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

126.

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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127.

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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128.

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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129.

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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130.

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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131.

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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132.

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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133.

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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134.

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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135.

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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136.

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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137.

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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138.

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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139.

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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140.

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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141.

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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142.

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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143.

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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144.

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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145.

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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146.

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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147.

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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148.

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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149.

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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150.

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

Basics

by keeweechic

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 the meal and service has been exceptional. Taxi drivers expect tips of about 10 percent of the fare. Hairdressers will expect about 10% also. Porters, doormen and room service can be offered a small gratuity. Electricity : 220V out of double, round pin wall sockets.Money : Banks and exchange bureaux give better exchange rates for traveller's cheques than for cash; Banque de France offers the best rates in the country. France's ATMs are plentiful and accept all the major international credit and bank cards. I believe though if you have a card with more than a 4 digit pin, you may have a little trouble with the machines there.Driving : Drivers in France are likely to ignore the posted speed...

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Orangina

by b1bob

Orangina is a different kind of orange flavoured soft drink in a different kind of bottle. Unlike most orange soft drinks, which are like an orange syrup, Orangina tastes like the fruit and the pulp. The bottle is different because it is pear-shaped. You can find Orangina all over Europe and even in some stores in the United States, but it is not as popular over here. There are some flavours unique to France. I first tried it in the summer of 1989 when I was studying in Nice. At first, it struck me as more bitter and I was thrown for a loop by the pulp flavour, but then it grew on me because it tasted more natural than the orange flavoured soft drinks back in the States.

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Galettes Bretonnes

by b1bob

Despite taking French classes for (then) a year and a half, I had never heard of galettes bretonnes (hard cookies from Brittany- the region in France, not Ms. Spears). However, that year, I got a whole box of them for Christmas. Because my pen friend (at the time) Vincent (from Hennebont- Morbihan 56) thought enough about me to send them, I really tried hard to like them. However, I couldn't say honestly that I liked them because they were so dry. Vincent asked me later how I liked them and I told him how much I appreciated all he did, but I was not used to it. Sadly, my effort at diplomacy failed. I never heard from him again after that. Even though I personally am not keen on these cookies, they are a regional French specialty everybody should try before they knock. From what I hear, they are made with simple ingredients such as yeast, flour, powdered sugar, eggs, and butter. When I...

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Gothic

by Mikebond

When one talks about French churches, it is almost authomatic to associate them to the Gothic style, a new way to build churches that reflected a new mentality. Actually, it originated in France, where it got different forms in the centuries, from the early Gothic to the flamboyant Gothic, that dates back to the 15th-16th century and denounces the arrival of a new, more decorative style: the baroque.Being the Nordic style par excellence, most of the French Gothic churches are located in the North of the country, e.g. in Amiens (France's largest cathedral), Chartres, Paris, and so on.The features of the Gothic are:- high churches in order to reach God;- wide windows for the Light of God to descend on the believers;- buttresses, i.e. supporting elements with the function of preventing the church from collapsing due to its height;- paintings and portals portraying scenes of the Holy...

Nice - Drink stalls

by ant1606

Treading the Promenade des Anglais under the summer sun might urge the need for a cold drink or, why not, a snack such as a freshly made crepe.Topless estimators can browse through their shades while sipping refreshments or coffee sold for a premium price at temporary daytime stands. Some of these businesses are even arranged into small cars!

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General facts about France

by Mikebond

AREA: 543,965 sq. kms.POPULATION: 59,767,000 (2003)DENSITY: 110 inhab./sq. kmCAPITAL CITY: Paris (2,145,844 inhab. in 2002; urban conglomeration: 9,644,507 in 1999)OTHER CITIES (2002): Marseille (798,430), Lyon (445,452), Toulouse (390,350), Nantes (270,251), Strasbourg (264,115), Bordeaux (215,363), Rennes (206,229)CURRENCY: euro (EUR)MEMBER OF: Council of Europe, EBRD, EU, NATO, OCDE, OSCE, PC, UN, WTO

Are the French chauvins?

by Mikebond

The French are often accused by other Europeans to be chauvins, i.e. very nationalist and excessively proud of their country and culture, if not to consider themselves as superior.Well, after spending a long time in France, I can say it isn't true. The French are proud of the image France has in the world and of the important role it has always played in determining history. They are also proud of their art and science. But is this a default?On the other hand, they are the first to criticize their country (institutions, politics) for anything they don't like.The French just praise themselves for the great successes they have reached and they are right to do so if they want to keep a well-defined identity. However, there are certainly some people who are too proud of their country and culture, which is not good anymore.

