You probably know that Paris (like the rest of France) operates on the Euro. You likely also know that, right now, the Euro is slamming the dollar, so there really is no such thing as a bargain in Paris anymore. (We miss those days when the Franc was king, but the dollar was Emperor, and you’d be a fool not to shop your little hearts out while in Paris.)
American credit cards are widely accepted in Paris, but you will need cash, pretty much from the moment you arrive. If you’re taking a taxi into town from the airport, you need to know that most taxis don’t take credit cards (meaning that some do).
Parisien Salon advises checking with your bank (or banks) to see what they charge on foreign transactions. We’ve found that the fee charged by our bank (Washington Mutual) is far less than any exchange fees we’ll pay at Bureaus de Change or French banks – both for cash and credit card transactions.
You’ll find ATM machines virtually everywhere in Paris – including in airport terminals. Should you need the services of a bank in Paris, please note that they’re open from 9:00am to 5:00pm weekdays only.
