Travel Information
VISA Requirements
Please check whether you need a VISA to enter France well in advance of your planned travel. You can check here: VISA Requirements.
UNESCO
Passport holders who do not need a VISA
Schengen countries
Austria, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands.
VISA also waived for citizens of the following countries
Australia, Canada, United States, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and more...please check website above.
Getting to Paris
Practically every major airline flys through Paris, and most European train tracks and bus routes cross it. So you can choose to fly, take a train or bus, or even drive depending on your starting point.
Airports
Paris is served by Aéroport d'Orly and Aéroport Roissy Charles de Gaulle, both well linked by public transport to central Paris. Aéroport de Beauvais handles charter and some budget carriers, including Ryanair and Central Wings but is further away.
Orly
The older, smaller of Paris' two major airports, Aéroport d'Orly , is 18km south of the city. Its two terminals, Orly Ouest (Orly West) and Orly Sud (Orly South), are linked by a free shuttle bus service that continues to/from the airport car parks and RER C station Pont de Rungis-Aéroport d'Orly; the Orlyval automatic metro links both terminals with the RER B station Antony.
Roissy Charles de Gaulle
Aéroport Roissy Charles de Gaulle, 30km northeast of central Paris in the suburb of Roissy, has three aérogares (terminals) - aptly numbered 1, 2 and 3 - and two train stations served by commuter trains on RER line B3: Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 1 (CDG1), which serves terminals 1 and 3, and the Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 (CDG2) for terminal 2. A free shuttle bus links the terminals with the train stations.
To get to/from Charles de Gaulle and Orly, take the RER line B3 to the Antony stop then pick up the Orlyval automatic metro (adult/child four to ten years €9.30/4.65) or hop aboard the Air France shuttle bus 3 (adult/child 2-11yr €16/8; 6am or 7am-10.30pm) linking the two airports. Both journeys take an hour, as does a taxi (€50 to €60).
Beauvais
Charter companies and Ryanair, Central Wings and various other budget airlines land/take off at Aéroport Paris-Beauvais, 75km north of central Paris.
Getting Around: from the Airport & around the city
The Paris metro system is vast, efficient and spans every pocket of Paris. Information about the system, including maps, ticket information and how to get into the city from the airports are available at: http://www.parismetro.com/.
Download a MAP OF THE METRO SYSTEM.
Weather & Clothing
The dress code of the conference will be smart casual wear. We advise you bring a coat and umbrella and something a little more special for the Gala dinner.
Climate Averages
May: Max 18°C, Min 9°C. High possiblity of rainfall.
Electricity Supply
Electricity supply is 220 volts throughout France with "European" 2-pin type wall sockets. For any European or other countries that utilise 240 volts e.g. UK and Ireland most electrical equipment will function adequately.
If you intend to use the European electrical plugs then you will need an electricity plug adapter. In the US where the electricity supply is 110 volts a transformer would be required to step up the voltage to 220 volts. Damage to the electrical appliance can occur if you attempt to use a 110 volt rated electrical appliance with a 220 volt supply. Laptop computers have an inbuilt transformer.
Language spoken
The language in France is French.
Currency
The Euro is the accepted currency.
Banking facilities
ATMs that accept foreign cards are widely available.
Time zone
The time in Paris is GMT + 1 hour.
Telephones
00 is the International Direct Dial code you use to call overseas from within France.
33 is the International Country Code for France when dialing from overseas.