France
- Tourist
Information - Opening Hours
In Paris and
in most of northern France banks are usually open from 9am to 4:30pm-5pm,
Monday to Friday. Some banks close from 1pm to 3pm, and some are
open Saturday mornings. Provincial banks are usually open from 10am
to 1pm and from 3pm to 4:30pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Note that the
day before a national holiday banks may close earlier than usual.
The normal opening
hours for shops are Tuesday to Saturday from 9am (or 10am) to 7pm,
and in larger cities, some stores may remain open until 10pm. Outside
of Paris midday closing is traditionally a two-hour break for lunch
usually from 1pm to 3pm, taken sometime between midday and 3pm,
although many shops and supermarkets in larger towns and cities
now open continuously.
With local exceptions,
the majority of shops are shut on Monday and also Sunday opening
is uncommon in France, although outdoor markets will be in full
swing, and some supermarkets may open in the morning. Many businesses
are closed during July and August as these are the traditional times
for shop owners and employees to take their annual holidays.
A practice adopted
by many businesses is the one known as "faire le pont"
('make a bridge'), which means that if a public holiday falls on
a Tuesday or Thursday, they extend the break by taking the nearest
Friday or Monday off work, too.
Most museums
are closed on either Monday or Tuesday, a lot of museums close around
midday for lunch and hours change with the seasons. Note that some
of them may have periods of seasonal closure during the winter and
the majority are closed on national holidays. Some of the largest
ones, such as the Louvre, have late opening nights during the week.
Post offices
are usually open from 8am or 8.30am to 5pm or 6pm in the cities
on weekdays, and Saturdays from 8am until midday. In provincial
areas opening hours are often later, around 9am, with a two-hour
break for lunch and closing times of around 4.30pm.
French pharmacies
are identified by a neon green cross, lit when open, and
normally keep shop hours opening from 9am - 1pm and 3pm - 7pm. In
larger cities there will always be a certain number that remain
open 24 hours. As in many European countries details of the nearest
pharmacy on night or weekend duty will be posted on any pharmacy
door.
