THE ESSENTIALS:
English, French, Spanish Practical information to have with you at all times (buses, metro & train stations, airports, post offices, etc…)
LES INDISPENSABLES : Le Paris pratique, à emporter partout (bus, métro, gares, aéroports, poste…)
TRANSPORT BY PLANE
Traveller information. Tel: 39 50 (€0.35/min) www.parisaeroport.fr Roissy-charles de Gaulle airport • RER line B from the Gare du Nord Approx. 35 min. www.transilien.com • Roissybus from Opéra. Between 45 min and 1 hour. 10,50€ • With Le-bus Direct : Direct shuttle service from Paris downttown (Etoile/champs Elysées, Gare Montparnasse, Porte Maillot et Gare de Lyon). Open daily. Tel : 0810 812 001 (0,12€/min + standard call charges apply) www.lebusdirect.com • Taxi. Approx. 45 minutes. Around 60€ Orly South and Orly West
• RER line C and shuttle from the Gare d’austerlitz. Approx. 1 hour. Or RER line B and Orlyval shuttle from Châtelet. Approx. 40 min. www.transilien.com • Orlybus. Tel: 32 46 (€0.34/min). 7,50€ From Denfert-rochereau. Approx. 30 min. www.ratp.fr • With Le-bus direct: Direct shuttle service from Paris downttown (Etoile/champs Elysées, Invalides, Gare Montparnasse). Open daily. Tel : 0810 812 001 (0,12€/min + standard call charges apply). www.lebusdirect.com • Taxi. Approx. 45 minutes. Between 35€ and 50€ • Jetbus. From the Villejuif Louis Aragon metro station. Approx. 15 min
BY TRAIN
Traveller information. Tel: 36 35 (€0.34/min). www.voyages-sncf.com The six mainline stations in Paris:
• Gare d’austerlitz. Metro: lines 5, 10 and RER line C. Destinations: central France, Toulouse, the Pyrenees and Spain. • Gare de l’est. Metro: lines 4, 5, 7 and RER line D. Destinations: Eastern France, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg. • Gare de Lyon. Metro: lines 1, 14 and RER lines A and D, Air France coaches for Roissy. Destinations: SouthEast France, Languedoc-roussillon, Rhône-alpes and the French Riviera. • Gare Montparnasse. Metro: lines 4, 6, 12, 13 and Air France coaches for Roissy and Orly. Destinations: Western and South-western France. • Gare du Nord. Metro: lines 4, 5 and RER lines B, D and E. Destinations: Northern Paris, Northern France, Lille, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany (Thalys) and London (Eurostar). • Gare Saint Lazare: Metro: lines 3, 12 13 and RER lines A and E. Destinations: Normandy, Western and South-west Paris • Gare de Bercy : Destinations : Bourgogne + Italie
BY METRO, RER AND BUS
Metro and RER. 5:20 am to 1:15 am, every day. The metro runs until 2:15 am on Sat and Sun mornings. Bus. 5:45am to 0:30 am. Plus the “Noctilien” night buses from 12:30 am to 5:30 am. One metro ticket for a single journey costs from 1.90€ A booklet of 10 tickets costs 14,50€ Tel: 34 24 (standard call charges apply) @Clientsratp - www.ratp.fr
BY TAXI
The white roof light comes on when the taxi is free. Rates charged as per the meter. Single phone number for taxi ranks: 01.45.30.30.30
PARKINGS IN PARIS
www.parkingsdeparis.com contact@parkingsdeparis.co MONEY Cash: from exchange bureaus and banks (Tuesday to Saturday, 9am to 12:30pm and 2pm to 5 pm).
TIPS
Taxes and service are included. You are free to leave an additional tip (10% of the price).
TAX FREE
Your tax refund in three steps with Travelex You are eligible for a tax refund if you are aged over 16 and reside outside the European Union. • You must spend at least € 175.01 per form, per day and per point of sale in France. Ensure that the form is duly completed before leaving the point of sale. • Have the form validated by Customs within three months of the date of purchase. • Request a VAT refund from one of the Travelex stores located at Roissy Charles de Gaulle & Orly airports.
LOSS / THEFT
Credit cards. Call 0892 705 705 seven days a week (€0.34/min.). American Express Traveller’s Cheques: Call 0 800 83 28 20 Cheque books. Call 0892.68.32.08 (€0.337/min.) seven days a week. Passports. Declare the loss in the nearest police station and then with your embassy (www.diplomatie.gouv.fr). Lost and found. Call 0821.00.25.25 (€0.12/min). OUTINGS AND MUSEUMS
MUSEUMS/MONUMENTS
Open from 9 am to 5 pm, depending on the museum. Museums are closed on Mondays or Tuesdays, January 1, May 1 and December 25. The Eiffel Tower, the Montparnasse Tower, the Grévin Museum, the Jacquemart-andré Museum, the Espace Salvador Dali, the Museum of Erotica and the towers of Notre Dame are open seven days a week.
PARIS CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
25 rue des Pyramides (1st) M° Pyramides or Tuileries. Open every day except the 1st of May www.parisinfo.com
PARIS REGION TOURIST BOARD
www.visitparisregion.com
PARIS MUSEUM PASS
The pass can be used to visit more than 50 museums in and around Paris as many times as you like and without queuing. It cannot be used to visit temporary exhibitions. 2 days for 48€,4 days for 62€ and 6 days for 74€ www.parismuseumpass.com
KIOSQUE CULTURE
Kiosque Madeleine, place de la Madeleine (8th) Kiosque Montparnasse, place Raoul Dautry (15th) Kiosque Ternes, place des Ternes (17th) www.kiosqueculture.com
FREE OF CHARGE
Museums/monuments are free of charge for children aged under 18. City of Paris museums are free of charge all year round. Museums and monuments are free of charge on the first Sunday of each month. The metro is free of charge for children aged under 4 and children aged between 4 and 11 years of age travel half price.
USEFUL INFORMATION EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Ambulance: 15 Police and rescue: 17 Emergency number from mobiles: 112 Fire service: 18 Emergency doctor: 01.43.37.77.77 (24/24) Emergency dentist: 01.43.37.51.00 Poison emergency centre: 01.40.05.48.48 (24/24)
24/7 DISPENSING CHEMISTS
-Pharmacie Les Champs, 84 ave des Champs-elysées (8th). Tel: 01.45.62.02.41. M° Franklin D. Roosevelt -Pharmacie Marey, 211 rue de la Convention (15th). Tel: 01.48.28.67.92. M° Convention.
SHOPPING
10am to 7pm, Friday to Saturday. Closed on Sundays and public holidays. Many shops do not open until 11am on Mondays.
POSTAL SERVICES
Price of stamps: 0.73€ for France, 1.10€ for Europe, 1,30€ for the USA, Asia and Australia. Stamps can be bought in post offices and tobacconist’s stores, which can be recognised by the red “Tabac” signs. Post office: 52 rue du Louvre (1st). M° Louvre-rivoli. Mon-sat, 7:30am-6am the following day
TOBACCO
Smoking was banned in all educational, cultural and sports establishments in France on February 1, 2007. Smoking was banned in cafes, hotels, restaurants and nightclubs on January 1, 2008.
PHONING ABROAD FROM FRANCE
Dial the international prefix (00), then the country code and the number, without the leading zero.
BABY EQUIPMENT HIRE
Baby’tems, visit www.babytems.com or call 01.83.62.08.64
ELECTRICITY
The standard mains supply in France is 220 V at a frequency of 50 Hz.