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Wet Weather Limits:Reduce speed by 6mph (10kph)

French timeFrance is one hour ahead of UK time throughout the year. Summer timeFrench summer time starts the last Sunday in March at 2am and ends on the last Sunday in October at 3am.

Public holidaysHolidays with the same dates each year:

Date English name Local name

1 January New Year’s Day Nouvel an / Jour de l’an / Premier de l’an

1 May Labour Day Fête du Travail

8 May Victory in Europe Day Fête de la victoire

14 July Bastille Day Fête nationale

15 August Assumption Day Assomption

1 November All Saint’s Day La Toussaint

11 November Remembrance Day Armistice de 1918

25 December Christmas Day Noël

Holidays with different dates each year:

English name Local name

Ascension Ascension

Pentecost / Whit Monday Lundi de Pentecôte

Easter Monday Lundi de Pâque

Bastille Day Fête nationale

School holidays in Pas de Calais (Zone B)France is divided into three zones: in recent years and for the coming years, all three zones have the same school holidays calendar from the start of the school year, in September, until January. It is only the winter and spring holidays that differ – Pas de Calais is in zone B.

TelephoningCalling France from the UKThe code for France is 00 33 followed by the telephone number minus the first 0

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

DrivingDon’t forget to drive on the right!

Motorways A16 and A26 are both within easy reach from all cross Channel services.Motorway A16 is toll free in Pas-de-Calais.Motorway A26 toll can be paid by cash or credit card to a person in a toll-booth or you can use automatic payment machines which take credit cards such as Visa or Mastercard.

• SANEF, the French motorway operator has now extended its Liber-t automatic toll payment service to UK motorists. It simply makes French « Autoroute » toll payment easy for you. More info: www.saneftolling.co.uk

Motorway signs (Autoroutes - A + number) are shown in blue and main roads in green (Nationales – N + number). Secondary roads are Dépar-tementales - D + number.

Roundabouts are anti-clockwise.

You must give way to traffic coming from the right unless road mar-kings indicate your priority.

Front and rear seatbelt wearing is compulsory.Children under 10 are not allowed in the front. In the rear they must use a proper restraint according to their weight: between 9 and 15 kg, a child seat / over 15kg, a booster cushion.

By law you must carry a warning triangle, spare bulbs and a reflective vest in your car.

If you have a right-hand drive car, by law you must adjust the direction of your headlamp beams for driving on the right, either by using the stick-on adapters or (on more modern cars) by making an adjustment to the lights.

Lights flashing on a motorway mean ‘I’m coming through’; it’s best just to quietly move over.

Speed limitsDry Weather Limits: Built-Up Areas: 31 mph (50 kph) Outside Built-Up Areas: 55mph (90kph) Dual Carriageways and Non-Toll Motorways: 68mph (110 kph) Toll Motorways: 80 mph (130 kph)

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PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Calling the UK from FranceDial 00 44 and then your number without the 0 before the town code

Emergency telephone numbers in France:Medical assistance: 15Police assistance: 17Fire assistance: 18The Pan-European emergency number is 112. This number is used to call any other emergency services if the caller is using mobile or cellular phones.

British Honorary Consulate in Boulogne-sur-merPhone: 00 33 (0)3 21 87 16 80

British Honorary Consulate in CalaisPhone: 00 33 (0)3 21 96 33 76

British Consulate-General in LillePhone: 00 33 (0)3 20 12 82 72

PostageStamps are available from newsagents (tabacs) as well as from post offices. The price of a stamp for a postcard or letter under 20 g is €0.76 (France) and €0.95 (international) (In March 2015, at time of going to press).

ElectricityThe voltage in France is 220v so all UK appliances should function without a problem. You will need a 2 pin adaptor however.

MoneyBefore travelling, it is advisable to change some money into euros for small purchases and to pay for parking. Most shopping trolleys accept a one euro coin.

Credit cards are widely accepted in shops, hotels and restaurants, petrol stations and many hypermarkets (unless otherwise indicated).

Using credit/debit cards and UK pin numbers, cash can be withdrawn from numerous cash dispensing machines in France bearing the appropriate symbol.

CurrencyThe exchange rate between the pound and the euros fluctuates, but

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as a guideline, the average exchange rate at time of going to press (March 2015) is as follows:€1 = £0.721£ = €1.39Check with your bank for the current conversion rate before you travel.

Shopping informationPas-de-Calais boasts a vast number of irresistible shops offering the very best in clothing, shoes, accessories and local products.It offers a world of friendly boutiques and affordable brands for all tastes and budgets.Have a look in our WANDERINGS magazine – available in each Tourist Office in Pas-de-Calais – for a good shopping list!

Most shops are open on Monday from 2pm to 7pm and from Tuesday to Saturday inclusive from 9am to 12 noon and 2pm to 7pm.Shopping centres are open non-stop from 9am to 7pm and often beyond.With a few exceptions, shops are shut on Sunday.

BankOpen 9am-12pm - 2pm-5pm and closed either Saturday afternoon or Monday morning. Closed Sunday and public holidays.

Post OfficesFrench post offices (bureaux de poste) – look for bright yellow La Poste signs – are generally open 8:00/9:00am to 6:00/7:00pm Monday to Friday, and 9:00am to noon on Saturday. However, don’t depend on these hours: in smaller towns and villages offices may close earlier and for lunch.

Antiques & flea marketsEnquire at tourist offices for details concerning what we call “braderie” and “brocantes” (Antiques and flea markets)

Regional foodLe Comité de Promotion for the Nord Pas-de-Calais produces an excellent guide to shops and restaurants which specialise in regional produce. Why not visiting their website on: www.saveurs-npdc.com - FYI website in FrenchIf you want to buy local food, visit: www.ouacheterlocal.fr - FYI website in French only

PRACTICAL INFORMATIONPRACTICAL INFORMATION