Francija - France

COVID-19 informacije: Metropolitanska Francija je zaključila drugo zaklepanje, vendar pa policijska ura velja od 18:00 do 06:00. Čeprav so meje EU / EGP in Združenega kraljestva odprte, so druge meje zaprte za nebistvena potovanja. Trgovine in nekatere storitve so odprte, restavracije in nekateri prostori za prosti čas pa so do nadaljnjega zaprti. Vsi potniki, ki prispejo v Francijo zunaj EU, bodo morali v 72 urah po prihodu predložiti negativni test PCR, sicer pa se boste morali ob prihodu testirati. Če morate med policijsko uro iti zaradi kakršnega koli bistvenega namena, vi mora izpolnite in predstavite potrdilo o oprostitvi. To lahko ustvarite tudi prek Aplikacija TousAntiCovid na napravah Android in iOS (v angleščini in francoščini) oz na spletu (Samo v francoščini). Če ne upoštevate teh pravil in / ali ne pokažete izpolnjenega potrdila, bo treba plačati kazen v višini 135 EUR. Glej uradna stran za najnovejše informacije.

(Podatki so bili nazadnje posodobljeni 19. mar. 2021)

Francija je država, s katero je povezan skoraj vsak popotnik. Mnogi sanjajo o njej joie de vivre kažejo nešteto kavarn, slikovite vasice, in svetovno znan gastronomija. Nekateri pridejo po sled velikih francoskih filozofov, pisateljev in umetnikov ali pa se potopijo v čudovit jezik, ki ga je dala svetu. Druge še vedno privlači geografska raznolikost države z dolgimi obalnimi črtami, ogromnimi gorskimi verigami in čudovitimi pogledi na kmetijska zemljišča.

Francija je bila več kot dvajset let najbolj obiskana država na svetu. Leta 2018 je prejel 89 milijonov obiskovalcev. Vsi ti ljudje v Francijo prihajajo iz več razlogov: v njenih mestih je nekaj največjih zakladov na celini, njeno podeželje je uspešno in urejeno, ponaša pa se z več desetimi turističnimi znamenitostmi, vključno z Najbolj priljubljena v Evropi, Disneyland Pariz. Francija je ena od geografsko najbolj raznolikih evropskih držav, ki vsebuje območja, ki se med seboj razlikujejo kot mestni šik Pariz, sončno Francoska riviera, vetrovne atlantske plaže, zasnežena letovišča Francoske Alpe, renesančni dvorci iz Dolina Loare, krepak Kelt Bretanja in zgodovinske sanje, ki so Normandija.

Država, znana po bogatih čustvih, burni politiki, racionalnem razmišljanju in razsvetljenskih zakladih; karkoli želite od počitnic, boste to našli v Franciji.

Regije

Čeprav je bila v glavnem mišljena kot evropska država, je Francoska republika (République française) je sestavljen iz več ozemelj po vsem svetu.

Metropolitanska Francija

"Metropolitan France" obsega 12 upravnih regij (francosko: regije) na celini in Korziki ali z drugimi besedami na celotnem francoskem ozemlju v Evropi. Te se razlikujejo od čezmorskih ozemelj države na drugih celinah, o čemer govori spodaj. 96 oddelkov (oddelki) so naslednja stopnja upravne delitve, od katerih sta dve tretjini poimenovani po reki, večina drugih pa po drugih naravnih posebnostih, kot sta gora ali morje.

Francija - Barvno kodiran zemljevid

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Dom francoskega smučanja, velike vulkanske regije in francoske kulinarične prestolnice, Lyon.

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Toni srednjeveške zgodovine, prijetne naravne pokrajine in Vinsko vino.

Bretanja Razgiban zahodni polotok, dom Keltov, kromljehov in krep

Center-Val de Loire Večinoma kmetijska in vinogradniška regija z rečnimi dolinami, dvorci in zgodovinskimi mesti ob Loire.

Korzika Napoleonovo rojstno mesto je subtropski otok v Sredozemlju pod italijanskim vplivom.

Grand Est Regija, kjer se je širša evropska in zlasti germanska kultura združila s francosko, kar je dalo zanimive rezultate.

Hauts-de-France Regija, kjer so svetovne vojne ter vzpon in padec težke industrije pustile veliko brazgotin.

Île-de-France Gosto naseljeno velemesto Parizin bogato okolico.

Normandija Nekatere najbolj znane francoske znamenitosti, vključno z Mont Saint-Michel, D-Day plaže in doma Claudea Moneta.

Nouvelle-Akvitanija Največja francoska regija, ki jo bolj opredeljujejo očarljivi kontrasti kot pa koherentna celota.

Occitanie Proti jugu, kjer je Pireneji razliti v Mediteransko morje.

Loire de la Loire Spodnji Dolina Loare in Vandejska na atlantski obali.

Provansa-Alpe-Azurna obala Neizpustljivo Francoska riviera, Marseille, Avignon, in Camargue.

Prekomorska Francija

Francoske posesti po vsem svetu (kliknite za povečavo)

Beyond Metropolitan France, znan tudi kot Jaz sem šesterokotnik za svojo obliko obstaja pet čezmorskih departmajev (départements d'outre-mer - DOMs), vsaka enaka sestavni del Francije kot kateri koli drugi oddelek: Francoska Gvajana v Južna Amerika, Guadeloupe in Martinik v Karibi, in Mayotte in Reunion med Vzhodnoafriški otoki.

