The main post office is in Boulevard Béranger. Post offices offer several services:
- Post letters and parcels
- Purchase stamps
- Send fax
- Bureau de change
Post offices open from 9am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 12 noon on Saturdays.
Postal rates:
Postage varies according to weight and destination.
For letters of up to 20 grams, postage costs
- €0.54 for France
- €0.60 for the EU and Switzerland
- €0.85 for other countries
French telephone numbers contain 10 digits. The first two are the main “area code”; France is divided into 5 main telephone areas:
- 01 for Paris and Ile-de-France,
- 02 for the North West,
- 03 for the North East,
- 04 for the South East and Corsica,
- 05 for the South West
To call France from abroad, dial [00], then the code for France [33], then the telephone number without the initial zero.
For example, to call 02 47 05 76 83 from abroad, you dial
00 – 33 2 47 05 76 83
To make a foreign call from France, dial [00], followed by the country code, and the number.
Public phone booths
Phone booths can be found in most public places such as post offices, stations, underground stations, shopping malls or on the street.
There are several phone booths in the immediate vicinity of Institut de Touraine.
Most public phone booths operate with a phone card. Prepaid cards are on sale in post offices and tobacconists. They contain 50 or 120 units and cost €6 or €15.
Most credit or debit cards can also be used in public booths; your card is directly debited for the cost of the call.
Mobile phones
Mobile phones are very common in France.
If you bring your mobile with you to France, check first with your operator to find out whether they have a roaming agreement with any of the three French operators (Orange, SFR or Bouygues).
Otherwise you can easily subscribe with a local operator when you get to Tours.
If you need to contact a medical service and it is not an emergency, ask the student affairs department at Institut de Touraine for a list of doctors.
In an emergency, these are the emergency numbers you should remember:
- Fire service: 18
- Medical service on weekends and at night. An emergency doctor will listen to you and give you the appropriate instructions
- Police: 17
France is a secular state and recognizes everyone's freedom to practise their religion.
The catholic religion is in the majority in France.
There are several different places of worship in Tours.
- Catholic church: several parishes in Tours
- Evangelical church: 72 rue Bernard Palissy
- Evangelical Baptist church: 156 rue Lakanal
- Reformed church: 5 r Bazoche
- Orthodox church: 6 rue Eupatoria
- Islamic community: 18 rue Lobin
- Jewish community: 37, rue Parmentier
The euro has been France's currency since 1 January 1999.
Any foreigner staying in France for over 3 months can open a bank account. 3 documents are required to do so:
- passport,
- resident's permit (carte de séjour),
- proof of residence (telephone or electricity bill, rent receipt, certificate of residence etc.).
Banks are open from 9am to 4pm (some branches close at 5pm) Monday to Friday. Some banks also open on Saturday.
There are numerous cash dispensers in France. Ask you bank how much you can withdraw a week. All towns have cash points that accept the main foreign payment cards (Visa and Mastercard).
The vast majority of hotels, restaurants and shopkeepers accept card payments, sometimes with a minimum of 10 or 15 euros. For petty expenses, cash is preferable.
