FRANCE TRAVEL TIPS FOR FIRST TIMERS | 30+ Must-Knows Before Visiting France + What NOT to Do!

if you are visiting France for the first time this year make sure you watch this video because in it I'll be sharing all my best tips and tricks for first timers hi I'm Christina from happytoander.com and to me France is one of the most misunderstood countries in the entirety of Europe but after visiting the country many times over the past decade I've come to learn that really loving France is just a matter of being prepared and knowing what you're in for so let's get into our France travel planning tips first things first there is way more to France than just Paris France is actually the largest country in the EU and one of the largest countries in Europe period And so needless to say there is way more to see in this country than just its capital Metropolitan France is made up of 13 different regions and is often referred to as lexagon or the hexagon because of its shape now describing every cool place in France is definitely beyond the scope of this video but in my opinion here are some must-sees there's the storybook Villages and Vineyards in alzas Bordeaux and its amazing wineries the gorgeous Cote d'azur or the French Riviera the amazing coast and historic Villages of Normandy the fairy tale castles of the Noir Valley The Majestic French Alps and just all the beauty that is Provence just to name a few examples so needless to say there's definitely more places to visit in France Beyond just Paris so when you're assembling your friend's itinerary definitely make sure to include places that aren't just Paris and one really great way to research for this is actually searching in French and using Google Translate to read some French language blogs because that way you get to see where French people choose to Vacation which is a really great way to kind of find other places that might be a bit off your radar now in terms of when to go I really do think that every season has something to offer in France but July and August are generally speaking months to avoid just because that's when crowds and prices are at their highest August also tends to be the month that French people go on vacation and so oftentimes in smaller towns you'll find a lot of the businesses straight up aren't open because people are out for their own holidays now another important thing is before you go make sure you learn some basic French not just because it's polite to learn the local language but really they treat you a lot nicer if you make an effort so don't just assume people speak English even though a lot of them can speak it especially in the major cities definitely make an effort to learn some French lastly be sure to research some French Norms before your trip I'm going to be summarizing those in a bit but really I feel like the whole stereotype of French people being rude kind of comes from the fact that the Norms are just different in France and when visitors come and they're not used to those Norms people in France are steadfast in maintaining those norms and aren't really going to be flexible at all but in all fairness when you are a visitor it really is up to you to kind of adjust to the culture of the country that you're visiting so needless to say when you're in France things are done the French way so you should really learn to adapt to that and not try to compare everything to the way that things are done at home so some examples of this are being okay with the fact that queuing and waiting your turn isn't really a thing in France or the fact that the customer is definitely not always right or the fact that service is going to take a little bit longer than you used to back home now on that note why don't we tackle some culture and etiquette tips for friends now first again remember that France is more than just Paris and So within this country you're going to find a lot of linguistic and cultural variety within different regions and so when you're researching things to do or cultural norms make sure you're researching for your specific destination rather than painting French culture in Broad Strokes Brittany for instance is very different from the Basque Country which is very different from El Zas which is very different from Paris and all of these are very different to all the different French stereotypes you might have heard so just remember that France is very diverse in and of itself another very important tip is to make sure you're greeting people when you walk into different establishments like restaurants cafes or shops they consider it incredibly rude when you don't greet them how do you know what to say well if it's during the day if it's before 6 PM you say bonjour or good day and if you're going in the evening after 6 PM then it's bonsoir which is kind of like good evening if you don't do this they consider that incredibly rude so remember to do it and also remember to stay messy on your way out another important thing to keep in mind is to not assume that people speak English and to always double check with them by saying like because if you don't do that then they get really mad because they hate when people assume they can speak English and they find that very rude so make sure you double check now another tip is to keep your voice down I think one of the number one pet peeves among French locals with Taurus is that North American tourists specifically can be super loud so make sure that you're kind of checking the room reading in the room seeing what the situation is if everybody's speaking in a hushed way then try to lower the volume of your voice if nobody is speaking at all like on the train or something then maybe try to not speak at all and if you find yourself in a position where you're meeting friends or you're meeting new friends and you're being introduced then know that the standard greeting isn't a hug or a handshake it's actually something called Lobby's which is like a fake kiss on each cheek and if you're not used to kisses this can be quite jarring but just know that this is completely normal and it's not a real kiss you're not actually planting kisses on their cheeks you're just kind of like putting your faces close together and making the sound now in terms of what to wear contrary to popular belief and what you might see from Fashion bloggers or Emily in Paris not all French people are maximalist fashionistas who are dressed to the nines every single day in fact most of them prefer casual dress that said it is important to note that casual dress in France is very different to what you might see in terms of casual dress in North America so for them casual just means like simple understated Basics usually neutral tones things that kind of give off an effortlessly Chic Vibe something that you should really avoid if you're trying to emulate that low is any athleisure or