France

The climate in France is generally favourable to cultivation. Most of France is located in the southern part of the temperate zone, although the subtropical zone includes its southern edge. The whole of France is under the influence of oceanic influences, tempered by the North Atlantic drift in the west and the Mediterranean in the south. The average annual temperature falls to the north, with Nice on the Côte d’Azure at 15 °C and Lille on the northern border at 10 °C.

Precipitation is mainly led by the westerly winds of the Atlantic and is characterised by cyclonic depressions. Annual precipitation exceeds 1 270 mm at higher altitudes in western and north-western France, the western Pyrenees, the Massif Central, the Alps and the Jura. In winter, eastern France in particular can be affected by the continental high-pressure system, which creates extremely cold conditions and temperature inversions above cities, where cold air gets trapped under warmer air, resulting in fog and urban pollution.

France’s climate can therefore be divided into three major climate zones: the ocean, the mainland and the Mediterranean, with some variations in the Aquitaine basin and the mountains.

The European part of France is called Metropolitan France and is located at one of the western ends of Europe. It is bordered by the North Sea to the north, the English Channel to the northwest, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the southeast. To the northeast, it borders Belgium and Luxembourg. It also borders Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy and Monaco to the southeast, and Spain and Andorra to the southwest. The borders in the south and in the east of the country are mountain ranges: the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Jura, the border in the east is formed by the Rhine, while the border in the north and northeast does not merge into any natural elements. Metropolitan France includes several islands: Corsica and offshore islands.

France has overseas territories all over the world. These territories have a different status in the territorial administration of France.

It has land borders with Brazil and Suriname in French Guiana as well as with the Kingdom of the Netherlands across the French part of Saint Martin.

The European territory of France covers 551,500 square kilometers, making it the largest among the members of the European Union. Including all its overseas departments and territories, the total area of France is 643,801 km2, which represents 0.45% of the world’s entire land area. Featuring a vast diversity of landscapes, ranging from the coastal plains located in the north and west to the Alpine mountain ranges in the southeast, Massif Central located in the south, as well as the Pyrenees in the southwest.

Because of its numerous overseas departments and territories scattered throughout the world’s oceans, France has the second largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the world at 11,035,000 km2, just behind the EEZ of the US (11,351,000 km2) but in front of the EEZ of Australia (8,148,250 km2). The EEZ covers about 8% of the total area of all EEZs in the world.

The highest point in Western Europe, Mont Blanc, is 4,810.45 meters above sea level in the Alps on the border between France and Italy. France also has extensive river systems such as the Seine, the Loire, the Garonne and the Rhone, which separates the Massif Central from the Alps and flows into the Mediterranean at Camargue. Off the Mediterranean coast is Corsica.

France is the 20th most populous country in the world and the 3rd most populous country in Europe, with a population of approximately 66.6 million.

France stands out among the developed countries in general and European countries in particular because it has a relatively high natural population growth rate: in 2006, due to birth rates alone, France accounted for almost the entire natural population growth rate in the European Union, with the natural growth rate (more births than deaths) reaching 300,000. This was the highest figure since the end of the baby boom in 1973 and coincides with the rise in the overall fertility rate from a low of 1.7 in 1994 to 2.0 in 2010.

Most French people are of Celtic (Gallic) origin, with a mixture of Latin (Roman) and Germanic (Franconian) groups. Several regions reflect this diverse heritage.

Mass immigration over the last century and a half has led to a multicultural society. In 2004, the Montaigne Institute estimated that within European France 51 million people were white (85% of the population), 6 million North African (10%), 2 million black (3.3%) and 1 million Asian (1.7%).

A law dating back to the Revolution of 1789, reaffirmed in the French Constitution of 1958, prohibits the French state from collecting data on ethnicity and origin. In 2008, the TeO (“Trajectories and origins”) study carried out jointly by INED and the French National Statistical Institute estimated that 5 million people were of Italian origin (the largest immigrant community), followed by 3 to 6 million people of North African origin, 2.5 million people of Sub-Saharan African origin and 200,000 people of Turkish origin. There are more than 500 000 ethnic Armenians in France. There are also significant minorities of other European ethnic groups, namely Spaniards, Portuguese, Poles and Greeks.

France has a significant gypsy population (Gitan) of around 400 000 people. Among the famous French gypsies (gitans) are Django Reinhardt, Gipsy Kings and Kendji Girac. However, many Roma are often deported, deported and sent back to Bulgaria and Romania.

Currently, it is estimated that 40% of the French population is at least partly descended from the various waves of immigration that the country has received since the beginning of the 20th century; some 1.1 million net immigrants arrived in France between 1921 and 1935 alone. In the 1960s, the next major wave came when around 1.6 million peak rivets returned to France following an independence of the North African territories from Algeria and Morocco. They were accompanied by numerous former colonial subjects from North and West Africa, as well as many immigrants from Spain and Portugal.

France remains an important destination country for immigrants, receiving around 200 000 legal immigrants every year. It is also the main recipient of asylum seekers in Western Europe, with an estimated 50,000 applications in 2005 (a decrease of 15% compared to 2004). The European Union allows free movement between Member States, although France has introduced controls to curb Eastern European migration, and immigration remains a controversial political issue.

In 2008, the INSEE estimated the total number of immigrants born abroad at around 5 million (8% of the population), while their offspring born in France accounted for 6.5 million, or 11% of the population. Thus, almost a fifth of the country’s population was either of the first or second generation, of which more than 5 million were of European origin and 4 million of Maghreb origin.

In 2014, the National Institute of Statistics (INSEE, for its acronym in French) published a study that reported a doubling of the number of Spanish immigrants, Portuguese and Italians in France between 2009 and 2012. According to the French institute, this increase is the result of the financial crisis which affected several European countries during this period and which increased the number of Europeans residing in France. The statistics on Spanish immigrants in France show an increase of 107% between 2009 and 2012, which means that the number has risen from 5300 to 11 000 during this period.

As a secular country, religious freedom is a constitutional right in France. French religious policy is based on the concept of laïcité, a strict separation of church and state, keeping public life completely secular.

Catholicism has been the dominant religion in France for more than a millennium, although today it is not practised as actively as it used to be. Of the 47,000 religious buildings in France, 94% are Roman Catholic. While in 1965, 81% of French people described themselves as Catholic, in 2009 the figure was 64%. And while in 1952 27% of French people went to Mass once a week or more, by 2006 that percentage had dropped to 5%. The same survey found that 3% of the population is Protestant, an increase over previous surveys, and 5% belong to other religions, while the remaining 28% say they do not belong to any religion. Evangelism is perhaps the fastest growing religious category in France.

During the French Revolution, activists carried out a brutal campaign of de-Christianization, which ended the established state status of the Catholic Church. In some cases, clergy and churches were attacked, with churches being stripped of statues and ornaments through iconoclasm. After the back and forth of Catholic royal and secular republican governments in the 19th century, France established secularism by adopting the law on the separation of church and state in 1905.

According to an opinion poll conducted in January 2007, only 5% of the French population regularly attended church (of those who identified themselves as Catholics, 10% attended services regularly). The poll found that 51% of citizens identified themselves as Catholic, 31% as agnostic or atheist (another poll puts the percentage of atheists at 27%), 10% said they belonged to a different religion or had no opinion, 4% identified themselves as Muslim, 3% as Protestant, 1% as Buddhist, and 1% as Jewish.

According to a 2012 Eurobarometer survey, Christianity is the largest religion in France, with 60% of French citizens. Catholics are the largest Christian group in France, accounting for 50% of French citizens, while Protestants account for 8% and other Christians for 2%. Non-belies/agnostics make up 20%, atheists 13% and Muslims 6%.

Assessments of total Muslims in France vary widely. In 2003, the French Ministry of the Interior estimated the total number of people with a Muslim background at between 5 and 6 million (8-10%).

The current Jewish community in France, according to the World Jewish Congress, has around 600 000 members and is the largest in Europe. It is the third largest in the world, after Israel and the United States.

Since 1905, the French government has followed the principle of laicité, according to which it may not recognise any specific right to a religious community (with the exception of legacies such as those of military chaplains and local law in Alsace-Moselle). It recognises religious organisations according to formal legal criteria that do not refer to religious doctrines. Conversely, religious organisations are expected not to interfere in political decision-making. Certain groups, such as Scientology, Children of God, the Unity Church or the Order of the Sun, are considered sects (“cults” in French) and therefore do not have the same status in France as recognised religions.

French is the official language of France as well as some of its neighbouring countries, is a working language of the United Nations and is the official language of some 270 million people worldwide. Any tourist who does not make a little effort to speak French is missing out on an important part of the country’s identity and culture, and what many consider the most beautiful language in the world!

There are slight regional differences in pronunciation and local words. For example, throughout France the word for “yes” is rendered as “we”, but you will often hear the slang form “ouais” meaning “waay”. This is similar to the English use of “yeah” instead of “yes”. The Loire Valley has the reputation of being the region where the best French is spoken, without a regional accent.

Almost no one understands imperial units like the gallon or Fahrenheit. Stick to metric units (after all, the French invented this system!).

The French are generally very concerned with politeness (some would say to excess) and react coldly to foreigners who forget it. You may be surprised to be greeted by other customers when you enter a restaurant or shop. Be polite and greet everyone when entering and leaving small shops and cafés. For the French, it is very impolite to start a conversation with a stranger (even a shopkeeper or customer) without at least one polite word such as “bonjour”. Therefore, it is very helpful to start the conversation with a few basic phrases in French to convince them to help you.

• “Excuse me Sir/Madam”: Excuse me (ex-COO-zay-mwah mih-SYOOR/muh-DAM).
• (SEEL-voo-PLAY) “Please Sir/Madam”.
• “Merci Monsieur/Madame”: Thank you (mare-SEE)
• “Good Bye Sir/Madam”: Goodbye (Ore-vwar)

Avoid saying “Hi”, it is reserved for friends and relatives and using it with people you don’t know is considered a bit rude.

Note that French spoken with a strong English or American accent can be very difficult for the average French person to understand. In such circumstances, it may be better to write down what you are trying to say. But stories about waiters refusing to serve tourists because their pronunciation is not up to French standards are greatly exaggerated. However, do not be offended if a waiter responds to your broken French or even your fluent but accented French in English (if you speak fluent French and the waiter addresses you in English when you would prefer to speak French, continue to respond in French and the waiter will usually change seats – this is a common occurrence in more touristy areas, especially in Paris).

Please note that certain regions of France (e.g. Paris) are sometimes overrun with tourists. Residents of these areas may feel overwhelmed helping foreign tourists who speak an incomprehensible language and ask for directions to the other side of town for the umpteenth time. Be polite and understanding.

As France is a very multicultural society with immigrants from all over the world, many African languages, Arabic, Chinese dialects (like Teochew), Vietnamese or Khmer could be spoken. Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and even Romanian belong to the same language family as French, and it may therefore be possible to communicate basic information through a common vocabulary, especially if it is in writing.

Although most French people learned English at school, English proficiency is generally low, with only a very small minority mastering it. That said, large hotels and tourist attractions often have staff who speak English and other foreign languages. When speaking to French people, you should always start the conversation in French, as it is very rude to assume a foreign language.

The standard sign language is French Sign Language, known by the abbreviation LSF. Whenever an interpreter is present at a public event, he or she uses LSF. Users of American Sign Language (which is also used in English-speaking Canada), Quebec Sign Language and Irish Sign Language may be able to understand LSF. Because these languages are derived from LSF, they share important vocabulary and syntax with LSF and also use a one-handed hand alphabet very similar to that of LSF. However, users of British Sign Language, Auslan or New Zealand Sign Language will have great difficulty. These languages differ significantly from LSF in terms of vocabulary and syntax and also use a two-handed hand alphabet.

Phone numbers

To call a French number from abroad, dial: international dialling code + 33 + local number without the leading 0, for example: +33 2 47 66 41 18.

All French numbers have 10 digits. The first two digits are:

• 01 for Paris Region
• 02 for the North West
• 03 for the North-East
• 04 for the South-East
• 05 for the South West
• 06 for mobile phones
• 07 since 2010 also for mobile phones.
• 08 have special prices, which can be derived from the following two numbers: from free – 08 00 – to very expensive (up to € 20.40 per hour) – 08 99. Skype numbers also start with 08.
• 09 when connected to VoIP phones connected to DSL modems from French DSL providers that have such features.

You cannot discard the first two digits even if the call remains in the same area. The initial “0” can be replaced by another digit or a longer code indicating the remote exchange dialing. Do not use this code unless you are specifically asked to do so.

When talking about telephone numbers, people usually group the numbers in pairs. For example, 02 47 66 41 18 is rendered as “zero two, forty-seven, sixty-six, forty-one, eighteen”. The pair of digits 00 is called “zero zero”, not “double zero”. If you find it too difficult to follow, you can ask the person to say the number digit by digit. It would then read “zero, two, four, seven, six, four, one, one, eight”.

Toll free

Only a few companies offer freephone numbers (often starting with 08 00), and there are also numbers starting with 081 for which you pay the cost of a local call, no matter where you are in the country.

Items that start with 089 will have a surcharge. They provide a service for some legitimate businesses, but the ones you see advertised around the country are usually adult services.

The emergency numbers are 15 (medical assistance), 17 (police) and 18 (fire/rescue). You can also use the European emergency number 112 (perhaps a better choice if you don’t speak French). These calls are free of charge and can be made from virtually any phone, including locked mobile phones. If you find a code-protected mobile phone in a serious emergency, enter a random code three times: The phone will be locked, but you can dial the emergency numbers.

Cheap international calls

To make cheap international calls from France, travellers can get a Carte Sim France [www] online before departure or use low-cost dial-up services such as appellemonde [www] or allo2556 [www].

Bypass services are available directly from any fixed line in France. No contract or registration is required. Most numbering services allow you to call the USA, Canada, Western Europe and many other countries at local rates, saving you money on your phone bill. They also work from phone boxes, but France Telecom charges for the first minute.

Fixed line

To find out how to order a landline in France, you can click on landline providers in France [www]. Another method, if you are staying for a while, is to use VoIP over DSL, such as the Livebox or Freebox service (free long-distance calls in France and to a number of countries).

Telephone booths

Phone boxes can be found at train stations, metro stations, bus stops and near tourist attractions, etc. There is at least one phone box in every village (look for it in the main square). Due to the widespread use of mobile phones, there are fewer booths today than a few years ago. Most of them use a card (no coins). France Telecom public phones accept CB/Visa/MasterCard cards, but almost always with a chip. Otherwise, post offices, cafés-tabacs (recognisable by a red sign hanging outside) and shops selling magazines sell phone cards. Ask for a “phone card”; these have different credit units. You can specify “small” if you only want to make one or two short local calls. If you get a phone card with a computer chip, just put it in the phone, wait for the dial tone and dial the number. With American-style cards, you have to dial a number and then enter a code (but with voice instructions in French).

Mobile

France uses the GSM mobile standard (900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands), which is used in most countries in the world outside the United States. Several companies (Orange, SFR, Free, Bouygues Télécom and some other MVNOs such as Virgin Mobile) offer mobile services. The country has almost universal coverage, but in rural or mountainous areas you may have difficulty using your mobile phone. However, for emergency numbers, all three companies are legally obliged to answer your call if they are technically able to do so, even if you are not one of their customers, which maximises your chances of being helped even in areas with irregular service.

If you are staying for a while, it may be advisable to buy a prepaid mobile phone card that you can use in any phone that supports the GSM standard in the 900/1800 MHz bands. Incoming calls and text messages are then free of charge. It is available from most mobile phone operators (Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom), but has a very short validity if you do not top up the card.

An Orange prepaid SIM card is called Mobicarte, costs €9.90 and includes a credit of €5. SMS messages within Orange France cost €0.12, for international mobile users €0.28. Other operators (SFR, Bouygues) have similar prices. Since 2012, the free mobile operator has offered a €2/month subscription with no minimum contract period, which includes 120 minutes per month and unlimited national SMS messages. This offer is only available on the internet and you must have a postal address.

