Paris Business Advice

Paris Dress Code: Casual but smart clothing outside of business is the norm, with the possible exception of the more exclusive restaurants and hotels, which may stipulate a jacket and tie. For business meetings, both men and women wear suits.

Greeting Someone in Paris: A friendly handshake is the normal greeting for business associates in Paris. It is not customary to use Christian names unless formalities are mutually disregarded. Visitors are advised to be slightly cautious when addressing women. The decision to use madame, or alternatively mademoiselle, can cause avoidable friction. The very best advice is to keep alert and listen carefully to introductions and follow the example given.

Paris Business Hours and Banking: Both government and commercial offices operate between 09:00 and 17:00. Generally banks in France are open weekdays from 09:30 to 16:30 (the Banque de France is an exception and closes at 15:30), and some banks are also open on Saturday. Most take a one-hour, or even a 90-minute, lunch break, except for those in central Paris. Banks at the airport and main train stations open as early as 06:30 and close as late as 22:30.

Paris Smoking: Smoking, although more widely accepted in France than in many English-speaking countries, has recently become an issue. Expect to find no-smoking signs in many public places, although most cafes and restaurants will allow smoking in at least part of their premises. The non-smoker may find this difficult, as so many people do smoke. If this is so, their only recourse is to make their feelings known!