On 1 January 2002, the French franc was replaced by the Euro.
Euro (€): The new French currency
Bills: 500/200/100/50/20/10/5
Coins: 2€/1€/50 cents/20c/10c/5c/2c/1c The Euro is divided into 100 cents
Prices
In general, prices for most goods and services in the French regions are
significantly less expensive than in Paris.
Senior citizens, students and children under 18 are often eligible for
discounts for domestic transportation, museums and monuments, and for some
leisure activities like the movies.
Tipping
Restaurants include tax and a 15% service charge (service compris)
in their prices. Leaving another 1.50€ (or 2-3%) is customary
especially if you have enjoyed the service. Taxi drivers should be
given 10-15% of the metered fare. Small tips of around 1€ are
reasonable for ushers and museum tour guides. It is standard practice
to tip tour guides and bus drivers after an excursion, generally
1.50-3.00€, depending on the level of the satisfaction.
Bank Opening Hours
Banking hours in Paris are usually from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday
through Friday. Throughout the rest of France, banks are usually open
from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday,
and are often close on Monday and earlier in the day before a public holiday.
ATMs are plentiful in France and usually offer the most cost effective way
of obtaining money. ATMs are readily available in Annecy and Provence and
BellaTerra Travel will be happy to direct and assist you with local ATMs.
Currency exchange
Currency exchange can be made in most banks (look for a sign indicating
Change) and post offices as well as in some large stores, train stations,
airports and exchange offices near major tourist sites. Remember that even
though exchange rates are fixed, agent commissions vary: they must be clearly
displayed. Exchange rates vary from bank to bank in the U.S. and France.
Large cities in the U.S. generally have banks specialized in foreign exchange
with lower exchange rates. The same applies in France. Traveler's checks in
U.S. dollars should be exchanged in banks or exchange offices as very few
businesses will accept them. Traveler's checks in Euros can be purchased in the
U.S. from specialized banks or in any major banks in France. They offer a safe
means of traveling with ready cash. You can check the daily exchange rate
on http://www.xe.com/ucc/.
Credit Cards
They are accepted in a large number of shops, hotels and restaurants.
Shopkeepers of ten state a minimum amount required to be spent.
If you lose your credit card while in France,
immediately contact your credit card emergency
hot-line to cancel the card, or call your credit card company's local
office - see a list of numbers below:
Eurocard-Mastercard: 01 45 67 84 84
Visa: Toll free: 0 800 90 11 79
Diner's Club: Toll free: 0810 314 159
American Express: 01 47 77 72 00
Did you know?
As with all countries in the Eurozone, France has its own national version
of the Euro coins. Among the images featured is Marianne, the woman who
symbolizes the spirit of the French Republic.
The total euros minted for France weigh about three times as much as the Eiffel Tower.
All Euro notes feature the name of the currency in both the Latin and
the Greek alphabets - EURO and EYPO.
The euro symbol € was inspired by the Greek letter epsilon.
The parallel lines in the symbol are supposed to represent the Euro's stability.
The euro is the currency of twelve European Union countries: Belgium, Germany,
Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria,
Portugal and Finland.
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