athletic wear unless you're doing sports is not super common in France so if you want to blend in a bit more try to not dress sporty try to dress in an elevated sort of casual way instead and lastly don't take it personally if you do feel like someone is being rude to you odds are it's not a personal attack they're mean to each other even and so it's not really a big deal don't let it ruin your trip because at the end of the day your vacation is supposed to be fun right so don't let any rudeness ruin your trip just know it's probably not personal all right now let's dive deep into getting around France once you're there so in terms of getting around public transport works really well if you're visiting larger cities or towns but if you're looking to visit smaller Villages going to some more naturey spots or visiting Chateau or whatever it might make sense to actually rent a car because it's tough to get to those with public transport now if you do rent a car you should know that French tolls tend to be quite expensive and in general renting a car is quite pricey as well so this isn't going to be the most cost effective option but it is of course the most flexible for train travel the national rail company is known as sncf and the crown jewel of their offerings is the tgv which is of course the high-speed train that brings you across the country to many different destinations at an alarming speed there's also Intercity trains and ter trains which service regional and local routes now booking in advance is definitely the best way to ensure you get a good deal this is also important because on all tgv trains it's actually mandatory to have a reservation so it is possible for these trains to actually sell out which sometimes they do during peak season so booking in advance is definitely very important in that case but if you have flexibility what you can do is you can hop on the sncf connect website and on there they actually have a flexible price calendar which can help you identify the cheapest dates to travel now if you're on a budget another really great thing to look into is the Wego trains these are like budget versions of the tgv trains which are still just as fast but they have a little bit less Frills in terms of the fanciness of the trains you also have to pay for extras like bringing on additional bags and things like that but if you book early enough you can find some really good deals through here in any case you can download The sncf Connect app and through there you can find different timetables and also buy your tickets directly through the app which I think is a lot easier than waiting to buy it at the station just because on the app everything's in English and when you buy it in advance and have it it's just a lot simpler now besides trains if you are traveling shorter distances another potential option is buses or coaches this is another great way to get around the country and there's a few different companies that do it you've got flixbus your lines and we bus of course it's not going to be the most comfortable and you are subject to traffic but it can be a much more budget-friendly option if you're not sure you're kind of torn between the different options one really great website or app to check out is called omeo and with it you can type type in point a and point B and then it'll show you all the different buses trains and flights and then that way you can compare and see which one makes the most sense now on that note your last option getting from City to city is of course to fly and within France there's actually over 30 different airports so a lot of them are serviced by budget Airlines which means there tend to be actually quite a few cheap flights if you book far enough in advance so be sure to look into that as well all right now let's tackle some food and drink tips for friends the first is to sample Regional Specialties I feel like I've said this a lot but not all of France is the same there's a lot of different Regional variations and the same applies for food as well so I think in North America we kind of have an image of what we think French food is so we all know about escargot we all know about French onion soup and all the pastries and stuff but really that's just barely scraping the surface of what French cuisine really is French cuisine can be very complex and it can vary a lot depending on the region so just know that when you're going to a destination you should be researching specifically the regional Specialties and trying those instead of just latching onto what you think French food is based on what you've read or heard and of course make sure you're trying some of the local cheeses as well in France it's very common to actually have a cheese course after your main course there's a common misconception that this means French people eat cheese for dessert that's not actually true usually dessert comes after the cheese course but most of the time people just don't have room for it so keep that in mind if you want to try cheese don't have it as an appetizer they consider it to be too heavy and Rich for an appetizer have it after your main course now another important thing to know is a lot of the French words related to food that we know of actually sometimes have a different meaning in France so one example is menu for us a menu is like a list of dishes that you can order from a restaurant in France it can mean this but it can also mean a combo so especially at fast food restaurants for instance you'll often find that there's like a menu for a set price and basically what that means is it's a combo so you'll usually be able to get like a side a Mane a drink or something for one set price and that's the menu That's the combo another word for paper menus or whatever is like out now another confusing one is the word entree or Entre so in North America the entree is actually the main course of the meal but in France the entree or the Entre is actually the appetizer or the starter so don't get those mixed up in France the main course is known as the pla plensipal now let's run through some basic tips for dining out in France the first is to definitely make reservations if you have a restaurant that you have your heart set on make sure you make a booking in advance because especially on weekends they don't really save tables for walk-ins so reserving is a must second when you arrive make sure you're not seating yourself this is definitely a one-way ticket to rage town because they hate when you see yourselves the hosts are there for a reason so definitely just wait at the front and wait for them to see you and then once you order definitely don't expect the server to constantly come back and check on you they don't tend to do that there the service tends to be slower and also not as attentive because for them they actually consider it rude to be