France Local Customs

  Cafes at Pl. de la Sorbonne
by Beausoleil
 
  • Cafes at Pl. de la Sorbonne
      Cafes at Pl. de la Sorbonne
    by Beausoleil
  • one of many faience shops in Moustiers
      one of many faience shops in Moustiers
    by angiebabe
  • personally signed by its crafter
      personally signed by its crafter
    by angiebabe
  • French chic, Paris
      French chic, Paris
    by kris-t
  • street towards pl notre dame early Dic11
      street towards pl notre dame early Dic11
    by gwened
 

Most Viewed Local Customs in France

51.

Parlez vous francais?   Paris

Parlez vous francais?, Paris

 115 Reviews  Before our trip to Paris, my French vocabulary consisted of "croissant" and "crepe" - pronounced improperly, I may add. Armed with just these two terms, I figured we wouldn't starve but wouldn't be... 

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52.

Topless Sunbathing   Nice

Topless Sunbathing, Nice

 5 Reviews  Topless sunbathing is permitted on the beaches of the Cote d'Azur. You'll see a mix of women with their tops on or off as you enjoy the beaches. The lesson to be learned is not to stare like a... 

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53.

Food & Drink   Lyon

Food & Drink, Lyon

 4 Reviews  Around Lyon you have many wineyards and also companies which sells guided tours to the wineyards. If you want to do one of these trips, which I did not have time and I was there during the wrong... 

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54.

JOAN OF ARC   Rouen

JOAN OF ARC, Rouen

 1 Review  Jeanne d'Arc, patron saint of France, was tried and burned at the stake in Rouen. The English and French fought each other in the Hundred Years War until Jeanne d'Arc helped put Charles VII on the... 

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55.

Festivals   Avignon

Festivals, Avignon

 6 Reviews  Since the late 1940s, for three weeks in July, Avignon hosts le Festival d'Avignon, during which numerous theatrical plays, both large productions as well as low budget, are shown. The city's numerous... 

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56.

Prices Cafe/Bar/Restaurant   Yvoire

Prices Cafe/Bar/Restaurant, Yvoire

 1 Review   This board show you that you will pay different prices depending on your location : - at the bar (the cheapest), - in the restaurant (the most expensive) - on the terrace (the best place to be of... 

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57.

Fashion   Paris

Fashion, Paris

 33 Reviews  If you want to look like a local, make sure you are wearing a nice scarf, matched with your coat, artfully knotted around your neck. Even on a rather warm September day when we were sweating, people... 

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58.

Local Food   Nice

Local Food, Nice

 10 Reviews  2006 Monday 1st and every Sunday on May 7, 14, 21 and 28. From 11 AM to 7 PM at Jardins des Arènes de Cimiez Free entrance Kids games, clowns, music, typical dance, local food stands, picnic.... 

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59.

Festival des Lumières   Lyon

Festival des Lumières, Lyon

 2 Reviews  The Festival of Lights is probably the most popular as well as the most established event in Lyon occurs on December 8th. Lanterns adorn balconies and windows and streets a full of performers making... 

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60.

Money/Tipping   Avignon

Money/Tipping, Avignon

 2 Reviews  Service charges are included on all restaurant bills at a cost of between 10 and 15 percent. Extra tips are accepted of course if you have received above good service. s fair to add a little more if... 

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61.

Stereotypes: Rude, or friendly?   Paris

Stereotypes: Rude, or friendly?, Paris

 81 Reviews  I've just returned from a wonderful vacation in Paris and I have nothing but great things to say about the folks that live in this magnificent city. Everyone was polite, helpful and friendly, I have... 

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62.

Local Music   Nice

Local Music, Nice

 2 Reviews  Listen to: Dum Dum Boys: if you like electro rock/indie-punk, I can highly recommend their album "Electronic Pop Music Created by...". Curl: if you like trip-hop/new wave... Not really my cup of... 

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63.

Guignol   Lyon

Guignol, Lyon

 3 Reviews  There are three troupes presenting puppet shows daily in Lyon. One is located in a small theater in Old Lyon and the others are in other parts of the city. We attended an afternoon show at the Daniel... 

