Fast Facts

American Express -- The office at 11 rue Scribe, 9e (tel. 01-47-77-79-28) is open as a travel agency, a tour operator, and a mail pickup service every Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 6:30pm, Saturday 9am to 5:30pm. Its banking section can fill most needs and, for issues involving American Express credit cards, transfers of funds, and credit-related issues, it's open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6:30pm.

Area Codes -- The area code for Paris is 01. In some special cases, such as for certain transportation information, it might be 08.

Babysitters -- The best deal comes from Babychou Services, 31 rue Moulin de la Pointe, 13e (tel. 01-43-13-33-23; fax 01-43-13-33-20). You pay 16€ ($21) for the booking, plus 8€ ($10) per hour for one kid, 9€ ($12) per hour for two kids, and 10€ ($13) for three.

Business Hours -- Opening hours in France are erratic, as befits a nation of individualists. Most museums close 1 day a week (often Tues) and national holidays; hours tend to be from 9:30am to 5pm. Some museums, particularly the smaller ones, close for lunch from noon to 2pm. Most museums are open Saturday, but many close Sunday morning and reopen in the afternoon. Generally, offices are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, but don't count on it -- always call first. Large stores are open from 9 or 9:30am (often 10am) to 6 or 7pm without a break for lunch. Some shops, particularly those operated by non-native French owners, open at 8am and close at 8 or 9pm. In some small stores, the lunch break can last 3 hours, beginning at 1pm.

Drugstores -- After regular hours, have your concierge contact the Commissariat de Police for the nearest 24-hour pharmacy. French law requires one pharmacy in any given neighborhood to stay open 24 hours. You'll find the address posted on the doors or windows of all other drugstores. One of the most central all-nighters is Pharmacy Les Champs "Derhy," 84 av. des Champs-Elysées, 8e (tel. 01-45-62-02-41; Métro: George V).

Electricity -- In general, expect 200 volts AC (60 cycles), though you'll encounter 110 and 115 volts in some older establishments. Adapters are needed to fit sockets. Many hotels have two-pin (in some cases, three-pin) sockets for electric razors. It's best to ask at your hotel before plugging in any electrical appliance.

Embassies & Consulates -- If you have a passport, immigration, legal, or other problem, contact your consulate. Call before you go -- they often keep odd hours and observe both French and home-country holidays. The Embassy of the United States, 2 av. Gabriel, 8e (tel. 01-43-12-22-22; Métro: Concorde), is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. The Embassy of Canada is at 35 av. Montaigne, 8e (tel. 01-44-43-29-00; Métro: Franklin-D.-Roosevelt or Alma-Marceau), open Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 2 to 5pm. The Embassy of the United Kingdom is at 35 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, 8e (tel. 01-44-51-31-00; Métro: Concorde or Madeleine), open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 1pm and 2:30 to 5pm. The Embassy of Ireland is at 4 rue Rude, 16e (tel. 01-44-17-67-00; Métro: Etoile), open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 1pm and 2:30 to 5:30pm. The Embassy of Australia is at 4 rue Jean-Rey, 15e (tel. 01-40-59-33-00; Métro: Bir Hakeim), open Monday to Friday 9:15am to noon and 2:30 to 4:30pm. The embassy of New Zealand is at 7 ter rue Léonard-de-Vinci, 16e (tel. 01-45-01-43-43; Métro: Victor Hugo), open Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 2:30 to 6pm. The embassy of South Africa, 59 quai d'Orsay, 7e (tel. 01-53-59-23-89; Métro: Invalides), is open Monday to Friday 9am to noon.

Emergencies -- For the police, call tel. 17; to report a fire, call tel. 18. For an ambulance, call tel. 15 or 01-45-67-50-50.

Etiquette & Customs -- The French are known for a certain classic stylishness and conservatism in dress. What looks good on a holiday in Jamaica might instantly mark you out as a foreigner on the Right Bank of Paris. Parisians like pleasantries: Say Bonjour Madame/Monsieur when entering an establishment and Au Revoir when you depart. Always say Pardon when you accidentally bump into someone. Bread is served with each meal, and it's polite to wipe your plate with it. Waiters will not bring the check until asked. French etiquette requires you to keep your hands above the table and not below, in your lap. For more information, refer to The Global Etiquette Guide to Europe: Everything You Need to Know for Business and Travel Success by Dean Foster (Wiley Publishing).

