Hours of Operation

On weekdays banks are open generally 9-5 (note that the Banque de France closes at 3:30), and some banks are also open Saturday 9-5. In general, government offices and businesses are open 9-5.

Most museums are closed one day a week—usually Monday or Tuesday—and on national holidays. Generally, museums and national monuments are open from 10 to 5 or 6. A few close for lunch (noon-2) and are open only in the afternoon on Sunday. Many of the large museums have one nocturne (nighttime) opening per week, when they are open until 9:30 or 10. Pharmacies are generally open Monday-Saturday 8:30-8. Nearby pharmacies that stay open late, for 24 hours, or Sunday, are listed on the door.

Generally, large shops are open from 9:30 or 10 to 7 or 8 Monday to Saturday and remain open through lunchtime. Many of the large department stores stay open until 10 on Wednesday or Thursday, and new laws passed in 2009 allow them to open on Sunday. Smaller shops and many supermarkets often open earlier (8 am) but take a lengthy lunch break (1-3) and generally close around 8 pm; small food shops are often open Sunday morning 9-1. There is typically a small corner grocery store that stays open late, usually until 11, if you're in a bind for basic necessities like diapers, bread, cheese, and fruit. Note that prices are substantially higher in such outlets than in the larger supermarkets. Not all shops stay open on Sunday, except in the Marais, where shops that stand side by side on Rue des Francs Bourgeois, from antiques dealers to chic little designers, open their doors to welcome hordes of Sunday browsers. The Bastille, the Quartier Latin, the Champs-Élysées, Ile St-Louis, and the Ile de la Cité also have shops that open Sunday.