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64.

Dining & Drinking   Paris

Dining & Drinking, Paris

 81 Reviews  It is easy to confuse menu (in English) with menu (in French). They are two different words. What is referred to as a menu in English is called a "carte" in French. In French the menu is a prix fixe... 

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65.

Siesta   Nice

Siesta, Nice

 3 Reviews  The French love protesting. The tradition goes back to the French Revolution - when the monarchy was overthrown and a lot of people had their heads separated from the rest of them. If its American... 

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66.

Money   Lyon

Money, Lyon

 2 Reviews  Leaving a pourboire (tipping) is at your discretion. Service charges are included on all restaurant bills at a cost of between 10 and 15 percent. Extra tips are accepted of course if you have received... 

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67.

Toilets   Paris

Toilets, Paris

 15 Reviews  A guide that lets you quickly spot on a map the location of the nearest sanisette (free public toilet). And so you don't have to rush in a café and spend your money !(drinks are especially expensive... 

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68.

Pétanque   Nice

Pétanque, Nice

 1 Review  Stroll down the Prom as far as the eye can see - shortly before the airport, and at the furthest end of the bay locals from the poorer end of Nice will be out playing petanque, or "boules". Its a... 

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69.

Weather   Lyon

Weather, Lyon

 1 Review  Lyon is warm and sunny between the months of June and October. In June there is plenty of daylight to get things done and it is also fairly light on the summer crowds. September is usually... 

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70.

Bastille Day   Paris

Bastille Day, Paris

 14 Reviews  I purposely scheduled our London/Paris trip so that we could spend at least part of Bastille Day in Paris, we had to leave in the evening but we were there during the day and the night before. We made... 

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71.

Tipping   Paris

Tipping, Paris

 12 Reviews  Service charges are included on all restaurant bills at a cost of between 10 and 15 percent. Extra tips are accepted of course if you have received above good service. s fair to add a little more if... 

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72.

Nudity   Paris

Nudity, Paris

 8 Reviews  is often used in advertising in France. Nudity is much more frequent. I remember being surprised the first time I saw a naked woman in a yogurt commercial on TV! Yves Saint Laurent pushed new... 

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73.

Street Artists   Paris

Street Artists, Paris

 31 Reviews  There are some really good musicians out there on the street, you just need to have your ears and eyes open to catch them. Photo 1 - 2) - These fellows were actually Americans, dressed for the part,... 

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74.

Religion   Paris

Religion, Paris

 32 Reviews  While I am semi-religious and do enjoy the faith aspects of attending a church service in a foreign country, I also go for the music, the architecture and the ambiance. I mean how else do you get to... 

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75.

Smoking   Paris

Smoking, Paris

 10 Reviews  I shall go to Paris and hope the fear of cigarette smoke is less than in the west. There is no reason why both nonsmokers and smokers can't have a place to go. Unless of course the nonsmokers have a... 

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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Sexy adverts - Yves St Laurent

by Elodie_Caroline

Yves St Laurent is famous for perfumes, aftershaves, various other toiletries and controversial adverts!Advertising has been controversial for Yves St Laurent for 30 years or so. About three or four years ago, there was controversey over his ad for the perfume Opium, which was advertised by Sophie Dahl, who was actually womanly shaped instead of matchstick-shaped, like the usual girls in adverts are. Sophie was dressed in a sheer bodysuit and posed as if she were 'at it'I bet no one would have complained if she was skinny!!This particular year's one (2003) for an aftershave called M7, is even more controversial, it has the naked body of a beautiful hunk of man called Samuel de Cubber on the posters... Alas, in Britain and elsewhere, they are using the not so naughty one of Samuel de Cubber, but hey, for only 24 years old, he'd certainly make me happy! The website below is for the more...

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When in France - Manners

by Elodie_Caroline

Do as the French do.... Please don't expect to visit France and automatically expect the French to speak English to you, why the hell should they? They are, after all, in France and French is their language.I really hate seeing moans that English speaking people have gone to France and just expect the French to speak English. I don't know any English speaking people that have learned other languages just so that they can talk to foreign visitors in their languages here, so don't expect it in France either! If you want to visit France, then be respectable and learn some French, even if it is only a few basics like please - si-vous-plait, and thank you - merci!... There, that wasn't that hard was it.