Internet

Internet cafés: Internet access is available in internet cafés in all large and medium-sized cities. The service usually costs about 4 euros per hour.

Residential broadband: In all major cities, many companies offer residential broadband services. Typical prices are €30 per month for unmetered ADSL (with speeds of up to 24 megabits per second), digital HDTV over DSL and free unlimited VoIP calls to landlines in France and to about 20 other countries (EU, USA…) also with external SIP access (the price includes a modem/router/switch with integrated WiFi MiMo access point).

Wifi: In many cafés (in towns and villages) you will also find wifi access, usually those that are a bit “wired”. There will be a sign on the door or on the wall. Also look for the clearly visible @ symbol indicating internet availability. However, as most households are now connected to the internet, internet cafés will become increasingly difficult to find, especially outside the major cities. In Paris, the Centre Pompidou is one place where you can access the internet for free. It is said that the city intends to become the first major European capital to offer free wifi for the entire city. Public parks and libraries in Paris are also covered. Please note that wifi is considered a “wee-fee” in France, even by English speakers. Asking for “wifi” is usually not understood.

Short-term SIM cards

Orange offers an almost unlimited one-month internet package for 9 €, called InternetMax. The official limit of 500 MB is not applied. The connection is not allowed, but is also not applied. E-mail (POP3/SMTP/IMAP) is not covered and is sold as a separate package for 9 € per month. P2P, VoIP and USENET are expressly prohibited and may result in cancellation of your package and loss of call credits on your account.

To set up this service:

1. buy a “mobicarte” (generic prepaid SIM card) at an Orange point of sale for €9.90, including €5 credit.
2. with a 4 euro top-up (with a credit card at an Orange point of sale or with a 5 euro top-up sold everywhere at tobacco and newspaper kiosks).
3. Deactivate the mobile data connection and deactivate all e-mail applications that use the POP3/IMAP/SMTP protocols on the smartphone before inserting the SIM card, otherwise the credit will be used up long before you activate the unlimited data plan.
4. Wait 24 hours for the SIM card to be activated before adding plans
5. activate the InternetMax data tariff with #123#. The menu is in French, for a summary in English see the link below.
6. Wait several hours (officially up to 48 hours) for InternetMax to be activated. There is no notification, so check regularly: Surf a little and check your balance with #123#.

As the plan is not marketed by Orange, point-of-sale and hotline staff often don’t know anything about it, and there is very little about it on the Orange website, even in French.

Post

There are post offices (“La Poste“) in every town and village, but their opening hours vary. In the larger cities, the head office may also be open over lunchtime; as a rule, opening hours are from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm. Most offices are only open on Saturday morning and there is only one office in Paris that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year (rue du Louvre).

The letterboxes are coloured yellow.

Postal rates

There are three levels of service for French domestic mail (including Andorra and Monaco):

• The priority letter usually arrives the next day. Cost (up to 20g): 0.80
• The Green Letter, usually arrives in two days. Cost (up to 20g): 0.70
• The business letter (ecopli), usually arrives in four days. Cost (up to 20g): 0.68

There is only one service for international mail:

• Priority Letter, costs (up to 20g): € 1.00 (for the European Union and Switzerland), € 1.25 (for all other countries)

Correct prices as of November 2016.

Parcels

International delivery services such as FedEx and UPS are available in cities, but you usually have to call them to get them to come to you as they have few physical locations.

Another option is to simply use La Poste, which has a wide network throughout the country and offers the same services as its competitors.

As a member of the Group of 7 (formerly G8) leading industrialized countries, it is since 2014 the ninth largest economy in the world and the second largest in the EU in terms of purchasing power parity. In 2015, France ranked fourth on the Fortune Global 500 list with 31 of the world’s 500 largest companies, ahead of Germany and the United Kingdom. France joined eleven other EU Member States in 1999 by adopting the euro, completely replacing the French franc with euro bills and coins in 2002 (₣).

France has a mixed economy, which is a combination of large private enterprises with significant public enterprise and public intervention. The government retains considerable influence over important segments of the infrastructure sector, with a majority stake in railroads, electricity, aircraft, nuclear power and telecommunications. Since the early 1990s, it has relaxed its control over these sectors. The government is gradually privatizing the public sector by divesting shareholdings in France Télécom, Air France and the insurance, banking and defence industries. Under the leadership of the European consortium Airbus, the French Republic has a significant aerospace industry and has its own national spaceport, the Centre Spatial Guyanais.

In 2009, France was the world’s 6th largest exporter and the 4th largest importer of manufactured goods, according to the World Trade Organization (WTO). In 2008, with 118 billion U.S. dollars, France was the third largest recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI) among the OECD countries, after Luxembourg (where FDI mainly related to remittances to the banks located there) and the United States (316 billion U.S. dollars), but before the United Kingdom (96.9 billion U.S. dollars), Germany (25 billion U.S. dollars) or Japan (24 billion U.S. dollars).

In the same year, French companies invested $220 billion outside France, making France the second largest foreign direct investor in the OECD, after the U.S. ($311 billion) and before the United Kingdom ($111 billion), Japan ($128 billion) and Germany ($157 billion).

Financial services, banking and insurance are an important part of the economy. The Paris Stock Exchange (French: La Bourse de Paris) is an ancient institution founded in 1724 by Louis XV. In 2000, the stock exchanges of Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels merged to become Euronext. In 2007, Euronext merged with the New York Stock Exchange to become NYSE Euronext, the largest stock exchange in the world. Euronext Paris, the French subsidiary of the NYSE Euronext group, is Europe’s second largest stock exchange after the London Stock Exchange.

France is part of the European internal market and represents more than 500 million consumers. Different national trade policies are governed by agreements between the members of the European Union (EU) and by EU legislation. France adopted the single European currency, the euro, in 2002. It is a member of the euro zone, representing about 330 million citizens.

France was visited by 84.7 million foreign tourists in 2013, making it the most popular destination in the world. Thanks to shorter stays, it ranks third in tourism receipts. 20% more tourists spent less than half of what they spent in the United States.

France has 37 sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including cities of great cultural interest (first and foremost Paris, but also Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon, etc.), beaches and seaside resorts, ski resorts and rural regions that many people appreciate for their beauty and tranquillity (green tourism). Small picturesque French villages with a quality heritage (such as Collonges-la-Rouge or Locronan) are highlighted by the association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (litt.). The label “Jardins remarquables” is a list of more than two hundred gardens classified by the French Ministry of Culture. This label serves to protect and promote remarkable gardens and parks.

In 2012, the travel and tourism sector directly contributed €77.7 billion to French GDP, of which 30% came from international visitors and 70% from national tourism spending. The total contribution of the travel and tourism sector accounts for 9.7% of GDP and supports 2.9 million jobs (10.9% of employment) in the country. Tourism contributes significantly to the balance of payments.

Most tourists arriving in France in 2014 came from the following countries:

Number of overnight stays in France in 2014

Paris, the capital, is the third most visited city in the world. Paris has some of the most important and prestigious museums in the world, including the Louvre, which is the most visited art museum in the world, but also the Musée d’Orsay, which is mainly dedicated to Impressionism, and the Beaubourg, which is dedicated to contemporary art. Paris is home to some of the world’s most famous monuments, such as the Eiffel Tower, which is the most visited paid monument in the world, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Sacred Heart. The City of Science and Industry is the largest science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is the centrepiece of the Centre culturel des sciences, des technologies et de l’industrie (CCSTI), a centre for the promotion of science and scientific culture. Near Paris is the Palace of Versailles, the former palace of the Kings of France, which is now a museum.

With more than 10 million tourists a year, the Côte d’Azur in southeastern France is the second largest tourist destination in the country, after the Paris region. According to the Côte d’Azur Economic Development Agency, it enjoys 300 days of sunshine a year, 115 kilometres of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants. The Côte d’Azur hosts 50% of the world’s superyacht fleet each year, 90% of which visit the region’s shores at least once in their lifetime.

A large part of Provence named European Capital of Culture in 2013. The region is home to many famous natural sites, such as the Gorges du Verdon, the Camargue Regional Nature Park, the Calanques National Park and the typical landscape of the Luberon. Provence is home to dozens of famous historical sites such as the Pont du Gard, the Roman monuments in Arles or the Palace of the Popes in Avignon. Some cities also attract many tourists, such as Aix-en-Provence, Marseille or Cassis, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Another important destination is the castles of the Loire Valley. This World Heritage Site stands out for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Nantes, Orleans, Saumur and Tours, but above all for its castles (chateaux), such as the castles of Amboise, Chambord, Ussé, Villandry and Chenonceau, which illustrate in an exceptional way the ideals of the French Renaissance.

Notable French cities

France has many cities of cultural interest, some of which are classified as “Cities of Art and History” by the French Ministry of Culture.

• Aix-en-Provence
• Amiens and its cathedral
• Annecy with the lake and the mountains (French Alps)
• Avignon with the Palace of the Popes.
• Arles: Arles has important remains from the Roman period, which have been a World Heritage Site since 1981, including the amphitheatre, the Alyscamps, the obelisk and the aqueduct and the mill of Barbegal.
• Bayeux and its Tapestry Museum, home of the tapestry
• Bordeaux: Bordeaux is classified as a “City of Art and History”. The city has 362 historical monuments (only Paris has more in France), some of which date back to Roman times. Bordeaux has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an “outstanding urban and architectural ensemble”. Bordeaux is home to one of the largest 18th century urban ensembles in Europe, making it a sought-after destination for tourists and film crews. It stands out as one of the first French cities after Nancy to enter an era of urban planning and major urban projects, with the Gabriel père et fils team, architects of King Louis XV, led by two administrators (governors), first Nicolas-François Dupré de Saint-Maur and then the Marquis de Tourny.
• Cluny with its abbey and medieval town
• Carcassonne and its medieval fortress
• Chartres and its Cathedral
• Deauville
• Dijon with its cathedral and the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
• Giverny with the house and gardens of the painter Claude Monet
• Honfleur
• La Rochelle
• Lille
• Lyon: Its historic centre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. In its designation, UNESCO cited the “exceptional testimony to the continuity of urban settlement over more than two millennia in a place of great economic and strategic importance”. The specific areas that make up the historic site include the Roman Quarter and the Fourvière, the Renaissance Quarter (Old Lyon), the Silk Quarter (slopes of the Croix-Rousse) and the Presqu’île, which contains 12th century architecture.
• Mâcon, famous for its wine and the Solutre rock.
• Marseille, known for the Calanques National Park, the new MuCEM, the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, the Velodrome stadium, the Palais Longchamp, the Old Port of Marseille, the Vieille Charité, the Saint-Victor Abbey, the Château Borély or Le Corbusier’s residential complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016, and several museums such as the Museum of the History of Marseille, the Cantini Museum, the Museum of the Roman Docks, the Museum of Ancient Marseille, the Grobet-Labadié Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Marseille and the Museum of Decorative Arts, Fashion and Ceramics.
• Metz: Metz has one of the largest urban conservation zones in France and over 100 buildings in the city are listed. Due to its historical and cultural past, Metz benefits from its designation as the “City of Art and History”. The city has remarkable buildings such as the Gothic Cathedral of Saint-Stephen, the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains, the Palais de la Gare or the Opera, the oldest in France. Metz hosts world-famous venues, including the Arsenal concert hall and the Centre Pompidou-Metz museum, the most visited art venue in France outside Paris.
• Mulhouse, home of the French Automobile Museum and the French Railway Museum
• Nancy with Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance, UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1983.
• Nantes with the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany
• Narbonne
• Beautiful
• Nîmes: Nîmes is home to many remains of the Roman Empire, including the Maison Carrée, the Arena of Nîmes and the nearby Pont du Gard.
• Orange (city): The city has many Roman remains, including the ancient theatre and the Arc de Triomphe.
• Perpignan with its cathedral and the Palace of the Kings of Mallorca
• Rennes with its Parliament of Brittany, its cathedral, its cultural centre Les Champs Libres, its Thabor Park and its medieval streets with numerous half-timbered houses.
• Rouen with its cathedral, castle and half-timbered houses
• Sens
• Strasbourg: The historic centre of the city of Strasbourg, the Grande Île, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988. It is the first time such an award has been given to an entire city centre.
• Toulouse: with two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Canal du Midi and the largest Romanesque building in Europe, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin. The city’s historic centre is also home to the complex of the Convent of Saint James (tomb of Saint Thomas Aquinas), a 13th century Gothic monastery, and the Pont Neuf, a 16th century bridge in Toulouse.
• Vernon
• Versailles

The most beautiful villages in France

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is an independent association founded in 1982 with the aim of promoting small picturesque French villages with a high quality heritage. In 2008, 152 villages in France were awarded the label “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”.

Some criteria must be met before joining the association: The population of the village must not exceed 2,000, there must be at least 2 protected areas (picturesque or legendary sites or sites of scientific, artistic or historical interest), and the decision to apply must be taken by the local council.

Other regions of France

In the east of France, there are ski resorts in the Alps.

Tourists also travel to take part in the annual cycling race, the Tour de France.

Famous are the Mediterranean beaches of the French Riviera, Languedoc-Roussillon or Corsica. Away from continental tourism, there is French Polynesia (especially Tahiti), the Caribbean islands (Martinique, Guadeloupe, St Martin and St Barthélemy).

The Route Napoléon, the route Napoleon took on his return from exile in 1815, starts at Golfe-Juanto Grenoble in south-eastern France. It is a scenic route and a very popular destination.

The monuments to the battles of the First and Second World Wars are also popular. The former include the Mémorial des disparus de la Somme, the latter the D-Day Museum in Arromanches, one of the landing sites.

There are also many large natural areas with important collections of flora. For example, the federal arboretum of Pézanin gathers one of the richest forest collections in France, or the regional nature parks scattered throughout the territory.

Religious pilgrimage

France attracts many religious pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela or to Lourdes, a town in the Hautes-Pyrénées that receives several million visitors every year. The Taizé community has become one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites in the world. More than 100,000 young people from all over the world make a pilgrimage to Taizé every year to pray, study the Bible, share and work together.

Theme parks

Disneyland Paris is the most popular theme park in France and Europe. In 2009, a total of 15,405,000 visitors visited Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios. The historic theme park of Le Puy du Fou in the Vendée is the second most visited park in France. Other popular theme parks are Futuroscope in Poitiers and Parc Astérix.

Most popular sites by number of visitors

The most popular tourist destinations include (number of visitors per year) :

• Louvre Museum ($8.5 million),
• Eiffel Tower (6.2 million),
• Palace of Versailles (6 million),
• Centre Pompidou (3.6 million),
• Musée d’Orsay (2.9 million),
• Quai Branly Museum (1.3 million),
• Arc de Triomphe (1.2 million),
• Mont Saint-Michel (1 million),
• Notre-Dame de la Garde, Marseille (800,000),
• Chambord Castle (711 000),
• Sainte-Chapelle (683,000),
• Metz Cathedral (652,000),
• Bastille (Grenoble) (600,000)
• Centre Pompidou-Metz (550,000),
• Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle (549 000),
• Puy de Dôme (500 000),
• Picasso Museum (441,000),
• Carcassonne (362,000).

France is a member of the Schengen Agreement.

• There are normally no border controls between the countries that have signed and implemented the treaty. This includes most countries of the European Union and a few other countries.
• Before boarding an international flight or ship, there is usually an identity check. Sometimes there are temporary checks at land borders.
• Similarly, a visa issued for a member of the Schengen area is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty.

Nationals of the following countries : Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Macedonia, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, St. Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Taiwan and Uruguay. Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Taiwan and Uruguay, and British nationals (overseas) may work in France without a visa or other authorisation for the duration of their 90-day visa-free stay. All other visa-free nationals, with a few exceptions, are exempt from the visa requirement for short-term employment if they have a valid work permit. However, this possibility to work without a visa does not necessarily extend to other countries in the Schengen area. For more information, see this website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreigners who are not exempt from the visa requirement (e.g. South Africans) must make an entry declaration at a police station or to border control officers when they enter France directly from another Schengen country (e.g. Italy), unless they are in possession of a long-stay visa or residence permit from a Schengen member state. Their passport will be stamped by the authorities to prove that such a declaration has been made. This government website (in French) provides more information.