Poleg tega ima Francija šest organiziranih čezmorskih ozemelj (teritorij d'outre mer - TOMs) -Francoska Polinezija, Nova Kaledonija, Sveti Barthélemy, Sveti Martin, Saint Pierre in Miquelon in Wallis in Futuna—In nekateri oddaljeni, nenaseljeni otoki kot naravni rezervati, vključno Otok Clipperton in Francoske južne in antarktične dežele. Kljub temu, da so upravno del Francije, te enote tukaj niso podrobneje opisane, temveč v svojih člankih.

Zaradi številnih čezmorskih departmajev in ozemelj, razpršenih po vsem svetu, se Francija dejansko razteza dvanajst časovni pasovi - to je več kot katera koli druga država. Tako je Francija in njena ozemlja skupaj z Britanijo in njenimi čezmorskimi ozemlji druga entiteta na svetu, za katero bi lahko rekli, da sonce nikoli ne zaide. Vendar vsa metropolitanska Francija uporablja srednjeevropski čas (pozimi UTC 01:00, poleti UTC 02:00).

Mesta

Francija ima številna mesta, ki zanimajo popotnike; spodaj je seznam devet najpomembnejših:

• 48.85672.35081 Pariz - "Mesto svetlobe", ljubezen in Eifflov stolp.
• 44.84-0.582 Bordeaux - mesto vina, tradicionalni kamniti dvorci in pametne terase
• 43.70347.26633 Lepo - srce francoske riviere s svetovno znano promenado ob plaži in izhodom v majhen narod države Monako
• 50.62783.05834 Lille - dinamično severno mesto, znano po čudovitem središču in aktivnem kulturnem življenju
• 45.764.845 Lyon - Francoska gastronomska prestolnica z zgodovino od rimskih časov do upora
• 43.29645.376 Marseille - Francosko drugo svetovljansko mesto, znano po sredozemskem pristanišču kalankein morski sadeži
• 47.2181-1.55287 Nantes - zeleno in zelo primerno za življenje mesto, znano po Julesu Vernu, pomorščakih in bretonski kulturi
• 48.587.758 Strasbourga - čudovito zgodovinsko središče, obdano s kanali, in dom številnih evropskih institucij
• 43.60451.4449 Toulouse - "Pink City" je znano po svoji prepoznavni opečni arhitekturi in živahnem južnem ozračju

Kraj Bellecour v Lyonu

Druge destinacije

• 43.5333334.51 Camargue - ena največjih evropskih delt in mokrišč z močno provansalsko kulturo bikoborb in kavbojev.
• 48.8687192.78182 Disneyland Pariz - najbolj obiskana atrakcija v Evropi, Magic Kingdom ima celo svoje vozlišče TGV.
• 45.8336116.8653 Francoske Alpe - dom najvišje gore v zahodni Evropi, Mont Blanc, to je najpomembnejša smučarska država.
• 43.3656.8497224 Francoska riviera (Francosko: Azurna obala "Azurna obala") - Glamurozna sredozemska obala z obmorskimi letovišči višjega razreda, jahtami in zvezdami za sončenje.
• 47.3988890.7027785 Dolina Loare - svetovno znana rečna dolina, najbolj znana po svojih vinih in renesančnih dvorcih.
• 43.7961115.2238896 Luberon - stereotipna Provansa slikovitih vasi, joie de vivre in vino.
• 48.636-1.51147 Mont Saint Michel - samostan in mesto, zgrajeno na drobnem izrastku kamenja v pesku, ki je ob plimi odrezano od celine.
• 43.7377786.3638898 Soteska Verdon - čudovit turkizno-zelen rečni kanjon, odličen za kajakaštvo, pohodništvo, plezanje ali samo vožnjo po apnenčastih pečinah.

Razumeti

Kapital	Pariz
Valuta	euro (EUR)
Prebivalstvo	66,6 milijona (2016)
Elektrika	230 voltov / 50 herc in 400 voltov / 50 herc (Europlug, tip E)
Koda države	33
Časovni pas	UTC 01:00
Nujne primere	112, 15 (nujna medicinska pomoč), 17 (policija), 18 (gasilci), 114 (skupnost gluhih)
Vozna stran	prav
uredi na Wikidata

Podnebje in teren

Reka Rhone

Francija je geografsko raznolika država in ima zaradi svoje velikosti presenetljive podnebne razlike. Praviloma gre podnebje od hladnejšega do toplejšega v smeri sever-jug in vlažnejšega do bolj suhega od zahoda proti vzhodu. Večina države doživlja zmerne zime in topla ter pogosto vlažna poletja, kar še posebej velja za Pariz in Dolina Loare. Na severu in severozahodu trajajo blage, mokre zime in hladna poletja (Bretanja, Normandija, Hauts-de-France), kjer je celotno podnebje podobno podnebju južne Anglije. Ob vzhodni meji (Grand-Est), obstaja celinsko podnebje s hladnimi do hladnimi zimami in vročimi poletji. The Dolina Rhone diplomantov s tega na toplejši jug, čeprav ima celotna regija močan, hladen, suh severni do severozahodni veter, znan kot maestral. Sredozemlje (Occitanie, Provansa-Alpe-Azurna obala, Korzika) vse leto uživa v kratkih, blagih zimah in dolgih, vročih poletjih z visokimi sončnimi urami. Jugozahod (Nouvelle-Akvitanija, Occitanie) ima podobno vroča poletja, pozimi pa veliko dežja, na kar vplivajo Atlantik in gore. Pričakujte hladne zime z veliko snega v gorskih regijah: Alpah, Pirenejih in Auvergne. Vendar so včasih zime lahko blage in lastniki podjetij, ki se zanašajo na letni razcvet zimskih športov, upajo, da strmijo v nebo.

