Page 558 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

PRACTICAL
INFORMATION

NEED TO KNOW Practical Information the essential advice and information you will need during your stay.
A little local know-how goes a long way in France. Here you will find all

Personal Security
AT A GLANCE
France is generally a safe country and most visits
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
are trouble-free. However, when travelling late
at night, avoid long transfers in metro and bus
EMERGENCY
stations. Beware of pick pock ets in major tourist
OPERATOR
POLICE
areas and on the metro and city buses during
rush hour. If anything is stolen, report it as soon
112
17
as possible to the nearest police station, and
bring ID with you. Get a copy of the crime report
in order to claim on your insurance. Contact your
embassy if you have your passport stolen, or in
AMBULANCE FIRE SERVICE the event of a serious crime or accident.
15 18 Health
If you fall sick during your visit, pharmacists are
an excellent source of advice – they can diag-
nose minor ailments and suggest appropriate
treatment. For English-speaking visitors, private
TIME ZONE hospitals with bilingual staff and doctors can
CET/CEST. Central be found in major cities, with the American
European Summer
Time runs from the last Hospital of Paris and the Franco-Britannique
Sunday in March to the Hospital in Paris being the best known. The
last Sunday in October. Centre Médical Europe is an inexpensive
private clinic with a dental practice.
All EU nationals holding an EHIC (p553) are
TAP WATER entitled to use the French national health ser-
Unless stated vice. Patients must pay for treatment and can
otherwise, tap then reclaim most of the cost from the health
water and water authorities. The process may be lengthy and
from fountains in
towns and villages travellers should therefore consider purchasing
is safe to drink. private travel insurance. For visitors from out-
side the EU, payment of hospital and other
medical expenses is the patient’s responsibility.
TIPPING It is therefore important to arrange compre-
hensive medical insurance before travelling.
5–10 per cent
Waiter American Hospital of Paris
(optional)
∑ american-hospital.org
Hotel Porter €1 per bag Centre Médical Europe
∑ centre-medical-europe.fr
Franco-Britannique Hospital
Housekeeping €1 per day ∑ ihfb.org
Taxi Driver Not expected Smoking, Alcohol and Drugs
Tour Guide €5 Smoking is prohibited in all public places, but is
allowed on restaurant, café and pub terraces, as

558

552-559_EW_France.indd 558 30/01/2019 14:48

EW Need to Know template v1.2 – 13th August 2018
Fonts: Aptifer Sans LT Pro, Posterama Text, Soho
Gothic Pro, Soho Pro