France

Quick Facts

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Capital

Paris

Population

59,550,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Christianity (Catholic)

Languages

French

Calling Code

+33

Nationality

French

Local name

Introduction

Montmartre, Paris

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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 Pablo Picasso 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 Chunnel.

Regions

France is divided into 22 regions, which are subdivided into 96 departments. Here is a list of the 22 regions, organised into major areas.

• North - Nord Pas de Calais, Picardie, Haute Normandy, Basse Normandy, Paris Ile de France, Champagne Ardenne, Lorraine, Alsace
• West - Bretagne, Pays de la Loire, Poitou Charentes
• South - Aquitaine, Midi Pyrénées, Languedoc Roussilion, Provence Alpes Cote D'Azur, Corse (Corsica)
• East - Rhône Alpes, Franche Comté
• Centre - Centre, Bourgogne, Auvergne, Limousin

Cities

• Paris- The "City of Love"
• Marseille
• Nice
• Bordeaux
• Strasbourg
• Lyon
• Dijon

Sights and Activities

Events and Festivals

Weather

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 between France and neighbouring countries. Listed below are several of these options of cross border train transport. Note that many more long distance options are available.

France - Belgium vv
* From - to: Charleroi - Jeumont vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: every hour (RE)
• Night train: no
• Remarks: no dining car

* From - to: Quévy - Maubeuge vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: every hour (RE)
• Night train: no
• Remarks: no dining car

France - Luxembourg vv
* From - to: Luxembourg (city) - Nancy vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: every hour (RE)
• Night train: no
• Remarks: no dining car

France - Spain vv
* From - to: Irun - Hendaye vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: every hour (IC); 3 daily (ALS); once a night (D)
• Night train: yes
• Remarks: service depends on train type. Direct connections with Barcelona and Madrid

* From - to: Cerbère - Port Bou vv

• Notable intermediate stops: none
• Frequency: depends on train type
• Night train: yes
• Remarks: service depends on train type. The regional train allows bicycle transport

By Car

Many very good toll roads lead out of and into the country, with good connections to and from Luxembourg, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Germany and Switzerland.

By Bus

By Boat

It is possible to catch the ferry across the English Channel from the United Kingdom.

Getting Around

By Plane

By Train

By Car

By Bus

By Boat

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.

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

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

No vaccinations are required before entering France.

Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

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