Useful information

Language

The official language of France is French. Although many French people speak a second language, English being the most common, they are often reluctant to do so. In major tourist areas service is generally available in English but you will generally find waiters and shop assistants to be more friendly if you greet them with a friendly “bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?” (hello, do you speak English?).

Currency

The euro (€) is the official currency of France.  You can use most major credit cards to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Electricity

In France the norm is 220 volts, with a frequency of 50 Hz. You may need to bring an adapter. If you forget you can buy one from electrical goods and DIY stores or hypermarkets. Most major hotels can also provide them. For information, French plugs are equipped with two round pins (see below).

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Tipping

In French restaurants and cafes a 15% service charge “servis compris” is automatically included in your bill. But waiters do not normally receive this, so you can leave an additional 5-10% if you are really satisfied with the service. Taxi drivers should normally be tipped up to 10%, bearing in mind that certain charges (extra baggage, airport or train station supplments) may already be automatically included in the fare.

Telephone

The country code for France is 33, and the city code for Paris is 01 (the prefix for local landlines). To call Paris from outside of France you must dial 00-33 then the local number, omitting the leading 0. The prefix for French cell phones is 06 or 07 and as is the case with landlines, when calling from outside of France you must omit the leading 0. 

Time zone

The local time in Paris is GMT +1 hour, the same as Brussels, Geneva and Rome, but one hour ahead of London time.

Weather

August is a very popular month to visit Paris when summer sunshine and mild temperatures are the norm. At this time of the year, the average temperature begins at around 20°C in the beginning of the month and drops down to 18°C in the final few days. Daily high temperatures fall from 25°C to 23°C across the month, very rarely exceeding 31°C or falling below 19°C. Daily low temperatures fall slightly from 15°C to 13°C, almost never rising above 18°C or falling below 9°C.