Why go en France?
The good reasons to go en France
For gastronomy
France is famous for its gastronomy, its chefs, its products and its recipes
To visit Paris
The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and the Mona Lisa, the Seine and the Champs-Elysées.
For the French Riviera
Its seaside resorts from Cannes to Saint-Tropez, its beaches and its wild hinterland.
The castles of the Loire Valley
For a slice of history and remarkable architecture.
Its wide variety of cheeses
Roquefort, Picodon or Camembert, France offers an exceptional range of products to taste
Its famous vineyards
Burgundy, Bordeaux, Côtes-du-Rhône, Alsace, an exceptional cellar and divine bottles
Its ski areas
Invitation to enjoy festive alpine resorts with sumptuous slopes.
Hiking tours
The country has thousands of kilometers of marked trails in natural areas.
Visit Corsica
An island in the mountains, authentic and wild, greedy and proud, seaside and sports.
Staying in Brittany
To discover Rennes, Saint-Malo, the forest of Brocéliande, Belle-Île-en-mer, Quiberon..
Good to know when visiting la France
Timetable
In France, stores generally open from 9:30 or 10 am to 7 or 7:30 pm. Food stores in large cities sometimes stay open until 8:00 pm or even 9:00 pm. Tourist areas such as the Champs-Elysées have adopted night-time hours. In about twenty international tourist zones, some stores open on Sundays. The same applies to brand villages. Many museums close on Mondays. Saturday afternoons in shops and Sundays in parks and gardens are the busiest
To be booked
For the prestigious exhibitions programmed by the major museums, such as the Musée d'Orsay or the Grand Palais, reservations are strongly recommended, and sometimes essential, well in advance.
Budget & Tips
Many museums are free on the first Sunday of the month. Passes for one day, two days or a week on urban public transport are available. Outside the high tourist seasons, prices drop, especially for accommodation in tourist sites. They are at their highest on the French Riviera in summer.
Main events
Two tourist seasons can be distinguished in France, summer with seaside tourism or hiking in the mountains, winter with skiing. Outside of the summer, major exhibitions or artistic creations scheduled during the cultural season are also tourist attractions. Among the French particularities: the music festival on June 21 and the July 14 ball which animates cities and villages. Locally, we can mention the Festival of Lights in Lyon in December, the Christmas market in Strasbourg, the Nice Carnival in February, the Cannes Festival in May, the Tour de France cycling race in July...
Guided tours
The tourist offices offer guided tours by their guides and a list of guides who master different languages for guided heritage tours, thematic tours, hikes, by appointment for individuals. In Paris, you can board a tourist bus for guided tours through the city or a bateau-mouche for a discovery of Paris by the water. The same is true in several cities crossed by a river, such as Lyon or Toulouse.
Smokers
Smoking is prohibited in all public places, museums, restaurants, hotels, public transport.
Tourist traps
Beware of pickpockets and pickpockets in the most touristy places, especially in Paris, on public transportation or in front of crowded sites. Also, if you are asked for directions, a coin, to read a text, or any other service, stay alert.
What's very local
Gallantry is a characteristic attitude of the French, even if it is being lost, it is still a standard. Elegance and romanticism too. Giving flowers to the lady of the house, arriving a few minutes late to an invitation to eat at home are among the rules of good manners, as is thanking after having honored an invitation.
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Discover la France
Whatever region of France you choose, there is always a wildlife park, a zoo, an aquarium or an educational farm, where you can discover, perhaps for the first time, curious or majestic animals, whether they are domestic or from other countries. There are also nature reserves, marshes, sensitive natural areas, ornithological observatories, most of which are accessible with an experienced guide.
In all these places, the vegetation is generally superb and the routes are punctuated with picnic areas and information panels. It is also possible to get up close and personal with certain species by immersing yourself in their enclosures. Each season is marked by its share of animations of all kinds, sometimes spectacular, of educational workshops, always adapted to the age of the participants. All of this completes the visits perfectly and intelligently.
