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.
- 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
When to go
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 ●●●●○
High. A lunch menu runs 15–20 € and a night in a Paris hotel rarely dips below 120 €; the countryside is far cheaper.
Safety ●●●●○
High. Pickpockets on the Paris metro and around the monuments are the real problem, not violence.
Visa
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 you can't miss
- 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.
The culture, at the table and on the street
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.
Facts for the dinner table
- 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.
Data from Banco Mundial, GeoNames and Open-Meteo. Photo from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). The editorial content is our own.