Holidays -- Major holidays are January 1 (New Year's Day), Easter, Ascension Day (40 days after Easter), Pentecost (seventh Sunday after Easter), May 1 (May Day), May 8 (VE Day), July 14 (Bastille Day), August 15 (Assumption of the Virgin Mary), November 1 (All Saints Day), November 11 (Armistice Day), and December 25 (Christmas).

Hospitals -- Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm, Central Médical Europe, 44 rue d'Amsterdam, 9e (tel. 01-42-81-93-33; Métro: Liège or St-Lazare), maintains contacts with medical and dental practitioners in all fields. Appointments are recommended. Another choice is the American Hospital of Paris, 63 bd. Victor-Hugo, Neuilly, 17e (tel. 01-46-41-25-25; Métro: Pont de Levallois or Pont de Neuilly; bus: 82), which operates 24-hour medical and dental services. An additional clinic is the Centre Figuier, 2 rue du Figuier, 4e (tel. 01-49-96-62-70; Métro: St-Paul). Call before visiting.

Hotlines -- S.O.S. Help can be reached at tel. 01-46-21-46-46. The 24-hr. Pharmacy Hotline is tel. 01-45-62-02-41. S.O.S. Dentaire can be reached at tel. 01-43-37-51-00.

Language -- English is widely understood. It is said that everyone who lives in the 6th Arrondissement speaks English. It is more understood by young people than their elders. English is common in all the tourist areas -- museums, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs. For useful French words and phrases, as well as food and menu terms, refer to the glossary in Appendix B of this book. A good phrasebook is Frommer's French PhraseFinder & Dictionary. For those who would also like an audio component, Berlitz French CD Pack with Book is a good choice.

Legal Aid -- In an emergency, especially if you get into trouble with the law, your country's embassy or consulate will provide legal advice. For serious emergencies, the staff might even advance you some money.

Liquor Laws -- Supermarkets, grocery stores, and cafes sell alcoholic beverages. The legal drinking age is 16, but persons under that age can be served alcohol in a bar or restaurant if accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Wine and liquor are sold every day of the week, year-round. Hours of cafes vary. Some open at 6am, serving drinks to 3am; others are open 24 hours. Bars and nightclubs may stay open as late as they wish. The Breathalyzer test is used in France, and a motorist is considered "legally intoxicated" with .5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood (the more liberal U.S. law varies among states, with many states in the range of .6 to .8g per liter). If convicted, a motorist faces a stiff fine and a possible prison term of 2 months to 2 years. If bodily injury results, sentences can range from 2 years to life.

Lost & Found -- To speed the process of replacing your personal documents if they're lost or stolen, make a photocopy of the first few pages of your passport and write down your credit card numbers (and the serial numbers of your traveler's checks, if you're using them). Leave this information with someone at home -- to be faxed to you in an emergency -- and swap it with your traveling companion. Be sure to tell all of your credit card companies the minute you discover your wallet has been lost or stolen, and file a report at the nearest police precinct. Your credit card company or insurer may require a police report number or record of the loss.

Use the following numbers in France to report your lost or stolen credit card: American Express (call collect) tel. 336/393-1111; MasterCard tel. 08-00-90-13-87, www.mastercard.com; Visa tel. 08-00-90-11-79, www.visaeurope.com. Your credit card company may be able to wire you a cash advance immediately or deliver an emergency card in a day or two.

If you need emergency cash over the weekend when all banks and American Express offices are closed, you can have money wired to you via Western Union (tel. 800/325-6000; www.westernunion.com). Travelers Express/MoneyGram is the largest company in the U.S. for money orders. You can transfer funds either online or by phone in about 10 minutes (tel. 800/MONEYGRAM; www.moneygram.com).

