Some higher class hotels have European-style flush toilets, but it should be fairly obvious which are which. France – Contrary to popular belief, many places in France have toilets that you can actually safely use and you'll be able to flush the paper. This isn't the 1980s you know.
While Americans in particular are used to flushing their used toilet paper down the pipe, they must break that habit if they are traveling to Turkey, Greece, Beijing, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, Bulgaria, Egypt and the Ukraine in particular. Restrooms will have special waste bins to place used toilet paper.
France has very modern sewage systems, so generally speaking, you can of course throw toilet paper in the toilet.
FYI, toilet paper is preferred across Europe, USA and many East Asian countries. Most countries in Southeast Asia, as well as parts of Southern Europe, favour the use of water.
Can you flush toilet paper? Yes! Toilet paper is designed to breakdown quickly once it's flushed!
Squat toilets are generally non-existent in Northern and Western Europe. France and Italy are an exception and have some squat toilets remaining in old buildings and public toilets because they used to be the norm there in the early 20th century.
There is a curious social convention in Mexico where used toilet paper is thrown into the wastebasket instead of flushed down the toilet, as it would be in the United States.
France, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, and Spain: Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries (most of them from Europe) usually have a bidet in their washrooms. A bidet like a toilet, but also includes a spout that streams water like a water fountain to rinse you clean.
Public toilets often do not equip each toilet stall with toilet paper in Russia. Sometimes toilet paper is available outside the stalls. Sometimes there is none to be had. You can purchase small, travel-sized rolls from hygiene-product travel sections in supermarkets or convenience stores.
Indeed, French building codes require this separation. The location of French toilets is tied to a number of cultural issues, especially public vs. private space and concepts of clean vs. dirty.
Unisex toilets (toilettes unisexes) are still rare in France but slowly appearing in Paris and other large cities.
papier toilette toilet paper (noun)
So, why can't you flush toilet paper in Greece? Well, the country's plumbing system is not designed to handle large amounts of paper. The plumbing pipes are narrow, and paper or other waste materials would clog most Greek toilets, including those at rooms, hotels and restaurants.
Advantages: Energy costs in Germany are much higher than in the United States, which includes the cost of water. Therefore, the shelf toilets were designed to use much less water than their American counterparts - hence the shelf.
Always flush used toilet paper down the toilet, do not put it in the bin. In some countries, you cannot flush toilet paper because the drains are narrow and therefore block easily. The drains in the UK are quite wide and will not get blocked by toilet paper unless you flush too much of it.
Bidets, which originated in France in 1600 as an upper-class way for personal hygiene, are quite popular in parts of the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and Asia & have now turned out to be a popular installation across the world.
Toilet paper alternatives from around the world
Japan is the one Asian stand-out in that they adopted bidets rather than other ways of washing the bum. You'll find in most European countries on this list that public restrooms are actually something you have to pay for due to the need to keep them stocked and clean.
Many Asian toilets don't use paper at all, they may have a hose as a bidet, or water pale, using their hands to clean, actually, you may find the Chinese are much closer to western style than other Asian cultures.
Most Italian public toilets don't have a toilet seat.
This has to do with maintenance. Since public toilets are often less than spotless, people often climb with their shoes on top of them, not to sit on a potentially dirty seat.
Don't flush toilet paper in Greece
There's a very simple explanation: Greek sewage pipes are approximately two inches (50mm) in diameter. American and British plumbing is twice as large (four inches/100mm). The Greek pipes just get clogged. They don't call them 'modern conveniences' for nothing.
You don't really need to bring this from home, of course — Italy does have toilet paper! — but it's a smart thing for ladies, particularly, to throw in their purses before leaving the hotel in the morning.
2 – Using the Toilet in a French Café
If it's a big and busy Parisian café, just get in and open your eyes for a staircase – toilets are often located one floor down or one floor up. Don't ask anything and just go. If you are in an extremely touristy area though, toilets may be for patrons only.
Most likely, you'll find a regular toilet, but it is also possible that you could find a squat toilet, which is essentially a hole in the floor. For these, you will need to squat and hover to do your business. In public areas, especially parks, you might encounter a sanisette, which is a pod-style public restroom.
And while bidets tend to be incredibly popular in France, it is another European nation that has adopted the bidet like no other: Italy.