Post Offices in France
In France mail boxes can be easily recognised by their yellow colour and can be found along many streets and in front of every post office. Collection times are displayed on them and post offices are generally open from 8am to 7pm from Mondays to Fridays and from 8am to midday on Saturdays. The French post office, La Poste, does much more than deliver mail. It also handles telegrams, Chronopost express mail, packages, savings accounts, money markets, fund transfers by wire, telephone bill payments, and you can make change, make phone calls, send faxes, use a Minitel terminal, purchase stamps and envelopes, and more! So do not be surprised if the line takes longer than you're used to. You can pay for postage-related expenses with Visa or Mastercard, but not with other cards. Larger post offices may also be equipped with a Cyberposte, a card-operated public-use internet terminal.
For more information visit the website of La Poste, the French postal service.
Stamps are available at any post office, at any newspaper kiosk and at any tobacconist. Do not forget that postage costs vary according to the weight of your mail and its destination. For airmail delivery of a letter write Par Avion on the face and affix the right postage.
The French mail service is efficient: allow 24 to 48 hours for a letter posted before the last collection to a destination in France, while overseas letters take one to five days to arrive, depending on the country. The whole cost for standard mail is without special extra fees.
Useful Link
English / French or French / English postal information dictionary
