Finding a pharmacy in France, by day or by night: the 3237 number and the duty pharmacy, prescriptions, reimbursement at 100%, 65%, 30% or 15%, and what the pharmacist can do without a doctor. Verified official figures; whatever is not verified is stated plainly. General information, not medical advice.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. It explains how pharmacies work in France — the night duty rota, prescriptions, reimbursement — with verified official figures, and clearly states when an answer has not been verified in an official text.
Map Syndicat's directory lists 1,922 pharmacies in 8 French cities, with a phone number where one is known — but no opening hours. Call before going, especially at night, on Sundays or public holidays. In a medical emergency, call 15 (SAMU) or 112.
How many pharmacies are listed in France, and with what information?
1,922 pharmacies in 8 cities, with a phone number for 1,563 of them (81%) and coordinates for all. No hours are listed: call before going.
Paris 852 pharmacies (545 with phone, 64% — the lowest coverage), Marseille 354, Lyon 153, Nice 150, Toulouse 152, Bordeaux 105, Nantes 79, Lille 77. Geographical coordinates are known for all 1,922 pharmacies.
Warning: 852 is not the total number of pharmacies in Paris — other sources count about 1,200. Our directory is a subset. No pharmacy in France is shown as open at a given time: opening hours are not in our data.
Where can I find a pharmacy open at night in France?
Call 3237, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: it gives the nearest duty pharmacy. The 3237.fr website gives the same information free of charge.
3237 is the national number for duty pharmacies (Ministère de l'Intérieur, civic training). The police or gendarmerie (17) can also give the nearest duty pharmacy. The website www.3237.fr gives the same information free of charge, from the postcode and town.
Caution: according to Doctolib, some departments, including Paris, are not yet covered, or only partly, by 3237 — do not rely on this number alone everywhere. The call price is not published here: sources disagree, and the free website avoids the question.
What is a pharmacie de garde, and how do I find the one on duty tonight?
A pharmacy designated to stay open when the others are closed — evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays. Pharmacies are designated in rotation, under article L5125-22 of the Code de la santé publique.
The duty rota is organised by sector, by the health authorities and pharmacists' representatives. To find the one on duty tonight: 3237, 3237.fr, the notice in the window of any pharmacy, the mairie, the police or gendarmerie (17), or SAMU (15) in an emergency.
Doctolib distinguishes two regimes: volets ouverts — the pharmacy is open to the public (Sundays and public holidays); volets fermés — at night, the pharmacist is called out, usually by the police or gendarmerie, with a prescription. This guide publishes no duty rota: it changes every day.
What are the opening hours of a duty pharmacy, and is there an extra charge?
There is no fixed national timetable for duty cover — generally at night, roughly 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., and Sundays and public holidays during the day. The published surcharge amounts disagree: do not rely on any figure without checking.
Hours vary from one sector to another. The time bands cited by Assurance Maladie (night 8 p.m.–midnight and 6–8 a.m., deep night midnight–6 a.m., Sundays and public holidays 8 a.m.–8 p.m.) are fee bands, not opening hours.
Conflict: the widely quoted figures (€8 at night, €5 on Sundays or public holidays, €2 in the daytime) differ from Assurance Maladie's table of 17 April 2026 (€10 at night, €20 deep night, €6 on Sundays or public holidays, €2 in the daytime). Check the amount in force in the arrêté or on service-public.fr. Reimbursement of the surcharge is also disputed: 65% according to Assurance Maladie, “entirely” according to Doctolib.
Do I need a prescription to buy medicine in France?
Often yes: medicines bought without a prescription are never reimbursed by Assurance Maladie. And in two specific cases, the pharmacist can test and treat without a doctor.
Reimbursement requires a medicine on the list of reimbursable medicines, prescribed by an authorised professional and dispensed by a conventionné pharmacist (service-public.fr, fiche “Remboursement des médicaments”, checked 13 March 2026).
Verified exceptions (Ameli, direct access): for a sore throat (from age 10) or signs of a urinary infection (women aged 16 to 65), the pharmacist can do a rapid test and dispense treatment if the test is positive — since 19 June 2024. The exact list of medicines that require a prescription has not been read in an official text: it is not published here. In practice, medicines are kept behind the counter: the pharmacist hands them over.
Can I get the morning-after pill without a prescription in France?
Yes: emergency contraception is available from a pharmacy without a prescription, and it is covered at 100% by Assurance Maladie — free for minors and adults alike.
Two time limits (service-public.fr, fiche “Contraception d'urgence”, checked 29 June 2026): levonorgestrel within 72 hours, ulipristal within 120 hours. For minors, dispensing at the pharmacy is free and anonymous.
Not to be confused with the regular contraceptive pill, which normally requires a prescription. More broadly, some medicines can be bought without a prescription (self-medication), but the exact list has not been read in an official text: it is not published here — ask the pharmacist.
How much of my medicine cost will Assurance Maladie reimburse?
