Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [191]
Many shops offer V.A.T. refunds to foreign shoppers. Non-EU residents (including U.S. and Canada residents) can claim a refund of the 19.6% tax (less a 3% administrative fee) for any goods totaling €175.01 purchased in the same store. Request a détaxe form in the store. You will be asked to show your passport. At the airport or border crossing, present the form, plus the goods purchased, to customs officials, who will issue a stamp. Proceed to the cash refund office. You may also return the form to Global Refund by mail.
Global Refund is a Europe-wide service with 225,000 affiliated stores and more than 700 refund counters at major airports and border crossings. Its refund form, called a Tax Free Check, is the most common across the European continent. The service issues refunds in the form of cash, check, or credit-card adjustment.
V.A.T. Refunds: Global Refund (www.globalrefund.com). Detaxe TaxFree (01–42–60–29–29 | www.detaxe.com).
TIME
The time difference between New York and Paris is six hours (so when it’s 1 PM in New York, it’s 7 PM in Paris). France, like the rest of Europe, uses the 24-hour clock, which means that after noon you continue counting forward: 13h00 is 1 PM, 22h30 is 10:30 PM. The European format for abbreviating dates is day/month/year, so 7/5/05 means May 7, not July 5.
Time Zones: Timeanddate.com (www.timeanddate.com/worldclock) can help you figure out the correct time anywhere in the world.
TIPPING
The French have a clear idea of when they should be tipped. Bills in bars and restaurants include a service charge incorporated into the prices, but it’s customary to round out your bill with some small change unless you’re dissatisfied. The amount varies: anywhere from €0.50, if you’ve merely bought a beer, to €1–€3 (or more) after a meal. Tip taxi drivers and hair stylists about 10%. In some theaters and hotels, coat-check attendants may expect nothing (if there’s a sign saying POURBOIRE INTERDIT—tips forbidden); otherwise give them €0.50–€1. Washroom attendants usually get €0.50, though the sum is often posted.
If you stay in a hotel for more than two or three days, it’s customary to leave something for the chambermaid—about €1.50 per day. In expensive hotels you may well call on the services of a baggage porter (bellhop) and hotel porter and possibly the telephone receptionist. All expect a tip: plan on about €1.50 per item for the baggage porter, but the other tips will depend on how much you’ve used their services—common sense must guide you here. In hotels that provide room service, give €1 to the waiter (this does not apply to breakfast served in your room). If the chambermaid does some pressing, give her €1 on top of the charge made. If the concierge has been helpful, it’s customary to leave a tip of €10–€20.
Museum guides should get €1–€1.50 after a guided tour.
VISITOR INFORMATION
All major cities and most small towns have tourism offices that can provide information on accommodation and sightseeing and maps.
France Tourism Information: Maison de la France (514/288–1904 | www.franceguide.com) is the national site for French tourism.
Tourism Web Sites: Tourism in France (www.tourisme.fr) has links to 3,500 tourist offices.
ONLINE TRAVEL TOOLS
All About France: The Centre des Monuments Nationaux (www.monum.fr) runs 200 monuments—from the Arc de Triomphe to Chambord—and is chock-full of information. If you’re château hopping, Chateaux and Country (www.chateauxandcountry.com) has a brief overview of hundreds of châteaux all over France. The French Ministry of Culture (www.culture.fr) provides a portal to all the cultural happenings and institutions throughout France. French National Museums (www.rmn.fr) is the main site for the Réunion des musées nationaux, which administers the country’s biggest museums.
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FODOR’S NORMANDY, BRITTANY & THE BEST OF THE NORTH
Editors: Robert I.C. Fisher, Salwa Jabado
Editorial Contributors: Andrew Collins, Linda Dannenberg, Jennifer Ditsler-Ladonne, John Fanning,