Večino osrednje, zahodne in severne Francije sestavljajo ravne ravnice ali nežno valjani griči, obdani s številnimi dolgimi rečnimi dolinami. Zaradi velikega prostora preproste zemlje skupaj s prekleto skoraj popolnim podnebjem je francosko kmetijstvo tako bogato in produktivno. Preostali del države je gorata, z jugovzhodno Alpe in jugozahodno Pireneji med najvišjimi območji zahodne Evrope. Manjši obsegi vključujejo Vogezi in Jura na vzhodu in osrednji masiv na sredini juga. Koncept terroir je izjemno pomembna za francoske kmete in vinogradnike ter prikazuje, kako podnebje, vrsta tal in teren določenega območja vplivajo na okus ali značaj pridelka.

Francijo lahko obiščete kadar koli v letu, seveda pa se nekatere regije posvetijo določenim letnim časom (npr. Alpe pozimi, Pariz spomladi), vendar na splošno pomlad in jesen ponujata idealno mešanico dostojnega vremena v večini let. države in mirnejša turistična sezona. Poletje je toplo in sončno v večini Francije in popotnika pogosto privabi veliko prireditev, pa naj gre za lokalne festivale, sezono koncertov na prostem ali letne državne praznike 14. julija. Vendar popotnikom svetujemo, naj se izogibajo avgustu, saj takrat na videz celotno prebivalstvo Francije vzpne palice in se odpravi proti jugu le prosta delovna mesta. To je najbolj obremenjen letni čas za prevoz, s samedi noir (črna sobota; prvi v mesecu), ki pogosto vidi do 1000 km zastojev po cestnem omrežju. Še več, veliko lokalnih podjetij boste našli, zlasti na podeželju, in ne glede na to, ali so na tem območju poletni obiskovalci, zaprti ves mesec. V odsotnosti domačinov se ostanki tujih turistov vrtijo po glavnih znamenitostih in mestih v državi, zlasti pa Pariz lahko opazi, da cene sob naraščajo.

Prazniki

Na francoske državne praznike vplivajo pomembni katoliški prazniki, z izjemo velikega petka, ki je opazen le v Španiji Alzacija. Večina jih pade na različne datume, odvisno od leta. Ta seznam najbolj pomembno vključuje veliko noč (Pâques), ki ima v nedeljo in ponedeljek praznik. Marijino vnebovzetje v nebesa (Vnebovzetje) vedno pade na 15. avgust, na dan vseh svetih (Toussaint) 1. novembra in božič (Noël) 25. decembra. Drugi prazniki vključujejo novo leto (Nouvel An / Jour de l'an, 1. januarja), maj (Fête du Travail, 1. maja), dan zmage (8 mai, 8. maja), Dan Bastilje (Fête nationale, 14. julija) in Dan premirja (Jour du Souvenir / Jour de l'Armistice, 11. novembra). Tako kot nekatere sosede (zlasti Španija in Nemčija) ima tudi Francija obsežen koledar lokalnih praznikov in svetniških dni, vendar jih podjetja in vlade v nasprotju s temi državami običajno ne upoštevajo.

Priporočljivo je, da vnaprej načrtujete potovalne aranžmaje, zlasti v času francoščine šolske počitnice ki običajno padajo za dva tedna v naslednjih obdobjih: konec oktobra do začetka novembra, božič, velika noč in med prvim majem in dnevom zmage. Poleg tega se šole celotne države prvi petek v juliju odmorijo za poletje in se vrnejo prvi ponedeljek v septembru. V teh dneh in okoli njih so ceste gneče in cene vlakov in letal nenadoma naraščajo. Če se lahko v teh časih izognete potovanjem, to storite.

Zgodovina

Francija je bila naseljena že v obdobju neolitika. Regija Dordogne je še posebej bogata s prazgodovinskimi jamami, nekatere so bile uporabljene kot bivališča, druge pa kot templji z izjemnimi slikami živali in lovcev, kakršne najdemo na Lascaux.

Vzpon in padec Rimskega imperija

Rimske ruševine v Avignonu

Pisna zgodovina se je začela v Franciji z invazijo na ozemlje Ljubljane Rimljani, med 118 in 50 pr. Ozemlje, ki se danes imenuje Francija, je postalo del Ljubljane rimsko cesarstvo, in Gali (ime so Rimljanom dali lokalni Kelti), ki so tam živeli pred rimskimi invazijami, so postali akulturalizirani "galo-Rimljani". Galci so živeli tudi v današnji severni Italiji in kot taka je bila "Gallia Cisalpina" prvo galsko območje, ki je prešlo pod rimsko oblast. Kasneje je območje, ki je zdaj Provansa je prišel pod rimski nadzor pod imenom "Gallia Transalpina" (Galija onkraj Alp) in Julij Cezar je kot guverner te province manipuliral z lokalno politiko med galskimi plemeni tako, da je vodil "obrambno" vojno (guvernerji provinc na lastno pobudo ni smel začeti ofenzivne vojne), ki se je končala z osvojitvijo celotne Galije ter porazom in ujetjem galskega poglavarja in uporniškega vodje Vercingetorixa v bitki pri Aleziji. Caeasar in njegov zaupnik Aulus Hirtius (knjiga 8) sta napisala zbirko knjig o vojni, znano kot De Bello Gallico, preglavico latinskih študentov vseh obdobij, saj je propagandni del hvaljen zaradi jasnega in jedrnatega jezika ter enega redkih starinskih virov, kjer pomembna zgodovinska osebnost piše o svojih dejanjih. Cezar se v knjigi sklicuje na sebe kot tretjo osebo, kar je redko omenjeno na kulturnih upodobitvah, kot je francoski strip Astérix, kjer gre za ponavljajočo se šalo. Cezarjeva dejanja so bila po rimski zakonodaji vprašljiva zakonitost, njegovo slavno prečkanje Rubikona pa je sprožil njegov strah, da bi bil obsojen, če bi v Italijo vstopil brez vojske. Osvajanje Galije je bilo torej ključnega pomena v verigi dogodkov, ki so povzročili padec Rimske republike.

