The original do-it-yourself travel guide to Europe SM

FRANCE
Prime Travel Data

France is in western Europe. It is is bounded by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the Mediterranean Sea, Spain, Andora, and the Atlantic Ocean.

A page of the   Prime Travel Data   section from   Enjoy-Europe.com   by   John Bermont




Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Paperback) by DK Publishing
Paris
Eyewitness Travel Guides
by DK Publishing


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Important information about this data sheet. Revised 20 January 2008
Native name France
Capital Paris
Postal code F
Telephone code +33
Language French
Currency €, Euro, divided into 100 euro cents
European Union Member
Schengen Agreement Member
Time zone GMT+1
Electricity 220 volts, 50 Hz. See chapter 11.


General open hours, often longer in major cities  
Restaurants 1200-1430, 1900-2300
Banks 0900-1200, 1300-1630 M-F
Post offices 0800-1200, 1400-1830 M-F
Stores 0930-1200, 1430-1900 M-S
City tourist offices 0900-1200, 1400-1730 M-S


Date Holiday Jour de Fête
Jan 1 New Year's Day Nouvel An
  Good Friday Vendredi saint
  Easter Monday Lundi de pâques
May 1 Labor Day Fête du travail
  Ascension Day Ascension
  Whit Monday Lundi de Pentecôte
Jul 14 Bastile Day Fête Nationale
Aug 15  Assumption Assomption
Nov 1  All Saints' Day Tousaint
Nov 11 Armistice Armistice
Dec 25 Christmas Noël


French Offices in the USA
Embassy
T: 202-944-6090    
F: 202-944-6167    
French Embassy
4101 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, DC 20007

Consulates

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco
Tourist Office
T: 212-757-1125
French National Tourist Office
444 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10020
  Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles


American Offices in France
Embassy
T:  (01) 43.12.22.22
F:  (01) 42.66.97.83
American Embassy
2 Avenue Gabriël 
75008 Paris

Consulates

Marseille: T: (04) 91.54.92.00
Strasbourg: T: (03) 88.35.31.04

American Presence Posts (APP)

Bordeaux: T: (050) 56.48.63.80
Lille: T: (03) 28.04.25.00
Lyon: T: (04) 78.38.36.88
Rennes: T: (02) 23.44.09.60
Toulouse: T: (05) 34.41.36.50

USA is known as: les États-Unis

Recommended books for further information:

There must be a thousand books on France. Michelin Red and Green guides are my favorites but there are many other good ones. In addition to the travel practicalities of guide books, maps, and dictionaries, I've added a few books to help give you a sense of life in France as experienced by un étranger, and a couple books on wine, of course. France features highly in music and movies so a few of my favorites are listed.

The books that you see listed here are those that I have personally used and am satisfied with, and/or are from publishers whose other travel books are reliable. I am a consumer when it comes to travel guides, and a critical one. Notice that I do not recommend any Frommers, Dummies, Steves, or other inferior guides. For some of the reasons please go to the hoi polloi.

As one example of a substandard guide, I have a 400+ page book titled Rick Steves' France, Belgium, & The Netherlands which has not a single mention of Marseille, Dijon, or Aix-en-Provence. That's like leaving Chicago, New Orleans, and Newport Beach out of a USA travel guide. But this "France" book did include enough pages to promote his whirlwind guided bus tours, videos, backpacks, sink stoppers, and Steves' other branded products. A page of sophomoric French phrases plus sort-of maps cap off the disaster. Steves is strong on self promotion but weak on meaningful content.

For the good stuff, the links below take you directly to a page at Amazon.com. That page details the guide book, map, or dictionary. In many cases the Amazon.com listing includes readers'comments and sample pages from the book. You then have the opportunity to add the book to your shopping cart and buy it. I buy virtualy all of my books at Amazon.com and have had excellent service for years.

Also listed is a pair of my favorite authors, a couple of books on my favorite beverage, and a few of my favorite DVD movies set in France. These are American version.

Amazon.com pays a small commission to Enjoy-Europe.com when you click a title here and then order the book, if you buy it within 24 hours. You benefit when buying here because Amazon.com has a 20% to 30% discount on many items plus a free shipping deal. You win we win. Thanks for your support!

Note: emphasis in the titles is mine -- to help you in finding the information you need.
Guides
  Michelin Red Guide 2007 France
  Michelin Red Guide 2007 Paris: Hotels & Restaurants
  Michelin Green Guide France
  Paris (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
  Provence and Cote D'Azur (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
  Lonely Planet France
  National Geographic Traveler: France, 2d Ed.
  Lonely Planet Paris
  National Geographic Traveler: Paris, 2d Ed.
  Paris For Kids
  Michelin Green Guide Chateaux of the Loire
  Michelin Green Guide French Riviera
  Fodor's Provence and Cote d'Azure
  Michelin Green Guide Provence
  Michelin the Green Guide Burgundy Jura
  Drive Around Burgundy & the Rhone Valley (Thomas Cook)
  Michelin Green Guide Normandy
  Michelin Green Guide French Alps
  Loire Valley (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
  Lonely Planet Cycling France

