Paris: Anti-Smoking Law Passes

By Susan MacCallum-Whitcomb
Fodor's Editor

Sacré bleu! For decades, the bluish haze of cigarette smoke in Paris has been as much a part of the Parisian landscape as berets and baguettes. But that is beginning to change. French smokers -- who comprise 25 percent of the adult population of France -- have had to start stamping out cigarettes since the passing into law on February 1 of a new anti-smoking law that bans puffing in most public places. Exceptions to the rule are restaurants, bars-tabacs, clubs, and hotels, which have been given an 11-month grace period. Diehard smokers will -- in theory, at least -- be slapped with a €75 fine if caught lighting up.

---Susan MacCallum-Whitcomb

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