FRANCE

(EUR) Currency News >>

CURRENCY:

Euro - EUR, Symbol €

DENOMINATIONS:

NOTE: €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5.

COIN: €2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10, 5 cents.

US DOLLAR ACCEPTED?

CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS AND ATMS:

American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE:

Note: shops and hotels are not permitted to accept foreign currency. Foreign currency can be exchanged at some larger hotels - check in advance. It is wise to arrange this in advance however.

TRAVELLER'S CHEQUES:

These are accepted widely and with ease.

BANKING HOURS:

Mon-Sat 0900 - 1700 (closed at lunchtime). Mote that there are banks which close on Mondays, but are open on Saturdays - check in advance. Many banks also operate early closing before and around public holidays, and are close during public holidays.

CURRENCY RESTRICTIONS:

None

COUNTRY OVERVIEW:

France is officially called the French Republic and is a country in Europe. There are overseas islands belonging to France. It is the largest country in the European Union and has been known as a powerful nation historically. The capital is Paris and the official language is French.

POPULATION:

Around 65 million.

ECONOMY:

France is the sixth largest economy in the world (when ranked by GDP) and joined the Euro single currency in 1999. There are both private enterprise and government-influenced sectors. France has an important aerospace. It has much in the way of nuclear power and is also one of the main agricultural importers and exporters in the world.