France

Join the Hipporoller Challenge

Help the Travel Guide reach 20,000,000 characters and we'll donate 63 hipporollers worth over $6000. Read more.

Quick Facts

[edit]

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)

Contributors

• lil_lil (59%)
• Utrecht (16%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com

as well as Hien (10%), Peter (5%), Lavafalls (5%), dr.pepper (2%), Herr Bert (1%), sandyn (1%), Chant (<1%)

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Loire1

© All Rights Reserved paulymx

Sure, it's a cliché, but there is a reason why a visit to France is a must if you're planning to do an European tour. In the political sphere, France remains a major world power but forget politics, French food is where the heart of interests lies! It's not about the fries (which is Belgian to start with), but of excellent meals accompanied by excellent wines at excellent prices and you're starting to get the picture. Compound that with amazing architecture, breathtaking natural landscape, varying regional customs and traditions - a trip to France makes a memorable journey.

France is one of the Western world's most important centres of cultured folks: names like Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Hector Berlioz, Jean-Jacques 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 travellers' favourite destination, particularly for a first-timer in France. Nonetheless, it pays to check out some other regions of the country too, such as Bretagne (Brittany) in the north and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in the south.

Brief History

Main article: History of France

The history of France spans over thousands of years, from being a conquered land to being the conquerer, a change from monarchic rule to the modern republic, transitioning through periods of rebirth, enlightenment and industrial revolution to come out on top as major player of world politics and economy. Alongside power and financial growth, France also leads in the development of arts, architecture, culture and gastronomy. It is hard to imagine the world today without the influence of the French.

Geography

Metropolitan France, nicknamed l'Hexagone for its hexagonal shape, 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'.

Metropolitan France is geographically diverse, with large parts of the country being gently waving green hills, but there are rougher areas as well, including mountain ranges of Pyrénées 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 south-east there are 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 Rhône.

The four overseas regions of France (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion) are islands in the Caribbean (Guadeloupe and Martinique), part of Latin America (French Guiana), and an island in the Indian Ocean (Réunion).

For the purpose of this guide, the information to follow pertains to Metropolitan France. For details of the overseas regions, please refer to the relevant article links above.

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, Réunion

Cities

The largest cities in France are as follow:

• Paris is the nation's capital and it is also known as the "City of Light" and "City of Love".
• Marseille is the oldest city in France, founded by Greeks from Phocaea.
• Lyon is known as the culinary capital of France.
• Toulouse is the most important city in south-west France.
• Nice is a major tourist centre of the Côte d'Azur (French Riviera).
• Nantes is at the heart of historical Brittany.
• Strasbourg is a city of Franco-German fusion.
• Montpellier is one of the few large French cities without Gallo-Roman background.
• Bordeaux is a major centre of world wine industry.
• Lille is a city with strong (textile) industrial background.

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, the weather also differs 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 north-west are probably the wettest parts of the country, especially in Bretagne and Normandy during the winter months.

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 options of direct cross-border train routes, with Paris as the hub. Note that many more long distance options are available, either directly or via a combination of train connections, from Paris and other cities in France.

• Eurostar connects London directly to cities of Lille and Paris in just 1.5 hours and 2.5 hours respectively.
• TGV (Trains à Grande Vitesse) connects Paris to Luxembourg (Luxembourg City, 2 hours), Switzerland (Geneva, 3 hours), and parts of Germany (Stuttgart, 3.5 hours).
• Thalys connects Paris to Belgium (Brussels, 1.5 hours), Netherlands (Amsterdam, 4 hours) and parts of Germany (Cologne, 4 hours).
• Artesia connects Paris to Italy (Turin, 5 hours).
• Elipsos train-hotel connects Paris to Spain (Madrid, 14 hours).

By Car

Many very good toll roads lead out of and into the country, with good connections to Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany, Monaco and Switzerland. Be sure to have your personal documentation and that of the car in order, like insurance and driving permit. Driving in France, like its neighbouring countries in continental Europe, is on the right hand side of the road. Travel by car to/fro UK and Ireland is also possible, with either a connection using ferries or by crossing the Channel Tunnel on a train (possible for England, Scotland and Wales).

By Bus

There are a couple of main options to travel by bus between France and other countries.

• Eurolines has many services throughout Europe as well, including lots of French cities connected with neighbouring countries and further beyond, even towards Morocco.
• From May to October Bus About (a British bus company) offers bus connections between dozens of destinations throughout Europe, including Paris, Nice, Bordeaux, Tours and Avignon in France.