If you intend to stay in France for more than 90 days, regardless of the reason for your stay, an early long-term visa is always required for non-EEA or non-Swiss nationals. It is practically impossible to change from entry status “C” (visitor) to status “D” (long-term resident) from France.

Since 2009, certain categories of long-stay visas, such as “visitor“, “private and family life”, “student”, “employee” and “temporary worker”, no longer require a separate residence permit for the first year of stay in France. However, the long-stay visa must be validated by the OFII within three months of entry into France. To do this, a form received with the visa must be sent to the OFII with the address of residence in France, undergo a medical examination and attend an introductory interview in order to validate the visa. As of 2013, the fee paid to the OFII must now be paid at the consulate where the visa is applied for. The validated visa serves as a residence permit and also allows travel to other Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days within 6 months. However, a residence card is required after the first year and for many other visa categories that require a residence card on arrival. Contact the OFII for more information.

Note that the French overseas departments and territories are not part of the Schengen area and apply a separate immigration regime to metropolitan France.

Flights to/from Paris

The main international airport, Roissy – Charles de Gaulle (IATA: CDG), is probably your point of entry if you arrive in France by plane from outside Europe. CDG is the headquarters of Air France (AF), the national airline, for most intercontinental flights. AF and the SkyTeam alliance airlines (KLM, Aeroméxico, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air) use Terminal 2, as do the Oneworld carriers, while most Star Alliance airlines use Terminal 1. A third terminal is mainly used for charter flights and some low-cost flights. When transferring at CDG (especially between terminals), it is important that you allow a significant amount of time between flights. Make sure you have at least an hour between transfers. If you need to change terminals, allow more time as you will need to go through security. For transfers within CDG, you can use the free rail shuttle that connects all terminals, stations, car parks and hotels at the airport.

Transfer to another flight in France: AF also offers domestic flights from CDG, but many domestic flights and also some European domestic flights use Orly (IATA: ORY), the second largest airport in Paris. For transfers to Orly, there is a bus service operated by AF (free for AF passengers). The two airports are also connected by a local train (RER), which is slightly cheaper and faster, but much harder to use with heavy luggage. AF, Corsair, Emirates, Qatar Airways have agreements with the national railway company SNCF which operates TGVs (see below) from the CDG airports (some trains have flight numbers). The TGV station is located in Terminal 2 and is on the route of the free shuttle bus.

Some low-cost airlines, including Ryanair and Volare, serve Beauvais Airport, which is about 80 km northwest of Paris. Buses to Paris are provided by the airlines. Check timetables and fares on their websites.

Flights from/to regional airports

Many airports outside Paris have flights to/from international destinations: among the most served are Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse, they have flights to cities in Western Europe and North Africa; these airports are hubs to smaller airports in France and can be useful to avoid transfers between the two Paris airports. Two airports, Basel-Mulhouse and Geneva, are shared between France and Switzerland and allow entry into both countries.

From these cities, France’s regional airports are also served by long-haul flights:

• Antananarivo (Madagascar): Marseille (XL Airways France)
• Dubai (UAE): Lyon (Emirates), Nice (Emirates)
• Montreal (Canada): Bordeaux (Air Transat), Marseille (Air Transat), Lyon (Air Canada, Air Transat) Nantes (Air Transat), Nice (Air Canada Rouge, Air Transat), Toulouse (Air Transat)
• New York City (USA): Nice (Delta Air Lines)
• Punta Cana (Dominikanische Republik): Bordeaux (XL Airways France), Lyon (XL Airways France), Marseille (XL Airways France), Nantes (XL Airways France), Toulouse (XL Airways France)
• Toronto (Canada): Marseille (Air Transat)

There are numerous connections from England to France:

• P&O Ferries – operates freight and passenger services from Dover to Calais.
• DFDS Seaways – operates freight and passenger services from Dover to Dunkirk.
• LD Lines – operates freight and passenger services between Portsmouth and Le Havre.
• Brittany Ferries – operates freight and passenger services from Portsmouth to Caen, Cherbourg and St Malo, from Poole to Cherbourg and from Plymouth to Roscoff.
• Condor Ferries – operates freight and passenger services from Portsmouth to Cherbourg, Poole to St Malo and Weymouth to St Malo.

Prices vary considerably depending on which route you choose. In general, the cheapest route is the short sea route across the English Channel from Dover to Calais. It therefore makes sense to compare prices before deciding on the best route for a trip to France.

Passengers travelling by ferry from Dover to France are subject to a French passport/ID check in the UK prior to boarding and not on arrival in France. Passengers travelling to France from all other UK ports are subject to passport or ID checks on arrival in France.

There are also connections between Ireland and France:

• Brittany Ferries – operates ferry services from Cork to Roscoff
• Celtic Link Ferries – operates ferry services from Rosslare to Cherbourg
• Irish Ferries – operates ferry services from Rosslare to Cherbourg and from Rosslare to Roscoff

Many companies now act as agents for the various ferry companies, just as Expedia and Travelocity act as agents for the airlines, making it possible to compare different companies and routes. Two very well-known brands are Ferryonline and AFerry.co.uk.

The French railway company SNCF as well as many other companies (sometimes in cooperation with SNCF) offer a direct connection from most European countries, both with regular trains and high-speed trains.

• The TGVs between Paris, Metz and Luxembourg, as well as the TGVs between Brussels and France (except Paris) are operated by SNCF.
• The TGV high-speed trains between Paris, Lille, Calais and Ebbsfleet, Ashford and London in the UK via the Channel Tunnel (also called Chunnel by some) are operated by Eurostar.
• The TGV high-speed trains between Paris, Lille, Belgium, the Netherlands and north-west Germany (Cologne, Essen) are operated by Thalys.
• High-speed trains between France and southern Germany (Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich) are operated by Alleo with an SNCF TGV or a Deutsche Bahn ICE and a bilingual crew from both countries.
• The TGV high-speed trains between France and Switzerland are operated by Lyria.
• The TGVs between France and Italy are operated by TGV France Italy.
• The TGVs between France and Barcelona/Madrid are operated by Elipsos with an SNCF TGV or an RENFE AVE and a bilingual crew.
• Night trains between Paris, Dijon and Italy are operated by Thello
• The daily trains between Marseille and Milan (via Nice) are also operated by Thello.
• Night trains between Moscow and Paris, operated by the Russian RZD, run up to twice a week, stopping en route in Belarus (Minsk), Poland (Warsaw, Poznan) and Germany (Berlin, Erfurt) [www].
• Night trains between Moscow and Nice, operated by the Russian company RZD, run weekly and stop en route in Belarus (Minsk), Poland (Warsaw, Katowice), Austria (Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck) and Italy [www].
• By reservation, you can take your bike on night trains and single-decker TGVs.

In France, several weekends a year are called “Black Saturday” because that is when the school holidays start or end and the associated traffic jams on French roads are caused by the thousands of tourists travelling to or from their holiday destination. It is advisable to avoid these days as much as possible. Traffic information can be found on the website of the French Road Administration.

Carpooling is very popular in France. Websites like BlaBlaCar allow drivers with empty seats to communicate safely with passengers looking for transport.

See the ‘By boat’ section above for information on car ferries to France from the UK and Ireland.

From Belgium

• As the Belgian railway routes all passenger trains to France via Luxembourg due to an agreement with the CFL (resulting in an unnecessary additional border crossing), it can be useful to cross the border directly on foot. The French terminus Longwy can be reached from the Belgian station Halanzy (but the line only operates on weekdays), or from the major Belgian stations Arlon or Virton. Between these two stations, a TEC bus stops at Aubange Place, a good starting point for the walk. The trail runs almost entirely through inhabited territory in the commune of Mont-Saint-Martin (but partly in the forest if you are going to or coming from Halanzy) and is about 7 km long. The town of Longwy itself is quite steep in places, which you should bear in mind when planning your route.
• There are Belgian national trains that end in Lille (Lille-Flanders station).
• A DK’BUS Marine bus service operates between the De Panne terminus of the Belgian railways (and the Tram de la Côte – Kusttram) and the French coastal town of Dunkirk. However, it can only operate at certain times of the year. It is also possible to take a DK’BUS bus as close as possible to the border and cross it on foot, walking along the beach and arriving at a convenient coastal tram station, such as Esplanade.

The following airlines offer domestic flights in France:

1. Air France has the largest domestic network in France
2. HOP!, a subsidiary of Air France, operates domestic flights with smaller aircraft than Air France.
3. easyJet, a low-cost airline, has the second largest domestic network in France
4. Ryanair, another low-cost airline, mainly serves secondary airports.
5. Volotea has a network of domestic flights
6. Air Corsica connects Corsica with mainland France
7. Twin Jet operates domestic flights with 19-seater Beech 1900D aircraft.
8. Hex’Air operates flights between Paris-Orly and Lourdes with 19-seater Beech 1900D aircraft.
9. Eastern Airways offers domestic flights between Lyon and Lorient.
10. ChalairAviation has a limited network of domestic flights, mainly with 19-seater Beech 1900D aircraft.
11. HeliSecurite (Cannes (Croisette heliport), Nice (Côte d’Azur airport))
12. Helicopter from Nice (Cannes (Croisette Heliport), Nice (Côte d’Azur Airport))

France has a well-developed motorway network. Most of the motorway network consists of toll roads. Some have a single toll station that gives you access to a section, others have entry and exit toll stations at each junction. When you enter a toll road section, you must collect an entry ticket from a machine that registers the starting point of the road and ensures that you only pay for the distance travelled. Make sure you don’t lose your ticket or you will be charged for the longest distance. All toll booths accept all major credit cards, but not necessarily foreign credit cards. It is also possible to use the automatic booth, but only if your card is equipped with a special chip.

Roads range from narrow, single-lane rural roads to major motorways. Most cities were built before the car was widespread, so city centres tend to be unsuitable for cars. Bear this in mind when renting a car: large cars can be very bulky. It often makes sense to park and use public transport.

A French motorist flashing his headlights enforces his right of way and warns you of his intentions and presence. Do not use it to say thank you. Flashing your lights can also mean: “Attention, there is a police speed check in front of you! The horn should only be used in legitimate emergencies; using it in urban areas outside of these circumstances may result in a ticket. Drivers in Paris have been known to honk at anything and everything, although stricter controls have greatly reduced this practice.

Rent a car

Once you arrive in France, you may need to use a car rental service. Most major companies operate from French airports and it is advisable to book a rental car in advance. At smaller French airports, it is common that you will not get the type of car you booked online, but a different model. Sometimes the alternative model is very different. Therefore, check carefully before accepting the vehicle and hold it if it does not match your booking request and is not suitable for your needs.

Most cars in France are equipped with a standard gearbox, due to both driver preferences and the specifics of French driving licence legislation (automatic gearboxes are usually only used by elderly or disabled people). This also applies to vehicle categories that are rarely equipped with a manual transmission in other countries (read: the US), such as vans and large sedans. As a result, almost all vehicles available in the average car rental will be equipped with a manual transmission. If you do not know how to drive a car with a manual transmission and do not have time to learn before your trip, you should book your rental car well in advance and confirm your reservation. Otherwise, you may end up in a car that is much bigger than you can afford (or no car at all).

It is a good tip if you are travelling in a group to let one member of the group go directly to the car rental with hand luggage before everyone else, this will avoid a clash once the main luggage is picked up on the conveyor belt.

France is a good country to stop in. Be patient, be prepared for a long wait or a long walk and enjoy the scenery while you wait. A walk awaits you. People who stop are generally friendly and safe. They will appreciate you more if you speak a little French. They never wait for money for the ride.

Don’t forget that it’s almost impossible to get out of Paris with your thumb. You can try your luck at the “Portes” (city gates), but the heavy traffic and limited stopping zones will test your patience. It’s a good idea to take a local train to a nearby suburb, as this will greatly increase your chances of being picked up.

Outside Paris, it is advisable to try your luck at roundabouts. As it is illegal to hitchhike on the motorways and they are well guarded by the police, you can try your luck at a motorway junction.

The best chance is at toll stations, some of which require all cars to stop and are therefore good places for a ride. If you have been waiting for a while and don’t know where to go, give up and just try your thumb. You can also try being driven in the wrong direction to the next good spot. Note, however, that hitchhiking from a tollbooth, although common, is illegal and the French police or road safety authorities, who are usually very tolerant of hitchhikers, can stop you and force you to drive away. Free maps are available at the toll booths – they also show where to find the “all-stop toll”.

The train is a great way to get around France. You can travel almost anywhere by train. For long distances, use the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse), which requires a reservation. But if you have time, take the slow train and enjoy the countryside. The countryside is part of what makes France one of the best destinations in the world.

The French national railway network is managed by SNCF Réseaux, a subsidiary of the French national railway company (SNCF).

Passenger trains are operated by various companies:

• Most trains are operated by the SNCF
• Some low-cost TGVs between Marne-la-Vallée (Disneyland), Lyon and Marseille or Montpellier are operated by Ouigo. This service is modelled on the budget airlines, so watch out for hidden charges. Also, Ouigo tends to serve destinations further away when rail and station access fees are lower, which can make travelling to your final destination expensive and time-consuming.
• Some other TGVs to and from Paris are operated by iDTGV.
• Some trains between Italy and Marseille or Paris are operated by Thello.
• International high-speed connections to the rest of Europe are operated by several companies, including Eurostar (London), Thalys (Brussels, Amsterdam), Lyria (Switzerland), DB (Germany) and RENFE (Barcelona).

Each company has its own conditions of carriage and most of them do not accept SNCF discount cards for international travel (Ouigo and iDTGV are also separate from SNCF within France, although they are owned by SNCF).

For regional trains, timetables are available on ter.sncf.com (select your region and then “Map and timetables” for maps and timetables). Reservations are available in two classes: first class is less crowded and more comfortable, but can also be about 50% more expensive than second class.

On the SNCF Gares & Connexion website, you can find live train timetables that inform you about the number of platforms and delays. This information is also available on smartphones via the free SNCF app.

There are different types of high-speed trains and normal trains:

• TER (Train Express Régional): Regional trains and the backbone of the SNCF system. TERs are sometimes slower but serve most stations. Available on Eurail and InterRail cards. As they are the property of the respective region, SNCF conditions of carriage do not apply and you are not entitled to reimbursement if the train is late.
• Intercities: From 2012, the regrouping of the former Corail services. Includes trains with compulsory reservation (former Téoz and Lunéa night trains) and those with optional reservation (former Intercités). The trains with optional reservation are those that are often used on the passes. Some trains go to regions not served by the TGV, for example Auvergne.
• TGV (Trains à Grande Vitesse): France’s famous high-speed trains run several times a day from Paris to the south-east: Nice (5-6 hours), Marseille (3 hours) and Avignon (2.5 hours), to the east: Geneva (3 hours) or Lausanne, Switzerland and Dijon (1.15 hours), to the south-west: Bordeaux (3 hours), to the west: Rennes (2 hours), Nantes (2 hours), Brest (4 hours) and to the north: Lille (1 hour). The Eurostar to London (2h15) and the Thalys to Brussels (1h20) use almost identical trains. Reservations are compulsory.
• There are also night train services (Night Intercity). They include second class berths (6 bunk beds in one compartment), first class berths (4 bunk beds) and reclining seats. Sleeping cars (one compartment with 2 real beds) have been completely removed from French night trains. However, you can request a “private room” (first class). The night trains have been phased out in recent years and only a handful of them will still be in service in 2015.

Fare system

The SNCF fare system is somewhat complex, but still easy to understand.

There are many types of tariffs, but the two most important are the following:

• Dibs, preferential prices, non-exchangeable and non-refundable
• Leisure tickets and tickets with a discount card are exchangeable and refundable tickets (minus a tax) before the train departs. Tickets are usually cheaper the more they are bought in advance.