Identity theft and fraud are potential complications of losing your wallet, especially if you lose your driver's license with your cash and credit cards. Notify the major credit-reporting bureaus immediately; placing a fraud alert on your records may protect you against liability for criminal activity. The three major U.S. credit-reporting agencies are Equifax (tel. 800/766-0008; www.equifax.com), Experian (tel. 888/397-3742; www.experian.com), and TransUnion (tel. 800/680-7289; www.transunion.com).

If you've lost all forms of photo ID, call your airline and explain the situation; your carrier may let you board the plane if you have a copy of your passport or birth certificate and a copy of the police report you've filed.

Mail -- Most post offices in Paris are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm and every Saturday from 8am to noon. One of the biggest and most central of them is the main post office for the 1st Arrondissement, at 52 rue du Louvre (tel. 01-40-28-76-00; Métro: Musée du Louvre). It maintains the hours noted above for services including the sale of postal money orders, mail collection and distribution, and the expedition of faxes. For the purposes of selling stamps and accepting packages, it's open on a limited basis 24 hours a day. If you find it inconvenient to go to the post office to buy stamps, they're sold at the reception desks of many hotels and at cafes designated with red TABAC signs.

Newspapers & Magazines -- English-language newspapers are available at nearly every kiosk. Published Monday to Saturday, the International Herald-Tribune is the most popular paper with visiting Americans and Canadians; the Guardian provides a British point of view. For those who read in French, the leading domestic newspapers are Le Monde, Le Figaro, and Libération; the top magazines are L'Express, Le Point, and Le Nouvel Observateur. Kiosks are generally open daily from 8am to 9pm.

Passports -- Allow plenty of time before your trip to apply for a passport; processing normally takes 3 weeks but can take longer during busy periods (especially spring). And keep in mind that if you need a passport in a hurry, you'll pay a higher processing fee.

For Residents of the United States: Whether you're applying in person or by mail, you can download passport applications from the U.S. Department of State website at http://travel.state.gov. To find your regional passport office, either check the U.S. Department of State website or call the toll-free number of the National Passport Information Center (tel. 877/487-2778) for automated information.

For Residents of Canada: Passport applications are available at travel agencies throughout Canada or from the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

For Residents of Ireland: You can apply for a 10-year passport at the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.irlgov.ie/iveagh). Those younger than age 18 and older than 65 must apply for a 12€ 3-year passport. You can also apply at 1A South Mall, Cork (tel. 021/494-4700) or at most main post offices.

For Residents of Australia: You can pick up an application from your local post office or any branch of Passports Australia, but you must schedule an interview at the passport office to present your application materials. Call the Australian Passport Information Service at tel. 131-232 or visit the government website at www.smarttraveler.gov.au.

For Residents of New Zealand: You can pick up a passport application at any New Zealand Passports Office or download it from their website. Contact the Passports Office at tel. 0800/225-050 in New Zealand or 04/474-8100, or log on to www.passports.govt.nz.

Police -- In an emergency, call tel. 17. For non-emergency situations, the principal préfecture is at 9 bd. du Palais, 4e (tel. 01-53-73-53-73; Métro: Cité).

Restrooms -- If you're in dire need, duck into a cafe or brasserie to use the toilet. It's customary to make some small purchase if you do so. In the street, the domed self-cleaning lavatories are a decent option if you have small change; Métro stations and underground garages usually have public lavatories, but the degree of cleanliness varies.

Smoking -- Smoking is acceptable at most restaurants and cafes, but not in museums and other public areas.

Taxes -- As a member of the European Union, France routinely imposes a value-added tax (VAT in English; TVA in French) on many goods and services. The standard VAT is 19.6% on merchandise, including clothing, appliances, liquor, leather goods, shoes, furs, jewelry, perfumes, cameras, and even caviar. Refunds are made for the tax on certain goods and merchandise, but not on services. The minimum purchase is 175€ ($228) at one time for nationals or residents of countries outside the EU. Hotel taxes in Paris range from around .70€ (90¢) to around 1.50€ ($1.95; Ritz rate) per person per day.

