Essentials > Communication > Computer
Using Your Laptop
If you bring your laptop to France, you'll need an adaptor plug (French outlets accept the rounded, two-prong plugs) and possibly a phone jack adaptor to plug in the modem (some hotels have dedicated modem lines in the room). Don’t forget to contact your ISP in advance to find out what the local dial-up number is in France , otherwise you’ll be billed for an international call.
WiFi
Obviously Wireless internet access (WIFI) is much more simple, and happily the French hotels are quickly adopting it to avoid messy re-wiring jobs. A few hotels offer it for free (like Hôtel Sezz) but usually you pay for the usage, either directly online with a credit card or through the hotel reception.
To find the city's many WiFi hotspots, check out this site or this one (which is easier to navigate, but only in French). All of the municipal sites in Paris (museums, librairies, parks, town halls, etc.) now have free WiFi during regular office hours. Check here for the locations. You can also try and find it for free at cafés around town displaying the Wi-Fi symbol (try this site for locations).
If you get desperate, try McDonald's (I know, I know, but the coffee isn't even that bad for €1.10); it's not advertised, just turn on your laptop and "accept" the terms on the McDonald's home page for it to start working. There's no WiFi at the McDonald's on Rue de Rivoli.
Internet Cafés
There are plenty of places to check e-mail in Paris for those who don’t want to lug around a laptop. Hotels and even youth hostels often have a “pay as you go” terminal in the lobby that can be used with a credit card or coins, but these can be quite pricey and slow. The best option is to drop into one of the city’s many internet cafés, which offer extra services such as printing and QWERTY keyboards. Alas, many of the coolest places (Web Bar, Café Orbital) have died and gone. If you’re not sure how to access your e-mail from a public computer, consider forwarding all of your messages to a free mail account such as Hotmail or Yahoo.
MilkInternet Hall
Formerly called XS-Arena, there are multiple locations for this chain of large, gamer-friendly internet cafés (there are always computers reserved for internet use, and those for gamers). Good day rates and tech support. They have a few QWERTY keyboards. Can be a bit noisy!
Les Halles (250 PCs)
31 Blvd Sebastopol, 1st
Tel 01 40 13 06 51
M° Châtelet, Les Halles
Open daily 10am-10pm. From €3/hour.
Saint-Michel (100 PCs)
53 Rue de la Harpe, 5th
Tel 01 44 07 38 89
M° Cluny-La Sorbonne
Open 24/7. From €3/hour.
Panthéon (100 PCs)
17 Rue Soufflot, 5th
Tel 01 43 54 55 55
RER Luxembourg or M° Cluny-La Sorbonne
Open 24/7. From €3/hour.
Montparnasse (70 PCs)
5 Rue d''Odessa, 14th
Tel 01 43 20 10 37
M° Montparnasse
Open daily 10am-10pm. From €3/hour.
Bastille (100 PCs)
20 Rue du Faubourg St-Antoine, 12th
Tel 01 43 40 03 00
M° Bastille
Open 24/7. From €3/hour.
La Baguenaude
30 Rue Grand-Traunderie, 1st
Tel 01 40 26 27 74
M° Châtelet, Les Hales,or Etienne Marcel
Open Mon-Fri 11am-9:45pm, Sat-Sun 2pm-9:45pm
A small and well-run boutique with about eight computers, all equipped with Word and multimedia software, headphones, printer, CD burner, and scanner. The woman who runs it is very helpful. QWERTY keyboards available. Drinks and candybars available. Rates from €3.80/hour.
Cybersquare Paris
1 Place de la République (in the Passage Vendôme), 3rd
Tel 01 48 87 82 36
M° République
Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm
A bit sterile, but well-equipped with Mac and PC, printer and scanner (non-smoking room is upstairs). €0.76/five minutes to €6.10/hour.
Cybercafé de Paris
11 bis Rue des Halles, 1st
Tel 01 42 21 11 11
M° Châtelet -- exit Lavandiers or St-Opportune
Open Mon-Sat 10am-11pm.
A small internet café with multi-national keyboards. From €8/hour. I used to hang out at their old location down the street. I recall the owner rarely opened on time...cute dog, though.
Le Sputnik Café
13-14 Rue de la Butte aux Cailles, 13th
Tel 01 45 65 19 82
M° Corvisart or Place d'Italie
Open Mon-Sat 2pm-2am, Sunday 4pm-Midnight.
Welcome to my 'hood, and one of the last internet bars. In fact, most people come for the bar, and only know there are computers if they go into the back room. There are five laptops available (chained down, of course) for €3.60/hour. Supposedly a scanner and printer are available, but I've never seen one. This is a WiFi hotspot, but it disconnects every five minutes, so don't bother. Nice place for a beer and a quick surf. It gets pretty loud and smokey by dark, though!
Computer Stores and Technical Assistance
Surcouf Daumesnil
139 Avenue Daumesnil, 12th
M° Rueilly-Diderot or Dugommier
Tel 08 92 707 600 (0.34€/min)
Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm.
Your best bet for any sort of computer software or hardware, very American-style in terms of big flashy signs and promotions. The store is surrounded by tiny, usually Vietnamese-run computer stores more appropriate if you know exactly what you need (there are usually signs outside with prices of the latest shipment of goods).
Surcouf also has a "new and used" discount store around the corner at 198 Rue Charenton, 12th.
Surcouf Haussmann
21 Blvd Haussmann, 9th
M° Chaussée d'Antin
Tel 08 92 707 600 (0.34€/min)
Open Mon-Sat 10am-8pm, Thursday until 10pm.
This location by the Grands Magasins (department stores) is slightly smaller than the one at Daumesnil.
If you need English-language technical assistance, try picking up a free FUSAC magazine at any English-language book store and look under "Services". On last check, I found an ad for Micro-King, which specializes in English-speaking computer services. There are many more, none that I've used myself...yet!
Help keep this guide up to date! Report errors or broken links.