There are three types of tickets:

• Ticket, classic paper ticket, bought at a ticket office. If you lose it, you have to buy a new one.
• Electronic ticket that… is not an “electronic ticket” at all. It is also a normal paper ticket, but bought online. Again, if you lose it, you have to buy a new one.
• e-Billet, which is an “electronic ticket”. Only available on certain TGV connections. All you need is a printed e-ticket (from your own printer or from a ticket vending machine). Tickets can be reissued as often as necessary, but they are nominative: your name must match the name on the ticket.

For regional (TER) and Intercity trains without reservation, tickets purchased at a ticket office are valid for any train within two months … except that there are two “travel periods” depending on the departure time of your train:

• Blue period, the cheapest
• White period, the most expensive

A calendar describes the time and days of each period. You can travel during the blue period with a “white period” ticket (because it is more expensive), but you cannot do the opposite.

Young people (12-28 years) and people aged 60 and over receive a 25% discount on tickets for TER and Intercités trains when travelling during the Blue Period. There is also a Senior+ train pass that you can buy for €60/year, which gives its holder additional privileges.

If you are under 28 and make more than two return trips to France, you can save money with a ‘carte jeune’. It costs 50 euros, is valid for one year and entitles you to a discount of 25-60%, depending on when you book the ticket and when you travel.

Ouigo only sells tickets online and you must present the QR code in a scannable form (print or screen).

Online reservation

Booking tickets online can be quite confusing: SNCF itself does not sell tickets online and it is possible to book the same journey through different travel agency websites (in different languages and currencies). Fares for travel in France are the same at all travel agencies.

• Voyages-sncf.com French language booking site from Expedia and SNCF. It can be confusing at times and we know it doesn’t work very well if you are trying to buy a ticket from abroad or with a non-French credit card. Attention: you need the credit card you paid with to collect your tickets at the ticket office. If you don’t have it, your tickets will be lost and you will have to buy new ones.
• Reservation page in French, English, German and Italian by Captain Train. It is designed to be as easy to use as possible. Unlike “Voyages SNCF”, you don’t need your credit card to retrieve tickets, just the reservation number and the last name entered when making the reservation. You can pay by Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Paypal. Tickets can be printed or downloaded to your mobile phone or an Apple or Android watch. This site sells tickets for 19 European countries, including Deutsche Bahn (DB) tickets for travel in France and Germany, Lyria tickets for travel in Switzerland, Eurostar tickets for travel in the UK, Thalys tickets for travel in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and Thello tickets for travel in Italy. For Alleo journeys (joint operation of SNCF and DB) between France and Germany, Captain Train automatically compares SNCF and DB fares and shows you the cheapest of the two (although SNCF and DB have their own fares for the same train).
• RailEurope are reservation agencies that belong to SNCF. Fares on these sites are often higher than on the “official” sites, but they are generally easier to use than the SNCF sites.

Boarding

To find your train, look for your train number and departure time on the departure board. A track number (“Track”) is displayed next to the train and departure time. Follow the signs indicating this track to board the train. On TGV trains, you have a reserved seat. On other long-distance trains, you have the option of making a reservation (at least one day in advance); if you do not have one, you can use any unused seat that is not marked as reserved. To find your reserved seat, first look for the number of the train car (“Voit. No”). Watch out for possible confusion between the track number (Voit. No) and the carriage number (Voit. Short). When you leave the track, the wagon number is displayed on an LCD screen on the wagon, or maybe just written in the window or right next to the doors.

The rules regarding reserved seats are lax; you are allowed to change seats or use another seat (in the same class, of course) if it is free because the TGV is not full, or if the other person agrees to change with you. The only condition is not to continue using a reserved seat if the person who reserved it asks to do so.

On the main lines, the TGVs often travel in pairs. There are two possibilities: Either the two TGVs are considered as one train with one train number (in which case each coach has a different coach number); or the two TGVs are considered as separate trains running together for part of their journey, with two different train numbers (in which case the two trains may have two numbers close to each other, e.g. 1527 and 1537), and each train has its own coach numbering. So make sure you are on the right train (the train number is displayed on the LCD screen together with the carriage number).

If you are early, there is often a map somewhere along the line that shows how the train and carriage numbers on the line line up according to the letters that are either on the floor or on the signs above. This way you can stand next to the letter that corresponds to your carriage number and wait to board the train that is closest to your carriage. You can easily change from one carriage to another. So if you are very late, get into any carriage of the same class before the train leaves, wait until most people are seated and then go to your carriage and seat number.

Attention: To avoid any form of fraud, your ticket must be punched by a ticket punching machine before entering the platform area in order to be valid. The old machines are bright orange, the new ones are yellow and grey. The machines are located at the entrance to all platforms. Failure to punch the ticket may result in a fine, according to the conductor, even if you are a foreigner with limited French vocabulary, unless you approach the conductor as soon as possible and ask for the ticket to be validated. Similarly, if you board a train without a ticket, you must find the ticket inspector and inform him of your situation before he finds you. However, electronic tickets must not be punched: If in doubt, punch it anyway, you will not be punished for punching an electronic ticket.

French-language information kiosks, especially in large stations, can be unhelpful, especially if you don’t understand much French. If something doesn’t seem to make sense, just say “sorry” and they should repeat it.

Train exchange

As it is cheaper to book and buy train tickets, especially if they are booked in advance, the trade in non-exchangeable and non-refundable train tickets on the internet is relatively lively.

Be very careful if you do not buy an “e-ticket” or a printed ticket: The seller could cancel the ticket after the transaction and you would be considered a fraudster on board the train.

There is no uniform national bus service. Until recently, buses were limited to local public transport or departmental/regional transport. Following a similar liberalisation of the market in Germany, long-distance buses are now allowed to operate throughout France and prices can be quite low, especially if booked in advance. However, journey times and comfort tend to be worse than on trains.

France is not a particularly bicycle-friendly country (unlike the Netherlands, for example), but the situation is improving: more cycle lanes are being built and about 40 cities have a public bicycle system.

Beware of bicycle thieves. If you have to leave your bike on the street, make sure you lock it properly, especially in big cities and at night. Avoid using cable locks, which can be cut in seconds, use U-shaped locks, chains or foldable padlocks instead. Secure your bike to a fixed rack, e.g. a U-rack. Secure the frame (not just the wheels) and ensure that your wheels cannot be removed without the help of a more determined thief with tools.

Metropolitan France

Metropolitan France” comprises the 12 administrative regions (French: régions) of the continent plus Corsica, i.e. the entire French territory in Europe. They are distinct from the country’s overseas territories on the other continents, which are discussed below. For travel purposes, the 12 regions are best understood by grouping them into the seven cultural regions below, which are also used by much of the tourism industry. The 96 departments form the lower administrative level, two-thirds of which are named after a river and most of the others after another natural feature, such as a mountain or forest.

• Île-de-France
  The region around the French capital Paris.
• Northern France (Nord-Pas de Calais, Picardy, Normandy).
  A region where the world wars have left many scars.
• North-East France (Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne, Franche-Comté).
  A region where European (and especially Germanic) culture has mixed with French, with interesting results.
• Great West (Brittany, Pays de la Loire)
  An oceanic region with an agricultural vocation whose culture is strongly influenced by the ancient Celtic peoples.
• Central France (Centre-Val de Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Burgundy, Limousin, Auvergne).
  An essentially agricultural and viticultural region with river valleys, castles and historic towns.
• South-East France (Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Corsica).
  The country’s first tourist region outside Paris, with a warm climate and an azure sea contrasting with the mountainous French Alps.
• Southwest France (Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées)
  A region of sea and wine, with beautiful beaches on the Atlantic and the high mountains of the Pyrenees near Spain.

Overseas France

In addition to mainland France, which is also called France because of its shape, there are five overseas departments (DOM) that belong to France like any other department: French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte and Reunion.

In addition, France has six organised overseas territories (OCTs) – French Polynesia, New Caledonia, St Barthélemy, St Martin, St Pierre and Miquelon, and Wallis and Futuna – and some isolated, uninhabited islands in nature reserves, including Clipperton Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories. Although administratively part of France, these entities are not covered here but in separate articles.

Because of its many overseas departments and territories scattered around the world, France actually spans twelve time zones – more than any other country. However, the whole of metropolitan France uses Central European Time (UTC+01:00).

France has many cities that are interesting for travellers. Below is a list of nine of the most notable:

• Paris – the “City of Light”, Romanticism and the Eiffel Tower
• Bordeaux – city of wine, traditional stone houses and elegant terraces
• Nice – the gateway to the French Riviera with a world-famous beach promenade
• Lille – a dynamic city in the north, known for its beautiful centre and active cultural life
• Lyon – Third city in France with a history that stretches from Roman times to the Résistance
• Marseille – on the Provençal coast is the second largest cosmopolitan city in France, known for its large port, bays and seafood.
• Nantes – the “greenest city” and, according to some, the best place to live in Europe
• Strasbourg – famous for its historic centre and seat of many European institutions
• Toulouse – the “pink city”, for its characteristic brick architecture and lively “terroir”.

• The Camargue – one of the largest river deltas and wetlands in Europe, with a strong and well-preserved Provençal bullfighting culture, the Camargue race.
• Corsica – the birthplace of Napoleon, a unique island with its own culture and language (but everyone also speaks French).
• Disneyland Paris – the most visited attraction in Europe. It even has its own TGV stop.
• The French Alps – home to the highest mountain in Western Europe, Mont Blanc.
• Côte d’Azur (French Riviera) – France’s Mediterranean coast with many seaside resorts, yachts and first-class golf courses.
• Loire Valley – the world famous Loire Valley, especially for its wines and castles.
• Luberon – the clichéd Provence of picturesque villages, joie de vivre and wine.
• Mont Saint Michel – the second most visited sight in France, a monastery and town built on a tiny rocky outcrop in the sand, cut off from the mainland at high tide.
• The Gorges du Verdon – a beautiful turquoise-green river gorge, ideal for kayaking, hiking, climbing or just cruising around the limestone cliffs.

France is a diverse and colourful country and you will find everything from beautiful wooden chalets in the Alps to castles in the countryside to seaside villas on the Côte d’Azur – and everything in between!

The hotels are divided into 5 categories from 1 to 5 stars. This is the official rating of the Ministry of Tourism and is displayed on a blue sign at the entrance. The stars are awarded according to objective but slightly outdated administrative criteria (size of lobby, proportion of rooms with private bathroom, etc.).

Prices vary according to accommodation, location and sometimes high or low season or special events.

Since 2004, the price for a *** hotel listed in a reliable travel guide has ranged from €70 (cheap) to €110 (expensive) for a double room without breakfast.

All hotels are required by law to display their prices outside (or visible from outside). Note that these are maximum prices: A hotel can always offer a lower price to fill its rooms. Negotiation is not the norm, but you can always ask for a discount.

Hotels in the city centre or near train stations are often very small (15-30 rooms), which means you need to book in advance. Many newer, business-oriented hotels are located on the outskirts of cities and are sometimes larger (100 rooms or more); they are not always easily accessible by public transport. Newer hotels are often part of national or international chains and are of a high standard. Many older hotels are now part of chains and offer standardised service, but they have kept their own atmosphere.

For a visit to Paris, it is strongly recommended to stay in the city itself; there are cheaper tourist hotels in the suburbs, but they welcome groups by bus and are difficult to reach by public transport.

Along the motorway network and at the entrance to the cities you will find American-style motels; they are very often only accessible by car. Some motels (e.g. Formula 1) have minimal service. If you arrive late, you will find an ATM that works with credit cards and gives you a code to get to your assigned room.

You will find bed and breakfasts and gîtes all over France, especially in rural areas, but also in the cities.

Bed and breakfast rooms are known in French as “chambres d’hôtes” and are usually offered for one night’s stay. By law, breakfast MUST be included in the advertised price for a chambre d’hôte. Keep this in mind when comparing prices with hotels where breakfast is NOT included in the room rate.

Gîtes or self-catering cottages are holiday homes that are usually rented out as a complete living unit including kitchen, usually on a weekly basis. Literally, the word “gîte” simply means a place to stay; however, today it is mostly used to describe rural gîtes or holiday homes for rent, mostly in rural areas of France. There are very few of these in the local area or in the towns. To find them, you will need to buy a guidebook or, for a wider selection, use the internet, as you will not find many signposts on the road.

Traditionally, gîtes offered simple accommodation of good quality, usually next to the owner’s house or in a nearby outbuilding. More recently, the term has been broadened and can now be used to refer to most independent accommodation in France. It therefore includes accommodation as diverse as small country houses or villas with private swimming pools.

In the summer months, the best gîtes must be booked several months in advance.

There are thousands of bed and breakfasts and gîtes in France rented out by foreign owners, mainly British and Dutch. These are usually listed, sometimes exclusively, with English or international organisations and websites, which you can find by typing the words “chambres d’hôtes”, “gîtes” or “gîtes de france” into one of the major search engines.

There are a large number of organisations and websites offering accommodation.

Gîtes de France

Gîtes de France is a cooperative organisation throughout France that brings together more than 50,000 rural accommodations and was the first in France to propose a coherent classification system with complete descriptions.

Despite their name, the Gîtes de France offer both bed and breakfast and holiday accommodation (gîtes).

Gîtes de France’s rating system uses stalks of wheat called ears of corn (equivalent to a star rating) and is based on convenience rather than quality – although the two usually go together.

On the website, bookings can be made directly with the owners or through the local booking agency Gîtes de France (at no extra cost to the traveller). Although an English version is available for many pages on the website, the pages giving details of individual accommodation for some departments are in French only.

There is no particular advantage to using Gîtes de France rather than using one of the other online gîte sites or booking directly with a gîte owner. The process is pretty standard for all gîte booking sites, French or foreign, with the advantage that the whole booking process can be done in English, which is not always the case with Gîtes de France.

After you have made a gîte reservation, you will receive a contract by post which you must sign (for gîtes only). Sign one copy and return it. When signing, write the words “Read and Approved” and the name of your home town before signing and dating the contract. A deposit of between a quarter and a third of the booking amount is usually required. The balance is requested one month before the start of the holiday. On arrival at the gîte, a deposit, indicated in the contact, must be given in cash to the owner. This will be returned to you at the end of your stay after deduction of fuel and breakage costs.

Another excellent resource for booking gites and villas in France is Holiday France Direct [www.holidayfrancedirect.co.uk], which allows you to deal directly with owners and offers customers discounts on ferry trips with Brittany Ferries.

Stage accommodation

Another option is that of stopover gites. These are more like mountain huts for hikers. They are usually cheaper than the Gîtes de France, but also much simpler.

Travellers should definitely consider short-term villa/apartment/studio rentals as an alternative to other accommodation options. Short-term rentals can range from a few days to several months. Summer rentals are usually from Saturday to Saturday only (July and August). This type of accommodation is owned by a private party and can range from the most basic to the most luxurious. A particular advantage, apart from the reasonable prices, is that the accommodation has fully equipped kitchens.

Hundreds of agencies offer accommodation for short-term rentals on behalf of the owner and can help you find the best accommodation, at the best price and in the most suitable location for you. An internet search for the location and type of property you are looking for will usually give you the names of several search engines, each of which can offer hundreds or thousands of properties to choose from. There are many websites in both English and French, and properties for rent can be purchased by people of any nationality.

Established holiday rental sites include Holidaylettings.co.uk, Owners Direct and Alpha Holiday Lettings. If you want to stay in a room or part of the property, Airbnb matches holidaymakers with guests who rent out just part of their home.

Camping is very common in France. Most campsites are located a little outside the city and almost all offer space not only for tents but also for motorhomes and caravans. While all campsites have basic showers and toilets, larger sites usually offer a range of additional facilities such as bars and restaurants, self-service launderettes, swimming pools or bicycle hire. All campsites, with the exception of very small “farm camping” facilities, must be registered with the authorities and are officially classified according to a star system.

