Type and sockets at 230V, CET with summer time, and one social rule that matters more than any other: say bonjour before you say anything else.
- Say bonjour first, every time, to everyone. Walking into a shop and going straight to your question is read as genuinely rude, and this one habit changes how you are treated.
- Sockets are type and at 230V, 50Hz, so a dual-voltage device needs only a plug adapter.
- 1 May is the serious public holiday - transport and commerce shut down almost entirely. Many small shops also close on Sundays and for a couple of hours at lunch.
- Ask for une carafe d'eau in a restaurant and it is free by law, and street fountains marked eau potable are drinkable.
- English is fine in Paris, Nice and Lyon hotels and attractions and drops off quickly in rural areas.
Say bonjour first. Every time, to everyone.
Walking into a shop, a bakery or a pharmacy and going straight to your question is read as genuinely rude in France - not brusque, rude. Bonjour (or bonsoir after dark) before anything else, and merci, au revoir on the way out. This single habit changes how you are treated more than any amount of French vocabulary.
- Power: Type and sockets, 230V, 50Hz. Dual-voltage devices need only a plug adapter.
- Time: CET (UTC+1) in winter, CEST (UTC+2) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
- Shops: roughly 09:30 or 10:00 to 19:30 or 20:00, Monday to Saturday. Many small shops close Sunday, and plenty close for a couple of hours at lunch. Large supermarkets and shops in tourist zones open Sunday mornings.
- Public holidays: 1 May is the serious one - transport and commerce shut down almost entirely. 14 July and 25 December also close most things.
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Ask for une carafe d'eau in a restaurant and it is free by law. Street fountains marked eau potable are drinkable.
- Toilets: the automated sanisettes on Paris streets are free.
- Language: English is fine in hotels, attractions and larger restaurants in Paris, Nice and Lyon, and drops off quickly in rural areas.
- Dress: shoulders and knees covered in cathedrals.
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