volts AC,although a few parts may still
run on 110-115 volts. Current alternates at 50 cycles, not the 60 in use in U.S.A.
If you are bringing shavers, travel irons, hair dryers or whatever, take along a
voltage transformer. Remember the outlet prongs are shaped differently also.
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There are public toilets at railway stations, bus stations,
metro stations, in public buildings and in stores, cafes, restaurants.
In smaller towns, there may be one toilet for both men and women.
Charges are usually 5 FF or less. Soap and towels are extra.
If there is an attendant (or her saucer) on duty, tip 2 FF.
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If property is lost in a subway or bus, go immediately to the terminal
point of one or the other, and you may find it there. Otherwise, 48 hours later,
call:
the Lost and Found Office
Prefecture de Police
Bureau des Objets Trouves, 36 rue des Morillons, 75015 Paris
Tel.: 01.45.31. 14.80 Metro: Convention.
Open daily, except Saturdays, Sundays and vacations, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
Tuesdays and Thursdays till 8:00 pm. Anything lost will be retumed to this office.
It is wise to report to the district Commissariat de Police if you know exactly
where you lost the item in question. If found you will be required to pay 4 % of
the item's value for the service. Lost property is held for one year and one day.
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If you are taken ill and need medicine, remember a drugstore (chemist) is called
a "pharmacie". Night time and on Sundays, the Commissariat de Police of the district
where you reside will inform you of the nearest drugstore (chemist) open and the address
of the nearest doctor on duty. If you need to be taken to a hospital, the doctor will
call an ambulance for you or you can apply to the:
Ambulances "Assistance Publique"
28, rue de I'Entrepot, 94220 Charenton
Tel: 01.43.78.26.26 - Fax.: 01.45.13.65.82
American Hospital
63, boulevard Victor-Hugo, 92202 Neuilly
Tel.: 01.46.41.25.25 - Fax.: (1) 01.46.24.49.38 - Telex: 613.344
British Hospital Hortford
3, rue Barbes, 92300 Levallois -
Tel.: 01.47.58.13.12 - Fax.: 01.47.58.02.34
Medicine by air from home
Ministere des Affaires Sociales
Service Central de la Pharmacie, 14, avenue Duquesne, 75007 Paris
Tel.: 01.40.56.53.80 - 01.40.56.60.00 - Fax.: 01.40.56.53.55
Open: daily except Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 am to 12 noon and
2:00 pm to 5:30 pm. It is forbidden to import narcotics into France unless
you obtain beforehand a special authorization from the French narcotic office
at the address mentioned above.
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Read the International Herald tribune and the Daily Mail, as well as
Une Semaine de Paris/Pariscope, L'Officiel des Spectacles, Paris-Passion
magazine (monthly, in English), etc. You can also find lists of events in
most of the French daily newspapers.
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If you stay in France over three months or beyond the
validity of your visa, you must get a residence permit from the:
Prefecture de Police, Service des Etrangers
7, boulevard du Palais, 75004 Paris.
Tel.: 01.42.77.11.00 Ext.: 51-72, 51-77 and 51-66 - Fax.: 01.45.48.52.65
Open daily except Saturdays, Sundays and vacations, from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm.
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Imperial to metric
1 inch = 2.54 centimetres
1 foot = 30 centimetres
1 mile = 1.6 kilometres
1 ounce = 28 grams
1 pound = 454 grams
1 pint = 0.6 litre
1 gallon = 4.6 litres
Metric to imperial
1 millimetre = 0.04 inch
1 centimetre = 0.4 inch
1 metre = 3 feet 3 inches
1 kilometre = 0.6 mile
1 gram = 0.04 ounce
1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds
1 Litre = 1.8 pints
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* To call France from abroad: first dial 33
* To call abroad from France:
first dial 00, then the country's code and then your number.
* don't forget the new "France Direct" telephone service in your language
in a number of foreign countries.
Remember the time change when you phone home:
U.S.A. : 6 to 9 hours behind in winter.
Australia : 10 hours ahead,
Canada: 5 to 7 hours difference with Ontario and Quebec,
South Africa : 1 hour ahead.
U.K.: 1 hour ahead.
Some rates U.S.A.:
28.08 FF (3 minutes),
Canada : 28.08 FF (3 minutes)
South Africa : 57.27 FF (3 minutes),
Australia: 57.27 FF (3 minutes)
G.B. : 4.50 FF (the minute)
Reduced rates from Monday to Saturday between
8:00 pm and 2:00 am, 7,17 FF for one minute;
from 2:00 am to 12:00 am; 5,71 FF for one minute;
during Sundays and French public holidays: 0,73 FF for 6 seconds.
Reduced rates between 9:30 pm and 8:00 am: 3,04 FF for one minute.
These rates are also valid on Saturdays (after 2:00 pm), on Sundays and during
French public holidays.
