Well, I GUESS that should read "used the restROOM" but I suppose I did use the restaurant, too - LOL!

We only went to one McDonalds and it required a code to enter the facilities. We had mostly good luck in museums and department stores. The exception was the episode I had with an elderly madame housekeeper at the Louvre. We were in line with many other women, and madame started chastising me very loudly in French. I still have no idea what I did to upset her.

And another thing, did anybody else notice that not all the facilities had warm water to wash your hands afterwards?

I think a lot of the bathrooms do have cold water, probably just to save money on the heating. I'm sure all the major dept. stores have public restrooms, I think I've used them in all the major stores.

As for the Cluny McDonalds, the time I used that restroom when you needed a code was actually quite a long time ago, several years. So if they don't require it now that is news.

I don't see any reason why a public should be required to allow anyone off the street to use their bathroom at all and don't think that's something a country should legislate. Far from being civilized, it seems that the civilized thing to do would be for a city or government to provide proper public facilities. Some McDonald's restrooms are truly filthy and disgusting because the general public thinks they are public facilities, and lines can also be very long. I have left a couple McDonald's restrooms without using them even when I bought something there because they were disgusting and/or the lines were too long.

It wouldn't matter so much to restaurants in out-of-the-way areas, but if you have a place in a prime tourist area, your restrooms will become a pigsty and the ambience of your place will entirely change if it becomes in essence a public restroom.

Am I the only one here who finds shocking the amount of advice available regarding how to pee in Paris? Why is it any different than finding a restroom anywhere else in the world, including the U.S.?

because Tat asked and we are nice

I was refused entry to a McDonald's restroom in Paris, because I was not a paying customer. They actually had someone standing by the restrooms, monitoring them. I guess the person saw me come in from outside and make a beeline for the restroom.

Make sure you take lots of change with you to use the public (for a few coins) restrooms that seem to be everywhere in Paris. I haven't been to Paris since before the Euro, so I have no idea what it might cost, nowadays.

I have no idea if this is true or not, but I read long ago that in France you could use the restroom in any bar, café or restaurant even if you didn't purchase anything. I read it a published travel book. They also suggested it would be polite to purchase a cup of coffee or something inexpensive but that it was not necessary.

Has anyone else heard this?

>There is a public restroom in a building in the park along Champs Elysee. A matron takes your coin(s), shows you to a private stall, and keeps everying tidy.<

On our last trip to Paris, my lady wife and I stopped at that little facility. The matron made us wait until someone came out and she had cleaned the room.

She then let my wife in. My wife came out. The matron cleaned the room, locked the door and went to lunch.

ira, did you then find the nearest tree? ((b))

Yeah, ira, when we lined up, the matron decided people weren't moving along fast enough so she went in a banged on a couple of stall doors...hilarious!

And those matrons have no scruples. While I was standing at a urinal, one sauntered over next to me and stooped to pick up a cigarette butt. Talk about being startled!!

LOL

My thread becoming an anecdot ! ILMAO
:)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Maybe this mysterious matron is a performance artist who goes from stall to stall just to get our polite but terrified reactions?

If there's a large hotel nearby, we just use their restrooms.

There is a decent restroom near the Eiffel Tower, down some steps kind of in the middle of the road. But, it is not free.

my experience was that the only restaurant that would let you use their restrooms free was at a mc donald's by the hotel de ville. it was kind of gross and would have gladly paid the 40 cents to use a clean bathroom. museums and big department stores were other "free" places to use the bathroom as well. restaurants, cafes and bars would only let us use the bathroom if we had drinks or food. i remember a paid bathroom in the tuileries too, along with all the metal cubicles around the city.

and yes, make sure you go in with your kids at these port a potties! there is some kind of sensor that automatically cleans them and apparently kids aren't tall enough to "trip" that sensor, so god forbid they come out completely soaked!

as an aside, i actually had a funny dream about this a couple of nights ago. i was at one of these port a potties and all of a sudden, water starts gushing at me while i was on the toilet! so what did i do? i just put my hat on (i was wearing my rain jacket) and finished my business... (lol)

Beware about lingering to finish your business in one of those automated portapotties.
In Italy one of the male members (no pun intended) of our group lingered a little too long sitting on the pot and the doors automatically opened after an alloted amount of time and there we all were along with a line of other people, face to face with him.

i can remember back in the early 70's that THE place to relieve oneself was the american embassy whereupon finishing you would take every roll of american made toilet paper in sight for later use.

i also recall one particularly seedy "squatter" in algeceras whose sole ammenity was a #10 can with water and some interesting expressionist art on the walls.

in general it pays to pay the 1 e for a cafe and whiz in relative style and comfort.