France

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Quick Facts

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Local Name

Française

Capital

Paris

Government

Republic

Nationality

French

Population

63 573 000^[1]

Languages

French

Religions

Christianity (Catholic)

Currency

Euro (EUR) €

Calling Code

+33

Time Zone

CET (UTC+1)

Summer (DST)

CEST (UTC+2)

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Introduction

Sacre Coeur

© All Rights Reserved Sam I Am

Sure, it's a cliché, but there's a reason why a tour of France is a must if you're planning to do the Europe thing. In the political sphere, France remains a major world power... but forget politics, French food is where it's at! And I'm not talking about fries. Expect excellent meals accompanied by excellent wines at excellent prices and you're starting to get the picture.

France is one of the Western world's most important centres of cultured folk: names like Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Berlioz, Rousseau, Voltaire, Victor Hugo and Claude Monet are but a handful of the many world-renowned composers, writers and artists France has produced. It is little wonder the French are so proud of their culture, and sensational monuments such as the Eiffel Tower only emphasize French pride. But proud or not, you will be inclined to agree with the locals after exploring France's unlimited possibilities.

Of course, Paris is the favourite destination, especially if it's your first time in France, but be sure to check out some other other areas, such as Bretagne.

Brief History

Geography

France shares international borders with Monaco, Andorra, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. There is also a train link with England via an underwater tunnel called the Channel Tunnel, or the 'Chunnel'.

France is a very diverse country, with large parts of the country being gently waving green hills, but there are rougher areas as well, including mountain ranges like the Pyrenees in the south on the border with Spain, the Alps on the border with Switzerland in the east and smaller mountain ranges like the Vosges and Massif Central. In the south and southeast you will find rugged areas as well, with cliffs, rocks and steep and deep gorges, for example the ones near Verdun.

The main rivers in France are the Garonne, Saonne, Loire, Seine and Rhone.

Regions

France is divided into 26 administrative regions, of which 21 are in continental metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, and four overseas regions.

• North: Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardie, Haute-Normandie and Basse-Normandie (covered together as Normandie), Île-de-France, Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine, Alsace
• West: Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Poitou-Charentes
• South: Aquitaine, Midi-Pyrénées, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Corsica (Corse)
• East: Rhône-Alpes, Franche-Comté
• Centre: Centre, Bourgogne, Auvergne, Limousin
• Overseas Regions: Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Reunion

Cities

• Paris is the nation's capital and is also known as the "City of Love."
• Marseille
• Lille
• Nice
• Bordeaux
• Strasbourg
• Lyon
• Dijon

Sights and Activities

Notre Dame

Notre Dame is the most famous cathedral in Paris and is beautiful. Although the hunchback does not really live here this Gothic Cathedral it is still impressive. Taking over two hundred years to build, Notre Dame was finally finished in 1345. The church was heavily damaged during the French Revolution but then was restored in the early 19th century. Starting in 2000 a major cleaning effort was done to the west façade of Notre Dame removing centuries of filth mainly from massive industrial activity. This meticulous cleaning process was accomplished with the use of lasers and tiny brushes. Today Notre Dame is one of the most popular sights in Paris and all of France.

Loire Valley

Along the valley of the Loire, from the Centre, to western France leading towards the Atlantic are dozens of beautiful Chateaux and fortresses. One can spend several days travelling along the river valley enjoying the different homes and sights. Remember that many of the Chateaux are private residences and not open to the public except by arrangement with the owners, and on selected days in the year. Luckily many of them are open to the public and some have even been converted to hotels and guest houses. The Loire Valley is a truly great place to spend a holiday, or just a few days and the stretch of the valley from Sully-sur-Loire, in the Loiret, to Chalonnes-sur-Loire, in Anjou is now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Chartres Cathedral

Cathedral of Chartres located in Chartres, about 80 km outside of Paris, is considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the world. The present form of this Cathedral was built in 1145, and became a major pilgrimage site afterwards. A visit to the Cathedral of Chartres can be an excellent day trip from Paris. Remember to enjoy the world famous stained glass here.

Calanque

Calanque are an amazing rugged coastline of steep limestone valleys that continue out into the sea. These valleys offer great hiking and rock climbing opportunities. And the spectacular Cosquer Cave has some amazing rock art. This area of the coastline is a good day trip from Marseille.

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc

© All Rights Reserved navman

Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps, and sometimes mistakenly named as the highest mountain in Europe (which is the Elbruss). It is the highest mountain of the Mont Blanc massif. If you are in good shape, and have experience in mountaineering you can climb under the supervision of a guide to the top of the mountain. From Charmonix it's a two day tour that starts at the highest point the cable car can reach. For most people a visit to the panorama point at the highest station of the cable car does just fine.

Other Sights and Activities

• French Riviera, enjoy the sun and surf on some of the best beaches in Europe in towns like Nice.
• Eiffel Tower is an amazing metal structure from the 19th century.
• Alps, enjoy the mountains of France with some wonderful skiing. (also see: The Alps)
• Basque Region is a fascinating minority group located in the Pyrenees between France and Spain.
• Fine Wines and Cheeses, eat some of the best wines and cheeses in the world in France.

