The official currency of Nice is the Euro. People who come to Nice from outside the European Union who are not familiar with this currency should learn coins refer to 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and to 1 and 2 euro coins. Banknotes range from 5 to 500 euro bills.
The so-called bureuax de change can be resorted to by people who want to exchange money in Nice. Banks too can be spotted throughout Nice, and, as usual, they offer the most convenient exchange rates. As a rule, banks open weekdays between 8.30am and 4.30pm, with an approximately 2-hour lunch break in the middle of the program. They are also closed on public holidays (Easter, Labor Day, Victory Day, Ascension, Whitsun, Bastille Day, Assumption, All Saints Day, Armistice, Christmas, and New Year ’s Day).
American Express (located at the airport, Terminal 1), Travelex, Office Provencal Maision de la France (both located at the Central Train Station, on Avenue Thiers), Change Mediterranee, Comptoir Financier Sauclieres (both located on Rue Jean Medecin) and Cofima (on Rue de France) are the most advisable exchange office one can resort to once in Nice.
People tend to believe traveler's checks have turned into an obsolete tourist tool, given credit cards and ATMs seem to come in handy and to replace the use of traveler’s checks. More and more tourism-related establishments accept credit cards and gradually reject traveler’s checks, which is why tourists should learn about the policy of such venues apply before heading for a certain destination.
In Nice there are plenty of ATMs from where visitors can withdraw cash, and most of the top restaurants, shopping centers, boutiques, guided tour companies, hotels and the like accept credit cards.
In Nice there are 34 post offices providing a wide range of specific services. For complete information on opening hours, the services provided by each of these offices and their contact information, visit the French Post.
The main post office is located near the central train station.
The connection to the Internet is not at all scarce in Nice, though there are plenty of tourists who complain about the quality of this specific service. Most hotels (the high rated one) include the Internet connection in their range of services, but tourists can always rely on the plethora of cafes or Internet points that enable the access to the Internet.
The following is but a short list of these venues:
In order to make a call to a landline phone in Nice from abroad, one should first enter the country code (0033) and then the area code for Nice (04). The rest of the dialed number consists of 8 digits.
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French is the language spoken in Nice. However, English-speaking visitors can rest assured: the staff of most of the high rated tourism-related venues (hotels, restaurants) speaks English fluently, and plenty of attractions (museums, guided tours) feature a wide openness to the English speaking public.
In Nice, the capital of Cote d’Azur, there are three tourist information offices: one at the airport, one at the central train station, and the other on Promenade des Anglais.
European Union citizens only need a valid identification card in order to enter France. Tourists from outside the European Union are required to present a valid passport and, depending on the duration of their stay in France (that is, more than 90 days) and on their nationality, they must also obtain a visa before heading for France.
As far as customs regulations are concerned, tourist should keep in mind they cannot bring to France goods which are worth more than € 175 without paying a tax. They can also bring the equivalent value of 200 cigarettes, two liters of wine, one liter of spirits, 500 grams of coffee and no more than 50 milliliters of perfume.
On the other hand, travelers can carry out of France goods amounting to € 800, provided that their stay on France took more than 48 hours. On top of that, they are allowed to export 200 cigarettes and one liter of alcohol.
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