Telephones -- Public phones are found in cafes, restaurants, Métro stations, post offices, airports, and train stations, and occasionally on the streets. Finding a coin-operated telephone in France is an arduous task. A simpler and more widely accepted method of payment is the télécarte, a prepaid calling card available at kiosks, post offices, and Métro stations and costing 11€ to 16€ ($14-$21) for 50 and 120 units, respectively. A local call costs one unit, which provides you 6 to 18 minutes of conversation, depending on the rate. Télécarte is good for local calls in Paris or anywhere else in France, but is not valid for international calls. Avoid making calls from your hotel, which may double or triple the charges.

To call long distance within France, dial the 10-digit number (9-digit in some cases outside Paris) of the person or place you're calling. To reach the long-distance operator for AT&T, the Direct Access Number is: tel. 0800-99-0011 or 0805-701-288; for Canada, dial tel. 0800-99-00-16 or 0800-99-02-16.

If you have a phone card, you can recharge it anywhere, anytime, with eKit, via the Web. You can recharge over the phone using a self-service recharge menu. If you prefer to speak to someone, you can call eKit's 24-hour Customer Service: tel. 888/310-4168 in the U.S.; tel. 0800/028-2402 in Britain; tel. 800/094-747 in Australia; and tel. 866/626-9724 in Canada. With eKit, you can save up to 70% on calls in 200 countries worldwide, including France. One of the many advantages is that family and friends can leave you messages at no cost to them.

To call Paris:

1. Dial the international access code: 011 from the U.S.; 00 from the U.K., Ireland, or New Zealand; or 0011 from Australia.

2. Dial the country code 33.

3. Dial the city code 1 and then the number.

To make international calls: To make international calls from Paris, first dial 00 and then the country code (U.S. or Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64). Next you dial the area code and number. For example, if you wanted to call the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., you would dial tel. 00-1-202-588-7800.

For directory assistance: For numbers inside and outside France, dial tel. 118-008.

For operator assistance: With the inauguration of increasing numbers of cellphones (each of which has a different carrier), and with the decentralization of what used to be the P. T. T., local operators within France are less and less widespread. Even if you dial "0," depending on where you are within France, it might not get you a live body. Everyone automatically expects that, according to the director of phone services in Paris, dialers know the codes of the countries or regions they're trying to reach.

As for reaching an operator for the placement of calls outside of France, the system involves bypassing French operators completely, and relying on the operators based within the country you're trying to call. In any event, the prefix for accessing a foreign (i.e., non-French) operator involves dialing the access codes 0800-99-00 followed by the country code.

Toll-free numbers: Numbers beginning with 0800 within France are toll-free, but calling a 1-800 number in the States from France is not toll-free. In fact, it costs the same as an overseas call.

Time -- France is usually 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time and 9 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time in the United States. French daylight saving time lasts from around April to September, when clocks are set 1 hour ahead of the standard time.

Tipping -- By law, all bills show service compris, which means the tip is included; additional gratuities are customarily given as follows: For hotel staff, tip the porter 1.05€ to 1.50€ ($1.35-$1.95) per item of baggage and 1.50€ ($1.95) per day for the chambermaid. You're not obligated to tip the concierge, doorman, or anyone else unless you use his or her services. In cafes and restaurants, waiter service is usually included, though you can leave some small change, if you like. Tip taxi drivers 12% to 15% of the amount on the meter. In theaters and restaurants, give cloakroom attendants at least .75€ ($1) per item. Give restroom attendants in nightclubs and such places about .30€ (40¢). Tip the hairdresser about 15%, and don't forget to tip the person who gives you a shampoo or a manicure 1.50€ ($1.95). For guides for group visits to museums and monuments, .75€ to 1.50€ ($1-$1.95) is a reasonable tip.

Useful Phone Numbers -- U.S. Department of State Travel Advisory tel. 202/647-5225 (manned 24 hrs.); U.S. Passport Agency tel. 202/647-0518; U.S. Centers for Disease Control International Traveler's Hotline tel. 404/332-4559; Postal info tel. 01-40-28-20-40; Federal Express tel. 01-40-06-90-16 or 08-20-12-38-00.

Water -- Drinking water is generally safe, though some who were unused to it have gotten diarrhea. If you ask for water in a restaurant, it will be bottled water (for which you'll pay) unless you specifically request une carafe d'eau (tap water).