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background-color: transparent; color: rgb(153, 0, 0); text-align: center; font-size: 36px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-top: 36px;">Essential 421information for France</h3> 422<table style="text-align: left; background-color: white; width: 100%; font-size: 13px;" class="pagi" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="4"> 423<tbody style="background-color: rgb(130, 106, 95);"> 424<tr align="left"> 425<td colspan="1" rowspan="3" style="font-weight: bold;
425 background-color: rgb(53, 53, 161);">On 426this page <span style="color: rgb(255, 232, 29);">âº</span></td> 427<td><a href="#brief">Essential 428facts:</a> 429</td> 430<td><a href="#territory">Territory</a></td> 431<td><a href="#culture">Culture</a></td> 432</tr> 433<tr> 434<td><a href="#Money">Money</a></td> 435<td><a href="#climate">Climate</a></td> 436<td><a href="#bread">Food 437and wine</a></td> 438</tr> 439<tr> 440<td><a href="#regions">Paris, and 441the 442rest of France</a></td> 443<td><a href="#pubhol">Public 444holidays 445in France</a></td> 446<td><a href="#planning">Planning a 447trip - before you go</a></td> 448</tr> 449</tbody> 450</table> 451<br> 452<span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0); font-weight: bold;"></span> 453<div style="text-align: left;"> 454<div class="roco" style="border: 2px solid rgb(31, 43, 192); padding: 6px; width: 70%; margin-bottom: 16px; max-width: 260px; background-color: white; margin-top: 1px; float: right; margin-left: 15px; text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-size: 18px;">Site 455search</span> 456<span style="font-weight: bold;">About-France.com</span> 457<span style="font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px;"><br> 458What are you looking for ? </span><br> 459<form style="margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 6px;" action="https://duckduckgo.com/?" target="_blank" oninput="q.value=document.getElementById('search').value +' site:about-france.com'"><input id="search" placeholder="Write here" size="30" maxlength="150" required="" style="background-color: ivory; margin-right: 15px; min-height: 35px;" type="text"><input name="q" type="hidden"><input value="Search" style="padding: 4px; font-size: 17px; background-color: mediumorchid; color: white; font-weight: bold;" type="submit"></form> 460</div> 461</div> 462<div class="roco shad" style="border: 1px solid rgb(114, 40, 165); font-weight: bold; text-align: center; padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 6px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-right: 16px; margin-left: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 246, 137); overflow: hidden;"><a name="brief"></a>For more detail on the topics 463mentioned on this <span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);">France 464in 465Brief</span> page, follow the underlined 466hyperlinks.</div> 467<br> 468<h3 style="clear: both;">France 469in a nutshell </h3> 470France is a modern European <a href="political-system"><b>state</b></a> 471and 472a <a href="political-system">republic</a>, and 473is one of the world's <a href="geo/french-economy">top 474six economies</a>. The French head of state is the President, 475currently <span style="font-weight: bold;">Emmanuel Macron</span>, 476elected by universal suffrage: the president governs through a Council 477of Ministers and a <a href="political-system">parliament</a> 478made up of two chambers, the National Assembly (lower house) and the 479Senate (upper house). <br> 480Metropolitan France (France in Europe) has a population of slightly 481over 62 million, a little more than that of the United Kingdom. For 482more key data see <a href="facts-figures">facts and 483figures</a><br> 484<a name="territory"></a><br> 485<h3>Territory 486</h3> 487<div class="roco" style="border: 1px solid rgb(102, 102, 102); background-color: white; padding-bottom: 8px; font-size: 14px; float: right; margin-left: 10px;"> <br> 488</div> 489<b>Surface 490area:</b> 491with a surface area of 547,030 km², or 211,209 sq. miles, 492metropolitan 493France is twice the size of the UK, and slightly smaller than the state 494of Texas. It is the biggest nation in western Europe.. France has land 495borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain 496and Andorra. It is also bordered by the North Sea, the English Channel, 497the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. See <a href="tourism/french-seaside-coast">coasts</a><br> 498<br> 499<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Major 500cities:</span> </h4> 501The <b>capital</b> 502and the nation's largest city is <a href="paris">Paris</a>. 503Apart from Paris by far the largest urban area in France, other major 504cities are <a href="cities/lyon">Lyon</a>, <a href="cities/marseille">Marseille</a>, <a href="cities/lille">Lille</a> and 505<a href="cities/toulouse">Toulouse</a>. For city 506populations 507and more details see <a href="tourism/main-towns-cities">French 508city ranking tables</a>. For top tourist cities, see <a href="/tourism/best-cities">city breaks</a>.