32
AV DE FRIEDLAND
OPENING HOURS
Most shops are open from 10 am until 7 pm, Mon to Sat, and the major department
stores (Le Printemps, Les Galeries Lafayette, Le Bon Marché) have late-night shopping ('nocturne') until 9 pm or 10 pm on Thu. Some shops still close at lunch,
typically from 1-2 pm, but this is becoming increasingly rare. Sunday is the day of rest
and most shops are shut (apart from in the Marais or on the Canal St-Martin and
Champs-Elysées). We have tagged those that are open. Restaurants are typically
closed on Mondays.
MOBILE PHONES
The 4 service providers in France are: Bouygues
Sfr
Orange
and Free
International roaming rates are generally expensive, soif your mobile phone is unlocked it's worth picking up a pre-paid SIM card (carte SIM prépayée) and so calling
at local rates with a local number. Both SFR and Orange have agencies on the Champs Elysées. And keep in mind that smartphones are a target for pickpockets particularly in crowded tourist areas and on the Métro.)
TELEPHONES
The country code is + 33. French phone numbers have 10 digits, with the first two
indicating region. Paris usually starts with 01. If calling from outside France, dial + 33
(not 00 but +) and drop the first 0 from the phone number. Mobile phone numbers start with 06, and occasionally 07. Numbers beginning with 08 00 are free but all other 08 numbers are charged at a premium rate.
EMERGENCIES
Useful numbers in an emergency: EU-wide emergency hotline
112
SAMU ambulance services
15
Police
17
Fire Brigade
18
Rape-crisis hotline
08 00 05 95 95
10 am-7 pm Mon-Fri.
ELECTRICITY
France uses the 220-240V, 50 cycle AV system. Plugs are two-pronged. UK and US
appliances will need adaptors (UK) and transformers (US). You can find these at
BHV or branches of Fnac and Darty.
PHARMACIS
Find the nearest pharmacy by looking for the green neon cross that every pharmacy
has above the door. Pharmacies operate on a rota and if your local one is closed, it
should indicate where the nearest open one is. There are a couple of 24-hours pharmacies: Pharmacie des Champs (84 av des Champs Elysées, 8th) and Pharmacie Européene de la Place de Clichy (6 place de Clichy, 9th)
DOCTORS
Doctors can be found on the Pages Jaunes website
www.pagesjaunes.fr
under 'Médecin: Médecin générale'. Consultations with a doctor who is 'conventionné secteur 1' will cost 23€, but 'secteur 2' can charge what they like. For emergencies contact: SOS Médecins
01 47 07 77 77
24hr house calls
36 24
www.sosmedecins.com
Urgences Médicales de Paris (Paris Medical Emergencies)
01 53 94 94 94
Both offer 24-hour house calls costing between 35€ and 90€ depending on the time of day and whether you are covered by French social security.
DENTISTS
Dentists can be found on the Pages Jaunes website
www.pagesjaunes.fr
under 'dentistes'. For emergencies contact: Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière (13th)
01 42 16 14 14
the only dental hospital with extended hours (6 am-10.30 pm). After 5.30 pm use the
emergency entrance at 83 bd de l'Hôpital, 13th (Métro St-Marcel). SOS Dentaire (87 bd de Port Royal, 13 th)
01 43 37 51 00
is a private dental office that offers (night & weekend) services when most dentists are
off-duty.
HEALTH INSURANCE
Non EU nationals should take out health insurance before coming to Paris. EU citizens are entitled to use French social security services which reimburse up to 70% of the fees. UK nationals require an EHIC card (this has replaced the E111 )
CREDIT CARDS
All major credit cards can be used in France (though Amex is not widely accepted). If your card is lost or stolen, call for all cards 24/7
08 92 70 57 05
(34c/min) and / or Amex
08 00 83 28 20
LOST PROPERTY
If you lose something, it might be worth going to the Service des Objets Trouvés (36 rue des Morillons 15th
08 21 00 25 25
Open 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Thu. lt's better to go in person rather than phone. Expect a long wait to get something back. Items lost on the Métro or Bus are handed into station agents before being sent on to the Service des Objets Trouvés and all objects found on
trains and in train stations are taken to the lost property office of the relevant station (Head station)
ETIQUETTE
Parisians may have a reputation for being rude, but it's important to respect basic rules of etiquette here. Use 'pardon' to apologise if you bump into someone, for example, and remember to say 'bonjour' and 'au revoir' as you enter and leave a shop or café.
EMBASSIES
US EMBASSY: 2 av Gabriel, 8th
01 43 12 22 22
AUSTRALIAN EMBASSY: 4 rue Jean Rey, 15th
01 40 J9 33 00
BRITISH EMBASSY: 35 rue du Faubourg StHonoré, 8th
01 44 51 31 00
www.gov.uk/government/world/france
CANADIAN EMBASSY: 35 av Montaigne, 8th
01 44 43 29 00
BANKING
As in most European countries, France uses the Euro. There are ATM all over Paris and most give instructions in English. French banks tend to open from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday, and some are open on Saturday. If you're looking to change money,
you'll find the best rates in the Bureaux de change around the Bourse (stock market) in the 9th. Compare rates along the adjacent Rue Vivienne. You can try also the Change just down the flat. All major credit cards can be used in France (though Amex is not widely accepted). If your card is lost or stolen, call for all cards 24/7
08 92 70 57 05
(34c/min) and/or Amex
01 47 77 72 00
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
The dates for 2016 are: 1 Jan, New Year's Day; 28 Mar, Easter Monday; 1 May, Labour Day; 5 May, Ascension Day; 8 May, Victory Day 1945; 16 May, Whit Monday; 14 July, French National Holiday; 15 Aug, Feast of the Assumption; 1 Nov, All Saint's Day; 11 Nov, Armistice Day; 25 Dec, Christmas Day
PARIS ADDRESSES
Paris is made up of 20 arrondissements, spiralling outwards in a clockwise direction from the 1 st arrondissement in the centre. The last two digits of post codes indicate the arrondissement: so 75002 is the 2nd arrondissement, etc. Arrondissements are
indicated on the blue enamel street signs, above the street name. Home addresses can be quite complicated: to get into a building off the street you will usually need
a code for the outside door, then the letter indicating which staircase to take,
the floor number, then the position of the apartment (right, left etc). Bis and ter after a building number are the equivalent of 'b' or 'c' and indicate a separate address. The name of Métro stations and arrondissements are used to explain where you are or where you' re going: "Just got out at Pigalle, walking down to Hotel Amour in the 9th ...