In coastal areas, three- and four-star campsites in July and August usually need to be booked in advance, and many people book from one year to the next. In rural areas, away from popular tourist spots, it is usually possible to turn up unexpectedly and find a place; this is especially true of communal campsites, which can be found in most small towns; even in this case it may be advisable to call or email ahead to be sure. There are always exceptions.

In France it is forbidden to camp:

• in forests, nature, regional and national parks
• on public paths and roads
• on the beaches
• less than 200 metres from a water point used for human consumption
• on protected natural areas
• less than 500 metres from a protected monument
• wherever prohibited by local law
• on private property without the owner’s consent.

Camping is a great way to explore the area as it gives you the freedom to move around at short notice. The larger and more popular campsites can be booked on websites such as Eurocamp, Canvas Holidays, Go Camp France and France Break.

When you think of France, you may picture the emblematic Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe or the famous smile of the Mona Lisa. You may think of drinking coffee in the lively Parisian cafés where great intellectuals once lingered, or eating croissants in a local bistro in a sleepy but beautiful country village.

Images of magnificent castles probably come to mind, lavender fields or perhaps vineyards as far as the eye can see. Or you might consider the chic seaside resorts of the French Riviera. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But they are only the tip of the iceberg of France’s many sights and attractions.

Paris, the “City of Light” and capital of romance, has been a magnet for travellers for centuries and is a real must-see. Of course, no visit would be complete without a look at the world-famous monuments. The Eiffel Tower is hard to miss, especially when beautifully lit up at night, but the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur are also famous and amazing sights. With no less than 3,800 national monuments in and around Paris, history is literally around every corner. Stroll through the city’s large green parks, of which the Jardin du Luxembourg is a favourite, and be sure to spend some time on the famous banks of the Seine. Don’t miss the magnificent Palace of Versailles either, the greatest reminder of the Ancien Régime, located just 20 km from the capital.

Bordeaux is famous for its wine, but it is also a very lively city with many historical sites to discover. It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List as an “exceptional urban and architectural ensemble”. Lyon, the country’s second largest city, is also listed and has a magnificent historic centre as well as many Roman ruins. Strasbourg, one of the seats of the EU, has a character all its own, with clear German influences. Montpellier is one of the most beautiful places in the south, with many monumental buildings and pretty cafés. To the west is the beautiful and historic city of Nantes, home to the castle of the Dukes of Brittany and many other monuments. The Capitole de Toulouse is at the heart of the urban plan of this famous university city. Not forgetting Arles with its Roman and Romanesque monuments, which are World Heritage Sites.

There are the beautiful towns of the Côte d’Azur, once the place of choice for the rich and famous, but now equally popular with a mixed crowd. Its sandy beaches, beautiful bays, rocky cliffs and pretty towns have made it one of the best boating and cruising destinations in the world, but also a popular destination for land travellers. Nice is a bustling city where some 4 million tourists a year enjoy the stone beaches and stroll along the Promenade des Anglais. Although Saint-Tropez is crowded in summer, it is a charming place at any other time of year. The same goes for Cannes, where the jet-set of the film industry gathers every year for the famous Cannes Film Festival. From there you can take a boat to the much more peaceful Lérins Islands. Much smaller but just as beautiful (and popular) are the high-altitude villages of Gourdon and Èze, perched on a 427-metre cliff, a bit like an “eagle’s nest”. Both villages offer breathtaking panoramic views. From Èze, it is only a short drive to the glitz and glamour of Monaco. For millionaires and aristocrats from all over the world, the green peninsula of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat has long been a popular spot, the centrepiece of which is the impressive Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild with its impressionist art. A little further inland, but definitely worth a visit, are the towns of Grasse, known for its perfume factories, and Biot, famous for its glassblowers.

Provence, which bears a good part of the French Riviera, is one of the most popular regions. It has a typically Mediterranean atmosphere and is famous for its lavender fields and rosé wines. It is also home to the magnificent Gorges du Verdon, one of the most beautiful gorges in Europe. The huge city and arts centre of Marseille has many historic sites and nearby are the magnificent Calanques, a series of miniature fjords which it shares with Cassis. Provence also has the famous Verdon Gorges, famous cities such as Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Nîmes have a strong ancient heritage, and Avignon, with its magnificent ramparts and Palais-des-Papes, was once the seat of the popes and hosts the largest theatre festival in the world every July.

You haven’t seen the best of France if you haven’t at least had a taste of the amazing countryside with its wonderful medieval villages and castles. Beautiful examples can be found in all parts of the country, but some 156 villages have been identified as the most beautiful in France, or “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”.

The country’s landscapes range from the snow-capped peaks of the Alps and Pyrenees, with their many winter resorts, to lush river valleys, dense forests and vast expanses of farmland and vineyards. The rolling river landscape of the Loire Valley is home to many grand castles, of which Amboise, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau, Chambord and Le Pin are among the finest examples.

The western region of Brittany stretches to the Atlantic Ocean and has many megalithic monuments, such as at Carnac. The beaches of Normandy, also on the Atlantic coast, are famous for the Allied invasion on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and although the modest American cemetery in Normandy and the countless museums, memorials and wartime remains keep the memory of those dark days alive, the region is now a popular and enjoyable tourist destination. The picturesque coastline includes long stretches of beach as well as steep limestone cliffs, such as at Etretat).

The region is also home to the magnificent Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay, a World Heritage Site. The lush hills of the Dordogne form another region famous for its castles, of which there are more than 1,500 in an area of 9,000 km2.

Since the French have a real taste for art, there are many art galleries and museums in the country. Some of them are among the best museums in the world for art, art history and culture. The size and reputation of the Louvre Museum in Paris cannot be matched by any other museum in the world. It has a fabulous art collection from antiquity to the 19th century and houses the Mona Lisa and many other famous works. Just a 15-minute walk away is the Musée d’Orsay, another world-class museum that picks up right where the Louvre’s collections leave off. Located in a former railway station, it houses the national collection of artworks dating from 1848 to 1914. The outstanding collection includes some of the finest works of French Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Art Nouveau, including Degas’ Ballerinas and Monet’s Water Lilies.

The Musée national d’art moderne at the Centre Pompidou, also in the French capital, is the largest museum of modern art in Europe. The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon has an excellent collection ranging from ancient Egyptian antiquities to modern art paintings and sculptures. In Lille, you will find the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, one of the largest museums in the country. Its diverse collection is the second largest after that of the Louvre and includes objects from antiquity to modern art. The collections of the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, the Musée Toulouse-Lautrecin Albi and the Musée Picasso in Paris are more modest but still exceptional. Marseille has many galleries and the Cantini Museum has a good collection of modern art associated with Marseille, as well as some works by Picasso. The Maeght Foundation in Saint-Paul de Vence also houses works of modern art.

Disneyland Resort Paris is by far the most popular park in France and is visited by families from all over Europe. The country’s national parks also welcome many visitors for their beautiful landscapes and the sports opportunities they offer. The Vanoise National Park is the oldest and one of the largest parks, named after the Vanoise massif. Its highest point is the Grande Casse at 3,855 m. The impressive natural landscapes of the Pyrenees National Park lie on the southern border of France and extend into Spain, where they are part of the Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park.

The entire region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the French part, the glacial cirques of Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse are among the most beautiful sights, as is the Barroud Wall. The Cévennes National Park, also mountainous, covers parts of Languedoc-Roussillon (including the popular Ardèche), Midi-Pyrénées and the Rhône-Alpes region. The park’s main offices are in the castle of Florac, but there are towns throughout the park. Donkey rides are available and the Aven Armand cave formation is one of the most beautiful sights in the park.

Mont Blanc is not yet protected, but it is very popular. It is the highest peak in Europe and attractive for climbing, hiking and skiing. On the French side, it is mostly explored from Chamonix, a well-known resort at the foot of the mountain.

• Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
• Strolling the great Parisian boulevards
• The climb from Montmartre to Paris
• See the Gothic buildings on the Île de la Cité, in particular the Sainte-Chapelle and Notre-Dame
• You can admire world-famous works of art at the Louvre or visit the equally impressive Musée d’Orsay, housed in a former railway station.
• Discover the modern architecture of the La Défense business district
• Check out the Parc de la Villette Science Museum and the other strange attractions gathered there.
• Walk along the Promenade Plantée in Paris on an old railway viaduct
• See the magnificent but very busy Palace of Versailles
• Take the TGV, the train that holds the speed record for a conventional train (wheels on rails), from Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg or Lille.
• See the “D-Day beaches” of Normandy
• Climb to the top of Mont Saint Michel
• Discover Chartres Cathedral
• Experience the silence of Alsace
• Sunbathing on the beaches of the Côte d’Azur

Like its German and Italian neighbours, France is known for having a very strong tradition of classical music. French composers who are well-known in classical music circles and even to many members of the general public include Lully, Rameau, Berlioz, Fauré, Gounod, Debussy, Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Massenet, Delibes and Messiaen. Even if you have never heard of these composers, it is likely that you already know their compositions to some degree, as some of these pieces have found their way into popular culture and are often heard in commercials and film scores.

France is famous for its ballets, and most of the modern terms used by ballerinas are of French origin. French composers have, not surprisingly, contributed to many scores of famous ballets. To this day, the Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most famous ballet companies in the world.

French opera is also considered one of the greatest lyrical traditions in Europe. During the Baroque period, when Italian opera conquered much of Europe, it never gained a foothold in France. There, the French developed their own unique lyrical tradition, thanks in part to the Italian Jean-Baptiste Lully (born Giovanni Battista Lulli), who was hired for this purpose by Louis XIV. In the 19th century, new styles of French opera emerged, such as the Grand Opéra, which combined opera and ballet in a single performance. In fact, even foreign composers such as Rossini, Verdi and Meyerbeer are known for their contribution to the French opera scene. Another genre of opera that developed in France in the 19th century was the operetta, essentially a comic opera with light music and light themes, created by the German-born composer Jacques Offenbach. For those who want to see French opera, the Paris Opera remains one of the leading opera houses in the world, although there are also good operas in some small towns.

With its international reputation for gastronomy, few would be surprised to learn that French cuisine can be quite good. To prove it, France is joint first with Japan in the ranking of countries with the most Michelin-starred restaurants. Unfortunately, it can also be quite disappointing; many restaurants serve very ordinary dishes, and some in tourist areas are scams. It is therefore very important to find the right restaurant – try to ask for recommendations from locals or hotel staff, or even look in restaurant guides or on websites, because just walking down the street can be a success.

There are many places to try French cuisine in France, from three-star Michelin restaurants to the French “brasseries” or “bistrots” that can be found on almost every street corner, especially in the big cities. These usually offer a relatively coherent and practically standard menu of relatively inexpensive cuisine. To get a wider selection of dishes, it is often necessary to pay more money. In general, try to eat where locals do for the best chance of a memorable meal. Most small towns or even villages have local restaurants, sometimes listed in the most reliable guidebooks. In fact, many gourmet restaurants are located in rural villages rather than large towns, and the French often travel to these villages to dine on special occasions. There are also special local restaurants, such as the Bouchon Lyonnais in Lyon, the Crêperies in Brittany (or in the Montparnasse district in Paris), etc.

You can easily find Chinese, Vietnamese and even Thai restaurants in Paris, whether they are regular restaurants or caterers (fast food). In small French towns, they are not as common and are also more expensive. Many places have “Italian” restaurants, although these are often just pizzerias and pasta lounges with little imagination. You will also find North African dishes (Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian) as well as Greek and Lebanese food. The ubiquitous hamburger restaurants (American originals or their French copies) are also present; note that McDonalds is more upscale in France than in the United States.

In France, taxes (7% of the total in restaurants) and service (usually 15%) are always included in the bill, so anything customers add to the bill is an ‘extra tip’. There should be no surcharges on top of the advertised price, so don’t hesitate to question these surcharges. The French usually leave a coin or two if they were satisfied with the service (but this is not compulsory). Bread is always free (as is tap water) and there is no extra charge for crockery.

Fixed-price menus rarely include drinks. If you want water, waiters will often try to sell you mineral water (Evian, Tuna) or carbonated water (Badoit, Perrier) at a high price; ask for a carafe of tap water, which is free and safe for your health. Water never comes with ice except on request (and water with ice may not be available).

As in other countries, restaurants tend to make big profits on drinks. Expect wine to cost much more than in the supermarket.

Ordering is either from fixed-price menus (festive menu) or à la carte.

A typical fixed price menu includes:

• Starters, called entrées or hors d’oeuvres
• Main course, called a platter
• Dessert (delicacy) or cheese (cheese)

Sometimes restaurants offer the option of taking only two of the three courses at a reduced price.

Coffee is always served last (although it may be followed by liqueurs). Coffee is always served black unless otherwise requested (for coffee with milk, ask for “café au lait“). A request for coffee during the meal is considered strange.

Not all restaurants are open for both lunch and dinner, nor are they always open all year round. It is therefore advisable to check the opening hours and days carefully. A restaurant open for lunch usually starts its service at 12 noon and accepts customers until 1.30 pm. Dinner starts at 7.30pm and customers are accepted until 9.30pm. Restaurants with longer opening hours are usually only found in larger cities and town centres. It can be difficult to find an open restaurant on Saturdays and especially on Sundays, unless you live near tourist areas.

In a reasonable number of restaurants, especially outside tourist areas, reservations are compulsory and people without reservations may be turned away, even if the restaurant is obviously not full. For this reason, it may be wise to research potential restaurants in advance and make the necessary reservations to avoid disappointment, especially if the restaurant you are considering is specifically recommended in the guidebooks.

A lunch or dinner for two with a “menu” including wine and coffee will cost you (as of 2004) 70 to 100 € in a classified restaurant in Paris. The same goes for a beer in a local bistro or crêperie, around 40 €. Lunch or dinner for one in a decent Chinese restaurant in Paris can cost as little as €8 if you look carefully. Most French restaurants offer a lunch menu that costs no more than €15.

Outside Paris and big cities, prices are not always lower, but the menu often includes a fourth course, usually cheese. As everywhere, beware of the tourist traps that abound near crowded places, which offer a nice view but not much on the plate.

Bread

Bakeries are a kind of French institution and can be found everywhere in the country, from the smallest villages to the streets of the cities. All white breads have a short shelf life and must be eaten the same day or kept to dip in soup or hot chocolate the next morning. For this reason, bakers bake at least twice a day.

• The famous baguette: a long and thin bread (costs around €1 in bakeries, old-fashioned baguettes can cost up to €1.40);
• Variations of the baguette: the string (even finer), the flute, the tradition (a baguette with a generally more delicate taste, but also more expensive);
• Country or wholemeal bread: made from wholemeal, which keeps relatively well.

Pastries

Pastries are an important part of French cuisine. Hotel breakfasts are usually light and consist of tartines (pieces of bread with butter or jam) or the famous croissants and pains au chocolat, which are not very different from chocolate-filled croissants (but are more square than croissant-shaped).

You can find pastries in a bakery, but also in most bakeries.

Regional dishes

Each region in France has its own dishes. These dishes are based on the resources (game, fish, agriculture, etc.) of the region and the vegetables that grow there (cabbage, turnips, endives, etc.). Here is a small list of regional dishes that you can easily find in France. As a rule, each region has a unique and widespread dish (usually because it was a mass meal) :

• Cassoulet (in the south-west): beans, duck, pork and sausages
• Sauerkraut (in Alsace): bare fermented cabbage + pork
• Savoy fondue (Central Alps): melted/heated cheese with white wine
• Fondue Bourguignonne (in Burgundy): pieces of beef (in boiled oil), usually served with a selection of different sauces.
• Raclette (Central Alps): processed cheese and potatoes/meat
• Pot-au-feu (found all over France): boiled beef with vegetables
• Beef Bourguignon (Burgundy): slow-cooked beef with a red wine sauce
• Gratin dauphinois (Rhône-Alpes): potato slices roasted in the oven with sour cream and cheese.
• Aligot (Aveyron): Processed cheese mixed with mashed potato
• Bouillabaisse (fish + saffron) (Marseille and the French Riviera). Don’t be fooled! A real bouillabaisse is a very expensive dish as it requires a lot of fresh fish. Be prepared to pay at least 30 euros per person. If you find restaurants that claim to serve bouillabaisse for around 15 euros per person, you will find that it is of very poor quality.
• Tartiflette (Savoie): Melted Reblochon cheese, potatoes and pork or bacon.
• Confit of duck (Southwest) : The confit of duck, consisting of thighs and wings bathed in fat. This fat is indeed very healthy and, together with red wine, is one of the identified sources of the “French paradox” (eat rich, live long).
• Foie gras (Southwest): The liver of a duck or goose. Although generally quite expensive, foie gras can be found in supermarkets around Christmas time at a lower price (due to purchasing power). This is the time of year when most foie gras is consumed in France. It goes very well with champagne.
• Moules marinières (Brittany): Mussels steamed in cider or wine with cream, usually served with crusty bread.

