Paris Apartment, Hotel and Accommodation, city guide

Useful Information

 You can find below the general information about France:


Entry Formalities

Passports and Visas

Holders of full, valid EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passports do not need a visa to enter France for stays of up to three months. If you intend to stay longer, the law says you need a 'carte de séjour', a requirement EU citizens can easily get around as passports are rarely stamped. Non-EU citizens had best apply for an extended visa before leaving home, a complicated procedure requiring proof of income, etc. You can't get a 'carte de séjour' without the visa, and obtaining that is a trial run in the ennui you'll undergo in applying for a 'carte de séjour'. For further information contact your nearest consulate.


Customs

Those arriving from another EU country do not have to declare goods imported into France for personal use if they have paid duty on them in the country of origin. You are allowed to bring in, duty paid, or take home from France to the UK, up to 800 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars or 1kg of tobacco; plus 10 litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer. Travellers from outside the EU are meant to pay duty on goods worth over 175 € which they import into France. Travellers from the USA are allowed to bring home, duty-free, goods to the value of 800 € including 200 cigarettes or 100 cigars; plus 1 litre of alcohol. For more information, telephone the US Customs Service. You are not allowed to bring back absinthe or Cuban cigars.

Climate

Paris has a temperate climate, between the oceanic one of the west and semi-continental one of the east. Winters are mild and summers gentle. Of course the inner center of Paris is always warmer than the surroundings.


General festivals and events

Beside Bastille Day, another nationally celebrated affair is the Fête de la Musique on the 21st of June. The first three weeks of July are taken up with the Tour de France. Then there's the Fête du Patrimoine, which throws open the doors of usually inaccessible monuments and offers free admission to museums. Check local tourist office sites for more detailed information.

Food and drink

French restaurants generally serve between noon and 2 pm and in the evening from 7 to 10 pm with laster summer hours; 'Brasseries' in the cities often stay open continuously. If service is included it will say 'service compris' or 's.c.'; if not, 'service non compris' or 's.n.c.', and you should tip between 10 and 15%. Generally you always have some bread and tap water (which is good) for free.


Health, emergency and insurance

France has one of the best healthcare system in the world. Local hospitals are the places to go in an emergency ('urgence'). Doctors take turns going on duty at night and on holidays: ring any surgery to listen to the recorded message to find out what to do.
To be on the safe side, always carry a phone card. If it's note an emergency, pharmacists are trained to administer first aid, and dispense advice for minor problems. However you are insured, you pay up front for everything, unless it's an emergency, when you will be billed later. Doctors will give you a brown and white 'feuille de soins' with your prescription; take both to the pharmacy and keep the 'feuille', the various medicin stickers ('vignettes') and pescriptions for insurance purposes at home.
Citizens of the EU should bring an E128 form (available from the post offices before your travel), entitling you to the same emergency health services and treatments as French citizens. This means paying up front for medical care and prescriptions. Keep copies of all documents and make sure you obtain receipts. many of the larger credit card companies will also offer free travel insurance for health and theft..etc...when you use them to book a package holiday or aeroplane/train tickets.
If you're not covered on your credit card, you may want to consider taking out extra insurance, covering theft and losses and offering 100% medical refund and emergency repatriation if necessary; check to see if it covers extra expenses should you get bogged down in airport or train strikes. Be aware that accidents resulting from sports are rarely covered by ordinary insurance.


Money and banks

The euro has been the currency in France since 2002. Banknotes come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 €; coins in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, 1 and 2 €. Travellers' cheques are the safest way of carrying money, but the wide acceptance of credit or debit cards and the presence of ATMs ('distributeurs de billets') make them a convenient alternative. Major international credit cards are widely used in France; Visa is the most readily accepted, although for the French, Carte Bleue is a direct-debit bank card. American Express is often not accepted, however. Smaller hotels and restaurants and bed and breakfasts may not accept cards at all. For debit/cash cards, ask your bank before you leave. Some supermarkets and shops experience difficulties reading UK-style magnetic strips, so arm yourself with cash in case.
Under the Cirrus system, withdrawals in euros can be made from bank and post office automatic cash machines, using your UK PIN. The specific cards accepted are marked on each machine, and most give instructions in English. Credit card companies charge a fee for cash advances, but rates are often better than those at banks.Banks are generally open 8.30 am – 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm – 4.30 pm, they close on Sunday and most close either on Saturday or Monday as well. Exchange rates vary, and nearly all take a commission of varying proportions. 'Bureaux de change' that do nothing but exchange money usually have the worst rates or take the heftiest commissions.


Opening hours, museums and national holidays

Many shops and supermarkets are now open continuously Monday-Saturday from 9 or 10 am to 7 or 7.30 pm.
Concerning the museums, they are for some of them closed on Monday or Tuesday and sometimes the winter. Hours change with the season: longer summer hours begin in May or June and last until the end of September, usually. Most museums close on national holidays and give discounts if you have a student ID card, or are an EU citizen under 18 or over 65 years old. National museums are free if you're under 18.
On French national holidays, banks, shops, businesses and some museums close; but most restaurants stay open.


Post offices, telephones and the Internet

Known as the La Poste, discernible by a blue bird on a yellow background, post offices are open Monday-Friday 8 am – 7 pm, and Saturdays 8 am until noon.You can purchase stamps in tobacconists as well as post offices.
Nearly all public telephones have switched over from coins to 'télécartes', which you can purchase at any post office or newsstand. If ringing France from abroad, the international dialling code is 33, and drop the first '0' of the number. For international calls from France, dial '00', then the country code and the number (dropping the '0').
You will also be able to find plenty of cybercafés which enable you to go on the Internet.