Cesar Klavdij se je rodil v Lugdunumu, zdaj Lyon, najpomembnejše galo-rimsko mesto v tem času. Rimska vladavina v Galiji je bila čas relativnega miru in blaginje, toda med krizo 3. stoletja so lokalni uzurpatorji ustanovili "galsko cesarstvo", ki je v času šibkega centralnega nadzora nadziralo Galijo in dele Germanije. Nekatere zgradbe, ki so jih v tem času zgradili Rimljani, še vedno obstajajo, njihove ceste pa so bile v široki uporabi vse do pojava avtomobila, saj je njihova kakovost daleč presegala srednjeveško gradnjo cest.

Ob padcu Zahodnega rimskega cesarstva v 5. stoletju našega štetja so ostala območja, ki so jih naselili potomci medsebojnih porok med Galo-Rimljani in "barbarskimi" vzhodnjaki (predvsem Franki, pa tudi druga plemena, kot so "Burgonde").

The zapuščina prisotnosti Rima je še vedno viden, zlasti v južnem delu države, kjer se rimski cirkusi še vedno uporabljajo za bikoborbe in rock'n'roll koncerte. Nekatere glavne francoske ceste še vedno potekajo po poteh, ki so jih prvotno vodili pred 2000 leti, urbana organizacija številnih starih mestnih središč pa še vedno prepisuje cardo et decumanus tipična mreža rimskega tabora. Druge glavne zapuščine rimske civilizacije so katoliška cerkev, kodificirani pravni sistem in francoski jezik.

Srednja leta

Poglej tudi: Franki, Kraljevina Francija

Clovis, ki je umrl leta 511, velja za prvega francoskega kralja, čeprav njegovo frankovsko kraljestvo ni segalo veliko dlje od območja sedanje Île-de-France, okoli Pariza. Vendar pa bi se njegov krst v (trinitarno) krščanstvo - v nasprotju z arijanstvom, ki je bilo takrat priljubljeno pri germanskih poglavarjih - izkazal za pomembnega za nadaljnjo zgodovino Evrope. Karel Veliki, ki je bil leta 800 okronan za cesarja novega Zahodnega rimskega cesarstva, je bil prvi močan vladar. Pod njegovo vladavino je združil ozemlja, ki so vključevala Francijo, pa tudi dele današnje Belgije, Nemčije in Italije. Njegova glavna rezidenca je bila Aix-la-Chapelle (zdaj v Nemčiji, znana kot Aachen). Ker je bil skoraj ves čas na poti in je »vladal s sedla«, lahko več krajev štejemo za njegovo »prestolnico« ali »prebivališče«.

V tem obdobju je bila Francija na udaru Vikingi ki so prišli s severa in pluli po rekah gorvodno, da bi oropali mesta in opatije. Z juga so ga napadli tudi muslimani Saraceni, ki so bili ustanovljeni v Španiji. Vikinzi so leta 911 dobili del ozemlja (današnja Normandija) in domačim kmetom hitro naložili fevdalni sistem kmetstva. Saraceni so bili ustavljeni leta 732 ob Poitiers Charles Martel, dedek Karla Velikega in precej grob bojevnik, ki je bil pozneje proslavljen kot narodni heroj.

Začenši s Karlom Velikim je bila ustanovljena nova družba, ki je temeljila na sistemu fevdalizma. Čeprav ga na splošno veljajo za obdobje stagnacije, ga lahko bolj primerno označimo kot obdobje gospodarskega in kulturnega razvoja (glasba in pesmi trubadurjev in truverjev, gradnja romanske in kasneje gotske katedrale), ki ji zaradi recesije sledi recesija. pandemična bolezen in vojne.

Leta 987 je bil Hughes Capet okronan za francoskega kralja; je koren kraljevskih družin, ki bodo kasneje upravljale Kraljevina Francija. Ko so francoski revolucionarji Ludvika XVI. Prisilili k skupnemu imenu, je bil "Hughes" izbran "Louis Capet". Leta 1154 je večina zahodnega dela Francije pod poroko Eleanor iz Akvitanije z angleškim kraljem Henryjem II (grofom Anjoujem, rojenim v mestu Le Mans) prišla pod angleško oblast. Nekateri kralji iz dinastije Plantagenet so še vedno pokopani v Franciji, najbolj znana pa sta Richard I 'Levjesrčje', slavnega Walterja Scotta, in njegov oče Henry II, ki leži v Abbaye de Fontevraud. Boj med angleškim in francoskim kraljem med letoma 1337 in 1435 je znan kot Stoletna vojna, njegova najbolj znana figura pa je Joan of Arc (Jeanne d'Arc), ki zdaj velja za francosko nacionalno junakinjo.