interrupting you during your meal so if you ever need a server be sure to flag them down because they're not coming back and this also applies for when you want the bill you need to flag them down they're not going to bring it automatically to you so keep that in mind of course when dining outed friends the costs can add up and this is definitely one of the major things that's going to blow your budget so if you're looking for some more affordable ways to dine out when in friends here are some tricks so first is to splurge at lunch more so than dinner oftentimes restaurants will have a prefix menu which includes you know a few different courses and maybe a glass of wine or something for a set price this is a great way to dine like a king dine like royalty for a cheaper price and so I would definitely recommend splurging at lunch over dinner next if you want to get some free water when you're in restaurants make sure you ask for rather than a bottle of water or anything else because if you just ask for water oftentimes they're going to assume that it's a bottled water so definitely don't do that because it can get really expensive otherwise besides restaurants there's a lot of great options I mean you can definitely just go to boulangerie all day and Gorge yourself on pastries and get full that way that's a really fun and delicious way to fill up without going to a restaurant all the time the same thing goes for different markets and supermarkets I mean you can go to a farmer's market and grab lots of fresh produce and have a picnic and that's a really lovely way to enjoy a meal rather than spending all your money at a restaurant now last little tip on the dining front as romantic as it sounds to be dining on a Terrace just know that the Terrace is often a place where people will love to eat and smoke at the same time and so if that is something that tends to ruin your appetite just keep that in mind and try to get seated indoors because on the Terrace you're going to have cigarette smoke for sure all right now in terms of sightseeing and attractions here are just a few quick tips first know that the first Sunday of the month in France means free entry to a lot of different museums I know a lot of people know this about Paris already but this is actually something that applies Nationwide so be sure to look into that if there's any museums that you're really interested in see if they have any free days that you can take advantage of another is to book tickets in advance whenever possible this is especially true during peak season places can sell out and it's better to just have a ticket in advance especially if it's a skip the line one because time is definitely money lastly if you plan to do many paid attractions during your visit make sure you look into whether or not the destination that you're visiting has some kind of sightseeing pass or card oftentimes they will have this card that you can buy that gives you access to everything for a set price which is often something that'll save you a ton of money if you're planning on going to these attractions anyway all right almost there let's address some final must knows for once you arrive in France so first off beware of strikes I know that this is a very common stereotype but unfortunately it is true the French do love to strike and sometimes this can have repercussions for your trip whether it's your mode of Transport is striking that day so you can't take it or the monument that you wanted to see is closed because of a strike and so just know that sometimes things won't go completely according to plan when you go there but you need to adopt go with the flow attitude because at the end of the day there's not much you can do to really plan around this there is a website called which kind of keeps track of different strikes as they're announced but of course if you're coming from overseas odds are you're not really going to be able to accommodate these strikes because they don't really announce them that far in advance but just keep that in mind be sure to check it maybe before or during your trip just so you know what to expect another important thing is to bring cash so a lot of places will accept card these days but you'll still need cash for smaller purchases so definitely have some on hand it's also important to have some coins because public toilets in France actually do require you to pay usually the fee is about like 30 cents or sometimes up to a Euro or a Euro 50. so just make sure you have coins on you even if you're going to clubs and bars sometimes as a bathroom attendant and it's expected that you tip them as well so yeah having coins is definitely a must another tip is to carry ID with you at all times so according to French law it actually is a legal requirement that all foreigners have a piece of ID on them at all time so whether that's your passport or the national identity card you should definitely make sure you have ID I've personally never been asked for this but it's good to have on hand just in case because they will sometimes ask to see it and if they do then it's a legal requirement for you to have it another thing to prepare for is Sundays so in France Sundays are considered a day of rest so oftentimes shops will be closed on that day so if you need to do any shopping make sure you don't do it on Sunday and last but not least make sure you are prepared for pickpockets so the unfortunate truth is in front especially in busy tourist areas there are quite a few pickpockets I have a full video all about how to avoid them so be sure to watch that for the full scoop but generally speaking in France a few things to be mindful of is just keeping your distance keeping your space and also keeping an eye on your belongings at all times never leave a bag hanging on a chair or a phone left on a table anywhere it's easy to grab because most of the time pickpockets are of course thriving on distraction and also opportunity so make sure that you never have your valuables just kind of out and about and also be aware of certain scams like in France some common ones include petitions so if there's ever a group of young girls that come up to you with a petition odds are that's a scam don't sign it just keep walking and if anyone tries to give you anything for free like a rose or a friendship bracelet those are not free they're going to demand money for it after so just be aware of these scams and you'll be fine alright thank you so much for watching I hope you found those tips helpful if you want more practical travel videos just like this one be sure to like And subscribe for more and I'll see you guys next week bye

Channel: Happy to Wander

Views: 39,062

Keywords: France Travel Tips, France Travel, Europe Travel, French Etiquette, French Culture

Id: 7uLXIr6KISo

Length: 15min 0sec (900 seconds)

Published: Thu Jun 29 2023