It depends on the medicine's service médical rendu: 100%, 65%, 30% or 15% — according to the official table.
Table from service-public.fr (fiche “Remboursement des médicaments”, checked 13 March 2026): irreplaceable and costly medicines 100%, major or important service médical rendu 65%, moderate 30%, weak 15%. The rest is at your expense, or your mutuelle's.
A franchise médicale per box also applies, but its amount is disputed across sources — check it on ameli.fr or service-public.fr before relying on it. Medicines bought without a prescription are never reimbursed (see the “Prescription or not?” card).
Do I need my Carte Vitale at the pharmacy — and what if I don't have one?
With the Carte Vitale, reimbursement is direct. Without it, you pay the full price and claim reimbursement afterwards, with a paper feuille de soins.
What guides and FAQs say (urbanaudit.org, fabfrenchinsurance.com): without a Carte Vitale, the pharmacist issues a paper feuille de soins, which you send to your Assurance Maladie fund to be reimbursed. The exact procedure has not been verified on ameli.fr in this guide: check it before relying on it.
Can the pharmacist give me a generic instead of the brand-name drug — and do I lose tiers payant if I refuse?
Yes, substitution is the rule — and tiers payant is reserved for insured people who accept it, unless the doctor has justified “non substituable” on the prescription.
Ameli (“tiers payant contre génériques” scheme): the pharmacist undertakes to reserve tiers payant for insured people who accept substitution with a generic. If you refuse the generic without a justified “non substituable” note, you pay first and claim reimbursement afterwards.
Since 1 September 2026, the scheme extends to hybrid medicines and biosimilars (Ameli).
How long is a prescription valid in France?
According to a pharmacy network's FAQ, 12 months — with a first dispensing within 3 months of the date it was written. This guide has not verified these periods on service-public.fr or ameli.fr: check them before relying on them.
What the FAQ “Tout savoir sur les ordonnances de médicaments” (Pharm-UPP network) says: a prescription is valid for 12 months, and you have at most 3 months after the date it was written to obtain the first dispensing. After that deadline, the first dispensing is no longer possible.
What do I do if I lost my prescription?
Ask your doctor for a duplicate: the pharmacy cannot issue a new prescription. This guide has not verified the procedure on service-public.fr: check it before relying on it.
What the same FAQ says (Pharm-UPP network): the doctor who wrote the prescription can issue a duplicate. The pharmacy cannot create a prescription, but it can trace a prescription already dispensed there. Mon espace santé also keeps copies of your prescriptions.
Can the pharmacist renew my prescription without me seeing a doctor?
In some cases only, and for chronic treatments: the pharmacist can dispense in advance of the renewal, and the pharmacien correspondant can renew or adjust a long-term treatment. This guide has not verified the conditions on ameli.fr.
What pharmacy FAQs and CPTS pages say: for a chronic condition, the pharmacist can dispense in advance of the next prescription; the pharmacien correspondant can renew or adjust a long-term treatment — up to 3 months' renewal according to the CPTS, and oral contraceptives on a prescription less than one year old.
Check the exact conditions on ameli.fr or in the Code de la santé publique (article L5125-23-1) before relying on them: this guide has not read them in an official text.
Is my foreign prescription valid at a French pharmacy?
Often yes for a European prescription, at the pharmacist's discretion — and often no for a prescription from outside the European Union. The safest route is to have the prescription rewritten by a French doctor.
What visitor guides say (french-doc.com, aelos.net): a European prescription can be honoured if the medicine is identifiable; an American prescription, or a British one since Brexit, is frequently refused. According to the Ordre national des pharmaciens' position cited by aelos.net, the pharmacist may dispense on a non-EU prescription if it “appears authentic and intelligible”, but may also refuse.
Assurance Maladie generally does not reimburse a medicine dispensed on an American prescription. Check ordre.pharmacien.fr before relying on it: this guide has not read the Ordre's position at source.
Can I bring my prescription medication into France? How much can I carry?
Yes, for your personal use — up to the treatment duration shown on the prescription, or 3 months without a prescription. Controlled substances follow a stricter regime.
What the aelos.net guide says (citing French customs): ordinary medicines for personal use are allowed up to the treatment duration on the prescription, or 3 months without a prescription; beyond 3 months, show the prescription to customs. Controlled substances are subject to stricter rules.
Check douane.gouv.fr before travelling: this guide has not read the customs text at source. Keep your medicines in their original box, with the prescription.
Can I get vaccinated at a pharmacy in France without a prescription?
Yes: the pharmacist prescribes and administers calendar vaccines from age 11 — flu from age 11, Covid from age 5.
Ameli (“soignants en accès direct” document): prescription and administration of calendar vaccines, from age 11. No prior doctor's prescription is needed for these vaccines.
Ask your pharmacist which calendar vaccines they offer: not all pharmacists give all vaccines.
Can I get antibiotics over the counter in France?
No, not in the usual sense: antibiotics require a prescription — except in two cases, where the pharmacist tests and treats directly, without a doctor.