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Le Monde Interactif - French online news paper

by Elodie_Caroline

I just love perusing the French newspaper, 'Le Monde,' on the internet. I can't write the French way, and because I haven't done much French since finding VT, I only understand about three-quarters of the words. But I can actually understand a story just from the words that I do know.So here is their website that you can do the same...In 2004, on 15th December (my birthday) my most favourite actor of all time got awarded the medal of 'Ordre National du Mérite' (Officer of the National Order of Merit) by Jacques Chirac for his contributions to the French and Hollywood film industry. The 'Ordre National du Mérite' medal is the second greatest medal that a French civilian can achieve: the first being the 'Legion d'Honneur.'

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La Marseillaise song - Historical Fact

by Elodie_Caroline

Original French Words* Allons enfants de la patrie,Le jour de gloire est arriv?!Contre nous, de la tyrannieL'?tendard sanglant est lev? (repeat)Entendez vous dans les campagnesMugir ces f?roces soldats?Ils viennent jusque dans nos brasEgorger vos fils, vos compagnes.CHORUSAux armes, citoyens!Formez vos bataillons!Marchons! Marchons!Qu'un sang impurAbreuve nos sillons!Amour sacr? de la patrie,Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs!Libert?, Libert? ch?rie,Combats avec les d?fenseurs! (repeat)Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoireAccoure ? tes m?les accents!Que tes ennemis expirantsVoient ton triomphe et notre gloire!CHORUS*English Translation*Ye sons of France, awake to glory!Hark! Hark! the people bid you rise!Your children, wives, and grandsires hoaryBehold their tears and hear their cries!(repeat)Shall hateful tyrants, mischief breeding,With hireling hosts a ruffian bandAffright and desolate...

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14th July, Bastille day - Historical Fact

by Elodie_Caroline

This is the most significant French national holiday; it celebrates France's change from a monarchy into the first repulic country.It began on 5/5/1789. The king brought all of the General estates together to hear their complaints. But the assembly of the 3rd Estate, representing the citizens of the town, broke away and formed the Constituent National Assembly. On 20 June 1789, the deputies of the 3rd Estate took the oath of the, 'Jeu de Paume', "to not separate until the Constitution had been established". The Deputies opposition was agreed to by the public.The people of Paris rose up and marched onto the Bastille, freeing 8 prisoners. It was a state prison that stood for the absolute despotism of the Anciet Regime. On July 14 1789 the storming of the Bastille happened, it immediately took on a great historical significance. It was proof that power no longer belonged to the King as...

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Why is Paris called Paris? - Historical Fact

by Elodie_Caroline

I had always had the notion that Paris was called 'Paris' because of the Greek God for some reason. But it seems that Paris is called so, because of an ancient tribe of Celts called the 'Parisii,' that came and settled on the, 'Ile de la cité', on the Seine. They had originally came from further east in France and decided to settle down, where the city of Paris is now, and turned it into a little fishing village in around the year 250 BC.Actually though, these weren't the first people that history showed that lived there, there were people there before the Parisii, but these are the people that Paris was named after. That's as good a reason as any for the name of a city I suppose, isn't it.

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The Freemason's medal

by Elodie_Caroline

The photo, accompanying this tip, is a medal given to my brother by an old man before he died. From what I saw of it, it just had to be something to do with the real Freemasons, who are offshoots from the Pruiere de Sion/Knights Templar. I don't mean the money making, with weird handshakes and who roll their trouser bottoms up Masons that you only hear about now, I mean the real original Freemasons. The medal has the triangle of light in the middle of the six pointed star, and the all seeing eye in the middle of the triangle of light. I would love to own this medal myself! Just for the historical value of what is stands for.Those who know do not tell; those who tell do not know... The Mason's motto

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Friday the 13th - Historical Fact

by Elodie_Caroline

Did you know that the supposedly unlucky day, Friday the 13th, came from the days of the Knights Templar, who were stationed in Provence France?Apparently; because Pope Clement V and the king Philip IV no longer had use for the Knights Templar and what they stood for, and because they also wanted all the wealth, that they had accumulated, for themselves. They rounded up and imprisoned the Knights on Friday 13th October 1307 and then systematically slaughtered them all. Since then, in old superstitions, it's supposed to have been an unlucky day, very unlucky for the Knights Templars I'd say anyway.