"Telecarte"
The majority of telephone booths, both in Paris and the regions (a total of
168,000 booths), are equipped with the "Telecarte" system. Instead of coins, you
have to use telecartes, which can be bought, among other places, at Post Offices
and in to bacconists (40 FF and 96 FF).
The telecartes have a specific number of bits which are used up when you make calls.
You just throw the used card away (unless you make a collection) and buy another.
When you insert your card into the phone slot, the remaining amount of credit is displayed.
You can see this amount decreasing as you use the phone. When you hang up, don't forget to
retrieve your card.
Telephone booths
You can be called at many telephone booths. Good idea when you are short of cash.
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There is only one kind of cable: direct. minimum 15 words U.S.A. (New York)
74.75 FF
U.S.A. (Other states) 74.75 FF
U.S.A. (Alaska & Hawaii) 81.00 FF
Canada 74.75 FF
U.K. 74.75 FF
Australia 81.00 FF
South Africa 74.75 FF
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General Postal Information Service des Renseignements Postaux
Open: daily except Sundays and vacations, from 8:00 am to 8: 00 pm
Tel.: 01.42.80.67.89
Main Post Office
52, rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris Open 24 hours,everyday. It is the only
one in France with these facilities. Post Offices in Paris are open from
8:00 am to 7:00 pm (Saturdays from 8:00 am to 12 noon)
Stamps They may be bought at a post office, at a tobacconist's or at some
hotels.
General Postal Rates
Air Mail Letters as of August 1992 up to 10 rammes to:
U.S.A. 3.70 FF
Canada 3.70 FF
Australia 4. 10 FF
South Africa 3.90 FF
Within Europe:
EEC countries, Austria, Switzerland: 2.50 FF up o 20 grammes,
Non EEC: 3,40 FF up to 20 grammes.
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The minitel is the least cumbersome and most attractively priced communicating
videoterminal on the market. Thanks to it, customers, distributors and sales
representatives, among others, can place orders or receive messages at any time.
The minitel is also a good way of being informed and keeping others informed.
In 1992 the number of minitels installed in France was already in excess of 6
million units. The network is accessed by several phone numbers corresponding
to different levels of billing. When outside of France, dial :
(33) 36.43.13.13 for Teletel 1
(33) 36.43.l4.l4 for Teletel 2
(33) 36.43.15.15 for Teletel 3
(33) 36.43.16.16 for Teletel 4, etc.
When in France, dial: 36.13, 36.14, 36.15, 36.16, etc.
International minitel number from France now is : 36.19.
Banks, insurance companies, daily newspapers, etc, have installed news services
in either Teletel. The tourist sector is now also very much involved in the minitel
system. Just ask your partner his code of access. The Editions TGA Telematique Publishers
293, boulevard Saint-Denis, 92400 Courbevoie.
Tel.: 01.47.68.92.00 - Fax.: 01.47.89.30. 14 - Telex: 610.056
is issuing a booklet called "Le Repertoire Teletel" which gives an extensive list of
the many minitel services related with tourism.
In total there are more than 500 minitel services.
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By law, as of November 1, 1992, all areas open to the public have been declaied
as non-smoking ones. As a consequence, among others, restaurants should organise separate
zones for smokers and non-smokers. Fines are heavy for both smokers and owners/managers
of the place in case of a conflict.
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FRANCE IS ONE HOUR ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
The French use the 24-hour clock, so 7pm = 19:00, for example.
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ALL EUROPEAN UNION nationals are entitled to French social security
coverage. However, treatment must he paid for and hospital
rates vary widely. Reimbursements may be obtained if you have acquired
your E111 form before you travel (available from post offices in the UK),
but the process is long and complicated.
All travellers should consider purchasing travel insurance. Non-EU nationals
are obliged to carry medical insurance, taken out before they arrive.
In the case of a medical emergency call SAMU (Service d'Aide Medicale Urgence)
However, it is often faster to call Sapeurs Pompiers (the fire service),
who offer a first aid and ambulance service. This is particularly true
in rural areas where the local fire station is likely to be much closer
than the ambulance service based in town. The paramedics are called
secouristes.
Casualty departements (service des urgences) in public hospitals can deal
with most medical problems. Your consulate should be able to recommend and
English-speaking doctor in the area.
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The FRENCH UNIT OF CURRENCY is the franc, which is indicated by the
letter "F" before or, more usually, after the amount. It is
distinguished from the Swiss or Belgian franc by the use of the
letters "FF". There are 100 centimes to the franc, but their value
is now so small that 1 centime coins are no longer in circulation.
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All MAJOR CITIES and large : towns have offices de tourisme Small towns
and even villages have syndicate d initiative. Both will give you town
plans, advice on accommodation, and information on regional recreational
and cultural activities.
You can also get information before you leave for France from French
Government : Tourist Offices or by phoning or Writing to local tourist
offices or the appropriate CRT (Comite Regional de Tourisme) - ask the FGTO
for the address.
