Travel Tips France

SAFETY FIRST

Dial 15 for ambulance, 17 for Police and 18 for Fire Service

International Dialing Code is +33

British Embassy

35 rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré

75008 Paris

Telephone 01 4266 9142

Consulate

9 ave Hoche

75008 Paris

Telephone 01 4266 3810

• The following areas are off limits for lone travellers travelling late at night around metro Chatelet, Gare du Nord, Les Halles and Stalingrad.  
• Cars are targets, do not leave valuables on display in your car.
• The legal age to drive in France is 18.  You must have a full driver's license and fully comprehensive insurance certificate with you.  Also, you must carry a high visibility jacket with you and hazard triangle at ALL times otherwise you WILL be fined.

• Drivers can be erratic in France, be very careful, driving laws are often broken.  As a pedestrian, be careful at pedestrian crossings.
• In Northern France do not wear any clothes from a political movement.
• Beware of pick-pocketing especially in cities. 

FRENCH WEATHER

The weather in France is generally moderate. Western parts receive wind from the Atlantic bringing rain and cool winters.  Inland, the seasonal difference is more obvious with clearly defined wet and dry stages, which make for hotter summers and colder winters.  Eastern France and the mountainous areas observe harsher winters and blusterous summers. Mountain peaks often remain covered with snow and sometimes glaciers appear in the Alps.  

The Riviera is a dry, pleasant climate and is well-safeguarded by the Alps.  Summer temperatures soar into the 90's.  There are occasional gusty winds known as mistrals that blow through southeastern France.

TIPPING

In France, cafes and restaurants include a 15 percent service charge.  This is required by French law, as tips are assessed for taxation purposes.  Extra tips are always appreciated (as a few greedy cafe and restaurant owners keep all or most of the tips for themselves).  These extra tips could be a few Euro cents for a drink, to 1 - 5 Euros for lunch or dinner.  There is no obligation here.

Taxi drivers are on a good salary in France, so any tipping is considered generous.

If you want to make your porter smile, tip him 1 Euro per bag.


COST OF LIVING IN FRANCE use currency converter, right of page.




6 eggs - €2
250g butter - €1.60
300g rump steak steak - €6
Baguette - €0.80
1 litre milk - €0.70
250g pork chops - €2.80
250 ml shampoo - €3
150 ml deodorant - €3.25
English newspaper - €2


Small black coffee - from €2.25
Toasted cheese sandwich - from €3.50
3 Course evening meal - from €30


Costs in Paris are considerably more expensive.