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Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 4pm (some stay open until 5pm). Some banks open on late-hour shopping nights and Saturday. Stores generally are open Monday from 10 or 11am to 6pm, Tuesday to Friday from 8:30 or 9am to 5 or 6pm, and Saturday to 4 or 5pm. Some stores close for lunch, and nearly all have ... Full story

American Express -- For 24-hour traveler's-check refunds and purchase information, call tel. 800/221-7282. Area Code -- All the Hawaiian Islands are in the 808 area code. Note that if you're calling one island from another, you'll have to dial 1-808 first. Automobile Organizations -- Auto clubs will supply maps, suggested routes, guidebooks, accident and bail-bond insurance, and emergency road service. The American Automobile Association (AAA) is ... Full story

American Express -- Türk Expres is the official representative of Amex Travel Related Services in Turkey, at Cumhuriyet Cad. 47/1, 3rd floor, Taksim (tel. 0212/235-9500). The worldwide customer assist service center number is tel. 00800/4491-4820. Amex also provides a toll-free number within Turkey for Global Assist (tel. 0312/935-3601). Area Codes -- The three-digit area code for the European side of Istanbul is 212; for the ... Full story

American Express -- For your mail or banking needs, you can go to the American Express office at the airport. ATM Networks/Cashpoints -- PLUS, Cirrus, and other networks connecting automated-teller machines operate in Spain, and ATMs are plentiful in Madrid. Babysitters -- Most major hotels can arrange for babysitters, called canguros (literally, kangaroos) or niñeras. Usually the concierge keeps a list of reliable nursemaids and will ... Full story

American Express -- There are two American Express Offices in Barcelona: one at Passeig de Gràcia 101 (tel. 93-255-00-29), and the other at Les Ramblas 74 (tel. 93-301-11-66). Area Codes -- The area code for Barcelona is 93. ATM Networks -- Maestro, Cirrus, and Visa cards are readily accepted at all ATMs. Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 2pm. Most offices ... Full story

Business Hours -- Banks are open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to 2pm and Saturday from 9:30am to 1pm. Most offices are open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5 or 5:30pm; the longtime practice of early closings in summer seems to be dying out. In restaurants, lunch is usually from 1 to 4pm and dinner from 9 to 11:30pm or midnight. There are ... Full story

American Express -- Offices are found in Rome at Piazza di Spagna 38 (tel. 06-67641), in Florence on Via Dante Alighieri 22 (tel. 055-50981), in Venice at San Marco 1471 (tel. 041-5200844), and in Milan at Via Larga 4 (tel. 02/721-041). See individual city listings. ATMs -- The easiest and best way to get cash away from home -- the Cirrus (tel. 800/424-7787; www.mastercard.com) and ... Full story

American Express -- Cairo: 33 Nabil El Waqad St., Ard El Golf, Heliopolis (tel. 02/24130293/4/5 or 02/26909129; fax 02/26909131), and 15 Kasr El Nil St. (tel. 02/25747991/2; fax 02/25747997). Alexandria: 14 May St., Madenat El Sayadla, Semouha (tel. 03/4241050, 4290800, or 4282021; fax 03/4241020). Luxor: Winter Palace Hotel (tel. 095/2378333; fax 095/2372862). Aswan: Kornish El Nil Street (tel. 097/2306983; fax 097/2302909). Area Codes -- Cairo: ... Full story

American Express -- Amex has yet to establish a strong presence in Turkey. Türk Express is the official representative of Amex Travel Related Services in Turkey, at Cumhuriyet Cad. 91/1 Elmadag in the Hilton Hotel (tel. 0212/230-1515). American Express also provides a toll-free access number within Turkey for Global Assist (tel. 312/935-3601). ATM Networks -- Banks on the Cirrus or PLUS network include Akbank, Garanti ... Full story

Area Codes -- Cuba has a somewhat arcane system of area codes. Area codes around the country range from 1- to 4-digits. To make a call within Cuba, you do not need to dial the area code if you are a calling a number within the same area code. However, if dialing another area code, you must first dial "0" then the area code. Business ... Full story