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% That said, some banks, post offices and colourful (if lightweight) USA Today. English- France is among the 15 member-states of the 43 54 76 55; 2 place St-Michel, 6e; 9am-8pm Mon-Fri, h bureaux de change pay up to 2.5% or more language news weeklies that are widely EU (Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Ger- 10am-8pm Sat; St-Michel) A bureau de change in the m for travellers cheques, more than making up available include Newsweek, Time and the many, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, heart of the Latin Quarter. for the 1% commission usually charged when Economist. For information about the French- Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia buying the cheques in the first place. language press, see p54. and Spain) that have adopted the euro (abbre- Post offices that have a Banque Postale can The Paris-based Fusac (France USA Con- viated ¬ and pronounced eu-roh in French) Credit Cards offer the best exchange rates, and they accept tacts), a freebie issued every two weeks, con- as its national currency. One euro is divided In Paris, Visa/Carte Bleue is the most widely banknotes (commission ¬ 4.50) in various cur- sists of hundreds of ads placed by companies into 100 cents (centimes in French). There are accepted credit card, followed by MasterCard rencies as well as travellers cheques issued by and individuals. To place one yourself, con- seven euro notes in different colours and sizes; (Eurocard). Amex cards can be useful at more Amex (no commission) or Visa (1.5%, mini- they come in denominations of ¬ 5, ¬ 10, ¬ 20, tact Fusac (Map pp124 5; 01 56 53 54 54; www.fusac % upmarket establishments. In general, all three mum ¬ 4.50). ¬ 50, ¬ 100, ¬ 200 and ¬ 500. The designs on the .fr; 26 rue Bénard, 14e; 10am-7pm Mon-Fri; Alésia or h m cards can be used for train travel, restaurant Commercial banks usually charge a simi- recto (generic windows or portals) and verso Pernety),still going strong after two decades. It meals and cash advances. lar amount per foreign-currency transaction. (imaginary bridges, map of the EU) are exactly is distributed free at Paris English-language When you get a cash advance on your Visa For example BNP Paribas charges ¬ 5.95 for the same in all 15 countries and symbolise bookshops, Anglophone embassies and the or MasterCard account, your issuer charges a cash while Société Générale takes ¬ 5.40 (or openness and cooperation. American Church (Map pp128 9; 01 40 62 05 00; www % transaction fee, which can be high; check with ¬ 11.40 if you don t bank with them). The rates The eight coins in circulation are in de- .acparis.org; 65 quai d Orsay, 7e; reception 9am-noon & h your card issuer before leaving home. Some charged on travellers cheques vary but neither nominations of ¬ 1 and ¬ 2, then one, two, five, 1-10pm Mon-Sat, 2-7.30pm Sun; Pont de l Alma or Invali- banks charge a commission of 4% (minimum m BNP Paribas or Société Générale charge a fee 10, 20 and 50 cents. The head side of the des), which functions as a kind of community around ¬ 6) for a cash advance though BNP to change travellers cheques in euros. coin, on which the denomination is shown, is centre for English speakers and is an excel- Parisbas does it for free (though the card-holder s In Paris, bureaux de change are usually identical throughout the euro zone; the tail lent source of information on au pair work, issuing bank will probably do so) to a maximum faster and easier, open longer hours and give side is specific to each member-state, though of ¬ 1000. American Express takes a 5% com- short-term accommodation etc. The free Paris better rates than most banks. It s best to fa- euro coins can be used anywhere that accepts Times (www.theparistimes.com), published mission on cash advances on Visa cards. miliarise yourself with the rates offered by euros, of course. In France the ¬ 1 (silver centre monthly, is also worth a look. See the website Call the following numbers if your card the post office and compare them with those with brassy ring) and ¬ 2 (brassy centre with for a full list of distribution points. is lost or stolen. It may be impossible to get on offer at bureaux de change, which are not silver ring) coins portray the tree of liberty; a lost Visa or MasterCard reissued until you generally allowed to charge commissions. Bu- the 10, 20 and 50 cent coins (all brass) have la get home so two different credit cards are reaux de change charge anything between 6% Semeuse (the Sower), a recurring theme in the ORGANISED TOURS generally safer than just one. and 13% plus ¬ 3 or ¬ 4 on cash transactions history of the French franc; and the one, two If you can t be bothered making your own way Amex ( 01 47 77 72 00, 01 71 23 08 38) % and 6% to just under 10% (plus ¬ 3) to change and five cent coins (all copper) portray Mari- around Paris or don t have the time, consider travellers cheques. anne, the symbol of the French Republic. Diners Club ( 0 820 82 05 36, 0 800 22 20 73) % a tour by air, bus, boat, bicycle or on foot. Among some of the better bureaux de Exchange rates are given in the Quick Ref- There s no reason to feel sheepish or embar- MasterCard/Eurocard ( 0 800 90 13 87, 01 45 67 84 84) % change: erence section on the inside front cover of this rassed about taking a guided tour. They are an Visa/Carte Bleue ( 0 892 70 57 05, 0 800 90 20 33) % book. The latest rates are available on websites American Express Bureau de Change (Map pp148 9; excellent way to learn the contours of a new such as www.oanda.com and www.xe.com. 01 47 77 79 50; 11 rue Scribe, 9e; 9am-6.30pm % h city, and even experienced guidebook writers For a broader view of the local economy and Mon-Sat; Auber or Opéra) have been known to join them from time to m Travellers Cheques costs in Paris, see p15. time. Most useful are the buses and other con- Best Change (Map p86; 01 42 21 46 05; 21 rue du % The most flexible travellers cheques are is- veyances that allow you to disembark when Roule, 1er; 9.30am-7pm Mon-Sat; Louvre Rivoli) sued by American Express (in US dollars or h m and where you want and board the next one ATMs Three blocks southwest of Forum des Halles. euros) and Visa, as they can be changed at that suits you. They usually offer little or no You ll find an ATM, which here is known as many post offices. CCO (Map pp82 3; 01 42 66 24 44; 12 blvd de % commentary aside from calling out the stop as a DAB (distributeur automatique de billets) Amex offices charges a commission on all Capucines, 9e; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-4pm Sat; h names but offer the most freedom to do what or point d argent, linked to the Cirrus, Maes- travellers cheques of about 4% (minimum ¬ 2). Opéra); Opéra branch (Map pp148 9; 01 47 42 20 you want. m % tro, Visa or MasterCard networks, virtually If your Amex travellers cheques are lost or sto- True couch potatoes will head for Paris Story 96; 9 rue Scribe, 9e; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am- h on every corner. Those without a local bank len while you are in Paris, call 0 800 83 28 % (Map pp148 9; 01 42 66 62 06; www.paris-story.com; 11bis [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |