France Travel Facts & Tips

ATM Availability	Available

Captial City	Paris

Dialing Code	(00) 33

Emergency Numbers	Ambulance (SAMU) 15, fire brigade 18, police 17

Weather	The north and north-west of France is strongly affected by weather brought in by Atlantic disturbances creating a climate that is similar to Britain’s. The south with its Mediterranean-type climate is warmer than northern France, especially in the Summer. The climate in central and eastern France is more continental, resembling the climate of western Germany or Switzerland. The areas with high mountains are colder all year round, and also have heavier precipitation. The summer along the Mediterranean coast and that in the mountain regions next to it, is sunny and warm with an average temperature between 15°C to 25°C. Winter can be really cool and rainy; the temperatures vary strongly, depending on the area, but in general they lie around 0°C - 7°C.

Tourist Board website	www.franceguide.com

Most Famous For	Paris (with its Eiffel Tower), wine, cheese and croissants

Useful Phrases	Bonjour (hello), au revoir (goodbye), s’il vous plait (please), merci (thank you)

Accommodation	For a fee, tourist offices will reserve rooms for you, which can be useful during the extremely busy periods of the French summer holidays in July and August. French hotels seldom include breakfast in their advertised price; note also that if you’d like to book a double room but prefer two separate beds, you will have to specify this as a normal double room always contains just one double bed. For bed&breakfast accommodation, have a look at www.bbfrance.com. Hostels can be found with the help of France’s major hostel association, ‘Federation Unie des Auberges de Jeunesse’ (www.fuaj.org).

Business Hours	Shops are open from 9am/9.30am to 7pm/8pm (some close from 1pm-2pm/3pm for lunch); most shops are closed on Sundays. Cafes open early in the morning and stay open until around midnight. Bars open in the early evening and are open until 1am/2am. Restaurants are open for lunch from noon to 2pm, for dinner from 7.30pm.

Visas	Visa are not required for EU citizens, citizens of Iceland, Norway, Australia, USA, New Zealand, Japan and Israel.

Tipping	A service charge is included in the bill but, although not compulsory, additional tipping is common in France. After a meal the amount could be somewhere in the region of €1.50 - €2.50 or €0.15 Euro when you’re paying for a beer.

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