Cooking and drinking is an important part of French culture; take the time to eat and discover new dishes.

Unusual food

Contrary to the stereotype, snails and frogs’ legs are rather uncommon foods in France, as many French people do not appreciate them or sometimes have never tasted them. Quality restaurants sometimes have them on their menu: if you are curious to try new foods, go ahead.

• Frogs’ legs have a very fine and delicate taste with a meat not unlike that of chicken. They are often served in a garlic sauce and are no more unpleasant to eat than crab, for example.
• The flavour of Burgundy snails (escargots de Bourgogne) comes mainly from the generous amount of butter, garlic and parsley in which they are cooked. They have a very particular spongy and leathery texture and, for obvious reasons, a strong garlic flavour. Catalan-style snails (“cargols”) are prepared in a completely different way and taste even stranger!

We should also mention:

• Rillettes sarthoises also known as Rillettes du Mans. A type of potted meat made from finely grated and seasoned pork. A delicious speciality from the Sarthe, in the north of the Pays de la Loire region, not to be confused with rillettes from other regions, which are more like a raw pâté.
• Bone marrow from beef (marrow bone). Usually served in small quantities, with a big side dish. So go ahead: if you don’t like it, have something else on your plate!
• Sweetbreads are a very fine (and usually expensive) dish, often served with morels, or in more elaborate dishes such as bouchées à la reine.
• The beef tripe is served either Caen-style (with a white wine sauce, named after the town in Normandy) or Catalan-style (with a slightly spicy tomato sauce).
• Andouillettes are sausages made from tripe, a speciality from Lyon.
• Tricandilles are spiced and grilled pork tripe from the Bordeaux region.
• Beef tongue, snout and calf’s head are usually eaten cold (but well cooked!) as starters.
• Oysters (Huîtres) are usually served raw in a half shell. They are often classified by size, with No. 1 being the largest (and most expensive).
• Sea urchin (urchin), for those who like concentrated iodine.
• Steak Tartare: large patty of acid-dried ground beef instead of cooked meat, often served with a raw egg. A good steak tartare is prepared to order at the table. A similar dish is beef carpaccio, which consists of thin slices or strips of raw steak drizzled with olive oil and herbs.
• Brains (pronounced: ser-VELL), lamb’s brain.

Cheese

France is certainly the land of cheese, with almost 400 different varieties. In fact, the former president, General Charles De Gaulle, is reported to have said: “How can you govern a country with 365 types of cheese?

Dietary restrictions

Vegetarianism is no longer as rare as it used to be, especially in big cities. However, very few restaurants offer vegetarian menus. So if you ask for something vegetarian, they only offer salads and vegetables as a side dish.

The confusion between vegetarianism and pescetarianism may still exist. Vegetarian and organic restaurants are starting to emerge. However, “traditional” French restaurants do not necessarily have a vegetarian menu in their “fixed menu”, so you may have to choose something “à la carte”, which is usually more expensive.

Fortunately, North African cuisine is very popular in France. Couscous is one of the most popular dishes in France (especially in the east of France) and is widely consumed.

Veganism is still very uncommon and it can be difficult to find vegan restaurants.

Breakfast

In France, breakfast is usually very light and usually consists of a coffee and a croissant or other pastry for special occasions. On normal days, most people have a drink (coffee, tea, hot chocolate, orange juice) and toast or baguette toast with butter and jam/honey/Nutella that can be dipped in the hot drink, or cereal with milk or fruit and yoghurt. French breakfasts are mostly sweet, but this can change and you can have a savoury breakfast anywhere these days.

Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhône, Loire Valley… France is the home of wine. It can be had cheaply everywhere. Beer (lager) is also very popular, especially in the north of France where you can find “Bière de Garde”. The minimum age for purchasing alcohol has recently been raised to 18, but this is not always strictly enforced; however, the laws against drink-driving are strictly enforced and carry heavy penalties.

Wines and spirits can be bought in supermarkets or in specialised shops such as the Nicolas chain. Nicolas offers good buying advice (specify the type of wine and the price range you want). Generally, only French wines are available, unless a foreign wine is a “speciality” for which there is no equivalent in France (e.g. port), and they are classified by region of origin rather than grape variety.

As far as the label is concerned, you should not drink alcoholic beverages (especially red wine or strong alcohol like cognac) directly from a 70-cl bottle. This kind of behaviour is usually associated with drunks (but if you are surrounded by students, you can get away with it). Drinking beer from a can or a 25-50 cl bottle is not a problem.

Food and drink prices vary depending on whether they are served at the bar or at the table – the same cup of espresso can cost €0.50 more if served at the table than at the bar, and €0.50 more if served on the terrace. In reality, you are not paying so much for the drink as for the seat at the table. But think about the bar: even if you have to stand, coffee bars are often the place for a lot of public speaking and interaction. In any case, cafés are required by law to display their prices somewhere in the establishment, usually in the window or on the wall next to the bar.

There are a few mixed drinks that seem to be more or less unique to France and its French-speaking neighbours.

• The shandy is a mixture of beer and lemonade, basically a beer shandy.
• Monaco is a panaché to which a little grenadine syrup is added.
• The Kir is a pleasant aperitif made from white wine (theoretically from Bourgogne Aligoté) or, more rarely, from champagne (which is then called Kir Royal and whose price is about twice that of the ordinary Kir) and blackcurrant (currant liqueur), or peach (Peach), or blackberry (Mulberry).
• Pastis is an aniseed-based alcohol (with liquorice flavour), with a similar taste to sambuca or ouzo, served with a few pieces of sugar and a small jug of cold water to dilute the liquor. It is traditionally drunk on hot days and is therefore more popular in the south of the country, but is available more or less everywhere.

There are a variety of bottled waters, including :

• Evian, Tuna, Contrex, Volvic: Mineral Water
• Perrier: Sparkling water
• Badoit: slightly bubbly and salty water.

Many French people take their holidays in August. Therefore, outside the tourist areas, many small shops (butchers, bakeries…) will be closed for part of August. This applies to many businesses as well as doctors. In tourist areas, shops are naturally more likely to be open when tourists come, especially in July and August. On the other hand, many attractions will be terribly crowded during these months and during the Easter weekend.

Some attractions, especially in rural areas, are closed or have reduced opening hours outside the tourist season.

Mountain areas usually have two tourist seasons: in winter for skiing, snowshoeing and other snow-related activities, and in summer for sightseeing and hiking.

France uses the euro. It is one of the many European countries that use this common currency. All euro banknotes and coins are legal tender in all countries.

One euro is divided into 100 cents.

The official symbol of the euro is € and its ISO code is EUR. There is no official symbol for the cent.

• Banknotes: The euro banknotes have the same design in all countries.
• Standard coins: All euro area countries issue coins that have a distinctive national design on one side and a common standard design on the other. The coins can be used in any euro area country, regardless of the design used (e.g. a one-euro coin from Finland can be used in Portugal).
• Commemorative €2 coins: These differ from normal €2 coins only in their “national” side and circulate freely as legal tender. Each country can produce a certain amount of these coins as part of its normal coin production, and sometimes “European” 2-euro coins are produced to commemorate specific events (e.g. anniversaries of important treaties).
• Other commemorative coins: Commemorative coins with other amounts (e.g. ten euros or more) are much rarer, have very special designs and often contain significant amounts of gold, silver or platinum. Although they are technically legal tender at face value, their material or collector’s value is usually much higher and therefore you are unlikely to find them in circulation.

Some foreign currencies such as the US dollar and the pound sterling are sometimes accepted, especially in tourist areas and upmarket establishments, but these should not be relied upon and the cashier may apply an unfavourable exchange rate. Shops generally refuse transactions in foreign currencies.

The vast majority of businesses are obliged to display prices in their shop windows. Hotels and restaurants must display their prices visibly from the outside (note, however, that many hotels offer lower prices than those displayed if they believe they will have difficulty filling their rooms; the displayed price is only a maximum).

Almost all shops, restaurants and hotels accept the French CB debit card and its foreign sister companies Visa and MasterCard. The American Express card is usually only accepted in upscale shops. Check with your bank for applicable fees (banks usually apply the interbank wholesale exchange rate, which is the best available rate, but may also charge proportional and/or fixed fees).

French CB cards (and CB/Visa and CB/MasterCard cards) are equipped with a “chip” that allows transactions to be authenticated by PIN code. This system, initiated in France, has now become an international standard and the newer UK cards are compatible. Some ATMs (e.g. those selling banknotes) may only be compatible with cards equipped with the microchip. In addition, cashiers who are not used to foreign cards may not be aware that foreign Visa or MasterCard cards need to be swiped and a signature obtained, while French customers routinely use the PIN code and do not sign transactions.

In France, it is (practically) impossible to get a cash advance with a credit card without a PIN code.

ATMs are by far the best way to get money in France. They accept all CB, Visa, MasterCard, Cirrus and Plus cards and are numerous throughout France. They may also accept other types of cards; check the logos on the ATM and on your card (usually on the back) to see if at least one of them matches. Some ATMs may not be able to process 6-digit PIN codes (only 4-digit), or they may not offer a choice between different accounts (by default on the current account). Check with your bank for applicable fees, which can vary significantly (banks usually apply the interbank exchange rate, which is the best available rate, but may charge proportional and/or fixed fees; due to fixed fees, it is usually better to withdraw money in large amounts than €20 at a time). Also find out about the applicable maximum withdrawal limits.

Using travellers’ cheques is difficult: most traders don’t accept them, and to exchange them you have to find a bank that accepts them and possibly pay a fee.

Note that the post office acts as a bank and that post offices often have an ATM. Therefore, even in small towns there are ATMs that can be used with foreign cards.

Exchange offices have become rarer with the introduction of the euro – you usually only find them in cities with a high proportion of foreign tourists, such as Paris. Some banks exchange money, often with high fees. The Banque de France no longer exchanges money.

Put money in your current account, get a cash withdrawal card with a Cirrus or Plus logo and a 4-digit code that does not start with “0” and withdraw money from ATMs. Pay for larger transactions (hotels, restaurants…) with a Visa or MasterCard. Always carry cash with you for emergencies.

Do not carry foreign currency ($, £…) or travellers’ cheques and do not exchange them or expect shops to accept them while travelling.

Tips are not expected in France as service charges are included in the bill. However, French people usually leave the change they have left after paying the bill or one to five euros if they were satisfied with the quality of the service.

In towns and city centres you will always find small shops, grocery chains (casino) and occasionally department stores and small shopping centres. In residential areas you will often find small supermarkets (e.g. Carrefour Market or Intermarché). Large supermarkets (hypermarkets such as Auchan, Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Géant Casino) are usually located on the outskirts of the city and are probably not useful if you do not have access to a car.

Prices are inclusive of all taxes (i.e. VAT). For non-EU citizens, it is possible to get a partial refund from certain shops that have a “tax-free shopping” sticker; ask there. VAT is 20% on most things, but 10% on some things like books, restaurant food and public transport, and 5.5% on food bought in grocery shops (except sweets!). Alcoholic drinks are always taxed at 20%, regardless of where they are bought.

French public holidays are based on the major Catholic holidays, with the exception of Good Friday, which is only celebrated in the prefecture of Alsace. Although most of them are movable, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary always falls on 15 August, All Saints’ Day on 1 November and Christmas on 25 December. Other public holidays include New Year’s Day (1 January), 1 May, Victory Day (8 May), Bastille Day (14 July) and Armistice Day (11 November).

It is advisable to plan your trip, especially during the French school holidays, which usually run from late October to early November, at Christmas, Easter, between 1 May and Victory Day, and in summer. Unlike its big neighbour to the east, France has a single date for the whole country when holidays begin and end. Naturally, on and around this date, the streets fill up and train and air fares skyrocket. If you can avoid travelling during these times, do so.

In French restaurants, as in other parts of Europe, it is considered rude to put your elbows on the table, but it is also considered rude to leave food on your plate or to put your hand on your lap while eating. When consuming drinks such as Coca-Cola, it is almost considered extravagant to drink directly from the bottle. In fact, even some museum cafeterias provide a plastic cup for you to drink in. If you are given a glass or cup with your drink, use it.

Avoid asking for ketchup or barbecue sauce for your food. The French are very proud of their cuisine and since ketchup masks the taste of good food, it is considered rude to ask for it and pour it on your fries.

The metro is a great way to get around Paris (or Lyon, Marseille, etc.), which is obvious to the many people who use it to get to work, school, etc. If you don’t take the train at home or come from a place where there is no metro, there are some points of etiquette that you may not be aware of:

• If you are boarding at the station, let the alighting passengers get off on the platform before boarding and move to the middle of the carriage after boarding.
• If you have luggage, keep it as far away from other people’s paths as possible.
• Some stations have moving walkways to bridge the distances between platforms – go left and stand right!
• Finally, it should be noted that the doors of French metro cars do not usually open automatically when the train has stopped at the station; rather, most cars have a small button or lever on the doors that opens them. If you are standing near the door in a crowded carriage, you may hear someone behind you say “the door, please”, which means that they want to get off and are asking you to open the door for them. Open the door and stand to the side (or on the platform) while this person leaves the train – the driver will wait for you to get back on.

It is considered very rude to be loud in a crowded place, such as an underground car or a restaurant. Remember that even if you are enjoying your holiday, most people around you in the metro or other places are probably going about their daily business and may be tired and therefore react very coldly to tourists talking loudly.

In many shops in France, you have to ask the salesperson to take items from the shelf instead of choosing them yourself. This is the case in wine and liquor shops, some clothing shops, etc. Failure to comply with this policy can lead to confusion and/or annoyance on the part of the shopkeeper.

Dress codes disappear quickly, but if you want to avoid looking like a tourist, avoid white trainers, baseball caps, sweatpants, shorts and flip-flops (except on the beach). In general, the casual dress code of business people in cities and for all but the most formal occasions is sufficient.

Common courtesy applies when entering a church. Although you will not be asked to leave the church, you should avoid shorts and bib shorts. Men should remove all head coverings when entering a church, unlike in a synagogue or mosque where you may be given a hat or headscarf to wear.

Some restaurants will frown on you coming in hiking clothes, but very few will insist on a jacket and tie. You’ll be surprised how many French people in their twenties show up at a grunge bar wearing a jacket and tie, even if they’re obviously from a second-hand shop.

Beaches and swimming pools (in hotels) are used for sunbathing. Taking off your bra does not usually cause a fuss if you are not afraid of being tanned by a gang of gawkers. Removal of the lower part is reserved for designated naturist beaches. Beachgoers are generally not offended if a boy or girl is unclothed. Most resorts insist that you wear a shirt when you leave the beach. Many pools do not allow loose-fitting or “board” swimming costumes and insist that Speedo swimming costumes are tight-fitting.

Breastfeeding in public is very rare, but it will not bother anyone.

The French language has two different forms of the pronoun “vous” that are used when addressing someone in the second person. “Tu” is the second person singular and “vous” is nominally the second person plural. However, in many situations, Francophones use “vous” in the second person singular. While “vous” is used in all circumstances to address a group of people, non-native speakers will always have difficulty deciding whether to address a person with the informal and friendly “tu” or the formal and respectful “vous”. The language even has two specific verbs that reflect this difference: “tutoyer” (to address a person with “tu”) and “vouvoyer” (to address a person with “du”), each with its own connotations and implications. Unfortunately, the rules for when to use which form can sometimes seem incredibly opaque to non-French speakers.