Zgodnji moderni čas

Na začetku šestnajstega stoletja je propad fevdalnega sistema in nastanek Francije kot "moderne" države z mejami razmeroma blizu današnjih meja (čeprav Alzacija, Korzika, Savoja in regija Nice niso še francosko). "Sončni kralj" Ludvik XIV, kralj od 1643 do 1715 (72 let), je bil verjetno najmočnejši monarh svojega časa. Francoski vpliv se je razširil globoko v preostalo Evropo in se celo razširil Rusija; njen jezik se je uporabljal na številnih evropskih sodiščih, postal je mednarodni jezik diplomacije, njegova kultura pa se je izvažala po vsej celini.

V tej dobi in naslednjem stoletju se je razširil tudi svetovni vpliv Francije. Ta kolonialna ekspanzija je sprožila celo vrsto vojn z drugimi kolonialnimi imperiji, predvsem z Anglijo (kasneje Britanijo) in Španijo zaradi nadzora nad Ameriko in Indijo. Medtem je glavni vojaški inženir Vauban nadzoroval gradnjo utrdb okoli francoskih meja, in sicer 12 Utrdbe Vauban jih je UNESCO uvrstil na seznam svetovne dediščine. Francija je na koncu izgubila na obeh frontah (končni poraz je prišel v ZDA) Napoleonove vojne), vendar je francoski vpliv še vedno zelo viden v Louisiana in Quebec (kjer državno / provincialno pravo še vedno temelji na francoskem civilnem pravu in ne na angleškem običajnem pravu).

Doba revolucij

Poglej tudi: Napoleonove vojne, Francosko kolonialno cesarstvo

Napoleonov grob v Dôme des Invalides, Pariz

Francoska revolucija se je začela leta 1789. Kralj Louis XVI in njegova žena Marie Antoinette sta bila aretirana in na koncu usmrčena z giljotino, namesto skoraj 1000 let stare monarhije pa je bila ustanovljena prva francoska republika. Čeprav je bilo to krvavo obdobje, je bilo in ostaja navdih za številne druge osvobodilne boje po vsem svetu. Med revolucijo je Francija prav tako podpisala prvo "deklaracijo človekovih pravic", le nekaj mesecev pred svojim sogovornikom v Združene države. Do danes številne ustave vključujejo izjavo o pravicah, ki vplivajo na ta dokument.

Napoleon Bonaparte je prevzel oblast z državnim udarom in Francijo na koncu obnovil v monarhični sistem, potem ko se je leta 1804 sam okronal za cesarja, vendar je njegova militaristična ambicija, zaradi katere je postal vladar večine zahodne Evrope, njegov propad. Njegov poraz v rokah kraljeve mornarice v bitki pri Trafalgarju leta 1805 je pomenil, da Britancev ni nikoli uspelo zasenčiti kot prevladujoče svetovne pomorske sile. Leta 1815 je Napoleon v bitki pri Ljubljani dočakal svoj zadnji poraz Waterloo (Belgija) z zavezništvom britanskih in Pruski sil, ter je bil ujet in izgnan iz Evrope. V nekaterih vzhodnoevropskih državah ga še vedno častijo, saj so njegove vojske in vlada s seboj prinesle ideje francoskih filozofov.

Francija se je vrnila v monarhijo (najprej obnova Bourbona, nato liberalno kraljestvo pod Louisom Phillipejem, ki se je začelo z revolucijo 1830), dokler nova revolucija leta 1848 ni dovolila, da je bil Napoleonov nečak izvoljen za predsednika in nato postal cesar pod imenom Napoleon III. Konec devetnajstega stoletja je prišlo do industrializacije države in razvoja železnic, pa tudi do zaostrenih vojn s Prusijo in pozneje z Nemčijo.

Vojna 1870, ki je izbruhnila zaradi manjšega nesoglasja glede praznega španskega prestola (a Hohenzollern princa predlagali za dediča, francoska vlada pa je zahtevala, da pruska vlada odločno zavrne v njegovem imenu), kar se je za Francoze izkazalo za pogubno. Slabo pripravljena vojska je bila ujeta, ko so se mobilizirale ne le Prusija, temveč tudi države južne Nemčije, kot je Bavarska, Franciji pa ni nihče priskočil na pomoč. Za dodatno žalitev je bil Napoleon III ujet v zgodnji bitki pri Sedanu in razglašena Tretja republika. Nezadovoljni s tem so Prusi odpeljali naprej, oblegali Pariz (prisilili njegove prebivalce, da so jedli živali iz živalskih vrtov) in zatrli kratkotrajno Pariško komuno. Ko je bila končno podpisana mirovna pogodba, se je Francija morala odpovedati Alzaciji in Loreni, ki sta imeli v delih nemško govoreče prebivalstvo, predvsem pa bogate zaloge železove rude. Poleg tega je bila Francija prisiljena plačati pet milijard frankov zlata, vsoto, ki je bila tako velika, da je od nje še vedno nekaj ostalo, ko je Francija premagala Nemčijo. Prva svetovna vojna štirideset let kasneje.

Medtem ko je bila Tretja republika takrat začasna rešitev in je že v začetku svojega obstoja imela monarhistično večino v državnem zboru, prepiranje med različnimi monarhističnimi frakcijami in zavrnitev njihovega "kompromisnega kandidata", da sprejme zastavo Tricolore kot predpogoj za njegovo kronanje je pripeljalo do tega, da je Republika preživela svojo burno začetno fazo. Republika je preživela tudi afero Dreyfus, v kateri je bil judovski polkovnik lažno obsojen zaradi izdaje pod vojaškim sodiščem in ostro vojaško grajo Emila Zole (J'accuse) in posledična polemika je Francijo pretresla v njeno kulturno in politično jedro. Po prvi svetovni vojni so se, tako kot drugod po Evropi, v medvojnih letih povečevale protidemokratske sile, ki so zahtevale vlado "ljudske fronte" pod vodstvom Léona Bluma, ki je vključevala centristične stranke in komuniste. Tretja republika je propadla šele ob vojaškem porazu Francije v zgodnji fazi druge svetovne vojne in ostaja najdlje živeči režim, ki ga je imela Francija od deponiranja Ludvika XVI. Leta 1792. Sedanja Peta republika bi lahko tretjo republiko po trajanju le presegla do leta 2028 ali več.

