TOURIST
INFO
Shopping
in the Riviera, In General:
French shops
are split into three categories : large stores (or supermarkets),
usually situated on the outskirts of towns, supermarkets mostly
for food, large specialized shops (household appliances, sports
goods, clothes etc...), and boutiques in town centers.
Opening hours
Shops are usually open Tuesday to Saturday, all day long from 9.30
a.m. to 7 p.m. Some close between 12.30 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. On Mondays,
some stores in town centers are closed. All shops, except a few
food shops (bakers etc...) or crafts shops in tourist centers, are
closed Sundays.
Local crafts
and markets
Shops specializing in local crafts are mainly located in town centers
and around Provençal street-markets. Visiting a Provençal
market is something you certainly shouldn't miss! Antibes, Grasse,
Cannes and Nice have permanent markets proposing fruit and vegetables,
flowers and local crafts. Most villages also have at least one market
a day (Vence, Sospel, Vallauris, Cagnes-sur-Mer etc...).
Methods of
payment
Payment in shops is accepted in cash, checks and all bank cards.
The credit card is very widely used, though it is not accepted by
all shop-keepers (especially the American Express type). Minimum
amounts of 7,15 or 23 Euros are often stipulated. Travellers' checks
are also generally accepted in all shops and hotels. You may, however,
need to provide proof of your identity by showing your passport
when you pay.
Sales
Sales are held in January and July for a maximum period of 6 weeks.
However, special promotions are sometimes proposed by certain shops
at other times of the year.
Duty Free
purchases
Prices are always displayed with all tax included (VAT = 20.6%).
Airport boutiques in the duty free area (international zone at Terminal
1, Nice Riviera Airport) are the only ones to propose items with
no tax applied. Some shops are allowed to sell duty free items.
This possibility is usually indicated outside the shop though this
type of purchase is exclusively reserved for foreigners who can
prove they will soon be leaving France (plane ticket to be shown).
It is nevertheless very important to keep your bill and declare
your duty free purchases at the customs when you leave the country.
Tips
In France, service is included in bars and restaurants. It represents
15% of the bill. If you are satisfied with the service you receive,
you can leave an extra tip of about 10% of the bill. You can also
leave tips for the hotel porter (1.5 Euro per item of baggage) and
taxi-driver (10% of the cost of the ride).
