View from café

Tom's Guide to Paris

Daily Life and Little Necessities

Some folks have asked for some information on how to carry out basic tasks, such as going to the post office, understanding subtleties of French behavior, and dealing with the inconveniences that inevitably accompany living in or visiting a big city. Here's a start. Let me know what other sorts of information might be useful.

You should check with your cell company before you arrive in France, as they differ wildly in what they offer and what they charge. It seems to Tom that T-Mobil offers the most economical and the easiest service (you don't have to do anything to use the slower cell networks, but you can pay a premium for 4G or 5G; again, doing nothing to set up the plan, phone calls cost something like 25 cents per minute). Many carriers have a service where you pay a small charge (like $5) per day for access to faster networks and cheaper phone calls.

 

Emergency Phone Numbers

European SOS (free: all emergencies) 112
Police 17
Fire 18
Ambulance 15
SOS Doctors 08 20 33 24 24
Night Pharmacy 01 48 78 38 12
LGBTQ Center (in French) 01 48 06 42 41
Lost items 01.55.76.20.00
Préfecture de police 01.45.31.14.80
American Express 01.47.77.74.54
Mastercard 01.45.67.84.84
Visa 01.42.77.11.90
English language crisis line 01 46 21 46 46

If calling from a mobile phone, the general SOS number is 112.

 

La Politesse

I've always been perplexed by the number of Americans who say that the French are rude. I have a sneaking suspicion that those who say the French are rude have been (perhaps inadvertently) rude first. There are a number of things you need to know in order to keep the wheels of polite and effective social interaction well greased.

BonjourCafe
The cost of politesse (or its lack)
First, any time you initiate a transaction of any sort—be it commercial or social—always, always begin with "Bonjour." This includes restaurants, and it also includes the cashier at the grocery store. I cannot stress enough how important this is. Even if you don't speak a word of French, you must at least eek out this much. Failure to do so will make you look like a rude, unmannerly egostistical lout, and you should not be surprized, then, to be treated rudely in turn. Upon departure, try to remember to say "au revoir" or "bonne soirée" (but you will find that not everybody observes this rule). You will note that people at every level of society observe the "bonjour" rule—including children and even unruly teenagers.

Second, if you bump into someone, step on a foot, jostle a passer-by, or whatever, always say "Pardon" (which is pronounced with the two syllables equally stressed, and the second syllable pronounced nasally: just do your best). If you do something more serious, then say "Excusez-moi."

Third, when you are introduced to someone, shake hands, and when you encounter that person again—no matter how often you see that person again in the future, even if it's every day—shake hands again. A French handshake differs from an American one in that it is quick, light, and typically accompanied by a look in the eye. It's a once up-and-down thing. Do not shake someone's hand up and down repeatedly: that does not convey enthusiasm or warmth so much as lunacy.

 

Pharmacies

croix verteThe green cross you see here is the sign for pharmacies in France (and Belgium, too, I think), although you shouldn't expect them all to look just like this one here. Often they're very stylized, but you'll always recognize a green cross, regardless of the particular form it takes and usually in more or less this particular shade of green. Pharmacies in France carry pretty much what you'd expect—but don't go there for basic toiletries and things like that. Those are things you'll get in a department store such as Monoprix, or even in a corner bodega. If you have a specific ailment, go to the pharmacy and tell the pharmacist what's wrong. He or she will recommend an appropriate medication for you (and often these are things you normally wouldn't know about as typical over-the-counter medications in the US). Pharmacists in France tend to be very helpful, for things such as minor injuries, mild to moderate illness, and chronic conditions.

Change CrisesSaintAntoine

I've made reference to this unusual and, I believe, ideosyncratically Parisian phenomenon in numerous spots throughout Tom's Guide. A change crisis occurs when you're paying in cash and the amount you owe is not a whole number of euros, but something with change, such as 4 euros and 55 centimes. Does this happen a lot? Of course! Does it produce a crisis? Often.

Many of the people you are dealing with will want and/or expect you to produce the centimes (in the above example, 55 of them, even though it would make so much more sense for you simply to hand over 5 euros). Sometimes it makes sense; other times it's preposterous. Do not be surprized if a line comes to a standstill because a customer doesn't have or will not produce the odd combination of centimes that the clerk demands. It could happen to you. You're on your own on this one. Fortunately, since it's increasingly the case that virtually all transactions are paid with a card, the change crisis might soon be a thing of the past. But it's really a trip to watch when it happens.

Paying with Credit Cards

People pay for everything with credit cards, so much so that you'd think cash was obsolete. (On the other hand, there always seems to be somone using the ATM that I want to use, so go figure.) Your American cards will work here, and it will work exactly the way it does in the U.S. You'll see Europeans swipe their cards through a machine and then enter a PIN (it's called a 'puce' [flea] in French), but your card (if it's from the US) will show up on the cashier's or waiter's terminal as requiring a signature (and sometimes they won't even ask you for it, but be prepared). Sometimes you'll want to use your card in automated devices, such as at the airport or to buy metro tickets. When it asks you to enter your code, just push the (typically) green "Valider" button, and everything will be copacetic.

Breakfast

You'll find Amerian-style breakfasts at nicer (i.e., more expensive) hotels, and they will, in fact, be much more expensive. A typical French breakfast might consist of coffee and/or juice, a croissant or a tartine (bread with jam and/or butter), yogurt, and/or fruit. You can get either at many cafés; at cafés in more out-of-the-way places you might only be able to get a French breakfast. So eat a bigger lunch, already (which is common here as well).

Sandwiche mixte + saladLunch

Typically bigger than what you might have in the US, but you don't have to gorge out if you're not hungry. You'll see menus featuring two and three courses, and you'll see people eating them, too (and then you'll wonder how the French stay so slim). Order what you want and don't feel pressured to get some huge meal, because no one will care what you eat at lunch (but dinner, well, that might be different). Get a croque monsieur, which is a great invention: a toasted ham and cheese sandwich that will really blow you away. A non-trivial number of people drink wine at lunch. Some (smaller) stores might close for lunch.

Mailing stuff

This shouldn't be as hard as it is. Well, it's not hard, but it's weird and off-putting. When you get inside most post offices, you'll see various windows with signs indicating the specific services they offer at that window ("guichet"). Go to the one that offers the service you're look for, but don't be surprised if/when the clerk says they don't offer that service. Don't bother pointing to the sign. You're wrong, accept that fact, and go to another window. Otherwise the clerks are usually very helpful. The post office is usually designated with a sign saying PTT (which stands for Poste, Téléphone, Télégraphe). Someone once told Tom that originally it was just PT (I think they left the télégraphe off), and they added the second T because if you pronounce (in French) "P" followed by "T," it sounds like a slightly off-color word (I'll let you poke around to find out what that word is). Tom doesn't know if he's too gullible, but it's kind of funny if it's true.

Weird Odds and Ends

 

Tom's Guide to Paris, copyright 2025 by Thomas DiPiero. All rights reserved.