<br> 509<br> 510<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Administrative 511areas:</span></h4> 512Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively, 513into 13 <a href="regions">regions</a>, and 96 514counties, known as departments. See <a href="maps">maps 515of France.</a> The number of regions was reduced from 51622 to 13 in 2016.<br> 517<br> 518<a name="culture"></a> 519<h3 style="border-top: 1px solid silver; margin-top: 12px; padding-top: 4px;">Culture</h3> 520<div style="margin-top: 6px;"> 521<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Language</span></h4> 522</div> 523The <b>official language</b> 524is <a href="french/french-language">French</a>, 525though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making a 526comeback. <br> 527<h4><span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">National 528heritage</span></h4> 529One of the oldest nations in Europe, France - which the Romans called 530<span class="crib">Gaul</span> - is also a country 531with a very rich cultural and environmental 532and <a href="tourism/monuments">cultural 533heritage</a>. 534<h3><a name="Religion"></a>Religion</h3> 535There is no official religion in France; France is a secular republic. 536However about about half of French people say they are Catholics, 537and 2% Protestants. Less than 10% of French Catholics are regular 538church-goers. Some 3% to 4% of the French population are Muslims. There 539are churches 540in all French towns and most villages. More information: <a href="religion">Religion in France</a> 541<h3><a name="Money"></a>Money</h3> 542<h4><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Currency</span>:</h4> 543France's currency is the Euro, and virtually all garages, hotels and <a href="shopping-in-france">shops in France</a> 544accept credit cards from major providers (Visa and Mastercard), as well 545as digital wallets (ApplePay, etc). Click 546here for <a href="currency-exchange">advice 547about currency exchange</a>. <br> 548<br> 549<h4><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">Cost 550of living</span></h4> 551The <span style="font-weight: bold;">cost of living</span> 552in France is fairly similar to neighbouring countries, though some 553things (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in <a href="paris">Paris</a> can be expensive - as can 554staying on the Riviera, particularly during the peak tourist periods.<br> 555On the other hand, fruit, <a href="wines">wine</a>, 556travel, <a href="france-hotel-guide">hotels</a> 557and restaurants tend to 558be cheaper than they are in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural 559areas, and there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps. 560<h3><a name="climate"></a>Climate:</h3> 561The <a href="climate-weather">climate</a> 562in France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole a 563bit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain . Don't expect to find 564summer in winter in the South of France! 565<h3><a name="bread"></a>Food and drink 566- French life</h3> 567In spite of the great variety of <a href="food-and-eating">food 568and cuisine</a> to be found in France, some things like the <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(188, 0, 0);">
568"baguette"</span> 569the famous French bread stick, change little from one region to 570another; <span>the 'artisanal know-how and culture of <em>baguette</em> 571bread' is now listed by UNESCO on its intangible cultural <em>heritage</em>' 572list.</span> You'll find baguettes of all qualities in all 573regions, varying 574from the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. Yet a fresh 575baguette, coming warm from a traditional bakery, is surely one of the 576most delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! There 577are many <a href="french-bread">different types of 578French bread</a>, 579but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to the 580local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holiday 581in France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the bread-counter 582in a supermarket! Indeed, the pre-frozen "fresh-baked" bread counters 583in supermarkets are not even allowed, by law, to call themselves "<span style="font-style: italic;">boulangeries</span>". <br> 584 Then there's <span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(188, 0, 0);">wine</span>. 585France is one of the world's great wine producing countries, and a 586country with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds to 587light fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including 588"grey wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). The 589About-France.com <a href="wines">French wines</a> 590pages are there 591to help you learn about the wines of France; Bordeaux, Burgundy and 592Champagne are just the tip of the iceberg; our wine guide takes you 593through these and all the other wine regions of France.