20. in 21. stoletje

Leta 1905 sta se ločili Cerkev in država, in sicer na pobudo, znano kot laïcité ("sekularizem") kot odgovor na afero Dreyfus. To je bil travmatičen proces, zlasti na podeželju. Od takrat Francija nima ustaljene religije. V skladu s politiko "ne sprašuj, ne povej" zakon francoskim študentom in javnim uslužbencem prepoveduje prikazovanje kakršnih koli znakov, ki izrecno kažejo njihovo vero, v šoli ali na delovnem mestu. Ta politika velja za nošenje krščanskih križev in judovskih kip, uporabljala pa se je tudi za muslimanski hidžab. V začetku 21. stoletja so bili statistični podatki o obiskovanju cerkve in verovanju v Boga med najnižjimi v Evropi. In čeprav religija ne igra nobene vloge v politiki, laïcité - kaj natančno pomeni in kako daleč naj bi šlo - počne.

Spomin padlim v obeh svetovnih vojnah, Anemasa

The Prva svetovna vojna (1914 -18) je bilo travmatično obdobje v zgodovini Francije. Kljub zmagi, ki so jo dosegli Francija in njeni zavezniki, je bilo ubitih skoraj 1,7 milijona Francozov, uničena so bila številna mesta in vasi ter veliki deli podeželja. Velik del zloglasne rovovske vojne se je vodil po vzhodni polovici Francije. Francija je bila blizu vojne dvakrat v vojni in v boj se je prepričala le s "čudežno" zaustavitvijo nemškega napredovanja leta 1914 in z maršalom Philippejem Pétainom, ki je zbral čete za bitko pri Verdun leta 1916. Po vojni je Francija prevzela nadzor nad nekdaj nemškimi območji Ljubljane Alzacija in Lorena, pa tudi več nemških kolonij v tujini, in v naslednjem desetletju postala vodilna sila v Evropi.

The Druga svetovna vojna (1939 - 45) je Francija večino vojne zasedla nacistična Nemčija. Ko je bila severna Francija pod neposrednim nemškim nadzorom, jugu pa je vladala marionetna vlada (znana kot režim Vichy, s postavljenim junakom vojne maršalom Pétainom, ki je predstavljal iluzijo kontinuitete), je bilo uvedenih veliko totalitarnih ukrepov, vključno s prisilnim izgonom Judje v koncentracijska taborišča (gl Spomin na holokavst). Režim Vichyja pod Pétainom je bil uradno kolaboracijski z nacisti in temu so sledili številni navadni francoski državljani, nekateri z večjo vnemo kot drugi. Toda z nadaljevanjem vojne je oskrba z osnovnimi potrebščinami zmanjkovala, fašistični ekscesi režima pa so se poslabšali, število civilistov, ki so se aktivno in pasivno upirali, se je znatno povečalo. Leta 1944 je bila Francija po izkrcanju zaveznikov (vključno z izgnanimi francoskimi vojaki in tistimi iz francoskih cesarskih kolonij) v Normandiji in na sredozemski obali osvobojena nemškega nadzora.

Po koncu druge svetovne vojne je Francija preživela obdobje obnove in z razvojem industrije je bila dosežena nova blaginja, ki je od takrat zrasla v drugo največje evropsko gospodarstvo po Nemčiji. Francija in Nemčija sta bili med prvimi članicami pogodb, ki so se sčasoma razvile v Evropsko unijo. V povojnem obdobju je Francija šla skozi boleče procese dekolonializacije v Indokini (glej Indochina Wars) in Alžirijo ter skoraj vse druge posesti izpustil v neodvisnost. Medtem ko se je Francija morala spoprijeti z dejstvom, da je njihov status velike sile preteklost, je bil dosežen nekaj tehnološkega napredka, ki je bil vsaj delno namenjen temu, da svetu pokaže, da je Francija še vedno velika. Naj bo to TGV, francoski vesoljski program ali francoski jedrski program. Po drugi strani pa so se francosko-britanski odnosi, ki so bili v preteklosti tudi v času uradnega zavezništva težki, izboljšali, zlasti s projekti, kot sta predor pod Rokavskim prelivom in skupni projekt Concorde. Ena najvidnejših posledic članstva Francije v EU je bila uvedba evra leta 2002. Zdaj je skupna valuta šestnajstih evropskih držav, ki skupaj sestavljajo „evroobmočje“.

Danes je Francija republika s predsednikom, izvoljenim za petletni mandat (quinquennat). Trenutna ustava tako imenovane Pete republike je bila napisana po razpadu četrte republike po vojni, večinoma po željah Charlesa de Gaulleja. Dosedanji predsednik republike je Emmanuel Macron. Aktualna vprašanja, s katerimi se sooča država, vključujejo nadaljnje vključevanje Francije v EU in sprejetje skupnih standardov za gospodarstvo, obrambo in druga področja.

