Travel guide – france

france
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Overview

Wherever you choose to begin or end a sojourn in Europe's largest country, and however long you spend exploring you'll simply be scratching the surface of this vast and varied land. France's geography stretches from rugged coastline to seemingly infinite beaches, from bustling cities to quaint countryside villages and from a sun-drenched isle to luxury mountain ski resorts.

A civilisation dating back to 50,000 BC and a history spanning Roman and Frankish invasion, wars of power and religion, a wealthy and powerful monarchy ultimately crushed by revolution, the rise of Napoleon and a new battle between monarchy and republic, and two world wars, has left the country brimming with a rich heritage. Cave paintings, castles, cathedrals and battle scars are scattered across the land, yet much of the French countryside remains untouched, and traditional rural life still flourishes.

This is a country that has inspired Monet's reinvention of colour, Toulouse Lautrec's dark underbelly of Paris society, and the haunting harmonies of Debussy. It has tantalised our taste buds with foie gras and frogs' legs, and captured the imagination of the world's jet-set with the resorts of St Tropez and Port Grimaud. Discover France, and rediscover the meaning of joie de vivre.

Regions and cities within France...

Paris
Basque Country
Bordeaux
Brittany
Champagne Country
Corsica
Cte d'Azur
Dordogne and Lot
French Alps
Loire Valley
Normandy
Provence
Ski Resorts

Climate

The south of France has a warm Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. Strong winds, known as la Mistral, can occur in the Cote d'Azur, Provence and in the Rhone valley particularly over the winter and spring. Northern France, including Paris, has a temperate climate similar to southern England with warm summers, cold winters and rainfall throughout the year. The western coast, from the Loire valley to the Pyrenees, is milder and summer days are generally very hot. During the second half of July and August most French take their five-week vacation to the coasts and mountains, and empty cities tend to shut down accordingly.

Health

French hospitals and health facilities are first class. British, and visitors from other EU countries, are entitled to heavily discounted medical treatment and medicines on presentation of a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Otherwise doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for health services. Medical insurance is advised. Pharmacies will provide some first aid, but charge for it. There have been increased reports of hantavirus (caused by rodents) in the Ardennes, Aisne and Jura regions. Rabies also occurs occasionally. In February 2006, France confirmed its first cases of bird flu; all affected birds have been culled and precautionary measures taken. The risk is low for travellers, but close contact with domestic, wild and caged birds should be avoided, and all poultry and egg dishes well cooked.

The basics

Time

Local time is GMT +1 (GMT +2 between last Sunday in March and last Sunday in October).

Electricity

Electrical current is 220 volts, 50Hz. European two-pin plugs are standard.

Language

French is the official language.

Tipping

Most restaurants and hotels automatically add a 15% service charge so a tip is not necessary, although another 2-3% is customary if the service has been good. If service is not included then 15% is customary. Taxi drivers expect 10-15% of the fare and hairdressers 10%. Hotel staff generally receive €1.50 a day and tips of €1 are given to washroom and cloakroom attendants and museum tour guides. Tour bus drivers and guides are also tipped.

Safety

Following the London and Madrid bombings, security has been heightened particularly in the transport sector. A group called the AZF claim to have a number of explosives on railway tracks timed to detonate at future dates, and although the authorities have asked the public to be vigilant, they have issued no further warnings against using public transport. Unattended luggage left in public places will be removed or destroyed by security staff. While generally safe, visitors to France are advised to take precautions against petty theft and to ensure their personal safety. Thieves and pickpockets operate on the metro and around airports. Theft from cars is prevalent, particularly in the south, around Marseilles, and in Corsica. A Corsican nationalist group FLNC have been responsible for a series of bomb attacks on public buildings and visitors should take care, particularly in the town centres. Several recent cases of burglary have been reported while visitors were asleep in their caravans or motorhomes and motorists are asked to avoid parking in isolated or darkened areas of camping sites or parking lots. Tourists are advised to conceal bags and purses even when driving, and to never leave valuables unattended in the car. Bag snatching is also common, particularly on public transport and in shopping centres, and visitors should also be vigilant of luggage while loading bags into and out of hire cars at airports. Student demonstrations against the new employment law in Paris on 18 March 2006 turned violent and have caused disruption to transport. Further demonstrations and strikes are planned throughout France for 28 March 2006 and visitors are advised to avoid all areas where demonstrations are taking place.

Customs

French culture is of paramount importance to the French and in an increasingly Americanised world they feel duty-bound to protect it. It is appreciated if visitors can speak a few words of French; they do not respond well to being shouted at in English. While the food is second to none, Americans will find the service in many restaurants sloppy; waiters can appear rude (particularly in Paris) and take their time. This is just the way they are. Traditional games such as pétanque (similar to lawn bowling but played on gravel) are popular in village squares, but the national sports are soccer, rugby and cycling.

Communications

The international access code for France is +33. The outgoing code depends on what network is used to dial out on (e.g. 00 for France Telecom), which is followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). Other codes are used if using different networks. Most public telephones accept phone cards, which are available in newsagents. Most hotels add a surcharge to all calls; the cheapest way to call abroad is often with a phone card. The local mobile phone operators use GSM networks and have roaming agreements with most international mobile phone companies. Internet cafes are available in most towns throughout France.

Duty Free

Travellers from non-EU countries over 17 years entering France can bring in the following items duty-free: 200 cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250g tobacco; 1 litre of spirits with alcohol content 22% and over, or 2 litres of dessert wine or sparkling wine not exceeding 22% alcohol volume, or 2 litres of table wine; 50g perfume or 250ml eau de toilette; gold jewellery not exceeding 500g; 500g coffee; 100g tea; and other goods to the value of €175 per adult or €90 for children under 15 years. Providing goods are bought for personal use, there are no restrictions on carrying tobacco and alcohol between the 15 original countries of the EU (including the UK), with the exception of Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

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