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As in most large cities, it's easy to waste your limited sightseeing time in Paris traveling and then waiting in lines. A little advance planning can minimize this. Call in advance to confirm that each sight is open and not closed for refurbishment or holidays - a phonecard, or télécarte, is a wise investment. Purchase a carnet, or travel pass, to economize and simplify transportation on the buses and metro. A Paris Carte-Musée will give unlimited access to museums and monuments and limit waiting in line. Beware the Paris lunch break (around 1-3pm), when many essential services shut down and some museums close. Guided tours are often the best way to see the major sights of Paris while you get your bearings. If you're on a tight budget, you should bear in mind that admission is sometimes lower at certain times or on Sundays; card-carrying students can obtain discounts on some tickets and admissions.
There are 150 museums and monuments open to the public in Paris. Most are open Monday (or Tuesday) to Sunday, from 10am to 5:40pm. Some offer evening visits. The national museums are closed on Tuesdays, except Versailles and the Musée d'Orsay, which are closed on Mondays. The municipal museums, such as those run by the city of Paris (Ville de Paris), are usually closed on Mondays.
An admission fee is usually charged, or a donation is expected. The entrance fee to national museums is reduced by half on Sundays. Those under 18 are admitted free, and those 18 to 25 and over 60 pay half-price. The municipal museums, and some other museums, do not charge a fee to see their permanent collections on Sundays. Those under 7 and over 60 are admitted free at all times. In order to obtain these discounts you will have to provide proof of your age, identity and occupation.
It is worth buying the pass known as Paris Carte-Musée (also known as the Carte Inter-Musée). This gives the bearer access to 63 museums and monuments. With the pass, on is entitled to an unlimited number of visits and will not have to get in line, a significant advantage in the Paris high season, when crowds can become highly frustrating. The pass is on sale at Paris's museums and monuments, main metro and RER stations and at the headquarters of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.
This travel website lists opening times for each site individually. Most Paris businesses are open from 9 or 10am to 7 or 8pm on Monday through Saturday., but may stay open longer in summer, with late closing on Saturday and early closing on Sunday and before public holidays. Food shops open at 7am and close about noon, then reopen about 4 or 5pm, and close at 8pm. Banks are open from around 9am to 4:30 or 5:15pm on Monday through Friday, and 9am to midnight on Saturday. Some close between noon and 2pm, and the day before a public holiday they always close at noon.
There are seven tourist offices in Paris, one at each of the five main SNCF railroad stations, one at the Eiffel Tower and one on the Champs-Elysées. All offices provide maps, information and brochures. They also offer last-minute hotel reservation services. At the SNCF train station tourist offices, which are particularly useful for incoming travelers, the service is slow in summer, when backpackers arrive in Paris in droves. Expect to wait.
The main listings magazines in Paris, available at all newsstands, are Pariscope and L'Officiel des Spectacles. Each Wednesday they present full, up-to-date information on the week's current theater, movies and exhibits, as well as on cabarets, dinner clubs and some restaurants.
Alpha-FNAC agencies have tickets for all the major entertainment attractions, including temporary museum shows. Ther are Alpha-FNAC branches throughout Paris. For more information, call the main central office.
For theater tickets only, the KiosqueThéâtre sells same-day tickets at 50% discount. The two locations are Place de la Madeleine and the Châtelet-Les Halles RER station.
Visitors
should be aware that smoking is not allowed in theaters, movie houses
or other public places.
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Bus
Tour Operators
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Cityrama 4 Place des Pyramides 75001 Paris Phone: 01 44 55 61 00 |
| Parisbus 3-5 Rue Talma 75016 Paris Phone: 01 42 88 92 88 |
| Paris
Vision 214 Rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris Phone: 01 42 60 31 25 |
There are double-decker bus tours with commentaries in English, Italian, Japanese and German. These are operated by major companies - Cityrama and Paris Vision. The tours begin from the city center and take about two hours. They pass the main sights but do not stop at all of them. Because departure times vary, visitors should phone the bus operators for details. Another operator, Parisbus, runs tours on British double-decker buses stopping at many of Paris's great sights. These tours allow you to leave the bus at any of the stops and to rejoin the tour later.
The Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques offers guided walking tours.
In many countries, particularly on the Continent, hotel and restaurant bills include a service charge; any additional tipping is usually up to the visitor, generally small change but no more than 5 percent.
