Restaurants, laundry, public transport and more – tips from our local experts
Make the most of your French adventure – from Paris to the Camargue – with a few practical tips from our local experts.
Water
Tap water is safe to drink across France, cold from the kitchen tap. At a restaurant, order une carafe d’eau for a free jug.
Pack a refillable bottle for your trip and keep it in your day back. It saves you money and spares the planet a little plastic.
L'Apéro – the perfect start to your evening
The French don't rush into dinner. Before your main meal, find a laid-back bar and sit for apéro – a drink, a few olives, maybe some charcuterie, somewhere between 6 and 8pm. Order a kir, a pastis, or a glass of rosé, and settle in.
Local accommodation
Check-in at French hotels usually opens between 2-4 PM. Running late? Give your hosts a quick call. They'd rather know.
If you’re planning to eat dinner where you're staying, it’s also a good idea to call ahead and book a table.
Tipping and taxes
Tipping in France isn't as common as in North America.At restaurants, an optional service charge is usually already built into the bill (service compris), so nothing extra is owed, though rounding up is always welcome.
In cafés and taxis, leaving a few coins or rounding up the bill is a kind gesture, though not expected. Hotel tipping follows the same logic: a euro or two for porters, housekeeping or the concierge – never required, but always appreciated.
Joined an experience led by a local guide? A tip at the end is a lovely way to say merci. For walking tours that were free to join, paying 10-15 euros at the end for an entertaining few hours is a lovely gesture.
France's sales tax, TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée), sits at a standard 20%. Restaurants, hotels and transport get a break at 10%, and most groceries and books drop to 5.5%.
Like everywhere in the EU, TVA is baked into the price you see. What's on the till receipt is what you pay – no surprises at checkout.
Food and snacks
For the best prices and the widest choice, head to a major supermarket.
Carrefour, Monoprix, Casino, and Intermarché are the names you'll spot in most towns, large or small.
But France's real strength lies in its independents: boulangeries for your morning baguette, fromageries stacked with regional cheese, and small épiceries selling produce grown just down the road.
Most shops open around 9am and close by 7pm, though hours shift for public holidays. Many close on Sundays, and some pause for a couple of hours over lunch. Boulangeries and tabacs tend to open early and stay open later, so they're your safest bet outside normal hours.
Laundry
Most hotels handle laundry for a fee, and larger towns have laundrettes (laveries) if you'd rather sort it yourself.
Wine, beer and spirits
France practically invented the wine shop, so you'll find plenty around: from supermarket shelves to specialist "caves" run by people who truly love the stuff.
The legal drinking age is 18. Behind the wheel, the limit is 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood – roughly two small glasses of wine for an average adult, so it's easy to cross without noticing. New drivers face an even stricter 0.2g/l.
Our recommendation – just don’t risk it. Stick to soft drinks (such as sirop, fruit syrup diluted with sparkling water) if you know you’ll be driving later, and don’t have too much the night before an early start on the road.
Dining and nightlife
Lunch for the French usually runs from around midday to 2 PM, dinner from 7:30 to 10 PM. Turn up outside these hours in a smaller town, and you'll likely find the shutters down.
The further south you travel, toward the Riviera or the Camargue, the later the evenings stretch. Arriving at 7 PM sharp in Nice might mean you're the only table in the room.
Outside Paris and the bigger cities, expect shorter hours and quieter Sundays and Mondays.
Staying safe
France is a safe place to explore on foot, in cities and countryside alike. As in most countries, pickpocketing can happen around busy spots – train stations, markets, the Paris metro at rush hour.
Keep valuables close, preferably in a concealed money belt or a bag that sits close to your person.
Getting around
Most French towns and cities are built for walking, and your accommodation with us will usually sit within easy reach of the sights.
Where walking won't cut it, public transport steps in. Paris runs an excellent metro; smaller cities lean on buses and trams that cover the essentials without fuss.
If you’re taking public transport, you'll usually need to buy your ticket before boarding, then validate it – look for a small yellow or blue machine at the platform or stop. This stamps it with the date you’re travelling on. Tickets rarely get sold on board.
Tabacs, station kiosks and ticket machines all sell tickets, and apps are increasingly common too. Day passes and multi-trip tickets can trim your costs if you're moving around a lot, and group tickets are usually available too.
Taxis wait outside stations and at central ranks in every major town. Most take card, but it's worth checking with the driver first. Uber and other ride-hailing apps operate widely across French cities.
Get in touch with our travel consultants for more on getting around France.
