France
French
The most visited country on Earth: nearly a hundred million travellers a year among Loire châteaux, vineyards, Mediterranean beaches, the Alps and a capital that defined what we mean by a city.
Updated on
- Capital
- Paris
- Population
- 69 millones
- Currency
- EUR · Euro
- Languages
- French
- Plugs
- Types C and E · 230 V · 50 Hz
- Time zone
- Europe/Paris
Before you go to France
When to go to France
May to June and September to October: long days, good weather, and none of the August crush.
Temperate oceanic in the west, continental in the east, Mediterranean on the Côte d'Azur. In winter it gets dark before 6 pm.
What it costs to travel to France ●●●●○
High. A lunch menu runs 15–20 € and a night in a Paris hotel rarely dips below 120 €; the countryside is far cheaper.
Is it safe to travel to France? ●●●●○
High. Pickpockets on the Paris metro and around the monuments are the real problem, not violence.
Visa for France
Schengen area: 90 days visa-free for most Latin Americans. From 2026 an ETIAS authorisation is filed online (≈ 7 €).
Trying your French is enormously appreciated, however badly it comes out.
What to see in France
- 01Eiffel TowerParis
Built as a temporary structure for the 1889 World's Fair, and now the most visited paid monument on Earth.
- 02Louvre MuseumParis
35,000 works on display; seeing it all would take months. Book ahead and enter via the Porte des Lions.
- 03Palace of VersaillesÎle-de-France
The Hall of Mirrors and 800 hectares of gardens best covered by bicycle.
- 04Mont-Saint-MichelNormandy
An abbey on a rocky islet, ringed by the sea at spring tides — among the largest in Europe.
- 05Loire Valley châteauxCentre-Val de Loire
Chambord and Chenonceau among the vineyards; the classic loop takes three or four days by bike.
- 06Côte d'AzurProvence
Nice, Èze and the coves of Cassis, with the lavender fields in bloom from late June into July.
Culture and food of France
What to eat
- Fresh baguette, bought twice a day
- Butter croissant, best from an artisan boulangerie
- Cheese: there are more than a thousand varieties
- Steak frites and duck confit
- Brittany oysters with white wine
- Macarons and tarte tatin
Customs
- Say 'bonjour' on entering any shop: skipping it is considered rude
- La bise is two kisses, though the number changes by region
- Meals are eaten sitting down and unhurried; nobody eats while walking
- Bread goes straight on the table, not on the plate
Festivals
- Bastille Day on 14 July, with a parade down the Champs-Élysées
- Fête de la Musique (21 June), free music on every corner
- Cannes Film Festival (May)
- Nuit Blanche in Paris (October)
A secular state by law since 1905. Catholic by tradition (≈ 47 %), with a growing non-religious population.
Curious facts about France
- It receives more tourists than any other country: around 100 million a year, more than its own population.
- The metric system was born here during the Revolution, and nearly the whole planet now uses it.
- By law, a shop calling itself a boulangerie has to knead its bread on the premises.
- It has the oldest high-speed rail network in Europe: the TGV has run since 1981.
- French territory touches three oceans and borders Brazil, thanks to French Guiana.
Cities in France
- Pariscapital · 33 m
- Nice17 m
- Lyon176 m
- Marseille30 m
- Bordeaux21 m
- Strasbourg152 m
- Toulouse145 m
- Montpellier58 m
- Cannes11 m
- Avignon32 m
- Nantes22 m
- Marne-la-Vallée98 m
- Lille28 m
- Paris43 m
- Rennes36 m
- Reims93 m
- Le Havresea level
- Paris97 m
- Paris72 m
- Paris 13 Gobelins64 m
- Paris69 m
- Saint-Étienne529 m
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and WorldClim. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). The editorial content is our own.