Here we have gathered information that we hope you will find useful when you are traveling in France.

Money and ATM's

Currency

1 Euro = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of 2 and 1 Euro, and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cents.

Credit Cards

Access/MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa are all widely accepted. Check with your credit card company for details of merchant acceptability and other services which may be available.

Travelers Cheques

Accepted throughout France.

Banking and Business Hours

Banks & Offices: Generally, banks are open weekdays, from 9:30 to 4:30 (the Banque de France closes at 3:30), and some banks are also open on Saturday. Most take a one-hour, or even a 90-minute, lunch break, except for those in Paris. Banks at airports and main train stations open as early as 6:30 AM and close as late as 10:30 PM. In general government offices and businesses are open 9-5.

Shops: Large stores in bigger towns are open from 9 or 9:30 until 7 or 8. Smaller shops often open earlier (8 AM) and close later (8 PM) but take a lengthy lunch break (1-4), particularly in the south of France. Corner groceries frequently stay open until around 10 PM. Some Paris stores are beginning to stay open on Sunday, although it's still uncommon.

Pharmacies are generally open Monday-Saturday 8:30 AM-8 PM. On the door of every pharmacy is a list of those nearby that are open on Sunday or 24 hours.

ATM's

Your existing bank cards are unlikely to work in ATM´s in France. However, if you have a MasterCard, Cirrus Card or Visa Card, there are a lot of ATM's in the country where you will be able to withdraw money.

Currency Exchange

Always try to exchange your cash at a bank, because currency exchange offices charge higher rates. The charge will include commission, so check beforehand! During the afternoon or week-ends money exchange can be done at large hotels.

Electricity

The electrical current in France is 220 volts, 50 cycles alternating current (AC); wall outlets take wall outlets take continental-type plugs, with two round prongs.

To use U.S.-purchased electric-powered equipment, bring a converter and adapter. If your appliances are dual-voltage, you'll need only an adapter. Don't use 110-volt outlets marked for shavers only for high-wattage appliances such as blow-dryers. Most laptops operate equally well on 110 and 220 volts and so require only an adapter.

Weather

July and August in southern France can be stifling. Paris can be stuffy and uncomfortable in August, especially with the problems that have arisen recently with the record highs in pollution. However, the city is pleasantly deserted. Many restaurants, theaters, and small shops close, but enough stay open these days to make a low-key, unhurried visit a pleasure.

If Paris and the Loire are among your priorities, remember that the weather is unappealing before Easter. If you're dreaming of Paris in the springtime, May is your best bet, not rainy April. But the capital remains a joy during midwinter, with plenty of things to see and do.

The French measure temperature in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. For example, 23.9ºC is a pleasant day of 75ºF; 10ºC is a cool 50ºF.

Phoning Home

Area Codes: The country code for France is 33. The first two digits of French numbers are a prefix determined by zone: Paris and Ile-de-France, 01; the northwest, 02; the northeast, 03; the southeast, 04; and the southwest, 05. Numbers beginning with 08 can be either toll-free calls or calls that you are charged for (it depends on how the company has set up the number).

Calling France: When dialing France from abroad, drop the initial 0 from the number. For instance, to call a telephone number in Paris from the United States, dial 011-33 plus the phone number minus the initial 0 (phone numbers in this book are listed with the full 10 digits, which you use to make local calls). To call France from the United Kingdom, dial 00-33, then dial the number in France minus the initial 0.

Directory & Operator Assistance: To find a number in France, dial 12 for information. For international inquiries, dial 00-33 plus the country code.

Another source of information is the Minitel, an online network similar to the Internet. You can find one -- they look like a small computer terminal -- in most post offices. Available free is an online phone book covering the entire country.

Phone Cards: Most French pay phones are operated by télécartes (phone cards), which you can buy from post offices, tabacs, and métro stations. These phone cards will save you money and hassle, since it's hard to find phones that take change these days.

There are two types of cards: the télécarte international, which allows you to make local calls and offers greatly reduced rates on international calls (instructions are in English and the cost is €8 for 60 units and €15 for 120 units); and the simple télécarte, which allows you to make calls in France (€7.5 for 50 units; €15 for 120 units). You can also use your credit card in much the same way as a télécarte but be careful, it's much more expensive.

Public Phones: Telephone booths can almost always be found at post offices, train stations, on the street, and often in cafés. A local call costs Euro.11 for every three minutes; half-price rates apply weekdays between 9:30 PM and 8 AM, from 1:30 PM Saturday, and all day Sunday. Most French pay phones are operated by phone cards, although you may still be able to find phones that operate with coins in a few cafés. Lift the receiver, place your coin(s) in the appropriate slots, and dial.

Emergencies

Emergencies

Ambulance (tel. 15).

Fire Department (tel. 18).

Police (tel. 17).

France's emergency services are conveniently streamlined and universal, so no matter where you are in the country, you can dial the same phone numbers.

Every town and village has a médecin de garde (on-duty doctor) for flus, sprains, tetanus shots, etc. To find out who's on any given evening, call any généraliste (general practitioner) and a recording will refer you. If you need an x-ray or emergency treatment, call the ambulance and you'll be whisked to the hospital of your choice -- or the nearest one. Outside of Paris it's very difficult to find English-speaking doctors.

Pharmacies in France can be very helpful with minor health problems and remedies. In case of fire, hotels are required to post emergency exit maps inside every room door and multilingual instructions. On the street, the French phrases that may be needed in an emergency are: Au secours! (Help!), urgence (emergency), samu (ambulance), pompiers (firemen), poste de station (police station), médicin (doctor), and hôpital (hospital).

If you see an accident, or any circumstance in which you think the emergency services should be called, please do so. The emergency services would rather be called 10 times about the same incident than not called at all.