France Travel Tips, Holiday Information and Tourist Information.

By reading through the following France Tourist Information you may find a few helpful tips to make your holiday in France more enjoyable. If you are looking for holiday accommodation in France then search Apartment and Villa Rentals for apartments and villas to rent, plus many more holiday rentals in France. 

If you have a holiday home to rent in France then you can advertise it on Apartment and Villa Rentals.

France is one of Europe’s largest countries with a population of 60 million people. We hope that you find the French Tourist Information is useful and it may help you to have a more pleasant holiday in France.
Whether people are looking for sun, sea, sand, historical sites, local traditions or a week of party then France has many different resorts that cater for individual needs.

France is extremely popular with British holiday-makers with access made easier and more cost effective entering the country.
There’s a variety of travel options to meet your personal requirements. You can travel by train, via the channel tunnel, ferry or hovercraft and of course fly with Air France being the more popular company along with other leading low cost budget airlines.
Whilst in France visitors are normally required to pay a tourism tax or a flat-rate tourism tax which is fixed by the local authority and varies from € 0.15 to € 1.07 per person per day, according to the quality and standard of the accommodation.

Where the tourism tax is not flat rate, children under 4 years of age are exempt and children under 10 are charged half the rate.
The owner of the accommodation will include this in your hotel bill, rent, etc…
As with most places around Europe you will find tourism information booths dotted around most of the more popular resorts. These are usually manned by bi-lingual staff that can normally help you with most of your needs.

The Best Time to Travel

No matter what season you decide to go, France has a location and holiday home to match all holiday makers needs. So whatever you look for in a holiday destination, be it art galleries and museums, hiking through the countryside, skiing or snowboarding or just relaxing on golden sandy beaches, France has it all.

Electrical

All of France runs on 220 volts AC and has the 2 pin connection plug. Today modern 2 pin plugs act also as an earth but you will find that in some of the older buildings that they use the older versions of the 2 pin.

Emergency

The number that you call from anywhere in France is 112. This will connect you to the Fire, Police and Ambulance services. You will find that in France the Fire Brigade will have 1 or more ambulances that are used for emergencies.
SAMU (medical emergencies): 15
Police emergency: 17
Fire service emergency: 18
European emergency line: 112
On motorways and some major national roads you will find SOS call boxes to assist in case of breakdown or an accident.

Medical Assistance

You will find a choice of medical services in France. Specialists, dentists, GPs and of course emergency establishments, hospitals or health centres.
You will always find a doctor on 24hr call out but remember that home visits weekends and public holidays are more expensive. Doctors are regulated with the Department of Health there fees are fixed but if you go to private surgery/hospital again the fee will be more expensive.
If you are a European citizen travelling to France speak to your local social security office or post office for a "European Form E.111". This will enable you to be reimbursed for any medical costs and prescription charges when you return.

Pharmacy

The chemist is identified with a green cross on a white background.
At the chemists you can get advice on various health problems and they will suggest the appropriate treatment that suits your needs. If they feel that you should seek medical advice they will normally recommend a local surgery to visit.
You will find a Pharmacy in most towns and major resorts, there working hours are 9am to 7pm or 8pm and you will find in any resort there will be one open at nights, public holidays and Sundays.

All pharmacies display the address of the nearest one.

In France you will notice when visiting the chemist that they can sell you many medicines that you would normally need a prescription for back at home. The pharmacist will give you the best advice.

Commercial Hours

Opening times for shops is usually from 9am until 7pm Monday through to Friday. On a Saturday they normally open from 9am to 1pm and then closed on Sundays.
Some shops do extend the opening times and days that they are open especially throughout the summer months.

Disabled Travellers in France

There are many services for travellers with special needs or requirements.
A variety of transport companies offer discounts or have promotions that can be obtained by special assistance passengers. Check with transport providers for offers.

National Holidays

Post

Post offices in France (Bureaux de Poste) are open from 9am – 7pm Monday-Friday and half day during weekends. In Paris they are open 24 hours. La Poste is the mail service of France. There are other services you can acquire like banking services and courier services via Chronopost.

Money

The local currency is Euros.
Any foreign currency can be changed at banks, exchange stalls and even at a currency exchange machine that you will see in some main streets.
Many people these days simply bring credit cards or cash cards from back home and use the machine like you would normally, once you have clicked on English the commands are very similar to what you are used too. You will be given local currency normally at your banks exchange rate. (Various fees may apply, check with your bank prior to this)
The above facilities are usually better than using a hotel reception as rates vary quite a lot.
Banks are normally open between Monday and Friday 8.30am to 3pm and closed at weekends.
Traveller’s cheques are welcome in most exchange booths and banks.
You can also use the majority of well known credit cards in most establishments.

France Visa

When travelling from the European Union, Australia and New Zealand the only requirement is a passport. This entitles you to stay for a period of up to 90 days.
A visa is not required if staying for less than 90 days, unless you are a student wanting to study in France. If you are planning a long term visit then you will require a short stay visa, long stay visa or residence card.

Duty Free Allowance

200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco.

1l of spirits over 22% or 2l of alcoholic beverage up to 22%.
2l of wine.
50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette.
500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract.
100g of tea or 40g of tea extract.

Medication: quantities corresponding to the needs of the patient.
Other goods up to the value of €175 (€90 per person under 15 years of age).

Restricted items:
Gold jewellery below 500g in weight, which is not for personal use, must be declared.

This France tourist information was believed to be accurate at the time of print, always check with appropriate sources prior to travelling.

Apartment and Villa Rentals also have holiday accommodation in France.