ORGANlC
Known as 'biologique', or just 'bio' in France. Most supermarkets have an organic
food section, sometimes including a small range of fresh fruit and vegetables. Free-range chicken is 'poulet fermier'; free-range eggs are 'oeufs plein air'. A city-wide chain of organic grocers is Naturalia
www. naturalia.fr
There's also a number of larger supermarkets Biocoop
scattered throughout the city. A weekly organic market takes place every Saturday on
Bd des Batignolles, there are others too, on the Boulevard Raspail on Sunday morning.
GYMS
Close to the flat:
26 rue de Berri, 75008 Paris
http://www.cmgsportsclub.com/clubs/one/champs-elysees
76 avenue des Champs Elysées - galerie des Arcades
http://www.healthcity.fr/nos-clubs/paris-8eme---champs-elysees
A more upmarket option offering casual access during quiet times is the Usine
(Beaubourg, Opéra)
DRY CLEANERS
Known as a 'pressing' in French. 5 à Sec is a reliable chain with a number of branches
around the city, generally open from Barn to 8 pm.
A 'green' option, using non-toxic and nonhazardous solvents, is Sequoia
with a few branches in Paris including a central address at 32 bd Voltaire, 11 th
CLUBBING
Clubs don't tend to get going until 1 am or 2am, so plan to go out late. Many clubs
have 'elitist' door policies, so try not to turn up in a big group of drunk men.
Admission charges can often include a free drink (consommation), and drinks in general tend to be quite pricey (12-14 € a cocktail). lt's common to buy a bottle of alcohol rather than rounds by the glass, especially if y ou want a table.
BOOKING TICKETS
The main websites for reserving tickets are Fnac
and Digitick
On both sites you can choose English under langue. Both offer a full range of options, covering both electronic and printed tickets.
BABYSITTING
One agency offering anglophone babysitters
is Baby Speaking
(0)1 83 95 41 74
lt's best to call and ask for an English-speaking
member of staff rather than
reserve online. The typical rate starts from
around 9-11 € per hour, with a minimum of 3
hours. You can also check the ads on the
Paris edition of Craigslist:
PHOTO LABS
A major online photo development site is
Photo Station
Take your USB stick into a Fnac Photo
to do it on the spot - you' ll find an agency
near les ternes (see my map).
A reliable semi-professional
lab developing digital but also negative based
photos is Negatif +
located not far from the Gare du Nord .
POST OFFICES
'Bureaux de Poste' are generally open from
8 am until 8 pm, Mon-Fri, and 9 am/1 pm on
Sat. ln the larger ones you will find
photocopiers and machines selling stamps.
Expect queues. The central post office (52
rue du Louvre, 1 st) is open 24/7. Stamps
can also be purchased at ‘tabacs'.
PRESS (INTERNATIONAL)
The Paris-based daily, with a new name,
'The International New York Times', can be
found across the city or at the Drugstore on
the top of Champs Elysées; some foreign
press can usually be found at news stands in
tourist areas. A good source of English and
American newspapers and magazines is
Anglo bookstore WH Smith.
248 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris, M° Concorde
SALES
Aka 'soldes'. These hysteria-producing,
twice-yearly markdowns generally take
place over 6 weeks, beginning at the end of
June for the summer collections and the
beginning of Jan for winter.
SMOKING
Cigarettes are only sold via tobacconists
'tabacs', though many bars have a few
packs of Marlboro Lights under the counter.
Though smoking is banned in public places
in France, many restaurants and cafés have
comfortable, enclosed terraces where you
can smoke, and many clubs are equipped
with separate smoking rooms or 'fumoirs'
where you can smoke and which are often
busier than the rest of the place!
TOURIST OFFICES
The Paris tourist office has a useful website
with an English-language option, as well as
6 public information points, at Gare de
l'Est, Gare de Nord, Gare de Lyon, Porte de
Versailles, Anvers and their headquarters at
25 rue des Pyramides, 1 st (open daily, 9 am-
7 pm).
WIFI
WiFi (pronounced 'wee-fee') is now
available in many cafés, bars, restaurants, f
astfood (MacDonald, Starbuck, etc…) and public spaces around the city.
The City of Paris also provides free WiFi in hundreds of
municipal sites around Paris including most
parks and libraries. See
for more details. All of our addresses that
provide WiFi access are tagged 'WiFi'.
YOGA
Mysore Yoga Paris (Ashtanga Yoga),
Centre Yoga lyengar Faeq Biria (lyengar
Yoga),
Centre Sivananda Paris (Sivananda Yoga),
Gerard Arnaud Yoga (Vi nyasa style),
Rasa Yoga (All types of yoga),
Laurence Gay (Ashtanga Yoga + Vinyasa
Flow)
Osmose Yoga Paris (Ashtanga, Vinyasa &
Hatha Yoga),