Events and Festivals

• The Tour De France is the most popular cycling race in the whole world. Originally started in 1903, this 23 day 21 stage bicycle road race can run over 3,500 km (2,200 mi). Like most cycling races in the world, participants enter as a team and only the best teams are invited to join this race. Every year there is between 20 to 22 teams of 9 riders each participating and they working together in order to win. The race usually has a first week of flat stages, after which the riders either enter the Alps or the Pyrenees, depending on the schedule of that year. The race always end in Paris on the Champs-Élysées.
• Every year in May, the best tennis players in the world perform at Paris' Roland Garros tournament. For tickets and schedules, check the Roland Garros official website when you are in the vicinity.

Weather

As France stretches from Belgium in the north to Spain in the south, differences regarding the weather are accordingly. The north and parts of the west have a maritime climate with mild winters and cool to warm summers. During winter, mostly it is above zero with some frost at night possible. Summers are between 20 °C and 25 °C. Temperatures close to 40 °C have been recorded, but this is rare. The central parts of France are warmer in summer, but colder in winters, and The Alps are a favorite ski resort area during the months of December to March when snow is almost certain.

Further south, the climate becomes Mediterranean with warm summers, around 30 °C, even a bit more inland, and generally mild winters, between 10 °C and 15 °C. That said, even this warm coastline has some frost and snow, especially in the western part of the Mediterranean coastline, for example near Marseille. Further east, around Nice, frost and snow are less common. This also applies to Corsica, where warm summers and mild winters are the norm and frost is uncommon, though even here, a few degrees below zero at sea level has been recorded in the past. The southwest of France is a bit cooler in summer, and comparable in winter.

Precipitation is possible in all months, though spring is one of the driest periods of the year. Many higher areas have snow in winter, while parts of France can be very dry for months in the summer season of May to October.
The west and northwest are probably the wettest parts of the country, especially in Bretagne and Normandy, where conditions are very mild in winter but cool in summer.

Getting There

By Plane

If you're travelling from outside Europe, Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) in Paris will most likely be your point of entry. There are other international airports in Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice and Toulouse, which serve flights to destinations throughout Europe. Paris' second major airport, Paris-Orly (ORY) also has flights to European destinations. Paris Beauvais Tillé Airport (BVA) is a hub for budget airlines like RyanAir.

Air France is a major airline and part of the SkyTeam alliance. In 2003, it merged with Dutch airline KLM. Air France operates flights to hundreds of destinations around the world.

By Train

There are many possibilities of travelling from neighbouring countries to France. Listed below are several of these options of cross-border train routes. Note that many more long distance options are available.

From London

• London - St Pancras
• Kent - Ebbsfleet / Ashford

From Belgium

• Charleroi - Jeumont
• Quévy - Maubeuge

From Luxembourg

• Luxembourg - Nancy

From Spain

• Irun - Hendaye
• Port Bou - Cerbère

By Car

Many very good toll roads lead out of and into the country, with good connections with Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland. Be sure to have your personal documentation and that of the car in order, like insurance and driving permit.

By Bus

There are quite a few options to travel by bus between France and other countries.
From May to October Bus About (a British bus company) offers bus connections between dozens of destinations throughout Europe, including Bordeaux, Tours, Paris, Nice and Avignon in France.
Intercars is a French company offering similar trips year round. They also have buses further away towards Eastern Europe and Russia. From Porto to Moscow and Minsk are your choices and anywhere in between.
Eurolines has many services throughout Europe as well, including lots of French cities connected with neighbouring countries and further beyond, even towards Morocco.

By Boat

It is possible to catch the ferry across the English Channel from the United Kingdom and Ireland. There are also boat travelling to and from Spain, Italy and countries in Northern Africa.

Ireland

• Irish Ferries between Rosslare and both Cherbourg and Roscoff.
• Brittany Ferries between Cork and Roscoff.
• Transmanche Ferries between Le Havre and Rosslare.

United Kingdom

• Norfolk Line between Dunkerque and Dover.
• Sea France between Calais and Dover.
• Hoverspeed between Calais and Dover.
• P&O Ferries between Calais and Dover.
• Hoverspeed between Boulogne and Folkstone.
• Hoverspeed between Dieppe and Newhaven.
• Transmanche Ferries between Dieppe and Newhaven, Dieppe and Dover, Boulogne and Dover and Le Havre and Portsmouth.
• P&O Ferries between Le Havre and Portsmouth.
• LD Lines between Le Havre and Portsmouth.
• P&O Ferries between Caen and Portsmouth.
• Brittany Ferries between Caen and Portsmouth.
• P&O Ferries between Cherbourg and Portsmouth.
• Brittany Ferries between Cherbourg and Poole.
• Condor Ferries between St Malo and Poole and Weymouth and between Cherbourg and Portsmouth.
• Brittany Ferries between St Malo and Portsmouth.
• Brittany Ferries between Roscoff and Plymouth.

Jersey and Guernsey

• Condor Ferries from St Malo to both Guernsey and Jersey.