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

• Cork - Roscoff: Transmanche Ferries
• Rosslare - Roscoff: Irish Ferries
• Rosslare - Cherbourg: Irish Ferries
• Rosslare - Le Havre: Brittany Ferries

United Kingdom

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

Guernsey and Jersey

• Guernsey - Saint-Malo: Condor Ferries
• Jersey - Saint-Malo: Condor Ferries

Italy

• Civitavecchia - Toulon: Transmanche Ferries
• Livorno - Bastia (Corsica): SNCM, Corsica Ferries
• Portaferrao (Elba) - Bastia (Corsica): Corsica Ferries
• Porto Torres (Sardinia) - Ajaccio (Corsica): SNCM
• Porto Torres (Sardinia) - Propriano (Corsica): SNCM
• Porto Torres (Sardinia) - Marseille: SNCM
• Savona - Bastia (Corsica): Corsica Ferries
• Savona - Calvi (Corsica): Corsica Ferries
• Savona - Ile Rouse (Corsica): Corsica Ferries

Spain

• Palma de Mallorca - Marseille: Trasmediterranea

Morocco

• Tangier - Sète (near Montpellier): Comanav, SNCM

Algeria

• Algiers - Marseille: SNCM, Algerie Ferries, Cnan Maghreb Lines (website under construction)
• Annaba - Marseille: Algerie Ferries
• Bejaia - Marseille: Algerie Ferries
• Oran - Marseille: Algerie Ferries, Cnan Maghreb Lines
• Skikda - Marseille: Algerie Ferries

Tunisia

• Tunis - Marseille: Cotunav, SNCM

Getting Around

By Plane

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

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

The only internal flight served at the Beauvais-Tillé Airport (BVA) is the service between Paris and Marseille by Ryanair. Ryanair however also operates a number of other domestic routes from Marseille MP2 Airport (MRS), namely to Biarritz, Brest, Lille, Nantes and Tours. A better budget airline with more domestic flight options is Easyjet. It connects Paris-Biarritz, Paris-Corsica, Paris-Nice, Paris-Toulouse, Lyon-Biarritz, Lyon-Bordeaux, Lyon-Corsica, Lyon-Nantes and Lyon-Toulouse.

It is also often possible to fly from directly from a major French city to another (e.g. Nantes-Bordeaux) without going through Paris.

By Train

The French Railways, SNCF has an extensive network with frequent, fast and comfortable connections to almost any of the major towns and cities in France. The main hub for the rail network is Paris.

• TGV runs north to Lille (1 hour), east to Strasbourg (2 hours), west to Rennes (3 hours), south-west to Bordeaux (3 hours), south to Lyon (2 hours) and Marseille (3 hours), and south-east to Nice (5-6 hours) at speeds of approximately 300 km/hour.
• iDTGV is a new service similar to TGV, geared towards young travellers. The tickets are available at a lower cost, and ticket reservations and purchases are conducted strictly online. Most of their routes are between Paris and the south of France.
• The Corail Intercité and Corail Téoz both connect main French cities not serviced by the TGV, and note that reservations are required for Corail Téoz.
• Corail Lunéa are night trains operating similar routes to the other Corail services.
• TER (Train Express Regional) is slower, regional rail service that stops at almost all stations along its operating routes.
• In 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.

Train tickets may be purchased 3 months ahead of travel, from either Voyages-SNCF (in French) or TGV-Europe (English and other European languages) and the tickets will be delivered to the country of order accordingly. However, online purchase and reservation for TER is not possible. Tickets for iDTGV are available 6 months ahead of travel.

There are also sleeping cars with the option of taking your own car that run from the north (Calais) to the southern coastline.

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 for car hire 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

There is no single bus operator in France, and intercity buses are rather limited as the train network is pretty extensive and getting around by car is much more popular. Check Eurolines for some connections, especially from north to south.

Within local departments though, there are usually bus operators that connects between the cities/towns/villages, such as TAM (Transport Alpes-Maritimes) which connects the towns in eastern French Riviera between Nice and Menton. Larger cities will also normally boast a relatively comprehensive bus network, such as the bus services run by RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) in Paris and its environs.

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 the mainland and the islands off the coast west of Brittany.

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. Canal transportations are also available in relevant cities (e.g. Canal-Saint-Martin in Paris).

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 usually 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

French is the official language of the country, and by far is the most widely spoken in France despite the varying regional accents which may confuse non-native speakers into wondering if a regional dialect is being spoken. The use of French is governed by the Académie Française, which is the official authority on the usage, vocabulary and the grammar of the French language. However, their recommendations do not carry legal power and remain just that, recommendations. Some other languages used in France include Breton, Basque, Catalan, Alsatian and Corsican.