<a name="planning"></a><br> 594<h3>Tourism</h3> 595<a style="border: 1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); float: right; margin-left: 9px;" href="compare-paris-passes"><img class="roco" style="border: 1px solid white; margin-right: 3px; margin-left: 3px; max-height: 367px; max-width: 250px; height: 100%; width: 100%;" alt="compare" src="photos/ads/compass250.jpg"></a><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153); color: rgb(145, 19, 128); font-weight: bold;">Planning 596a trip to France</span>: 597France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you have 598all the time in the world, you may not need to plan your holiday in 599France, you can just wander along at your own leisurely pace, and it 600will be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive or 601fly to France, you may find it useful to check out our words of warning 602<a href="travel-offers">tips on booking 603your travel to France</a>. <br> 604About-France.com provides information to help you choose a <a href="regions">destination</a>, or <a href="driving">travel through France</a>, check 605your <a href="tourism/journey-route-planner">route 606through France</a>, discover the <a href="tourism/tourist-attractions">things to visit in 607France</a> and its regions, <a href="france-car-hire">hire 608a car</a>, find a place to stay, for example a <a href="https://gitelink.com/">holiday cottage</a>, or a 609place to <a href="study">study French</a>, and 610much more. There's even a page on <a href="medical-help">medical 611cover for your stay in France</a>, and what to do if you get 612taken ill or have an accident, as well as some advice and information 613for people interested in <a href="living-in-france">buying 614property in France</a>.<span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><br> 615<a name="city"></a><br> 616City-breaks and short trips: <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Paris</span></span><br> 617<a href="paris">Paris</a> 618is Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way to 619discover France for the first time... or the second, or the third... 620Paris is a city that people easily fall in love with, and with 621city-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or London, thanks to 622<a href="https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100lIzj/pubref:eurost">Eurostar 623</a>; it has a wealth of museums and monuments, 624it is one of the world's great <a href="shopping-in-france">shopping</a> 625cities, and also arguably the finest city in Europe, a place where you 626can easily spend days just walking around, savouring the atmosphere, 627enjoying the life. But don't be caught out by France's <a href="#pubhol">closing hours and public holidays</a>.<br> 628About-France.com provides information on <a href="paris-tourist-attractions">Paris tourist 629attractions</a> including things to do <a href="paris-free">for 630free</a>, a comparison of 631the different <a href="compare-paris-passes">Paris 632visitor passes</a> and tips on 633how to <a href="budget-paris">save money</a> 634during your stay. And staying in a <a href="france-hotel-guide">hotel</a> 635in Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank But, as they say 636in the rest of France, Paris is Paris, it is not the whole of France. 637So what about the rest of France? <br> 638<a name="regions"></a><br> 639<span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 153);">The 640rest of France - summer or winter - a wealth of experiences to choose 641from. </span><br> 642The largest country in Western Europe, France is also the most varied 643in terms of scenery and climate. From <a href="https://gitelink.com/brittany/">Brittany</a> to <a href="https://gitelink.com/provence/">Provence</a>, 644the 645<a href="http://auvergne.gitelink.com/">
645Auvergne</a> 646, the <a href="regions/pays-loire">Loire Valley</a>, 647the <a href="tourism/river-dordogne-area"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dordogne</span></a> 648or the Alps, <a href="regions/burgundy">Burgundy</a> 649to the <a href="regions/languedoc">Languedoc</a> 650, <a href="regions/poitou-charente">Poitou-Charentes</a> 651or <a href="regions/aquitaine">Aquitaine</a> 652and the <a href="regions/pyrenees">Pyrenees</a>, 653each region is special, each is a holiday in itself. 654It is also a country with over 2000 miles of <a href="tourism/french-seaside-coast">beaches and seashores</a>, 655plenty of space for even the most demanding of holidaymakers! So what 656are you waiting for? <br> 657<br> 658<a name="pubhol"></a><font style="font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; font-family: "Times New Roman",Times,serif;" color="#990000">CLOSED TODAY .........