Beautiful France, which embodies beauty and luxury, exquisite taste and historical heritage of many eras, is the largest country in Western Europe and the fourth in the list of the richest countries in the world. In the west and north it is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Bay of Biscay and the English Channel, in the south by the Mediterranean Sea. Almost a quarter of the land border runs along the ridge of the Pyrenees on the border with Spain, and in the east - along the Alps. The entire territory of France can be divided into three climatic zones: moderate in the western part, hot off the Mediterranean coast, and harsh in the east.
France, a country of romance, rich history, majestic sights and beautiful nature, is always happy to welcome tourists from all over the world. First of all, a holiday in France involves visiting its beautiful cities and ancient sights located in them. Of course, first of all, it is Paris with its Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, beautiful royal castles (Louvre, Versailles, Fontainebleau), Montmartre and many other interesting places. Almost every street in the historical center of Paris has its own rich history, one way or another related to famous people and great historical events. However, in addition to Paris, there are many wonderful and interesting cities in France - Marseille, Lyon, Orleans, Cannes and many others. Sightseeing tours to France are a great opportunity to see all the famous sights of this great country live.
As for winter trips to France, here you will most like the majestic French Alps - the highest mountains in Western Europe. This is a real Mecca for ski lovers (more than 4,000 ski slopes and about 2.5 thousand lifts). Ski resorts in France are divided into 5 regions - Jura (northernmost), Avertini (central), Northern Alps, Southern Alps and Pyrenees. Each of these regions has a large number of smaller resort centers with a high level of comfort and ski slopes of varying degrees of complexity.
Beach tours to France are a high-quality holiday on the cleanest beaches of the Cote d'Azur (which is worth only Nice) and the English Channel. These are elite European resorts that successfully combine the mild climate and beauty of nature with a decent level of service and infrastructure.
If you are going to France with children, you should definitely visit Disneyland, which is located near Paris.
In France, you can choose a resort that meets any of your requirements. Excursion tours to Paris, the capital of love and romance, are especially popular among tourists. Rest in France is a holiday full of emotions and vivid impressions, a holiday that will forever remain in your heart.
Official name: French Republic.
Capital: Paris.
The official language is French. Many dialects are used: Breton - in Brittany, Basque and Catalan - in the Pyrenees, Provencal - in Provence, Flemish - in Flanders (in the Dunkirk area), as well as German (in Alsace and Lorraine) and Italian (southern coast of Corsica
France is a real reserve of historical and cultural monuments of various eras and civilizations. Cave dwellings of ancient people of the Paleolithic era, roads, Viaduks, triumphal arches and arenas representing Gallo-Roman architecture of the 1st century AD, numerous monuments of the Romanesque era have been preserved here.
Almost every city in France has priceless treasures of architecture and fine arts, and many ancient churches and castles that deserve a visit have been preserved in the countryside.
In the XI-XII centuries, architecture was dominated by the Romanesque style, characterized by the cathedral in Othan, the church of Saint-Fua in Conca, Saint-Sernin in Toulouse, as well as Clooney, the largest church in the Christian world in the past, almost completely destroyed after the Revolution. Romanesque was replaced by the Gothic style in the middle of the XII century. Aborn in northern France, it dominated European architecture for four centuries. The XIII century is sometimes called the "time of cathedrals" - it was then that such pearls of Gothic architecture as Notre Dame de Paris, cathedrals in Bourges, Chartres, Reims, Amiens, Beauvey were erected. At the end of the XV century, the Renaissance style was brought to France from Italy. The famous castles of the Loire Blois, Amboise, Chambour, built in the XVI century, absorbed Italian influence and national traditions of building medieval fortified castles.