Elektrika

Elektrika napaja se pri 220 do 230 V 50 Hz. Vtičnice so CEE7 / 5 (štrleči moški ozemljitveni zatič) in sprejmejo CEE 7/5 (ozemljene), CEE 7/7 (ozemljene) ali CEE 7/16 (neutemeljene) vtiče. Starejši nemški tipi CEE 7/4 niso združljivi, saj ne morejo vstaviti ozemljitvenega zatiča, ki ga najdemo na tej vrsti vtičnice. Vendar je večina sodobnih evropskih aparatov opremljena s hibridnim CEE 7/7 vtičem, ki ustreza tako CEE 7/5 (Belgija in Francija) kot CEE 7/4 (Nemčija, Nizozemska, Španija, Švedska in večina Evrope).

Vtiči Popotniki iz Združenega kraljestva, Irske, Avstralije, Nove Zelandije, Danske, Italije, Švice in drugih držav, ki uporabljajo napetosti 230 V 50 Hz in uporabljajo različne vtiče, preprosto potrebujejo adapter za vtič za uporabo svojih naprav v Franciji. Vtični adapterji za vtiče iz ZDA in Velike Britanije so na voljo v trgovinah z elektriko in "naredi sam", kot je Bricorama.

Napetost: Potniki iz ZDA, Kanade, Japonske in drugih držav, ki uporabljajo napetost 110 V 60 Hz, bodo morda potrebovali pretvornik napetosti. Nekateri prenosniki, polnilniki za mobilne telefone in druge naprave lahko sprejmejo 110 V ali 230 V, zato je potreben le preprost vtični adapter. Pred priključitvijo preverite napetostne ploščice na vaših napravah.

Govori

Poglej tudi: Francoski zvezek

Francosko (français) je uradni jezik Francije. Francozi so zelo ponosni na svoj jezik in vsak obiskovalec, ki se niti malo ne potrudi, da bi spregovoril, zamuja pomemben del identitete in kulture države in kar mnogi menijo, da je najlepši jezik v svet.

The following phrases go a long way:

• Excusez-moi, Monsieur/Madame — Excuse me, sir / madam (ehk-SKEW-zay MWAH muh-SYUH/ma-DAHM)
• S'il vous plaît — Please (seel voo PLEH)
• Merci — Thank you (merr-SEE)
• Au revoir — Goodbye (oh ruh-VWAHR)
• Parlez-vous anglais ? — Do you speak English? (par-lay VOO ahng-LEH)

As France is a multicultural society with immigrants from all over the world (particularly from former French colonies), many African languages, Arabic, Chinese dialects (such as Teochew), Vietnamese, Lao, and Khmer are spoken. French is in the Romance family of languages, along with Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, Italian and Romanian, so if you speak any of those languages, you will recognise many cognates, particularly in written form.

Although most French people, including virtually everyone born after 1990, have studied English in school, proficiency has historically been poor, with only a small minority being conversant in it. With that said, things have changed dramatically since the late 2000s. You can now expect major hotels and tourist attractions to have staff who speak basic English and other foreign languages (German and Spanish being the most common). Furthermore, the younger generation of French (especially those in larger urban areas) is far more proficient in English than their elders.

When approaching the locals, always be sure to begin the conversation in French, as assuming that a foreign language will be spoken is considered to be very rude. The French understand that their language is a challenging one for foreigners to learn, but generally react well to even clumsy, but sincere, attempts to speak their language, and will feel much more inclined to respond using whatever English they know if they judge you to have made an effort.

Foreign shows and movies usually come in two formats: VF (version française), dubbed in French, and VO (version originale) or VOSTFR (version originale sous-titrée en français), original audio with French subtitles.

The standard sign language is French Sign Language, locally known by its native initialism LSF (langue des signes française). Whenever an interpreter is present at a public event, he or she will use LSF. It's partially mutually intelligible with American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language, and Irish Sign Language. However, it's not mutually intelligible at all with British Sign Language, Auslan, or New Zealand Sign Language.

Vstopi

Entry requirements

The French impressionist painter Claude Monet's house in Giverny, Normandy, Northern France

France is a member of the Schengenski sporazum.

• Običajno ni mejnih kontrol med državami, ki so podpisale in izvajale pogodbo. Sem spada večina Evropske unije in nekaj drugih držav.
• Običajno se preverijo identiteta pred vkrcanjem na mednarodne lete ali čolne. Včasih obstajajo začasne mejne kontrole na kopenskih mejah.
• Prav tako a vizum podeljena za katero koli schengensko članico, velja v vseh drugih podpisanih državah in izvajala pogodbo.
• Prosim poglej Potovanje po schengenskem območju za več informacij o tem, kako shema deluje, katere države so članice in kakšne so zahteve za vaše državljanstvo.

Citizens of Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Taiwan and Uruguay, as well as British Nationals (Overseas), are permitted to work in France without the need to obtain a visa or any further authorisation for the period of their 90 day visa-free stay. All other visa-exempt nationals are exempt from holding a visa for short-term employment if they possess a valid work permit, with limited exceptions. However, this ability to work visa-free does not necessarily extend to other Schengen countries. For more information, visit this webpage of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign nationals who are ne visa-exempt (e.g. South Africans) must make a 'declaration of entry' (déclaration d'entrée) at a police station or to border inspection personnel if they arrive in France directly from another country of the Schengen Area (e.g. Italija), unless they hold a long-term visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen member state. Their passports will be endorsed by the authorities to prove that such a declaration has been made. This government webpage (in French) provides more information.

If you intend to stay in France for longer than 90 days, regardless of purpose, an advance long-stay visa is nenehno required of non-EEA or non-Swiss citizens. It is almost impossible to switch from a "C" (visitor) entry status to a "D" (long-stay) status from inside France.