Generally, the “tu” form is only used to address a person in an informal situation where there is familiarity or intimacy between the two parties. For example, ‘you’ is used when speaking to a close friend or spouse, or when an adult child is speaking to a parent. You” is also used in situations where the other party is very young, for example when a parent is talking to a child or a teacher is talking to a student.

On the other hand, the “you” is used in situations where the parties do not know each other or where it is appropriate to show respect and/or deference. For example, a clerk may use ‘you’ to address colleagues with whom he works closely, but is likely to use ‘you’ when speaking to the receptionist with whom he rarely speaks. He would certainly not use the “you” when speaking to his boss. Similarly, police and other authorities should always use the “Sie”.

If this is confusing, it is important to remember that it is all a matter of distance. For example, a bartender is you until he gives you an extra drink, at which point you become more appropriate and using you would be a little ungrateful and dismissive.

For foreigners, the best way to deal with the “Du”/”Vous” problem is to address people as “Du” until they are asked to say “Sie” or until they are addressed by their first name. This approach may seem a little old-fashioned, but it is still respectful. If French is not your mother tongue, most French people will neglect this overly formal and polite language anyway without thinking about it. Doing the opposite can be quite rude and embarrassing in some situations, so it’s probably best to play it safe.

Simplified: Use it only when:

• the person is really your friend;
• the person is under 16 years of age; or
• You have been explicitly asked to use the “you”.

When speaking to someone you don’t know well enough to use tu, you should always address them as Mr. (for a man) or Mrs. / Miss (for a woman) first – the problem doesn’t arise with children who are always tu. Hello Sir (e.g. when entering a shop with a male shopkeeper) is much more polite than a simple hello, but this creates additional complications when speaking to women. Traditionally, madame is addressed to married women and mademoiselle to younger and/or single women. However, many find this practice sexist, and unless you know that someone prefers to be addressed as Miss, it is best to use Madam. Addressing a waiter as a boy is very rude (despite what you may have seen in the movies).

As a rule, the French appreciate debate, discussion and friendly disagreement, but there are certain topics that should be dealt with more delicately or indirectly than others:

Politics: The French have very different opinions on many subjects. Unless you follow French news really closely, you should avoid discussing French domestic politics, especially sensitive issues such as immigration – you risk giving the impression of being judgmental and misinformed. Reading French newspapers can help you get an idea of the wide range of political views in France – from the revolutionary left to the nationalist right. So don’t be put off by political discussions with French people, just be aware of the position you are in as a foreigner. Also, it is considered very rude to bluntly ask a person which candidate they voted for in the last election (or who they will vote for in the next one); instead, talk about the issues and take matters into your own hands.

Religion: The French are not very religious, and expect you to be too. Expressing your religious feelings can make people uncomfortable. It is also generally considered rude to ask someone about their religion or other personal matters.

The money: You must also avoid going through your property (house, car, etc.). It is considered rather rude to talk about your salary or to ask someone else directly about their salary. Instead, express your enthusiasm about the importance of your tasks, or how lucky you were to be able to do this, etc.

Differences between urban and rural areas: While it is true that about 1/6 of the country’s population lives in the Paris region, do not make the mistake of reducing France to Paris or assuming that all French people behave like Parisians. Life in Paris may be closer to life in London or New York than in the rest of France; just as New Yorkers or Londoners act and feel differently from people in Oklahoma or Herefordshire, Parisian customs and opinions may differ from those “outside the city“.

France has been a centre of Western cultural development for centuries. Many French artists were among the most famous of their time, and France is still known worldwide for its rich cultural tradition.

Successive political regimes have always encouraged artistic creation, and the creation of the Ministry of Culture in 1959 made it possible to preserve the country’s cultural heritage and make it accessible to the public. Since its foundation, the Ministry of Culture has been very active: it awards subsidies to artists, promotes French culture in the world, supports festivals and cultural events, and protects historical monuments. The French government has also managed to obtain a cultural exception to protect audiovisual products produced in the country.

France receives the most tourists each year, mainly due to the many cultural institutions and historic buildings located throughout the country. There are 1,200 museums that receive more than 50 million visitors a year. The most important cultural sites are managed by the government, for example by the public agency Centre des monuments nationaux, which is responsible for about 85 national historic monuments.

The 43,180 listed buildings include mainly residences (many castles or châteaux in French) and sacred buildings (cathedrals, basilicas, churches, etc.), but also statutes, monuments and gardens. UNESCO has inscribed 41 sites in France on the World Heritage List.

The origins of French art were strongly influenced by Flemish and Italian Renaissance art. It is said that Jean Fouquet, the most famous French painter of the Middle Ages, was the first to travel to Italy and experience the Renaissance. The Fontainebleau school of Renaissance painting was directly inspired by Italian painters such as Primacio and Rosso Fiorentino, both of whom worked in France. Two of the most famous French artists of the Baroque period, Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain, lived in Italy.

The seventeenth century is the period in which French painting asserts and individualises itself through classicism. The Prime Minister of Louis XIV, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, created the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1648 to protect these artists, and in 1666 he created the French Academy of Rome, still active today, to have direct relations with Italian artists.

French artists developed the Rococo style in the 18th century as a closer imitation of the old Baroque style, with the works of courtly artists Antoine Watteau, François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard being the most representative. The French Revolution brought great change, with the neoclassical artists favoured by Napoleon, such as Jacques-Louis David, and the highly influential Academy of Fine Arts defining the style known as Academism. By this time, France had become a centre of artistic creation, with the first half of the 19th century dominated by two successive movements, first Romanticism with Théodore Géricault and Eugène Delacroix and Realism with Camille Corot, Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet, a style that eventually evolved into Naturalism.

In the second half of the 19th century, France’s influence on painting became even more important with the development of new painting styles such as Impressionism and Symbolism. The most famous Impressionist painters of this period were Camille Pissarro, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir. The second generation of Impressionist painters, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Seurat, were at the forefront of artistic development, as were the Fauvist artists Henri Matisse, André Derain and Maurice de Vlaminck.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Cubism was developed by Georges Braque and the Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, who lived in Paris. Other foreign artists also settled and worked in and around Paris, such as Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, Amedeo Modigliani and Wassily Kandinsky.

Many museums in France are entirely or partially dedicated to sculptures and works of painting. The Louvre Museum, owned by the state, has a huge collection of old masterpieces created before or during the 18th century, such as the Mona Lisa, also known as the Mona Lisa. While the Palais du Louvre has long been a museum, the Musée d’Orsay was opened in 1986 in the former Gare d’Orsay railway station as part of a major reorganisation of national art collections to bring together French paintings from the second half of the 19th century (mainly Impressionist and Fauvist movements).

Modern works are presented in the Musée National d’Art Moderne, which moved to the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1976. These three national museums receive almost 17 million people a year. Other national museums showing paintings are the Grand Palais (1.3 million visitors in 2008), but there are also many museums belonging to cities. The most visited is the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (0.8 million admissions in 2008), which shows contemporary works.

Outside Paris, every major city has a fine arts museum with a section devoted to European and French painting. Some of the finest collections can be found in Lyon, Lille, Rouen, Dijon, Rennes and Grenoble.

In the Middle Ages, many castles were built by feudal lords to mark their power. Surviving French castles include Chinon, the castle of Angers, the massive castle of Vincennes and the so-called Cathar castles. At this time, France, like most Western European countries, used Romanesque architecture. The greatest examples of Romanesque churches in France include the Basilique Saint Sernin in Toulouse, the largest Romanesque church in Europe, and the remains of Cluny Abbey.

Gothic architecture, originally called Opus Francigenum, meaning “French work”, originated in the Île-de-France region and was the first French architectural style to be copied throughout Europe. Northern France is home to some of the most important Gothic cathedrals and basilicas, most notably the Basilica of Saint-Denis (which was used as a royal necropolis); other important Gothic cathedrals in France are Notre-Dame de Chartres and Notre-Dame d’Amiens. Kings were crowned in another important Gothic church: Notre-Dame de Reims. Apart from churches, Gothic architecture was used for many religious palaces, the most important being the Palais des Papes in Avignon.

The final victory of the Hundred Years War marked an important stage in the development of French architecture. It was the time of the French Renaissance and several Italian artists were invited to the French court; many residential palaces were built in the Loire Valley. These residential palaces were the Chateau of Chambord, the Chateau of Chenonceau or the Chateau of Amboise.

After the Renaissance and the end of the Middle Ages, Baroque architecture replaced the traditional Gothic style. In France, however, Baroque architecture found greater success in the secular realm than in the religious. In the secular realm, the Palace of Versailles has many Baroque elements. Jules Hardouin Mansart, who designed the extensions to Versailles, was one of the most influential French architects of the Baroque period; he is famous for his dome on the Invalides. Some of the most impressive provincial Baroque architecture can be found in places that were not yet French, such as Place Stanislas in Nancy. In terms of military architecture, Vauban designed some of the most efficient forts in Europe and became an influential military architect; as a result, imitations of his work can be found throughout Europe, America, Russia and Turkey.

After the Revolution, the Republicans favoured neoclassicism, although it had already been introduced in France before the Revolution with buildings such as the Pantheon in Paris or the Capitol in Toulouse. Built during the First French Empire, the Arc de Triomphe and the Sainte Marie-Madeleine represent the best example of Empire-style architecture.

Under Napoleon III, a new wave of urban planning and architecture emerged; extravagant buildings such as the neo-baroque Palais Garnier were erected. Urban planning at this time was very organised and rigorous, for example Haussmann’s renovation of Paris. The architecture associated with this period is known in English as the Second Empire, the term borrowed from the French Second Empire. There was a strong Gothic revival in Europe and France at this time; the associated architect was Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. At the end of the 19th century, Gustave Eiffel designed many bridges, such as the Garabit Viaduct, and remains one of the most influential bridge designers of his time, although he is best remembered for the emblematic Eiffel Tower.

In the 20th century, the French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier designed several buildings in France. More recently, French architects have combined modern and ancient architectural styles. The Louvre pyramid is an example of modern architecture added to an older building. The most difficult buildings to integrate into French cities are skyscrapers, as they are visible from afar. In Paris, for example, new buildings have had to be less than 37 metres high since 1977. The largest financial district in France is La Défense, where a large number of skyscrapers are located. Other massive structures that are difficult to integrate into their surroundings are the large bridges; the Millau Viaduct is an example. Famous modern French architects are Jean Nouvel, Dominique Perrault, Christian de Portzamparc and Paul Andreu.

The first French literature dates back to the Middle Ages, when what is now France did not have a single language. There were several languages and dialects, and writers used their own spelling and grammar. Some authors of medieval French texts are unknown, such as Tristan et Iseult and Lancelot-Grail. Other authors are known, such as Chrétien de Troyes and Duke William IX of Aquitaine, who wrote in Occitan.

Much of medieval French poetry and literature was inspired by the legends of the French cloth, such as the Chanson de Roland and the various Chansons de geste. The Roman de Renart, written in 1175 by Perrout de Saint Cloude, tells the story of the medieval character Reynard (“the Fox”) and is another example of early French writing.

An important writer of the 16th century is François Rabelais, whose novel Gargantua et Pantagruel is still famous and appreciated today. Michel de Montaigne was the other great figure of French literature of this century. His most famous work, the Essais, established the literary genre of the essay. The French poetry of this century was embodied by Pierre de Ronsard and Joachim du Bellay. These two writers founded the literary movement La Pléiade.

In the 17th century, Madame de La Fayette anonymously published La Princesse de Clèves, a novel that is considered one of the first psychological novels ever written. Jean de La Fontaine is one of the most famous fabulists of the time, for he wrote hundreds of fables, some of which are much more famous than others, such as La Fourmi et la Sauterelle (The Ant and the Grasshopper). Generations of French schoolchildren had to learn his fables, which were seen as a way of teaching wisdom and common sense to the young. Some of his verses entered the vernacular and became proverbs.

Jean Racine, whose incredible mastery of the Alexandrian and French languages has been praised for centuries, created plays such as Phèdre and Britannicus. Along with Pierre Corneille (Le Cid) and Molière, he is considered one of the three great playwrights of France’s Golden Age. Considered one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature, Molière wrote dozens of plays, including Le Misanthrope, L’Avare, Le Malade imaginaire and Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme. His plays were so popular around the world that the French language is sometimes nicknamed “the language of Molière”, just as English is considered “the language of Shakespeare”.

French literature and poetry flourished even more in the 18th and 19th centuries. Denis Diderot’s most famous works are Jacques le Fataliste and Rameau’s Nephew. However, he is best known as the main editor of the Encyclopaedia, whose aim was to summarise all the knowledge of his century (in areas such as the arts, sciences, languages, philosophy) and present it to the people in order to fight against ignorance and obscurantism. In the same century, Charles Perrault was a prolific author of famous children’s stories, including Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Bluebeard. In the early 19th century, Symbolist poetry was an important movement in French literature, with poets such as Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé.

The 19th century saw the writings of many famous French authors. Victor Hugo is sometimes called “the greatest French writer of all time” because he excelled in all literary genres. The preface to his play Cromwell is considered the manifesto of the Romantic movement. The Reflections and The Legend of the Centuries are considered “poetic masterpieces”, Hugo’s verse has been compared to that of Shakespeare, Dante and Homer. His novel Les Misérables is considered one of the greatest novels ever written, and Le Bossu de Notre Dame remains immensely popular.

Other great authors of this century are Alexandre Dumas (The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo), Jules Verne (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea), Émile Zola (Les Rougon-Macquart), Honoré de Balzac (La Comédie humaine), Guy de Maupassant, Théophile Gautier and Stendhal (Le Rouge et le Noir, La Chartreuse de Parme), whose works are among the best known in France and the world.

The Prix Goncourt is a French literary prize first awarded in 1903. Important writers of the 20th century include Marcel Proust, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. Antoine de Saint Exupéry wrote “The Little Prince”, which remained popular with children and adults around the world for decades. In 2014, French authors won more Nobel Prizes for literature than those of any other nation. The first Nobel Prize for Literature went to a French author, and the most recent French Nobel Prize for Literature winner is Patrick Modiano, who received the prize in 2014. Jean-Paul Sartre was also the first candidate in the history of the Commission, turning down the prize in 1964.

Medieval philosophy was dominated by scholasticism until the rise of humanism in the Renaissance. Modern philosophy began in France in the 17th century with the philosophy of René Descartes, Blaise Pascal and Nicolas Malebranche. Descartes revitalised Western philosophy, which had been in decline after the Greek and Roman eras. His Meditations on Early Philosophy changed the primary object of philosophical thought and raised some of the most fundamental problems for outsiders such as Spinoza, Leibniz, Hume, Berkeley and Kant.

In the 18th century, French philosophers created one of the most important works of the Enlightenment. In L’esprit des lois, Baron de Montesquieu theorised the principle of separation of powers, which has been implemented in all liberal democracies since it was first applied in the United States. In Le Contrat social, Jean-Jacques Rousseau openly criticised European monarchies under divine right and strongly affirmed the principle of popular sovereignty. Voltaire embodied the Enlightenment with his defence of civil liberties, such as the right to a free trial and religious freedom.

French thought in the nineteenth century was supposed to be a response to the social malaise after the French Revolution. Rationalist philosophers like Victor Cousin and Auguste Comte, who called for a new social doctrine, were opposed by reactionary thinkers like Joseph de Maistre, Louis de Bonald and Lamennais, who rebuked the rationalist rejection of the traditional order. De Maistre is considered one of the founders of European conservatism, along with the Englishman Edmund Burke, while Auguste Comte is considered the founder of positivism and sociology.

At the beginning of the 20th century, French spiritualist thinkers such as Maine de Biran, Henri Bergson and Louis Lavelle influenced Anglo-Saxon thought, especially the Americans Charles Sanders Peirce and William James and the Englishman Alfred North Whitehead. At the end of the 20th century, partly influenced by German phenomenology and existentialism, postmodern philosophy emerged in France with important post-structuralist thinkers such as Jean-François Lyotard, Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida, Jacques Lacan, Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze.