The Eiffel Tower is a symbol of Paris, a symbol of the celebration of metal at the end of the XIX century. It was opened in Paris in 1889. The tower was built for the Paris World Exhibition, which marked the centenary of the French Revolution. Today it is difficult to believe that once this structure, rightfully considered a symbol of the French capital, caused angry protests from most Parisians. All more than two years, during which the tower was built, and quite a long time after its appearance, the wave of criticism did not subside in the press and society, the tone of which was set by representatives of the creative elite known at the end of the XIX century. They believed that the appearance of a huge metal structure would disfigure the slender architectural appearance of Paris. The tower rises more than 300 meters with amazing ease of 7 thousand tons of metal structures, as if woven into amazing lace. Today, the Eiffel Tower is not only a decoration of Paris, but also a television tower. The height of the tower is 318.7 m, weight - about 10,000 tons. Every year the tower is visited by more than 6 million people. Modern elevators deliver them to observation decks with telescopes, restaurants, souvenir shops and the Tour Eiffel Museum.
You will definitely want to see with your own eyes the Luxembourg Garden (Jardin du Luxemburg) and the Tuileries Garden, visit Montmartre and touch the white walls of the Church of Sacré-Coeur, get to the island of Cité and look at the chimera of Notre Dame de Paris. You can't help but walk along the Champs Elysees, along the embankments of the Seine. In France, you should definitely visit the Louvre, Versailles, as well as provincial medieval castles. From October 1, 1999, France introduced free admission (one day per month) for monuments (except for three summer months, from June to September), and from January 1, 2000 to museums. At the same time, for teenagers under the age of 18, admission remains free all year round. More and more people come to the museum on free Sundays. Therefore, if you want to take your children to the museum or organize an excursion to Chambour Castle or St. Michel Hill without compromising the budget, it is best to do it on the first Monday of each month. On this day, visiting 33 state museums and hundreds of cultural monuments in France is free of charge. If you want to take your family to the Comedy Française or to the State Theater of Strasbourg, do it on Thursday, when all seats in the hall are sold at a single price - 50 francs (about $7, the price of a movie ticket).
The famous Moulin Rouge, which translates from French as "Red Mill" is located at the foot of Montmartre. On the stage of this night cabaret, the traditional French cancan was born. To visit Paris and not to visit Moulin Rouge, the same as not to see the Eiffel Tower. After all, Moulin Rouge is also part of the history of Paris. The atmosphere of the holiday and all-consuming fun has been preserved, but today's Moulin Rouge is an elite institution, something between a fashionable nightclub and a museum. It remains a place where the legendary French cancan dance, dream and learn what real Paris is.
Climate: The weather in France is determined by the fact that there are two climatic zones adjacent on its territory: Mediterranean and Atlantic. The climate is temperate, in the east it is transitional to continental; on the Mediterranean coast it is subtropical. The coldest month is January (minus 6-13° C), the warmest July (maximum 35° C). The average July temperature is from 15° to 25° C. Over the past 100 years, the average temperature in Paris has increased by 2°. Summer in Paris is usually hot, but it is easy to tolerate thanks to the light west wind. In winter, it can be quite damp for a long time, but snow falls rarely and usually melts quickly. In Marseille on the Mediterranean coast - from 2°C to 10°C in January and from 17° to 29°C in July.
Currency: The monetary unit of France is the euro. 1 euro = 100 cents. Banknotes in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 euros, coins of 1, 2 euros and 50, 20, 10, 5, 2, 1 cents are in circulation. In restaurants, shops, hotels, car rental points, credit cards are accepted - Diner's Club, Access, Mastercard, American Express, Eurocard and Visa. Banks in France are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday in the Paris region and from Tuesday to Saturday in the province (with a break from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.). Some banks are open on Saturday morning. Attention! On the eve of the holidays, banks close earlier.
Currency exchange in France is carried out in all bank and post offices, as well as in some large shops, airports and popular tourist places. Attention! Often the exchange rate depends on the amount to be changed.
Customs rules: Duty-free import of cigarettes - 200 pcs., strong drinks - 1 l., wine - 2 l., perfume - 50 g, cologne - 500 g, coffee - 500 g, tea - 40 g., food (fish - 2 kg., caviar - 250 g., animal products - 1 kg). It is forbidden to import gold in bars, in the form of plates and coins - without the permission of the bank of the country, illegally manufactured printed materials. During export, the following are subject to mandatory customs control: weapons, antiquities and art, products made of gold and precious metals. The number of imported and exported means of payment is not limited.
