France Guide
Money
France's currency is the euro, which is divided into 100 cents (often still referred to as centimes). There are seven notes – in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros – and eight different coins – 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros. At the time of writing, the exchange rate for the euro was around €1.12 to the pound sterling (or £0.90 to €1) and €0.75 to the dollar (or $1.33 to €1). See 
www.xe.com for current rates.
You can change cash at most banks and main post offices, though only the latter will change traveller's cheques. In either case, you'll typically be charged a flat rate of around €5, but rates and commission vary, so it's worth shopping around. There are money-exchange counters (bureaux de change) at French airports, major train stations and usually one or two in city centres as well, though they don't always offer the best exchange rates.
By far the easiest way to access money in France is to use your credit or debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM (known as a distributeur or point argent); most machines give instructions in several European languages. Note that there is often a transaction fee, so it's more efficient to take out a sizeable sum each time rather than making lots of small withdrawals.
Credit and debit cards are also widely accepted in shops, hotels and restaurants, although some smaller establishments don't accept cards, or only for sums above a certain threshold. Visa – called Carte Bleue in France – is almost universally recognized, followed by MasterCard (also known as EuroCard). American Express ranks a bit lower.