Maps
  Michelin France Folded Map
  Michelin Paris Street Map
  Streetwise Paris
  Lonely Planet Paris City Map
  Michelin Bourgogne France
  Michelin Paris Pocket Atlas Map 16
  Michelin Loire Valley Map 232
  Michelin Cote d'Azure Map 245
  Eyewitness Paris City Map
  Michelin Battle of Normandy Map 102

Words
  French: Lonely Planet Phrasebook
  Larousse Concise French/English-English/French Dictionary
  Berlitz French Phrase Book & Dictionary
  Oxford-Hachette French-English/English-French Dictionary
  Collins Gem French Dictionary
  Fodor's French for Travelers

The beauty of it all
     Ernest Hemingway
             A Moveable Feast
     Peter Mayle
             A Year in Provence
             Toujours Provence
             French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

A glass of wine, or two
  The Red Wines of France
  Michelin Green Guide The Wine Regions Of France

Movies on DVD
  The Day of the Jackal
  A Man and a Woman
  Jean De Florette / Manon of the Spring (two movies)
  French Kiss
  Patton
  The Longest Day
  Band of Brothers
  The Da Vinci Code
  A Good Year

A song or two before you go . . .
  The Voice of the Sparrow: The Very Best of Edith Piaf
 
 
http://www.enjoy-europe.com/cds/StPlacideMetroEntrance.jpg A typical street scene in Paris.
Travelers' Supplies
Shopping easy at


Electrical Plug Adapter
USA to Continental Europe

 


Grounded Adapter
USA to Continental Europe

 


Grounded Adapter
UK & Australia to Europe

 



The Stormbreaker
by Turfer Sport

 


Women's Petite Macintosh Commuter Coat
by Lands' End

 

Andis 33805 Micro Turbo 1600W Dual Voltage Hair Dryer
Dual Voltage Hair Dryer
Micro Turbo 1600W
Andis 33805

 

Remington H-1015 All That Quick Curl Travel Hair Setter
Travel Hair Setter
Dual Voltage
Remington H-1015

 


Who wrote this?



Home and general index.

Read half of the book for free:

HOW  TO  EUROPE
The Complete Travelers Handbook
Europe Intro
Clothing
Packing List
Luggage
Guidebooks
Electricity
Photography
Trains
Driving
Telephones
Moving to Europe
Living in Europe
Shopping
Languages
Metric System
Seeing Europe

Learn the basic infrastructure:

Prime Travel Data
Elementary Travel Information for Europe
Austria
Belgium
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland

France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom

Utilize John Bermont's exclusive:

TRAVELERS YELLOW PAGES
A Directory of Links to Products, Services, and Information
Airlines to Europe
National Tourist Offices
City Tourist Offices
City Information and Tours
Country Information and Tours
Luggage and Backpacks
Discount Air Travel
Villas and Homes for Rent
Hostels in Europe
Hotels in Europe
Auto Rental in Europe
Rail Services of Europe
Eclectic Travel Sites
Internet Search Engines
Photography
Guide Books for Europe
Educational Programs
Newsletters from Europe
Personal Travel Pages
Personal Trip Planning

Get open hours, costs, locations, and more:

Travelers Portfolio
Essential Visitors Information for the Top Sights of Europe
       Amsterdam       
Anne Frank Huis (Anne Frank House)
Rijksmuseum (National Museum)
Van Gogh Museum
       London       
British Museum
Buckingham Palace
National Gallery
Natural History Museum
Palace of Westminster
St. Paul's Cathedral
Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
       Paris coming soon       
Arc de Triomphe
Tour Eiffel (Eiffel Tower)
Hôtel des Invalides (The Invalides)
Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum)
The Opera
Montmarte
Cathédrale Notre Dame
Musée d'Orsay
Musée du Louvre

Exchange rates, weather, maps:

Up-To-The-Minute
Be informed before you go.
       Money Exchange
Currency exchange rates, including the euro, British pound, Swiss Frank.
       Weather in Europe
Current European weather conditions and forecasts. Good luck.
    Maps and Time Zones
Free online maps of Europe. Guide to setting your watch ahead.

Didn't find what you need yet?
Google It !!
 

Copyright
Internet edition
© 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001 James J. Broad
© 1987, 1986, 1984, Murphy & Broad Publishing Co.
All rights reserved. Tous droits réservés.
This is copyrighted material. Do not reproduce, copy, plagiarize, store, modify, extract,
transmit, or purloin any part of this publication in any nation in any form or by any means
or for any purpose whatsoever without permission in writing.

Prime Travel Data is an update of chapter 29, "Country Data Sheets," from the first edition of John Bermont's How To Europe, originally published in 1982. See About this Data Sheet for important details regarding some of the information presented above.

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Travelers:
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Permissions:
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The original
do-it-yourself
travel guide to
Europe.
SM


470 pages
7" x 10" softcover
345 b/w photos
Last Call checklists
detailed index


ISBN 0-940792-69-9
$28.50


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HOW TO EUROPE
The Complete Travelers Handbook
2008 — Our 26th Anniversary!


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FLAGS of EUROPE

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Austria
Flag of Belgium
Belgium
Flag of Czech Republic
Czech Republik
Denmark flag Denmark
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Estonia
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Yugoslavia
(Serbia & Montenegro)


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Prime travel data for independent
budget travel in France.