Transportation: There is a subway in six major French cities: Paris, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Rouen. The French love this fast and economical mode of transport very much. Basically, the subway serves city centers, but it also reaches the nearest suburbs, from where you can continue your journey by buses.
Metro and buses in Paris are part of the RATP transport network. It is used by 9 million passengers every day. You can buy a travel card and get a free metro and bus plan at metro stations. Tickets (10 each) are sold at tobacco kiosks with a green RATP plate or directly on buses (piece by piece). The passenger must stamp his ticket himself and keep it until the end of the trip.
Shops, shopping: Large department stores are represented in many major cities of the province. They have everything thought out to receive tourists: translators, exchange, export discount. Vop Magspö, Galeries Lafayette, Samaritaine, Printemps, BHV... Large department stores are primarily part of Paris and its history. All offer a huge selection of goods. Some of them also have branches in most major cities in the province.Virgin Megastore and FNAC are chains of stores specializing in the field of culture: books, discs, music, computer and photo equipment, tickets for performances and travel agencies. There are other specialized chain stores: cosmetics and perfumes (Sephora), home furnishings (Habitat, Ikea), etc.
Paris is the capital of fashion. Boutiques of famous couturiers are located mainly on the streets: avenue Montaigne (Yves Saint Laurent, Dior...), faubourg Saint-Honore (Hermes, Gucci..), Piazza de la Madeleine, in the quarter of Saint-Sulpice or Sevres-Babylone, between Grenelle, Cherche-Midi and Saints-Peres (Versace, Sonia Rykiel...). For young people: in the Les Halles quarter (Agnes B., Claudie Pierlot), in Piazza des Victoires (Kenzo) or in boutiques of the Marais quarter (Ventilo, Et Vous). In the halls below the Louvre there are shops Courreges, Lalique and other boutiques, in addition, a huge area reserved for a restaurant. You need to go to duty-free boutiques in the Opera quarter for perfumes and cosmetics. Souvenir trade is concentrated in tourist places, especially on Rivoli Street. As for gastronomy, both of Paris's largest grocery stores - Hediard and Fauchon - are located on Place Madeleine. The Lafayette Gourmet grocery store is located above the Haussmann Boulevard.
Kitchen. The French are better at people of all other nations to understand good food and like to eat delicious food. The most grandiose meal is lunch (le dejeuner), which includes an aperitif - l'aperitif (drinks), appetizer (an entree), main course (plat), salad - la salade, cheese - le fromage, dessert - le dessert, fruit - les fruits, coffee - le cafe. In addition, the French drink wine with almost all dishes. Almost all restaurants will offer you set lunches, which in general will cost you cheaper than if you ordered everything separately from the menu.
Borrowing the American experience, the French also opened the so-called "fast food" diners for people who have little time to eat in an expensive restaurant. You can have a snack between lunch and dinner in small restaurants - something between an ordinary cafe and a large restaurant called brasserie. There you can taste such a unique French dish as sour cabbage with beer or enjoy a traditional steak with fried potatoes.
To eat tasty and hearty in France, it is not necessary to go to an expensive restaurant and pay crazy money for dishes, the names of which cannot be pronounced in Russian. It is better to visit small bistros, cafes and bars where you can eat deliciously for reasonable money, and drinks are often included in the total amount of lunch.
When choosing a suitable cafe, remember that, first of all, you pay for its location, i.e. restaurants on the main boulevards are much more expensive than eateries and cafeterias on small streets. In addition, the prices at the bar counter are lower than in the hall. If you want to look into the supermarket, the best ones are Carrefour, Casino, Monoprix and Prisunic.
Thus, in France you can eat in any place to your taste - from expensive restaurants with specialties to simple street eateries.
You can't keep silent about chic desserts, in which the French undoubtedly know a lot. This is also a klafuti cherry pie, delicious tarte tatin - open cakes with fruit and of course the famous brulee cream - cream baked with caramel crust - the king and lord of all desserts.
From drinks, the French prefer fruit juices, mineral waters. Coffee is extremely popular. Absinthe, calvados, cognac are common among alcoholic beverages in France. Everyone believes that the French of the day cannot live without a glass of wine. This is true, but rather applies to the southern provinces. In the cities, there is a tendency to increase beer consumption.
