Fast Facts

Area Codes -- The country code for France is 33 and the area code for Paris is 01.

Business Hours -- Opening hours in Paris are erratic. Most museums close on 1 day a week (usually Mon or Tues) and some national holidays. Museum hours tend to be from 9:30am to 6pm. Some museums, particularly the smaller ones, close for lunch from noon to 2pm. Generally, offices are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 6pm, but don't count on it -- always call first. Banks tend to be open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday but some branches are also open on Saturday. Large stores are open from around 10am to 6 or 7pm without a break for lunch. Some small stores have a lunch break that can last for up to 2 hours, from noon onward, but this is becoming increasingly rare. Most shops, except those in the Marais or on the Champs-Élysées, are closed on Sunday. Restaurants are typically closed on Mondays and many businesses across the city are closed in August.

Doctors -- Doctors are listed in the Pages Jaunes (French equivalent of the Yellow Pages, www. pagesjaunes.fr) under Médecins: Médecine générale. If you're using the website, you can search for a doctor in your neighborhood by typing your post code (for example 75006 if you're staying in the 6th arrondissement) in the "Où" box. The minimum fee for a consultation is about 23€ -- for this rate look for a doctor who is described as "conventionée secteur 1." The higher the "secteur," the higher the fee. SOS Médecins (tel. 36-24 or 01-47-07-77-77) makes house calls that cost 70€ before 7pm and from 110€ after 7pm or on holidays (prices quoted are for people without French social security). The Urgences Médicales de Paris (tel. 01-53-94-94-94) also makes house calls and some doctors speak English. During the day it costs 60€, until midnight 80€ and after midnight 90€ (if you don't have French social security).

Drinking Laws -- Supermarkets, grocery stores, and cafes sell alcoholic beverages. The legal drinking age is 18, 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 law regarding drunk driving is tough. A motorist is considered "legally intoxicated" if his or her blood-alcohol limit exceeds .05%. If it is under .08% (the limit in the U.K., Ireland, and some U.S. states) the driver faces a fine of 135€. Over .08% and it could cost 4,500€ or up to 2 years in jail. If you cause an accident while drunk driving the fine could be increased to 30,000€, and if you cause serious injury or death, you face 10 years in jail and a fine of up to 150,000€.

Driving Rules -- The French drive on the right. At junctions where there are no signposts indicating the right of way, cars coming from the right have priority. Many roundabouts now give priority to those on the roundabout. If this is not indicated, priority is for those coming from the right.

Drugstores -- You'll spot French pharmacies by looking for the green neon cross above the door. If your local pharmacy is closed, there should be a sign on the door indicating the nearest one open. Parapharmacies sell medical products and toiletries, but they don't dispense prescriptions. Both the Pharmacie des Champs-Élysées (84 av. des Champs-Élysées; Métro: George V; tel. 01-45-62-02-41) and the Pharmacie Européene de la Place de Clichy (6 Place de Clichy; Métro: Place de Clichy; tel. 01-48-74-65-18) are open 24 hours daily.

Electricity -- Electricity in France runs on 220 volts AC (60 cycles). Adapters or transformers are needed to fit sockets, which you can buy in branches of Darty, FNAC, or BHV. Many hotels have two-pin (in some cases, three-pin) sockets for electric razors.

Embassies and 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 Australia is at 4 rue Jean-Rey, 15e (tel. 01-40-59-33-00; www.france.embassy.gov.au; Métro: Bir Hakeim), open Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 2 to 4pm.

The Embassy of Canada is at 35 av. Montaigne, 8e (tel. 01-44-43-29-00; www.amb-canada.fr; Métro: Franklin-D-Roosevelt or Alma-Marceau), open Monday to Friday 9am to noon and 2 to 5pm.

The Embassy of Ireland is at 4 rue Rude, 16e (tel. 01-44-17-67-00; www.embassyofireland.fr; Métro: Etoile), open Monday to Friday 9:30am to noon.

The embassy of New Zealand is at 7ter rue Léonard-de-Vinci, 16e (tel. 01-45-01-43-43; www.nzembassy.com; Métro: Victor Hugo), open Monday to Thursday 9am to 1pm and 2 to 5.30pm, Friday 9am to 1pm and 2 to 4pm.

The Embassy of the United Kingdom is at 35 Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, 8e (tel. 01-44-51-31-00; http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk; Métro: Concorde or Madeleine), open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 1pm and 2:30 to 6pm.

The Embassy of the United States, 2 av. Gabriel, 8e (tel. 01-43-12-22-22; http://france.usembassy.gov; Métro: Concorde), is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm.

Emergencies -- In an emergency, call tel. 112 from a mobile phone, or the fire brigade (Sapeurs-Pompiers) (tel. 18), who are trained to deal with all kinds of medical emergencies, not just fires. For an ambulance, call tel. 15. For the police, call tel. 17.