</font> 659Foreign visitors in France are sometimes surprised to find themselves 660faced with closed doors, on reaching a museum or a famous monument. So 661it is not a bad idea, before visiting France, to learn what is closed 662in France, and when? On Sundays, public holidays and holiday periods in 663general, shops, museums, businesses and public services may be closed. 664Museums are often closed on Tuesdays. See the About-France.com guide to 665<a href="holidays-sundays">Public 666holidays, Sundays and other holidays</a> for more information.<br> 667<br> 668<span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 14px;"></span><br> 669<br> 670<br> 671<br> 672<div class="foot" style="margin-bottom: 8px; text-align: center;">About-France.com 673 <a href="/">Home 674page</a> - <a href="regions">Regions</a> 675 - <a href="maps">Maps of France</a> 676 677</div> 678<br> 679</div> 680<div style="font-size: 15px; color: white; padding-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0.2%; background-color: black;" class="res2"> 681<img style="border: 1px solid ; color: rgb(255, 255, 255); margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 10px; width: 100%; max-width: 335px; max-height: 425px; height: 100%;" alt="La Baguette" src="breadsm.jpg"><br> 682<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 683Baguettes</span> 684- France's emblematic bread. The delicious baguette is an icon of this 685country famed for its "gastronomy" and good food......<br> 686<img style="border: 1px solid ; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 4px; width: 100%; max-width: 300px; max-height: 247px; height: 100%;" alt="Mont St Michel - Brittany" src="photos2/MtStMichel-air.jpg"><br> 687<a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 102);" href="monuments/mont-saint-michel">Mont Saint Michel</a> 688- Normandy<br> 689<br> 690<span style="font-weight: bold;">About-France.com</span> 691is an independent user-supported website that does not track visitors 692and carries very little advertising, Affiliate links 693to relevant 694partner websites may generate commission on sales at no cost 695to the 696user.<br> 697<br> 698<br> 699<div style="border: 1px solid white; padding: 6px; text-align: center; font-size: 18px;" class="but roco"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 204);">For 700students</span><br> 701The About-France.com<br> 702<a style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);" href="/french/">Online 703French Grammar</a><br> 704Free, full , clear explanations and lots of examples</div> 705<br> 706<br> 707<br> 708<table class="men2 spaced" style="text-align: left; width: 100%; font-size: 13px; background-color: transparent;" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"> 709<tbody> 710<tr style="font-weight: bold;"> 711<td style="color: black;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 153);"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 51);">⺠âº</span> 712Accommodation in France</span><br> 713</td> 714</tr> 715<tr> 716<td><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="https://about-france.com/france-hotel-guide">Guide 717to hotels in France</a></td> 718</tr> 719<tr> 720<td><a href="https://gitelink.com">Gites 721in 722France</a></td> 723</tr> 724<tr> 725<td><a href="https://gitelink.com/bandb-in-france/">Bed 726and 727breakfast in France</a></td> 728</tr> 729<tr> 730<td><a href="http://rural-camping.com">Rural 731campsites in France</a></td> 732</tr> 733<tr> 734<td><a href="https://independent-hotels.info/france/">Independent 735hotels in France</a></td> 736</tr> 737</tbody> 738</table> 739<br> 740<br> 741<a href="https://gitelink.com/"><img style="border: 0px solid ; max-width: 250px; margin-left: 1px; margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; width: 98%; max-height: 260px; height: 100%;" alt="gitelink" src="photos/ads/gitelink250.jpg"></a><br> 742<br> 743<div style="border: 3px dotted rgb(255, 204, 51); padding: 5px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px; color: white; margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 5px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; background-color: rgb(89, 86, 98);"><span style="color: yellow;">Click here for</span><a style="color: yellow; background-color: transparent;" href="france-car-hire"><br> 744low-cost car hire in France</a></div> 745</div> 746<div style="text-align: center; background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 6px; font-style: normal; clear: both;" class="footer rocob"><br> 747<span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 13px; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"> Website 748photos and text copyright © About-France.com 7492007 - 2026 unless otherwise indicated. <br> 750</span></div>
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