Phone Information and Services in France
French telephone numbers are composed of 10 digits, each one beginning with a two-digit prefix for one of the French five telephone areas:
01 Île-de-France (Paris area)
02 Northwest France
03 Northeast France
04 Southeast France and Corsica
05 Southwest France
To telephone or fax France from abroad, dial the international access code of your country + 33 (French country code) + the nine digit number of the person you are calling (without the 0 at the beginning). From France to a foreign country dial 00 + the international country number + the number of the person you are calling. To call somewhere in France when in France, simply dial the 10-digit number.
Ask for rates at the reception desk to avoid misunderstandings when placing calls from your hotel. As elsewhere, in fact, hotels usually add a surcharge to phone rates. Free rate information is available at 08.00.06.19.19. Toll-free numbers (numéro vert) begin with the digits 08.00, often grouped as 0.800.
The majority of public telephones is nearly equipped for the TéléCarte, an embedded-chip phone card available in 50-unit and 120-unit denominations. They are available at tobacconist's, post offices, offices of France Télécom, souvenir shops and from newsagents. Public telephones can be found in métro and train stations, in airports, and on TGV and EuroStar trains, although the latter only accept Visa and Mastercard/Eurocard. International TéléCartes are also available for calling abroad, offering more favourable rates - in some cases up to 60 per cent off standard French tariffs. Since by now few public phones still accept coins, we suggest to always carry with you a phone card. Some credit cards, usually Visa and Mastercard/Eurocard, can also be used. Note that emergency numbers and directory information services can be dialled without a card or coins.
Cellular phone numbers all begin with 06. Before leaving find out from your own operator which French network to choose so that you can use your mobile phone in France. France is very well covered by the 3 French mobile phone operators.
Useful Links
France Télécom - information on services, rates and country numbers
White Pages France
Yellow Pages France