Etiquette and Customs -- Parisians like pleasantries and take manners seriously: Say bonjour, madame/monsieur, when entering an establishment and au revoir when you depart. Always say pardon when you accidentally bump into someone. With strangers, people who are older than you, and professional contacts, use vous rather than tu (vous is the polite form of the pronoun you).

Holidays -- Major holidays are New Year's Day (January 1), Easter Sunday and Monday (Late Mar/Apr), May Day (May 1), VE Day (May 8), Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter), Pentecost/Whit Sunday and Whit Monday (seventh Sun and Mon after Easter), Bastille Day (July 14), Assumption Day (Aug 15), All Saints Day (Nov 1), Armistice Day (Nov 11), and Christmas Day (Dec 25).

Hospitals -- Open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6/7pm, Central Médical Europe, 44 rue d'Amsterdam, 9e (tel. 01-42-81-93-33; www.center-medical-europe.com; Métro: Liège or St-Lazare), maintains contacts with medical and dental practitioners in all fields.

The following hospitals have 24 hour accident and emergency services: Hôpital Hôtel Dieu (1 Place du Parvis Notre-Dame, 4e;tel. 01-42-34-82-34), Hôpital St-Louis (1 av. Claude-Vellefaux, 10e; tel. 01-42-49-49-49), Hôpital St-Antoine (184 Rue du Faubourg-St-Antoine, 12e; tel. 01-49-28-00-00), Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière (47-83 Bld de l'Hôpital, 13e; tel. 01-42-16-00-00), Hôpital Cochin (27 Rue du Faubourg St-Jacques, 14e; tel. 01-58-41-41-41), Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou (20 Rue Leblanc, 15e; tel. 01-56-09-20-00), Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard (46 Rue Henri-Huchard, 18e; tel. 01-40-25-80-80), and Hôpital Tenon (4 Rue de la Chine, 20e; tel. 01-56-01-70-00).

There are two private hospitals with English-speaking staff that operate 24 hours daily: the American Hospital of Paris (63 bd. Victor-Hugo, Neuilly, 17e; tel. 01-46-41-25-25; www.american-hospital.org; Métro: Pont de Levallois or Pont de Neuilly; bus: 82) and Hertford British Hospital, Hôpital Franco-Britannique (3 Rue Barbès, 92300 Levallois-Perret; tel. 01-46-39-22-22; www.british-hospital.org; Métro: Anatole-France).

Hot Lines -- S.O.S. Help is a hot line for English-speaking callers in crisis at tel. 01-46-21-46-46; www.soshelpline.org. Open 3 to 11pm daily.

Internet and Wi-Fi -- Many Parisian hotels and cafes have internet access, and Wi-Fi (pronounced wee-fee) is becoming increasingly common in cafes and public spaces. To find cybercafes in Paris, check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com. The latter lists 20 such cafes scattered throughout central Paris. Cybercafes tend to be pretty pricey, but a reasonably priced option is Luxembourg Micro, 81 bd. Saint-Michel, 5e (tel. 01-46-33-27-98; Métro: Luxembourg; www.luxembourg-micro.com). For 15 minutes, you pay .90€, for 30 minutes 1.80€, and for an hour 2.50€. It's open daily from 9am to 10pm.

Language -- English is widely understood in Paris, and is common in all the tourist areas -- museums, hotels, restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs.

Legal Aid -- In an emergency, especially if you get into trouble with the law, your country's embassy or consulate will provide legal advice.

Lost and Found -- All lost objects -- except those found in train stations or on trains -- are taken to the Bureau des Objets Trouvés (36 Rue des Morillons, 15e; tel. 08-21-00-25-25; www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr). It's better to visit in person than to call, but be warned that there are huge delays in processing claims. It's open from Monday to Thursday 8:30am to 5pm and Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm. Objects lost on the Métro are held by the station agents before being sent onto the Bureau des Objets Trouvés. If you lose something on a train or in a train station, go to the Lost Property office of the SNCF station in question.

Mail -- Most post offices in Paris are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and every Saturday from 8am to noon. The main post office (52 rue du Louvre Métro: Louvre-Rivoli) is open 24 hours daily. Stamps are also sold in tabacs (tobacconists). Tariffs depend on the weight and size of the letter or package but more information can be found on www.laposte.fr.

Newspapers and Magazines -- Only 20% of French people read a national paper. The most famous is the serious, center-left Le Monde, which is strong on both politics and economic issues. Le Figaro is more conservative, and tends to favor lifestyle features over controversial issues. Libération, founded in the late 1960s by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, has good news and arts coverage and is considered more left-wing. For more local news, try Le Parisien.

