France by phone

How to telephone France and useful emergency numbers in France

France's country code is
33

Major French city & region codes:

Note that France uses region codes (then the first two digits of the number usually indicates the city itself), whcih is why, for example, all the cities in Provence start with the "04" code.

How to call France

Use Skype
Skype is the cheapest way to place any call, international or otherwise. The only catch is you need an Internet connection. That's easy enough at home. While traveling use either cybercafes or the Skype app for smartphones (not roaming—pricey—but on WiFi).

• If you're calling anywhere in France from outside France: Dial your international dialing prefix (011 in the U.S. and Canada; 00 in most other countries), then the country code (33), then the city or region code (though leave off the initial zero), then the number.
  
  In other words, to call Paris from the United States, dial 011-33-1 and then the number. (Actually, just use Skype. It's easier and cheaper.)
• If you're calling one French city from another part of France: Dial the city code—including the initial zero—then the number. So to dial Paris from, say, Nice, dial 01-xx-xx-xx-xx.
• If you're calling another number from within the same city: Drop the city code entirely and just dial the number itself.

Emergency numbers in France

In any emergency dial
17

Police: tel. 17

Ambulance (SAMU): tel. 15

Fire: tel. 18