Hi All: We're off to France in Sept. to celebrate our 25th anniversary but I have reservations about the amount of cigarette smoke I may encounter in restaurants, line ups, hotels, etc. Rescue inhalers only go so far, so I'm hoping to get an accurate picture of what I might expect. Thanks for your responses in advance.

It's France. People smoke, but not nearly as much as they did even 5 years ago. Most restaurants have non-smoking sections, though sometimes they're out of the way or back near the kitchen. There are even some totally non-smoking restaurants.
In September it shouldn't be that much of a problem because in most places you can still eat outdoors.

I hope it's true about more non-smoking sections, last month it seemed in every place we were, we were surrounded by smokers, and the non-smoking tables were right near the smokers. Anyway, I agree that it will probably be better in September than I experienced last month, because even if you dine indoors, there are more likely to be open windows or perhaps a/c.

non-smoking establishments: www.smokefreeworld.com

It's bad compared to the states. The train stations reek of cigerette smoke so that a non smoker chokes.

In Paris, it varies. There are restaurants that have nonsmoking rooms, but they're scarce. A wine bar we frequent, Jacques Mellac, in the 11th arrondissement, has a nonsmoking room and is serious about it! (The food is good too.) Overall, StCirq has the best thought: If the weather is favorable, dine on the terrace.-- provided the terrace isn't three feet from a heavy-traffic street.

I can relate because I am also an asthmatic. I went to Paris in January and the smoke did cause me problems. I did not think of this before booking a trip in the winter. In the warm season they are likely to have the doors or windows open, while in January there is no escape. I have been to Paris a couple of times before in the months of May and July and had no real problems, mainly because of sitting outside or better ventilation when sitting inside. I enjoyed my trip and don't regret going, but as an asthmatic, I might have to think twice before going again in the winter and being cooped up with all the smoke. I think you'll be OK in the month of September, so please carry on with your plans.

I can't tolerate smoke. It seems to interfere slightly with my breathing almost immedately, and then a little later gives me a headache, and if I remain in a smoky place too long, a day or two later a cough, and if I've really been around it a lot, it must wreck my usually strong immune system, because I often get a cold or other infection after being around smokers for too much time over a period of a few days.

I have very little experience with Paris, but from what I read here, the smoking situation is much worse than in most of the places in Italy where I've traveled in recent years. Unless I learn here and through other sources of information that Paris becomes much less smokey, I would avoid going there in the cold months. I would absolutely not eat in an extremely smokey restaurant. In general, I try to get to a restaurant a little on the early side, before it gets too smokey, and I choose outdoor seating where available, so long as I won't be rained on. If you go out looking for a place to eat early enough, if no place tolerable is available, you may still have some time to pick up something to eat in a store that sells fruit or cheese or other edibles, so you won't go to bed too hungry.

P.S. Though I love it, the worst place I've been for smoke is Greece. However, I had no trouble eating outdoors there, so that helped. I haven't been to Greece since 1998, so maybe the smoking situation has changed since then.

Non smoking sections are not very popular and are often in the back of a restaurant. Although , like many have said, smoking is on the decline. Of course, in France rules are made to be broken so you may see someone smoking in a non smoking area. Usually I just take a look around to see if the place is smoked filled before I decide what I want to do.

What did people do in the 70s and 80s in the US when everyone smoked? Stay at home?

MorganB,

That's a very good question. What did people do back in the '70s and '80s when everybody smoked in restaurants and bars and on airplanes? People have developed tons of allergies since then. Cause? Effect?

I don't notice the smoke in France. Maybe it's a lot worse in Paris than out here in the country.

<<What did people do in the 70s and 80s in the US when everyone smoked?>>

My habit of not eating out much stems partly from the fact that I like to cook, and partly from my habit of avoiding of restaurants in the days when most restaurants allowed smoke, so I never became hooked on eating out. My sensitivity to smoke started when I was about 10 and got worse with increased exposure and with age. In college, I'd sit as far as possible from the smokers. When teachers' meetings were smoky when I was in my 20s I found ways to situate myself at the least smoky tables, and I found excuses to take breaks or leave early. In law school I tried to avoid signing up for classes taught by professors who smoked in class. If I get to a restaurant early for some group reservation and I'm offered the option to wait at the smoky bar, I take a walk instead or stay near the front door and chat with people I know as they come in. In a job where my cubicle was next to a smoker, I found reasons to do research in the library whenever possible, and then remained there to do my writing. I also had chronic sinus headaches in those days.

Does that partially answer your question?

You won't have too much trouble in September because it will probably be temperate enough to dine outdoors. I worried a bit about it when we visited Paris last September and was relieved to find out it wasn't so bad. Now, January, in contrast, was dreadful! Smoky restaurants and overly-warm establishment (the French like their thermostats up HIGH) made for stinky dining. Be thankful your anniversary doesn't fall in the wintertime.

MorganB and ckemb, you are right. I wish people on this forum knew what a real "allergy" is, rather than banging: "I am allergic to smoke". OK, I too dislike cigarette smoke, the way I dislike over sweet and fatty American food, but I still eat in the States and get over it. An allergy is an allergy, you choke, you get a rash, you swell, it's not a word you can use indiscriminately.

I have allergies to pollen that can be really debilitating in certain climates (Northern California) and certain months (Feb., Mar, April). I know what they are.

But it is also true that when I quit smoking years ago after 15 years as a tobacco-user, I couldn't stand to go into certain Paris cafés, especially in the morning. The tobacco smoke just turned my stomach and I had to get out fast.

So allergies are one thing and an aversion to smoke or certain odorws is another, I guess. Both are real.

Luckily, tobacco smoke doesn't bother me now. I haven't had any problems in Paris over the past few years.

That was one thing i really really hated about Italy, Paris,....no non-smoking areas. Everyone smokes and it was really hard to taste my food...me coming from San Francisco where all restaurants are smoke free. Paris is filled with smokers...can't do much about it.

I don't think I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, but it does make me nauseous, has immediate gastrointestinal effects, affects my breathing, sometimes gives me a headache, will probably mean that I have respiratory symptoms in the morning, and is profoundly uncomfortable for me to be around. I wouldn't claim that it makes me go into anaphylactic shock, but I wouldn't call the effects trivial.

I find the average British pub much, MUCH smokier than any cafe I've been to in France or Italy. The pub two blocks from our house is so smoke-filled you get bowled over by the stench even when you're merely walking past it.
In Paris, we've found some cafes a lot less smoky than others. Our favorite cafe, Scossa on the Place Victor Hugo in the 16th, is pretty smoke free in the early afternoon, then gets kind of smoky in the evening. L'Esplanade in the 7th, overlooking the Esplanade des Invalides, also seems to have relatively few smokers.
The least smoky place I have ever been to in France is the city of Angers in the western Loire Valley. Don't know why, but hardly anyone smokes there except for a few places where they congregate en masse (the faux English pub across the street from the Mercure Angers Centre hotel, for example). It's very odd. They also are very careful to clean up after their dogs. The city is a wonderful place to visit on its own merits, but (almost) no smoking and no dog litter make it even more attractive.
Overall, though, I think the French are smoking a lot less than they used to.