The teaching of a second and/or a third language is common nowadays, and English is the most commonly studied foreign language in French schools. Other languages often taught include Spanish, Italian and German. The immigrant populations also speak languages from their countries of origin, including Arabic, Mandarin, Russian and Vietnamese.

The most commonly used form of argot (slang) is verlan, which features inversion of syllables in a word. The word verlan itself originated from l'envers, which in French means "the reverse". Verlan in general is not obvious nor easily understood by non-native speakers.

Eat

Drink

Beer and Cider
Beer is commonly drunk with meals in the north-east of France. In Normandy and Brittany, the slightly fizzy cider is the local drink. They can usually be found either brut (dry), demi-sec (medium) or doux (sweet).

Champagne
Champagne are produced strictly in the Champagne region of France, largely in the department of Marne. Three varieties of grape are grown for champagne making - Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. Some of the grandes marques include Veuve Cliquot, Bollinger, Laurent-Perrier and Moët et Chandon.

Dessert Wine
These are sweet, usually white, wine served chilled with the dessert course of a meal. France produces some excellent dessesrt wine, including Château d'Yquem (from Sauternes) and Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise.

Wine
France is famous for its wine industry. Unlike other world wine producers, wine in France is not identified by the type of grape used but of the name of the region and the château/domaine which produces the wine. The Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system is in place, with its rules define the style of the wines allowed in specific growing locations as well as where they are made. Some of the best known wines come from Bordeaux (Château Latour, Château Mouton-Rothschild), Burgundy (Côte d'Or, Côte de Nuits), Loire (Muscadet AOC), Rhône (Châteauneuf-du-Pape) and Provence (Bandol AOC).

Other Alcoholic Beverages
A variety of distilled beverages can be found in France, including Grand Marnier (a mix of cognac and essence of bitter orange), absinthe, brandy (Armagnac, Cognac), and fruit distilled drinks (Calvados, Eau-de-vie). Pastis from the south of France is a anise-flavoured spirit and commonly served as apéritif.

Sleep

Health

See also: Travel Health

No vaccinations are required before entering France.

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

France is one of the best connected country in the world, with data speed for upload/download ranked among the top 5 in the world. Most hotels and hostels would have in-house facilities to provide free internet access. Many major cities also have initiatives put in place to provide free wi-fi connection in public spaces, either provided by the Mairie (e.g. in Paris) or by co-operative organisations (e.g. in Nantes).

Alternatively there are internet cafés available in most cities/towns at a reasonable rate. Some private businesses, such as local cafés (or even the Starbuck's chain), may also provide wi-fi connectivity - keep an eye out for the signs by the shop windows/doors.

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

To call France from abroad, start with the international direct dialing (IDD) code from the country you're in, followed by French country code 33, the area code (drop the first zero in front of the area code), and the phone number. French telephone number is rarely given without the area code. The telephone number, including the area code, is made up of 10 digits. They are written in a set of 5 pairs of digits (i.e. 01 xx xx xx xx xx).

In France, the area code designations are: 01 - Paris Area ("Région Ile-de-France"), 02 - north-west, 03 - north-east, 04 - south-east, 05 - south-west, 06 - mobile phone providers. From 2010 onwards, 07 will also be assigned to mobile phone providers in order to cater for the surging demands for mobile phones.

To dial an international number from France, the IDD is 00, followed by the country code that you wish to dial, the area code and the phone number.

Post

La Poste in France is also referred to as the PTT (short for postes, télégraphes et téléphones). The mailboxes are painted bright yellow and often there is a slot for local city mail and another slot for "outside mail". Normally there is a queue in the post office, but most of the post offices have the self service machine installed which is quite easy to operate. Nowadays many of the tabac and even some of the souvenir shops also sell postage stamps. Normally an overseas postcard costs almost as much as sending a letter. Mails sent in France also have a zip code. The first two numbers represent the administrative department (e.g. in Paris' case that would be 75, and Nantes' postal code starts with 44).

Post offices are generally open from 8am to 7pm Monday through Friday, and 8am to noon on Saturdays. Apart from the basic job of mailing letters, most of the post offices do some banking activities also and some even have photocopy machines and cyber cafes for internet access.

The main post office on 52 rue du Louvre in Paris opens 24/7 and never closes. However, the number of services available during the night is reduced to postal and telephone/fax services only, so banking activities (e.g. buying postal orders) are not available until normal operating hours.