Italy

• Transmanche Ferries between Toulon and Civitavecchia.
• SNCM between Marseille and Porto Torres on Sardinia.
• SNCM between both Ajaccio and Propriano on Corsica and Porto Torres on Sardinia.
• SNCM between Bastia (Corsica) and Livorno.
• Corsica Ferries between Bastia and Portaferrao (on Elba).
• Corsica Ferries between Bastia and Savona and also Bastia and Livorno.
• Corsica Ferries between Ile Rouse (Corsica) and Savona.
• Corsica Ferries between Calvi and Savona.

Spain

• Trasmediterranea between Marseille and Palma de Mallorca.

Morocco

• Comanav has services between Tangier and Sete, which is located between Marseille and Montpelier.
• SNCM also operates a service between Tangier and Sete.

Algeria

• Algerie Ferries is one of the major operators, with scheduled services between Marseille and Algerian cities like Algiers, Oran, Bejaia, Skikda and Annaba.
• SNCM travels between Marseille and Algiers as well.
• Cnan Maghreb Lines (website under construction) has boats from Marseille to Oran and Algiers.

Tunesia

• Cotunav operates a service between Marseille and Tunis.
• SNCM has services from Marseille to Tunis as well.

Getting Around

By Plane

Air France is the main carrier which has domestic flights to many cities in the country. Many flights originate or terminate at one of the three airports in Paris:

• Charles De Gaulle International Airport (CDG)
• Orly Airport (ORY)
• Beauvais Airport (BVA)

The latter has many budget flights including with Ryanair and many others. Charles De Gaulle has the wider choice across Europe and the world, though Orly has some destinations which are not served from CDG.

There are many more international airports which can be useful to fly into or out of. The main ones are near Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux, which are better if you are visiting the southern parts of France. Nice, Toulouse and several other region airports have many budget flights as well. For the south, especially Montpellier and Perpignan are a good choice.

By Train

The French Railways has an extensive network with frequent, fast and comfortable connections to almost any of the major towns and cities in France. From the hub Paris, the TGV (High speed trains) run east to Strasbourg, west to Bretagne and south to Bordeaux and to Lyon and Marseille at speeds of approximately 300 km/hour.

There are also sleeping cars with the option of taking your own car that run from the north (Calais) to the southern coastline.
On Corsica Chemins de fer de Corse operates a couple of train lines. The main train route travels between Bastia and Ajaccio and a branch line runs from Ponte-Leccia to Calvi.

The Eurostart travels between Paris and London in just two hours, while the Thalys travels fast towards Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne.

By Car

Travelling around by car in France is safe, fast and economical when travelling with at least two persons. There are many international and local companies to choose from at most airports and cities. A national driver's licence is required and you need to be at least 21 years old, although some might require you to be 25. The main highways are all toll roads and well maintained. Although slower, the routes nationales are much more beautiful and you don't have to pay toll.

By Bus

Intercity buses are rather limited as the train network is pretty extensive and getting around by car is much more popular. Still, you might try Eurolines for some connections, especially from north to south vv.

By Boat

The Société Nationale Maritime Corse-Mediterranée has a number of daily services between mainland France and the islands of the coast, most notably Corsica. Services run from Marseille, Toulon and Nice to Ajaccio, Propriano, Porto Vecchio and Bastia on Corsica.

In the west, SMN Navigation offers ferries between mainland Bretagne and islands off the coast west of Bretagne.

Apart from these regular public ferries, there are loads of option of getting around one of the many rivers in France. But usually this involves renting a yacht or joining a cruise or other sort of tour. The main rivers include the Rhone, Garonne, Saone, Seine and the Loire.

Red Tape

If you are a European Union (EU) citizen, you are in luck. You may travel without any restriction as per your EU citizenship rights. If you are not an EU citizen and France is the first stop on your visit, you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa. This visa is valid for any country in the Schengen zone.

See the French Governmental website for more (official) information on french visa and immigration policy.

Money

See also: Money Matters

France has adopted the Euro (ISO code: EUR, symbol: €) as its official currency. One Euro is divided into 100 cents, which is sometimes referred to as eurocents, especially when distinguishing them with the US cents.

Euro banknotes come in denominations of €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, €500. The highest three denominations are rarely used in everyday transactions. All Euro banknotes have a common design for each denomination on both sides throughout the Eurozone.

The Euro coins are 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Some countries in the Eurozone have law which requires cash transactions to be rounded to the nearest 5 cents. All Euro coins have a common design on the denomination (value) side, while the opposite side may have a different image from one country to another. Although the image side may be different, all Euro coins remain legal tender throughout the Eurozone.

Work

Study

There are plenty of opportunities for studying in France, either to learn the language, or to spend a semester or year in France under one of the various international student mobility schemes, such as Erasmus or ISEP. Students wishing to enrol in a French university to follow a full course should contact the French Embassy in their country, if outside the European Union, or contact the university directly if they are EU citizens. The Study in France website has details on the opportunities available, and how to choose where to study in France.

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

No vaccinations are required before entering France.

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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