It is well known that coffee is the most popular of non-alcoholic drinks. On the street of the former Comedy Theatre 13 in Paris there is a cafe "Le Procope" - one of the first "coffee houses" in Paris, founded in 1686. There is a legend that in this cafe Napoleon, who has not yet become Bonaparte, was forced to lay his "famous" hat, which is not yet known to anyone. On Montmart Square Tertre 6, there is a restaurant "Mother Catherine". According to another legend, the Russian Cossacks, who took the heights of Montmart on March 30, 1814, it was here that they demanded "quickly, quickly" strong drinks, and since then small Parisian taverns have been called "bistro".
French restaurants have a "service compris" system, which means that tips are already included in the check.
Entertainment: The French like to have fun, and accordingly they have a lot of places to have a good time. Nightclubs, bars, restaurants, cinemas, erotic shows, game centers, casinos, cabaret - in this country you can find entertainment for every taste, age and "wallet".
Lovers of cultural recreation will also find entertainment for themselves. Exhibitions, fashion shows, fairs are constantly held in France. You can go to the theater, opera or ballet. The world's largest ski complex "Three Valleys" is a great entertainment for sports fans.
Nightclubs in France are in no way inferior in popularity to the sights and museums of the country. But this is a completely different kind of "art." In the modern world, club music is in great demand, which in turn is divided into a large number of subtypes. French nightclubs can satisfy any music lover and dancer. But many clubs are not so easy to get without a club card. Nightlife begins after midnight, so you can stop by a bar or cafe before you go dancing.
Traditions and customs: Most French people don't like English, so if you don't know French, it's better to say right away that you're Russian. A Frenchman who even studied English at school can pretend not to understand a word in English.
However, now the Americanization of the French language, which is called "frangle", is very noticeable. The French authorities even adopted a law according to which citizens of the republic should use only French words and expressions in public places, the same law applies to radio and television.
Traditionally, lunch at the French starts at 8 p.m., so if you are invited to lunch, know that you are expected at this time. After lunch, cheese is served for dessert, and several varieties at once. You can only drink cheese with red wine, and in no case juice or Coca-Cola. Remember this when ordering dessert even in a modest restaurant.
It is better not to appear in a good hotel with packages from Tati or other cheap shops. It won't make a good impression.
The French are a restrained people, they are reasonable and prudent. They are very friendly and polite, they will never tell you the truth in person, although the French dislike all other nations: the British are considered arrogant and boring, Americans - greedy and hypocritical, Russians - ill-mannered.
The French, like many other Europeans, usually apologize, even if they pushed you. This feature can often be seen in a crowded subway car. Two people apologize in a collision, not one person (the word "Pardon" is enough).
It is not customary to give up seats in the subway. It is not customary to ask the person ahead about the exit. You just need to make your way to the exit, apologizing ("Pardon").
It's not very customary to "shoo" cigarettes on the street. It is advisable to say hello to your neighbors and concierge, even if they are unfamiliar to you.
You can sit in the cafe for as long as you want, you just need to take at least a glass of water.
With regard to clothing, France is a completely liberal country. There are no restrictions and limits. You can, for example, come to a concert hall or theater in a T-shirt and jeans.
Of course, women should not dress excessively defiantly, especially in Arab areas. But in general, everyone is free to dress as they like.
It is worth considering that temperatures in France do not correspond (feed to) ours. For example, in winter at +3 - +5 Celsius it is very cold and chilly due to high humidity. You need to have a warm jacket and a sweater with you. In summer, because of the same humidity, it's unbearably hot, even at night.
Security: France is characterized by a relatively low crime rate, but the number of thefts of personal property is quite high. You should be especially careful of "pockets" at airports, train stations, public transport, trains from Charles de Gaulle airport to the business part of the city, in museums and other popular places. Leave valuables, documents and large amounts of money in the hotel safe, do not take out your wallet in crowded places. Also, do not leave things in the front seat of the car during stops. Do not take bags over your shoulder with you during walks - motorcycle thieves are especially active.