France has a long and varied musical history. It flourished in the 17th century thanks to Louis XIV, who employed many talented musicians and composers at the royal court. Among the most famous composers of the time were Marc-Antoine Charpentier, François Couperin, Michel-Richard Delalande, Jean-Baptiste Lully and Marin Marais, all composers at court. After the death of the “Sun King”, French music-making lost momentum, but in the following century the music of Jean-Philippe Rameau gained a certain prestige, and even today he is one of the most renowned French composers. Rameau became the dominant composer of French opera and the most important French composer for the harpsichord.

French composers played an important role in the music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which is considered the era of Romantic music. Romantic music emphasised devotion to nature, fascination with the past and the supernatural, exploration of unusual, strange and surprising sounds, and emphasis on national identity. This period was also a golden age for opera. French composers of the Romantic period included: Hector Berlioz (best known for his Symphonie fantastique), Georges Bizet (best known for Carmen, which became one of the most popular and frequently performed operas), Gabriel Fauré (best known for his Pavane, Requiem and Nocturnes), Charles Gounod (best known for his Ave Maria and his opera Faust), Jacques Offenbach (best known for his 100 operettas from the 1850s and 70s and his unfinished opera Les Contes d’Hoffmann), Édouard Lalo (best known for his Symphonie espagnole for violin and orchestra and his Cello Concerto in D minor), Jules Massenet (best known for his operas, of which he wrote over thirty, the most frequently performed being Manon (1884) and Werther (1892)) and Camille Saint-Saëns (he wrote many frequently performed works, including Le Carnaval des animaux, Danse macabre, Samson et Delilah (Opéra), Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony no. 3 (Organ Symphony)).

Later came the precursors of modern classical music. Érik Satie was an important member of the Parisian avant-garde of the early 20th century, best known for his Gymnopédies. Francis Poulenc’s best-known works are his piano suite Trois mouvements perpétuels (1919), the ballet Les biches (1923), Concert champêtre (1928) for harpsichord and orchestra, the opera Dialogues des Carmélites (1957) and Gloria (1959) for soprano, choir and orchestra. Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy are the greatest figures associated with Impressionist music. Debussy was one of the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed. Debussy’s music is known for its sensory content and frequent use of atonality. Both composers invented new musical forms and sounds. Ravel’s piano compositions, such as Jeux d’eau, Miroirs, Le tombeau de Couperin and Gaspard de la nuit, require great virtuosity. His mastery of orchestration is evident in the Spanish Rhapsody, Daphnis and Chloé, his arrangement of Modest Moussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and his orchestral work Boléro (1928).

More recently, in the mid-twentieth century, Maurice Ohana, Pierre Schaeffer and Pierre Boulez contributed to the development of contemporary classical music.

French music then followed the rapid rise of pop and rock music in the middle of the 20th century. Although English-language creations achieved a certain popularity in the country, French pop music, known as chanson française, also remained very popular. Among the most important French artists of the century were Édith Piaf, Georges Brassens, Léo Ferré, Charles Aznavour and Serge Gainsbourg. Although there are very few rock bands in France compared to English-speaking countries, groups such as Noir Désir, Mano Negra, Niagara, Les Rita Mitsouko and more recently Superbus, Phoenix and Gojira have achieved worldwide popularity.

Other French artists with international careers were popular in several countries, such as singers Dalida, Mireille Mathieu, Mylène Farmer and Nolwenn Leroy, electronic music pioneers Jean-Michel Jarre, Laurent Garnier and Bob Sinclar, and later Martin Solveig and David Guetta. In the 1990s and 2000s (decade), the electronic duos Daft Punk, Justice and Air also gained worldwide popularity and contributed to the reputation of modern electronic music worldwide.

Many of the musical events and current institutions in France are dedicated to classical music and opera. The most prestigious institutions are the Opéra national de Paris (with its two locations, the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille), the Opéra national de Lyon, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse and the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux. As for music festivals, several events are organised, the most popular being the Eurockéennes and Rock en Seine. The Fête de la Musique, imitated by many foreign cities, was first launched by the French government in 1982. The main concert halls and venues in France include the Zénith venues, which can be found in many cities and other locations in Paris (Olympia de Paris, Théâtre Mogador, Élysée Montmartre, etc.).

France has strong historical ties to cinema. Two Frenchmen, Auguste and Louis Lumière (known as the Lumière brothers), created cinema in 1895. Several important film movements, including the New Wave in the late 1950s and 1960s, emerged in the country. The country is known for having a particularly strong film industry, thanks in part to the French government’s protective measures. France remains a leader in the film industry, producing more films than any other European country in 2006. The country also hosts the Cannes Film Festival, one of the largest and most famous film festivals in the world.

In addition to its strong and innovative film tradition, France is also a meeting place for artists from Europe and around the world. For this reason, French cinema is sometimes intertwined with the cinema of other nations. Directors from countries such as Poland (Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Kieślowski and Andrzej Żuławski), Argentina (Gaspar Noé and Edgardo Cozarinsky), Russia (Alexandre Alexeieff, Anatole Litvak), Austria (Michael Haneke) and Georgia (Géla Babluani, Otar Iosseliani) occupy an important place in the ranks of French cinema. Conversely, French directors have had productive and influential careers in other countries, such as Luc Besson, Jacques Tourneur or Francis Veber in the United States.

Although the French film market is dominated by Hollywood, France is the only nation in the world where American films account for the smallest share of total film revenues at 50 per cent, compared to 77 per cent in Germany and 69 per cent in Japan. French films account for 35 per cent of total French film revenue, the highest share of national film revenue in the developed world outside the United States, compared to 14 per cent in Spain and 8 per cent in the United Kingdom. In 2013, France is the second largest film exporter in the world after the United States.

Until recently, France was the cultural centre of the world for centuries, although its dominant position was overtaken by the United States. Subsequently, France had taken measures to protect and promote its culture and became one of the main advocates of the cultural exception. It managed to convince all EU members to reject the inclusion of culture and the audiovisual sector in the WTO’s list of liberalised sectors in 1993. Moreover, this decision was confirmed by a vote in UNESCO in 2005 and the principle of the “cultural exception” won an overwhelming victory: 198 countries voted in favour, only 2 countries, the USA and Israel, voted against.

Fashion has been an important industry and cultural export of France since the 17th century, and modern “haute couture” was born in Paris in the 1860s. Today, Paris is considered one of the fashion capitals of the world, along with London, Milan and New York, and the city is home to many of the world’s leading fashion houses. The term “haute couture” is a legally protected designation in France that guarantees certain quality standards.

France’s association with fashion and style (in French: la mode) dates largely to the reign of Louis XIV, when the luxury industries in France came under royal control and the French royal court undoubtedly became the arbiter of taste and style in Europe. But France renewed its dominance in the haute couture industry in the 1860s and 1960s with the creation of major fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior and Givenchy. The French perfume industry is a world leader in its field and is centred in the city of Grasse.

In the 1960s, elitist “haute couture” was criticised by French youth culture. In 1966, designer Yves Saint Laurent broke with the established norms of haute couture by launching a ready-to-wear line and expanding French fashion to mass production. With a greater emphasis on marketing and manufacturing, new trends were set in the 1970s and 1980s by Sonia Rykiel, Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix. The 1990s saw the merger of many French fashion houses under the aegis of luxury giants and multinationals such as LVMH.

According to a 2010 BBC survey based on 29,977 responses in 28 countries, France is perceived worldwide as a positive influence in world affairs: 49% have a positive opinion of the country’s influence, while 19% have a negative opinion. The National Brand Index 2008 shows that France has the second best international reputation, only behind Germany.

According to a 2011 survey, the French have the highest level of religious tolerance and are the country where most of the population defines its identity primarily in terms of nationality rather than religion. 69 per cent of French people have a positive opinion of the United States, making France one of the most pro-American countries in the world.

In January 2010, International Living magazine named France the “best country to live in” for the fifth year in a row, ahead of 193 other countries.

The French Revolution is still anchored in the country’s collective memory. The tricolour, the anthem “La Marseillaise” and the motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”, defined as national symbols in Title 1 of the Constitution, originated in the cultural ferment of the first revolution, with Marianne as the common national personification. In addition, Bastille Day, a bank holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789.

A common and traditional symbol of the French is the Gallic cockerel. Its origins date back to antiquity, as the Latin word Gallus means both “cock” and “inhabitant of Gaul”. Then this figure gradually became the most widespread representation of the French, used by French monarchs, then during the Revolution and under successive republican regimes as a representation of national identity and used for certain stamps and coins.

French cuisine is known as one of the best in the world. Depending on the region, traditional recipes vary. In the north of the country, butter is the preferred cooking fat, while olive oil is more common in the south. In addition, each region of France has emblematic traditional specialities: cassoulet in the southwest, sauerkraut in Alsace, quiche in Lorraine, beef bourguignon in Burgundy, Provençal tapenade, etc. The most famous French products are wines, including Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Beaujolais, and a variety of cheeses, such as Camembert, Roquefort and Brie. There are more than 400 different varieties.

A meal often consists of three courses, starter (hors d’oeuvre), main course (entrée), cheese (cheese platter) and/or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert. Hors d’oeuvres include a salmon terrine with basil, lobster bisque, foie gras, onion soup or croque monsieur. The main course may include a pot au feu or roast steaks. Dessert can be a mille-feuille, macaroon, eclair, crème brûlée, chocolate mousse, pancake or Liège coffee.

French cuisine is also considered a key element of France’s quality of life and attractiveness. A French publication, the Michelin Guide, awards Michelin stars for excellence to selected establishments. The acquisition or loss of a star can have a dramatic impact on a restaurant’s success. In 2006, the Michelin Guide awarded 620 stars to French restaurants, more than any other country at the time, although the Guide also inspects more restaurants in France than in any other country (in 2010, Japan awarded as many Michelin stars as France, although the number of Michelin inspectors is half that number).

In addition to its winemaking tradition, France is also an important producer of beer. The three main French brewing regions are Alsace (60% of national production), Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Lorraine. A meal often consists of three courses, starter or appetiser (starter, sometimes soup), main course (main course), cheese (cheese platter) or dessert, sometimes with a salad offered before the cheese or dessert.

Crime

Crime-related emergencies can be reported by calling the toll-free number 17 or 112 (European emergency number). The law enforcement agencies are the National Police in urban areas and the National Gendarmerie in rural areas, although some towns and villages also have a municipal police (Police Municipale) for minor offences such as parking and traffic offences.

France generally has a low crime rate and is one of the safest countries in the world, but there are the usual mishaps in the big cities. Violent crimes against visitors are very rare, but pickpocketing and purse snatching do occur in tourist hotspots. If you take the usual precautions to avoid such crimes, you and your valuables will be safe.

The city centre and a few selected suburbs are generally safe at all times. In larger cities, especially Paris, there are a few areas that are best avoided. Some parts of the suburbs are frequented by youth gangs and drug dealers; however, they are almost always away from tourist areas and you should have no reason to visit them. Common sense applies: it is very easy to recognise abandoned areas.

The topic of crime in poor suburbs is very sensitive because it can easily have racist connotations, as many people associate it with young workers of North African origin. You should probably only express an opinion on the subject if you feel comfortable with the person you are talking to.

Although it is not obligatory for French citizens to carry an identity document, they usually do. Foreigners must carry an official identity document. Although random checks are not the norm, you may be asked for an ID in certain situations, e.g. if you cannot show a valid ticket when using public transport; if you do not have one, you will be taken to a police station for further checks. Even if you think that law enforcement officers do not have the right to check your identity (they can only do so under certain circumstances), it is not a good idea to get into a legal discussion with them; it is better to bear with them and show your identity document. Again, this is a sensitive issue because the police are often accused of targeting people based on their ethnicity (e.g. the offence of “selling face” = literally “dirty face crime”, but perhaps synonymous with the American “driving while black”).

Due to the international terrorist threat, the police, with the help of military units, often patrol monuments, the Paris Metro, train stations and airports. Depending on the status of the “Vigipirate” plan (anti-terrorist units), it is not uncommon to see armed patrols in these areas. The police presence should be useful for tourists as it also deters pickpockets and others. However, suspicious behaviour, public disturbances, etc. may attract police attention for the wrong reasons.

In France, failure to render assistance to “a person in danger” is in itself a criminal offence. This means that you can be charged if you fail to stop, if you witness a traffic accident, if you fail to report such an accident to the emergency services or if you ignore calls for help or urgent assistance. Penalties include a suspended prison sentence and fines. The law does not apply in situations where responding to a call for help could put your life or the lives of others in danger.

Controlled substances

Transporting or consuming narcotics, from marijuana to hard drugs, is illegal regardless of the quantity. The penalty can be severe, especially if you are suspected of trafficking. Trains and cars from countries with a more lenient attitude (such as the Netherlands) are particularly affected. It is known that the police often stop entire carriages and thoroughly search each passenger and their luggage.

France has a liberal alcohol policy; there are usually no ID checks when buying alcohol (unless you look much younger than 18). However, causing trouble by public drunkenness is a criminal offence and can lead to a night in the cells of a police station. Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence, punishable by heavy fines and imprisonment.

A small note on etiquette: while it is customary to drink beer straight from the bottle at informal gatherings, the same is usually only done with wine by tramps.

Tap water

Tap water is drinkable except in rare cases, such as rural rest areas and railway carriage washrooms, where it is clearly labelled as non-potable. Drinking water is potable (but you do not like the taste and prefer bottled water).

Medical aid

Health care in France is of a very high standard.

Pharmacies are marked with a green cross, usually in flashing neon. They sell medicines, contraceptives and often cosmetics and similar products (although these can be very expensive). Medicines must be ordered without a prescription, even over-the-counter ones. The pharmacist is able to help you with the different medicines and can offer generic medicines.

As the brand names of medicines vary from country to country, even if the active ingredients remain the same, it is better if prescriptions use the international nomenclature in addition to the brand name. Prescription medicines, including oral contraceptives (also known as “the pill”), are only dispensed on the basis of a doctor’s prescription.

In addition, supermarkets sell condoms (preservatives) and often also lubricants, plasters, disinfectants and other smaller medical items. Condom dispensers are often found in the toilets of bars, etc.

Medical treatment can be provided by independent doctors, clinics and hospitals. Most general practitioners, specialists (e.g. gynaecologists) and dentists are independent; look for signs saying “Doctor” (GP stands for “General Practitioner”). The normal price for a consultation with a GP is 23 euros, although some doctors charge more (this is the total price and not a co-payment). Doctors can also make house calls, but these are more expensive.

European Union residents are covered by the French social security system, which generally reimburses or directly covers 70% of health costs (30% co-payment), although many doctors and surgeons charge extra. Other travellers are not covered and must pay full price even if they go to a public hospital; non-EU travellers must have travel insurance to cover medical costs.

Emergencies

Hospitals have an emergency room marked “Emergency”.

The following numbers are free of charge:

• 15 Medical emergencies
• 17 Law enforcement emergencies (e.g. to report a crime)
• 18 firefighters
• 112, the European standard emergency number.

The operators of these numbers can refer requests to other services if necessary (e.g. some medical emergencies can be handled by groups of firefighters).

Smoking

The law prohibits smoking in all enclosed places open to the public (including train and underground carriages, station premises, workplaces, restaurants and cafés), except in areas specifically reserved for smokers, and such areas are few and far between. There was an exception for restaurants and cafés, but since 1 January 2008 the smoking ban also applies in these places. You risk a fine of 68 euros if you are caught smoking in these places.

In addition to the police, metro and train drivers can also enforce the anti-smoking law and fine you if you smoke in undesignated areas; if you have problems with a smoker on the train, you can contact the driver.

As hotels are not considered public places, some offer both smoking and non-smoking rooms.

Only persons over the age of 18 are allowed to buy tobacco products. Retailers may ask for photo identification. A pack of 20 cigarettes costs about €6.