The French départements III (67-95, DOM)

by Mikebond

67 Rhin, Bas- (Strasbourg, Alsace)68 Rhin, Haut- (Colmar, Alsace)69 Rhône (Lyon, Rhône-Alpes)70 Saône, Haute- (Vesoul, Franche-Comté)71 Saône-et-Loire (Mâcon, Bourgogne)72 Sarthe (Le Mans, Pays de la Loire)73 Savoie (Chambéry, Rhône-Alpes)74 Savoie, Haute- (Annecy, Rhône-Alpes)75 Ville de Paris (Paris, Ile-de-France)76 Seine-Maritime (Rouen, Haute-Normandie)77 Seine-et-Marne (Melun, Ile-de-France)78 Yvelines (Versailles, Ile-de-France)79 Sèvres, Deux- (Niort, Poitou-Charentes)80 Somme (Amiens, Picardie)81 Tarn (Albi, Midi-Pyrénées)82 Tarn-et-Garonne (Montauban, Midi-Pyrénées)83 Var (Toulon, PACA)84 Vaucluse (Avignon, PACA)85 Vendée (La Roche-sur-Yon, Pays de la Loire)86 Vienne (Poitiers, Poitou-Charentes)87 Vienne, Haute- (Limoges, Limousin)88 Vosges (Epinal, Lorraine)89 Yonne (Auxerre, Bourgogne)90 Belfort, Territoire de- (Belfort, Franche-Comté)91 Essonne (Evry, Ile-de-France)92...

The French départements I (01-33)

by Mikebond

The départements are probably the most important administrative division of France. Actually, if you ask to French people "Where are you from?", they'll answer with the name or the number of the département they come from. So, you will often hear "Je viens du Calvados" or "Je viens du 92" instead of the name of the town or region.You find these numbers also on car plates (but now it must have changed) and at the beginning of postal codes. Here are they, listed by number with their capital town and the region they are located in:01 Ain (Bourg-en-Bresse, Rhône-Alpes)02 Aisne (Laon, Picardie)03 Allier (Moulins, Auvergne)04 Alpes de Haute-Provence (Digne, PACA)05 Alpes, Hautes- (Gap, PACA)06 Alpes-Maritimes (Nice, PACA)07 Ardèche (Privas, Rhône-Alpes)08 Ardennes (Charleville-Mézières, Champagne-Ardennes)09 Ariège (Foix, Midi-Pyrénées)10 Aube (Troyes, Champagne-Ardennes)11 Aude (Carcassonne,...

Different Keyboards

by tiabunna

You arrive in France and wish to go online to send emails – then you encounter this different keyboard. Where the top line normally runs QWERTY and the second line ASDFG, this device is largely rearranged. So I found myself grqppling zith a French keyboqrd zhich mqde ,y typing go like this!The real problem arises when you want to send an email to (eg) family@home.com . Suddenly the @ is not where you left it – when you look around there it is, tucked away below the number 0 – but there are two choices on the lower case position and @ is not the default! I had to ask, but to save you the bother here’s the answer. Where you normally find an ALT key to the right of the spacebar there is a special ALT key – hold that down when you hit the 0 key and you will get the @ symbol.

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Top 3 Hotels in France

Four Seasons George V Paris  Paris

 5 Reviews and 556 Opinions  The Four Seasons George V is truly one of the world's great hotels. I really, really love to stay... 

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Palais de la Mediterranee  Nice

 3 Reviews and 674 Opinions  The hotel was amazing, right on the beach. It was very clean and the rooms were of excellent... 

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Hotel Gutenberg  Strasbourg

 1 Review and 183 Opinions  I toured Alsace by bicycle in mid-September, 2008. After the group ride was over, I stayed for 3... 

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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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France Members Meetings

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