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An awful chain of events - True story

by Elodie_Caroline

Cannes is well known for it's wonderful film festival every year. But here's a little bit of unknown local history, a very sad story indeed...I heard this really awful story on radio 4 one Saturday morning. It was about a woman called Eleanor Landreau, who has lived in Paris most of her life, she was also one of the famous, 'Bluebell girls,' that danced at the Lido and married to a Frenchman Jean Pierre Landreau.The story she told was set in Cannes in 1957, just after she was married. She had been staying at a hotel in Cannes, but met up with some friends there, they told her and her husband to come and stay at the hotel where they were instead. So they did; they checked out of their hotel and checked into the one that their friends were staying in.Eleanor and John Pierre got up late one morning and so the waiter was to go upto their room with a late breakfast for them. This was the...

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Rènnes le Château - Historical Fact

by Elodie_Caroline

I first read the book, 'The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail', by Michael Baigent and co, over 20 years ago. I have reread it and also bought the udated version since. It goes from Biblical times, through to the Knights Templar, and upto the present bloodline of Jesus Christ.This is one of the most wonderful and facinating books that I have ever read. It took me about 6 weeks on and off the first time I read it; some of it had to be reread by me, as I wanted to make sure that I didn't forget anything. But it was well worth the slog and answered a lot of questions that I had in my head, about Christianity, since I was a child; reading the Bible back then was like reading Greek Mythology to me.I remember reading about the old customs of those times; how the Romans used to break the person's knees who was to be Crucified, so that the heart would give out quickly, this never happend with Jesus...

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Local traditions and culture in France

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Local Customs: Cities in France
  1. Paris Local Customs
  2. Nice Local Customs
  3. Lyon Local Customs
  4. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Local Customs
  5. Versailles Local Customs
  6. Marseille Local Customs
  7. Cannes Local Customs
  8. Lille Local Customs
  9. Strasbourg Local Customs
  10. Toulouse Local Customs
  11. Rouen Local Customs
  12. Aix-en-Provence Local Customs
  13. Avignon Local Customs
  14. Grenoble Local Customs
  15. Carcassonne Local Customs
  16. Bordeaux Local Customs
  17. Reims Local Customs
  18. Antibes Local Customs
  19. Lourdes Local Customs
  20. Marne-la-Vallée Local Customs
  21. Mont Saint Michel Local Customs
  22. Montpellier Local Customs
  23. Colmar Local Customs
  24. Arles Local Customs
  25. Dijon Local Customs
  26. Bayeux Local Customs
  27. Nantes Local Customs
  28. Annecy Local Customs
  29. Chartres Local Customs
  30. Tours Local Customs
  31. Menton Local Customs
  32. Saint-Malo Local Customs
  33. Éze Local Customs
  34. Nîmes Local Customs
  35. Caen Local Customs
  36. Saint-Tropez Local Customs
  37. Amiens Local Customs
  38. Morzine Local Customs
  39. Beaune Local Customs
  40. Honfleur Local Customs
  41. Biarritz Local Customs
  42. Boulogne-sur-Mer Local Customs
  43. Pau Local Customs
  44. Perpignan Local Customs
  45. Angers Local Customs
  46. Nancy Local Customs
  47. La Rochelle Local Customs
  48. Rennes Local Customs
  49. Saint-Denis Local Customs

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Questions and Answers

Mongy profile photo

Q:  Dear all, Does anyone knows whether it is possible to get a phone sim card in France for use during a short term/traveller stay... 

gwened profile photo

A: get it at any mobile phone provider Bouygues, SFR or Orange. I use Orange. very easy http://agence.orange.fr/search?query=paris&st_like%5BSERVICES%5D%5B%5D=%25 have... 

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