When service is not included in the restaurant bill, as is usually the case in Britain, a tip of 10 to 15 percent is customary.
Taxi drivers are usually tipped 10 to 15 percent. A tip of at least $1 is suggested per bag for porters and bellmen, for a doorman hailing a taxi, per night for the maid, for the parking attendant, for the cloakroom attendant and per day for the tour guide or the driver.
Disabled Access
Services for disabled persons are limited. Most pavements have been contoured to allow wheelchair passage, but many restaurants, hotels, and even museums and monuments are poorly equipped. However, better facilities are being incorporated into all renovated and new buildings. For information on public facilities for the disabled, call the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau and ask for the (French language) pamphlet Touristes Quand Même.
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Disability
Information
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Association pour la Mobilité des Handicapées
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Compagnons du Voyage 17 Quai D'Austerlitz 75013, Paris Open 8:30am-noon, 2pm-5pm Mon-Fri. Seven-day escort services on all transportation. Costs vary. Phone: 01 45 83 67 77 |
Entry Requirements
All non-French nationals need a valid passport to enter France (check its expiration date). The French government no longer requires visas for U.S. citizens, provided they're staying less than 90 days. For longer stays, they must apply for a long-term visa, residence card, or temporary-stay visa. Each requires proof of income or a viable means of support in France and a legitimate purpose for remaining in the country. Applications are available from the Consulate Section of the French Embassy, 4101 Reservoir Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202/944-6195), or from the Visa Section of the French Consulate, 934 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10021 (tel. 212/606-3601). Visas are required for students planning to study in France even if the stay is less than 90 days.
Citizens of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, Japan, and European Union countries do not need visas.
If your passport is lost or stolen, go to your consulate as soon as possible for a replacement.
For information on how to get a passport, and for an up-to-date country-by-country listing of passport requirements around the world, go to the website of the U.S. State Department at http:/ ravel.state.gov
Customs and ImmigrationCurrently there are no visa requirements for EU nationals or tourists from the United States or New Zealand staying in France for three months. After three months, a carte de séjour is required. Visitors from Canada, Australia and other countries should request information from the French consulate in their own country before leaving.
VAT RefundsVisitors resident outside the European Union (EU) can reclaim the sales tax (TVA, or VAT) they pay on French goods purchased while in Paris. Most European countries levy value-added taxes (VAT), a form of sales tax that can run up to 25 percent of the total price. It is included in the purchase price of an item, not added on at the cash register, and so is virtually undetectable.
In most countries, foreign visitors may be able to receive a refund of the tax. Always ask at the store, which can also tell you what the country's minimum-purchase requirements are for a refund.
Usually, you fill out a form at the store, showing your passport. Upon leaving the country, you submit all forms to customs for approval. (They may ask to see the goods, so have them handy.) In some instances, you can get the refund before departure; otherwise, it will come by mail.
If you are visiting two or more countries within the European Union, you submit forms only on departure from the last EU country.
VAT rates and refund procedures vary from country to country. For individuals, VAT refunds generally are available on goods only, not services.
Customs (Allowable Items and Limits)What You Can Bring Into France - Customs restrictions differ for citizens of European Union (EU) countries and non-EU countries.
For Non-EU Nationals: You can bring in, duty-free, 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of smoking tobacco. You can also bring in 2 liters of wine and either 1 liter of alcohol over 22 proof or 2 liters of alcohol under 22 proof. In addition, you can bring in 60cc (2 oz.) of perfume, a quarter liter of eau de toilette, 250cc (8.5 oz.) of coffee, and 200 grams of tea. Visitors 15 and over may bring in other goods totaling 175€ ($228); the allowance for those 14 and under is 90€ ($117). (Customs officials tend to be lenient about general merchandise, realizing the limits are unrealistically low.)
For EU Citizens: Visitors from European Union countries can bring into France any amount of goods as long as they're intended for their personal use -- not for resale.
What You Can Take Home From Paris: U.S. citizens returning from Paris who have been away for at least 48 hours are allowed to bring back, once every 30 days, $800 worth of merchandise duty-free. You'll be charged a flat rate of 4% duty on the next $1,000 worth of purchases. Be sure to have your receipts handy. On mailed gifts, the duty-free limit is $200. With some exceptions, you cannot bring fresh fruits and vegetables into the United States. For specifics on what you can bring back, download the invaluable free pamphlet Know Before You Go online at www.cbp.gov. Or contact U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20229 (tel. 877/287-8667), and request the pamphlet.
