General Info

Cafés & Restaurants | Credit Cards | Electricity | Emergency Services | French Time | Health | Money | Public Holidays | Telephone | TV Satellite DVD Video | Conversion Tables

Cafés & Restaurants
Prices are displayed outside. Tax and service charges are always included.

Credit Cards
French card reading systems operate differently from those in the UK and sometimes have difficulty in reading UK credit cards, even those used in the UK in conjunction with pin numbers. It is usually possible to persuade the establishment to override their system manually.

Electricity
The voltage in France, 220-240v is compatible with appliances used in the UK but you will need a plug adaptor. They are widely available in high street shops, airports and on cross-Channel ferries.

Emergency Services
On public or fixed line telephones, dial for Ambulance 15, Police 17, Fire 18.

French Time
Clocks in France are one hour ahead of those in the UK. Arrival and departure times at villas are given in French time. 

Health
It is essential you obtain an EHIC Card (The European Health Insurance Card). The form is obtainable from a full Post Office or local DoHS office but it is easier and quicker to complete the form online (www.dh.gov.uk/traveller) as the card will be delivered within 7 days rather than 21. The card guarantees reduced cost for medical treatment at public French hospitals but the cost of drugs and out-patient care may not always be covered.

Money
Cash: Avoid taking large denomination Euro notes as they may not be easily changed due to strict money-laundering regulations. Supermarkets will not accept 500 Euro notes for purchases below a total of 200 Euros. Banking hours vary throughout France. Some banks are open weekdays from 0900 to 1700, often with a lunch break, which can be as long as from 1200 to 1400; others open Saturday and close on Mondays.
Banks: A few banks still close at 1530. Most post offices offer similar Bureau de Change services and are open for much longer hours, sometimes 0800 to 1900 weekdays, and on Saturdays 0800-1200.
Cash dispensers: Automatic cash dispensers, available in all towns and some villages, make a charge for international cash withdrawals. Users are allowed only two attempts at entering their correct pin number before the card is retained by the machine and can only be retrieved from the bank.

Public Holidays in France
Most shops, banks and businesses close. Most restaurants remain open, as do a few museums. National holidays during our 2008 rental season are: 24 March, 1 & 8 May, 14 July, 15 August, 1 & 11 November.

Telephone
France Telecom Cards are widely used throughout France and are available at Post Offices and many shops. Public telephones that accept coins are difficult to find. To call the UK from France: first dial 00, wait for the continuous tone, then dial 44 followed by your STD code minus the 0, then your number. British Telecom's own Charge Card provides a much faster direct dial access for calls to the UK.

TV, Satellite, DVD & Video
French satellite broadcast systems, DVDs and video players sometimes operate on a different system to those in the UK. Some DVDs and video players at our properties cannot play UK DVDs or video cassettes. Satellite channels available in the UK may not be available, and at some villas programmes may be broadcast in French only.

Conversion Table

1 degree fahrenheit	9/5C degrees +32 degrees
1 inch	2.54cm
1 foot	30 centimetres
1 yard	0.914 metres
1 mile	1609 metres
1 acre	0.405 hectares
1 acre	4,046.9 sq metres
1 pint	0.5683 litres
1 gallon	4.456 litres
1 pound	453.59 grammes