Verified exceptions (Ameli, direct access, in force since 19 June 2024): for a sore throat (from age 10), the pharmacist can do a rapid angina test; for a woman aged 16 to 65 showing signs of a urinary infection, they can test for cystitis. If the test is positive, they dispense the treatment.
For a tourist, the normal route remains a prescription from a French doctor — or the pharmacist's test in the two cases above. Outside these two cases, no antibiotic can be bought without a prescription in a pharmacy.
What do I do if I need medicine late at night?
Call 3237 or check 3237.fr to find the nearest duty pharmacy. In a real emergency, call 15 (SAMU) or 112 — not a pharmacy.
At night, duty cover may be volets fermés: the pharmacy is closed to the public and the pharmacist is called out — usually by the police or gendarmerie (17). Bring your prescription and ID.
In Paris, a few pharmacies keep very long hours as their normal hours, according to secondary sources — check by phone before going: our directory holds no hours and cannot show that a pharmacy is open at night.
What are normal pharmacy opening hours in France? Are pharmacies open on Sundays?
Generally Monday to Saturday, roughly 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. — and on Sundays most are closed, except duty pharmacies. Hours vary from one pharmacy to another.
What Paris guides say (pharmacynearme.eu, parisescapes.com): most pharmacies are open Monday to Saturday, roughly 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. — some guides give 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Sundays, only duty pharmacies provide cover.
These hours are a rough pattern, not a rule: each pharmacy sets its own hours, and our directory holds no hours. Call before going, especially on Sundays or public holidays.
How do I recognise an open pharmacy in France?
No official rule for recognising one from its sign has been read in this guide: the lit green cross — or blinking at night — is a rule cited by secondary sources only. Check it before relying on it.
What secondary sources say (parisescapes.com, pharmacynearme.eu): look for the green cross — lit, the pharmacy is open; blinking, it is a night or emergency pharmacy. This rule has not been read in the Code de la santé publique or on ordre.pharmacien.fr: it is not published here as a verified fact.
What is safer: the name and address of the duty pharmacy are displayed in the window of every closed pharmacy (Doctolib, citing article R.4235-49 of the Code de la santé publique — article to be checked on Légifrance). And 3237 gives the nearest duty pharmacy.
Are there English-speaking pharmacies in Paris?
Yes, especially in tourist areas — but there is no official list, and our directory cannot filter by language: check by phone before going.
What secondary guides say: Pharmacie Swan, 6 rue de Castiglione (1st), is cited as an Anglo-American pharmacy (parisescapes.com); theculturetrip.com also cites the Anglo American Pharmacy, the British & American Pharmacy, the International Pharmacy of Paris and the Pharmacie Anglaise. Names and staff change: check by phone.
In practice, English is commonly spoken in central Paris pharmacies, and most pharmacies manage with little or no French, according to theculturetrip.com — which also notes that English is part of pharmacists' university training.
Can I buy medicine online from a French pharmacy, and how do I know the site is legal?
Yes, but only medicines without a prescription — and only on a site attached to a real pharmacy, displaying the clickable common European logo.
What guides and the Ministère de la Santé Q&A say: only medicines not subject to prescription may be sold online; the site must be attached to a physical pharmacy, declared to the Ordre national des pharmaciens, and display the clickable common European logo, which links to the official register. Prescription medicines are never sold online.
Check sante.gouv.fr and ordre.pharmacien.fr before ordering: this guide has not read the rules at source. Beware of a site that sells prescription medicines, or that does not display the European logo.
Where do I buy French pharmacy skincare in Paris — and which pharmacies are cheapest?
Travel guides cite Citypharma (26 rue du Four) and Pharmacie Monge (34 rue Monge) among the cheapest — but no price has been verified in this guide: compare in store.
What secondary guides say (withprive.com, “5 Best Pharmacies in Paris: Cheapest French Skincare”): Citypharma, 26 rue du Four, and Pharmacie Monge, 34 rue Monge, are presented as the cheapest for French pharmacy skincare. TripAdvisor reviews warn that Citypharma has a no-exchange, no-refund policy.
This is a shopping question, not a health one: prices vary and are not verified here. Check the price in store before buying, and keep the receipt.
Where to check pharmacy rules before deciding?
3237.fr to find the duty pharmacy, service-public.fr for reimbursement and emergency contraception, ameli.fr for direct access and tiers payant, ordre.pharmacien.fr for the profession's rules.
3237.fr: the nearest duty pharmacy, free of charge. Service-public.fr: medicine reimbursement (fiche checked 13 March 2026) and emergency contraception (fiche checked 29 June 2026). Ameli.fr: vaccines and tests at the pharmacy, tiers payant against generics.
Ordre.pharmacien.fr: foreign prescriptions, online sales, the profession's rules. ANSM: which medicines require a prescription. Douane.gouv.fr: bringing medicines into France. If a point in this guide does not match your situation, check it at the source before deciding.