English-language newspapers are available at kiosks across the city. Published Monday to Saturday, the Paris-based International Herald-Tribune is the most widely available English-language newspaper. The most popular British and American papers and magazines can be found at kiosks. WH Smiths (248 Rue de Rivoli; tel. 01-44-77-88-99) has a good selection of English-language press.

Police -- In an emergency, call tel. 17 or 112 from a mobile. The Préfecture de Police has 94 stations in Paris. To find the nearest police station call tel. 08-91-01-22-22 or go to www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr.

Smoking -- Smoking is now banned in all public places, including cafes, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

Taxes -- As a member of the European Union, France routinely imposes a value-added tax (VAT in English; TVA in French) on most goods. The standard VAT is 19.6% and prices that include it are often marked TTC (toutes taxes comprises, "all taxes included"). If you're not an E.U. resident, you can get a VAT refund if you're spending less than 6 months in France; you purchase goods worth at least 175€ at a single shop on the same day; the goods fit into your luggage; and the shop offers vente en détaxe (duty-free sales or tax-free shopping). Give them your passport and ask for a bordereau de vente à l'exportation (export sales invoice). This is then signed by the retailer and yourself. When you leave the country, you need to get all three pages of this invoice validated by France's customs officials. They'll keep one sheet and you must post the pink one back to the shop. Once the shop receives its stamped copy, it will send you a virement (fund transfer) using the payment method you requested. It may take several months.

Telephones -- Public phones can still be found in France. They all require a phone card (known as a télécarte), which can be purchased at post offices, tabacs, supermarkets, SNCF ticket windows, Métro stations, and anywhere you see a blue sticker reading télécarte en vente ici ("phone card for sale here"). They cost 7.50€ for 50 calling units and 15€ for 120 units.

The country code for France is 33. To make a local or long distance call within France, dial the 10-digit number of the person or place you're calling. Mobile numbers begin with 06. Numbers beginning with 0 800, 0 804, 0 805, and 0 809 are free in France, other numbers beginning with 8 are not. Most four-digit numbers starting with 10, 30, or 31 are free of charge.

To make international calls from Paris, first dial 00 and then the country code (U.S. and Canada 1, U.K. 44, Ireland 353, Australia 61, New Zealand 64). Next you dial the area code and number. For example, if you want to call the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., you would dial tel. 001 202/588-7800.

For operator assistance and French directory enquiries dial tel. 12.

Time -- France is on Central European Time, which is 1 hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. French daylight saving time lasts from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, when clocks are set 1 hour ahead of the standard time. France uses the 24 hour clock. So 13h is 1pm, 14h15 is 2:15pm, etc. For help with time translations, and more, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

Tipping -- By law, all bills in cafes, bars and restaurants say service compris, which means the service charge is included. However, it is customary to leave 1€ or 2€ depending on the quality of the service. Taxi drivers usually expect a 5% to 10% tip, or for the fare to be rounded up to the next euro. The French give their hairdressers a tip of about 15%, and if you go to the theater, you're expected to tip the usher 2€ or 3€. For help with tip calculations, currency conversions, and more, download our convenient Travel Tools app for your mobile device. Go to www.frommers.com/go/mobile and click on the "Travel Tools" icon.

Toilets -- Paris is full of gray-colored, automatic street toilets, which are free to use and are washed and disinfected after each use. If you're in dire need, duck into a cafe or brasserie to use the toilet but expect to make a small purchase if you do so. In older establishments, you can still find Turkish toilets, otherwise known as squat toilets.

Visitor Information -- The Office du Tourisme et des Congrès (25 Rue des Pyramides, 1er; tel. 08-92-68-30-00; www.parisinfo.com) has information on hotels, restaurants, monuments, shopping, excursions, events, and transport. Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 7pm and Sunday 11am to 7pm. There are several other offices around Paris: Montmartre (21 Place du Tertre, 18e; daily 10am-7pm); Anvers (72 Bld Rochechouart, 9e; daily 10am-6pm); Gare du Nord (18 Rue de Dunkerque, 10e; daily 8am-6pm); Gare de l'Est (Place du 11-novembre-1918, 10e; Mon-Sat 8am-7pm); Gare de Lyon (20 Bld Diderot, 12e; Mon-Sat 8am-6pm); and Porte de Versailles (1 Place de la Porte de Versailles, 15e; daily 11am-7pm during trade fairs).

There are lots of interesting blogs written in English about Paris, but some of the best are GoGo Paris (www.gogoparis.com), an insider guide to Paris's fashion, food, art and gigs; Paris by Mouth (www.parisbymouth.com), a collaborative website edited by established food writers where you can find all the latest food gossip and a guide to Paris restaurants; and Chocolate and Zucchini (http://chocolateandzucchini.com), the hugely successful food blog written by a 30-something Parisian called Clotilde.

Water -- Drinking water is generally safe. To order tap water in a restaurant ask for une carafe d'eau.