I learned to fly in France in the 1980s and they used a weird
combination of feet and meters. Altimeters read in feet,and minimum
safe altitudes were charted in feet. But charted obstructions and
airspace restrictions were in meters. Everyone set QFE (altimeter
reads zero on the ground) for takeoff, then reset the altimeter to QNH
if leaving the traffic pattern. Flight levels began at 3500 feet.

Can any Europeans out there tell me if it's still like that?

I fly in Eurpoe a lot an dmercifully tht doesn't seem to be the case,
but having said that, I only use insturment charts in France...

Does the ATIS give both QNH and QFE? I flew mainly from an airport with a
tower and no ATIS. If you told ground you were staying in the pattern they
gave you just the QFE, otherwise they gave both. And the VFR airport charts
gave the difference between QNH and QFE (in hPa) for each airport, along
with the field elevation in both meters and feet.