General Info
Climate
July is a popular vacation month in France. Beach destinations are bustling, and outdoor markets are bursting with activity and produce. There are almost endless events and festivals. The Tour de France storms through the country. Bastille Day revelry is everywhere. Depending on your destination, the weather can be a bit too balmy. Combine that with the crowds, and it can feel stifling.
The weather is usually quite nice in July. Average temperature is 25 degrees celsius/77 degrees farenheit. Average rainfall is 57 millimeters, or 2.2 inches.
For an up-to-date weather report check this page.
Currency
Decimal currency is used in France with the Euro as the basic unit (100 cents= EUR 1). Notes come in EUR 500, EUR 200, EUR 100, EUR 50, EUR 20, EUR 10 and EUR 5. Coins come in 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, EUR 1 and EUR 2 denominations. As a guide, the current exchange rate is approximately EUR 1 to US$ 1,35 (as May 2007). Click here for Currency converter.
Electricity
The voltage in France is 230 volts. Hotels may have a 110-volt or 120-volt outlet for shavers, but travellers are advised to bring a power converter and an adapter for two-prong, round-prong plugs with side grounding contacts.
Language
French is the national language of France. However, English is spoken by most of the Parisiens. The official language of the consultation is English.
Paris
Paris is known as the City of Lights and it absolutely deserves this name. But Paris is much more than just the City of Lights. Paris is one of the best travel destinations in the world as it offers everything a traveler could possibly hope for. Also, Paris rates among the world’s most popular international conference locations. Its thousand-plus annual conventions include over 300 international conferences and 300 trade shows. Tourism is vitally important to the city’s economy with more than 20 million international overnight stays per year, and Paris is one of Europe’s major tourist draw cards. Despite its large size and population almost everything worth seeing is contained within the ring road, the Boulevard Périphérique. The compact centre is easily navigable on foot, with the efficient and comprehensive Métro system always on hand to ease tired limbs. The lifeblood River Seine splits the city neatly in two and the useful arrondissements system neatly carves Paris into manageable chunks. The meeting takes place in July, which is in the French summer. Temperatures are mild to warm with occasional heat waves. French is the national language but English is widely understood and spoken in Paris.
Time
France is located in the Central European Timezone (GMT +1). This implies that the time difference with EST is +6 hours and with PST +9 hours.
Travel Insurance
Registration fees do not include insurance of any kind. It is strongly recommended that all delegates take out their own travel insurance prior to coming to the Meeting. The Conference Secretariat/Office will not take any responsibility for any participants failing to insure. Please seek further information from your travel agent or airline in regard to this matter.