Heading to Paris for the French Open? Remember these dos and don’ts

Uber is available in Paris. Official taxis say Taxi Parisien or G7 on the vehicle. G7 accepts credit cards. (Photo: Pixabay/Pexels)

Rafael Nadal pulled out of the French Open 2023 earlier this week. If you are headed to Paris to see who emerges as the victor in his absence, or are planning a trip to the French capital for the Summer Olympics in 2024, take this handy guide with you:

Basics

The Euro is at about Rs 90 right now, so Paris may not be the best option for budget travel. And while you can get around with English, it is a good idea to have a smattering of French. Learn phrases to ask for directions and get basic service in restaurants, at the minimum. And if you want to make calls, remember that India is 3 hours 30 minutes ahead of Paris, the dial code is +33; Paris code: +1. Calling the police is as simple as dialling 17, and it is free. Other numbers to save or remember for the trip include fire service: 18 (free call) and ambulance: 15 (free call). While plugging in appliances, laptops, phones, remember the norm in Paris is 220 volts, with a frequency of 50 Hz.

Paris Pass

Buy the Paris Pass that grants access to the best attractions in Paris. The Paris Pass comes in two-, three-, four- and six-day durations – the two-day pass for adults cost € 315 while the six-day pass is for €680. Passes for children start at €240 for two days. The Paris Museum Pass is an additional pass you’ll receive if you purchase a four or six-day Paris Pass.

Transport

Airport transfer: Arrange airport pick-up in advance with Paris Black Cars or Blacklane. Rail as well as bus/coach transfers to the city are also available.

Taxi: Uber is available. Official taxis say Taxi Parisien or G7 on the vehicle. G7 accepts credit cards.

Paris Metro: The easiest (and often, the fastest) way to get around the city is by Paris Metro that has 16 metro lines and some 300 metro stations; the entrance is indicated by a large yellow letter ‘M’. Metros start running every day – including public holidays – at around 6am and stop at around 12.45 am (from Sunday to Thursday) or at 1.45am (on Friday and Saturday). Tickets cost € 1.90 each (€18.60 for 10; ask for ‘un carnet’). You can buy tickets at automatic ticket machines in metro stations, from tobacconists and on the parisinfo.com

RER train network: It consists of five lines that serve Paris and the Paris region (Ile-de-France). Each line has a distinctive colour that is shown on RATP and SNCF signs and maps.

Tramway: Paris has four tramway lines serving the perimeter of the city: T1, T2, T3, T4.

Buses: 64 bus lines run alongside and complement the metro network and operate from Monday to Saturday from around 7am until 12.30pm. Some lines stop at 8.30pm. Almost half of bus lines operate on Sundays and public holidays.

The line number and direction are indicated on the front of the bus, above the driver’s compartment, and on the sides of the bus. Put your hand out at the bus stop to indicate to the bus driver to stop.

At bus stops, electronic display signs indicate the waiting time for the next bus to arrive. Bus stops are also sometimes equipped with USB ports to recharge your smartphone.

Noctilien: It is a night bus service that operates in Paris and the Paris region from 12.30am to 5.30am; 47 lines crisscross Paris.

Free Internet Access

The City of Paris has set up free Wi-Fi zones in a number of public spaces like libraries, gardens and parks to make it easy to get online.

Prepaid Sim

Travel SIM Vacation Prepaid Plan offers 30GB of data to use in France and Europe (connection sharing included), unlimited calls and texts in France and Europe and €25 worth of international calling credit. The offer is available at a recommended retail price of €39.90 and is valid for 30 days.

Luggage Lockers in Paris

Left-luggage lockers are available in Paris train stations: Gare du Nord, Gare de l’Est, Gare de Lyon, Gare Montepasse, and Gare de Marne-la-Vallée Chessy. The maximum length of time is 72 hours and locker fees, identical for all stations, vary from €5.50 to €9.50 per day, depending on the size of the locker, and are available from 6am to 11pm.

Public Toilets

Free since 2006, Paris’s 400 public toilets are available in every part of the capital and are open from 6am to 10pm, except for 150 of them on main roads, which are available 24/7. All these toilets are accessible to people with disabilities.

Tourist Tax

All travellers staying in one of these categories of accommodation have a legal obligation to pay the tourist tax: palaces, tourist hotels, aparthotels, furnished rentals, Bed & Breakfasts, holiday villages, accommodation outdoors and youth hostels. The tourist tax is based on a municipal rate which varies from €0.20 (for 1- and 2-star campsites) to €4 (for palaces) per person per night. The city of Paris must apply an additional legal tax of 25 percent to the amount concerned.

Average prices for products and experiences

- 1 full-price museum admission: €7 to €12

- 1 sandwich: around €6

- 1 pizza: between €8 and €12

- 1 small coffee: €1 at the bar, €2 sitting down

- 1 full meal (starter, main dish, dessert, not including drinks): between €15 and €20, depending on the area

- 1 baguette of bread: €1

- 1 beer in a café: around €4

- 1 seat at the cinema: €10

- Tipping in restaurants: Usually, 5-10 percent of the bill

Staying safe

If you are the victim of an assault or an infraction, day or night, go to any police station; they will take down the information concerning your complaint.

If you have been robbed, you are taken to the SARIJ (the service responsible for reception, research and judicial investigation) for the “arrondissement”.

In case of loss or theft of your credit card, call the ‘interbancaire’ number as quickly as possible to cancel it:

·         From a French telephone: 0 892 705 705

·         From a foreign telephone: +33 442 605 303

·         In case of loss or theft of your chequebook, call the Bank of France service: 0 892 683 208

Register a formal complaint if you are victim of mugging, and any injuries can be medically certified, every day, 24 hours a day, at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital.

Where to buy duty-free goods in Paris

· Orly at Charles de Gaulle airport

· Vallee Village, a shopping outlet for major fashion and luxury brands. Vallée Village has its own tax-refund office.

· One Nation Paris is the largest luxury and fashion outlet in France and the first one with a global tax-refund policy.

· The Val d’Europe  shopping centre offers a centralized tax-free service from Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 9 pm and on Sundays until 7.30 pm.

· Several Paris department stores have tax-refund counters: Galeries Lafayette, the Printemps Haussmann, the BHV Marais, the Bon Marche Rive Gauche, and Samarataine Paris Pont Neuf.

What’s illegal to do in France

· The Eiffel Tower's lighting and sparkling lights are protected by copyright, so professional use of images of the Eiffel Tower at night requires prior authorization and may be subject to a fee. According to the copyright law, monuments in Europe are protected for the lifespan of the work's legal creator, plus 70 years. So while the Eiffel Tower is no longer protected under the Copyright Law, the light show, created in 1985, is still protected work.

· A 1910 law makes it is illegal to kiss in a train station or by a train platform so long as there are stationary trains waiting to depart.

· You can name your pig after any influential person dead or alive but you cannot call it Napoleon.

· Photographing the Parisian police or official police vehicle for any reason is illegal. They may not be photographed in the background of your images either.

· If you thought marrying a dead person is certainly illegal, think again. In France, you can marry the dead.

· The burkini is not permitted in many parts of France and swimming facilities in Paris.

· In 2011, a ban was imposed on unlimited ketchup, mayonnaise, and vinaigrette salad dressing in schools in an attempt to boost healthy eating amongst children.

· You cannot die in Le lavandou. According to the law, “It is forbidden without a cemetery plot to die on the territory of the commune.”

· You cannot fly any aircraft, known as a flying saucer or flying cigar, over Châteauneuf-du-Pape.