For Canadians, a clear summary of rules is available by writing for the booklet I Declare, issued by the Canada Border Services Agency (tel. 800/461-9999 in Canada, or 204/983-3500; www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca). Canada allows its citizens a C$750 exemption, and you're allowed to bring back duty-free 1 carton of cigarettes, 2.2 pounds of tobacco, 40 imperial ounces of liquor, and 50 cigars. In addition, you're allowed to mail gifts to Canada valued at less than C$60 a day, provided they're unsolicited and don't contain alcohol or tobacco (write on the package "Unsolicited gift, under $60 value"). All valuables should be declared on the Y-38 form before departure from Canada, including serial numbers of valuables you already own, such as expensive foreign cameras. Note: The C$750 exemption can be used only once a year and only after an absence of 7 days.
U.K. citizens who are returning from a European Union (EU) country will go through a separate Customs Exit (called the "Blue Exit") especially for EU travelers. In essence, there is no limit on what you can bring back from an EU country, as long as the items are for personal use (this includes gifts) and you have already paid the necessary duty and tax. However, customs law sets out guidance levels. If you bring in more than these levels, you may be asked to prove that the goods are for your own use. Guidance levels on goods bought in the EU for your own use are 3,200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos, 3 kilograms of smoking tobacco, 10 liters of spirits, 90 liters of wine, 20 liters of fortified wine (such as port or sherry), and 110 liters of beer.
For more information, contact HM Customs & Excise at tel. 0845/010-9000 (or 020/8929-0152 from outside the U.K.), or consult its website at www.hmce.gov.uk.
The duty-free allowance in Australia is $A900 worth of duty/tax free goods ($A450 for under 18), 2250ml of alcoholic beverages and 250 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco products. If you're returning with valuables you already own, such as foreign-made cameras, you should file form B263. A helpful brochure available from Australian consulates or Customs offices is Know Before You Go. For more information, call the Australian Customs Service at tel. 1300/363-263, or log on to www.customs.gov.au.
The duty-free allowance for New Zealand is NZ$700. Citizens over 17 can bring in 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, or 250 grams of tobacco (or a mixture of all three if their combined weight doesn't exceed 250g), plus 4.5 liters of wine and beer or 1.125 milliliters of liquor. New Zealand currency does not carry import or export restrictions. Fill out a certificate of export, listing the valuables you are taking out of the country; that way, you can bring them back without paying duty. Most questions are answered in a free pamphlet available at New Zealand consulates and Customs offices: New Zealand Customs Guide for Travellers, Notice no. 4. For more information, contact New Zealand Customs Service, The Customhouse, 17-21 Whitmore St., Box 2218, Wellington (tel. 04/473-6099 or 0800/428-786 in New Zealand; www.customs.govt.nz).
Electrical AdaptersThe voltage in France is 220 volts. Plugs have two small round pins; heavier-duty ones have two large round pins. Better hotels offer built-in voltage adapters for shavers only. Adapters can be bought at department stores such as BHV.
TV, Radio, NewspapersThere are only a few French TV stations, all of them transmitting in French only: TF1, FR2, FR3, M6 (films primarily), Arte and La Sept (culture). For English speakers there is the French cable channel Canal +. On this you can get the American CBS "evening news" live at 7am daily. For other cable channels (such as Skynews or CNN), check hotel information services - some hotels receive satellite and cable TV. Radio France Internationale (89MHz FM and 738MW) broadcasts international news in English from 4 to 5pm daily (MW only).
The International Herald Tribune is published in Paris and contains good American news coverage. Major British daily, weekly and Sunday newspapers are sold from kiosks in the central tourist areas of Paris. They include The Times, Sunday Times, Guardian International, Daily Mail, Financial Times, and The Economist. The major US, German, Swiss, Italian and Spanish newspapers are usually found at the same newsstands.
Paris TimeParis is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The French use the 24-hour or military clock (am and pm are not used). Therefore, 9am is 09:00, 9pm is 21:00 (add 12 to give the 24-hour clock time).
Here are some standard time differences with other cities (these can vary with local summer changes to the time). London: -1 hour; New York: -6 hours; Dallas: -7 hours; Los Angeles: -9 hours; Sydney: +9 hors; Tokyo: +8 hours; Aukland: +11 hours.