As of 2009, certain categories of long-stay visa, such as "visitor" (visiteur), family (vie privée et familiale), "student" (étudiant), "salaried worker" (salarié), and "short-term worker" (travailleur temporaire), do not require persons to obtain a separate residence permit (carte de séjour) for the first year of the stay in France. However, the long-stay visa must be validated by the OFII within three months of entering France. This is done by sending in a form to the OFII received along with the visa with the address of residence in France, completing a medical examination, and attending an introductory meeting to validate the visa. As of 2013, the tax paid to OFII must now be paid at the consulate where the visa is obtained. The validated visa will serve as a residence permit and, likewise, allow travel throughout the other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 6 month period. After the first year, however, and for many other visa categories which state carte de séjour à solliciter dès l'arrivée, a carte de séjour is required. Consult the OFII for more information.

French overseas departments and territories are ne part of the Schengen Area and operate a separate immigration regime to metropolitan France.

Z letalom

Flights to/from Paris

The main international airport, Roissy - Charles de Gaulle (CDG ^IATA), is likely to be your port of entry if you fly into France from outside Europe. CDG is the main intercontinental hub for national airline Air France. AF and the companies forming the SkyTeam Alliance (KLM, Aeroméxico, Alitalia, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air, Saudia) use Terminal 2, as do Oneworld airlines, while most Star Alliance airlines use Terminal 1. A third terminal is used mainly for charter and some low-costs flights. If transferring through CDG (especially between the various terminals) it is important to leave substantial time between flights. Ensure you have no less than one hour between transfers. Add more if you have to change terminals as you will need to clear through security. For transfers within CDG you can use the free train shuttle linking all terminals, train stations, parking lots and hotels in the airport.

Transfers to another flight in France: AF operates domestic flights from CDG too, but a lot of domestic flights, and also some internal European flights, use Orly (ORY ^IATA), the second Paris airport. For transfers to Orly there is a bus link operated by AF (free for AF passengers). The two airports are also linked by a local train (RER) which is slightly less expensive, runs faster but is much more cumbersome to use with heavy luggage.

AF, Corsair, Emirates, Qatar Airways have agreements with SNCF, the national rail company, which operates TGVs services, serving CDG airport (some trains even carry flight numbers). The TGV station is in Terminal 2 and is on the route of the free shuttle. For transfers to the city centre of Paris, see Pariz.

Some low-cost airlines, including Ryanair and Volare, fly to Beauvais airport situated about 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Paris. Buses to Paris are provided by the airlines. Check schedules and fares on their websites.

Flights to/from regional airports

Many airports outside Paris have flights to/from international destinations: among the most served are Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Nice, Toulouse, they have flights to cities in western Europe and North Africa; these airports are hubs to smaller airports in France and may be useful to avoid the transfer between the two Paris airports. Two airports, Basel-Mulhouse and Geneva, are shared by France and Switzerland and can allow entry into either country.

Regional airports in France also have long-haul flights from these cities:

• Dubai: Lyon (Emirates), Nice (Emirates)
• Montreal: Bordeaux (Air Transat), Marseille (Air Transat), Lyon (Air Canada, Air Transat), Nantes (Air Transat), Nice (Air Canada Rouge, Air Transat), Toulouse (Air Transat)
• New York City: Nice (Delta Air Lines)
• Toronto: Marseille (Air Transat)

Moj čoln

The coast at Quiberon, Brittany

France is served by numerous services from England to France:

• P&O Ferries - operate freight and passenger services from Dover do Calais.
• DFDS Seaways - operate freight and passenger services from Dover do Dunkirk.
• LD Lines - operate freight and passenger services from Portsmouth do Le Havre.
• Brittany Ferries - operate freight and passenger services from Portsmouth do Caen, Cherbourg, andSt Malo, from Poole do Cherbourg and from Plymouth do Roscoff.
• Condor Ferries - operate freight and passenger services from Portsmouth do Cherbourg, Poole do St Malo in Weymouth do St Malo.

Prices vary considerably depending on which route you choose. Generally the cheapest route is the short sea route across the English Channel which is Dover do Calais, so it is worth comparing prices before you decide which is the most suitable route to France.

Passengers travelling from Dover by ferry to France go through French passport/identity card checks in the UK before boarding, rather than on arrival in France. Passengers travelling from all other UK ports to France go through French passport/identity card checks on arrival in France.

There are also connections from Ireland to France:

• Brittany Ferries - operate ferry services from Cork do Roscoff
• Celtic Link Ferries - operate ferry services from Rosslare do Cherbourg
• Irish Ferries - operate ferry services from Rosslare do Cherbourg and from Rosslare do Roscoff

Z vlakom

Poglej tudi: Rail travel in France

The French rail company, SNCF, as well as many other companies (sometimes in cooperation with SNCF), provide direct service from most European countries using regular as well as high speed trains.

• TGVs between Paris, Metz and Luxembourg, as well as TGV between Brussels and France (except Paris) are operated by SNCF
• TGVs between Paris, Lille, Calais and Ebbsfleet, Ashford and London in the UK, through the Channel Tunnel (also called Chunnel by some), are operated by Eurostar
• TGVs between Paris, Lille, Belgium, Netherlands and northwest Germany (Cologne, Essen) are operated by Thalys
• High speed trains between France and South Germany (Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich) are operated by Alleo^{[mrtva povezava]}, with either a SNCF TGV or a Deutsche Bahn ICE, and bilingual crew from both countries.
• TGVs between France and Switzerland are operated by Lyria
• TGVs between France and Italy are operated by TGV France Italie
• TGVs between France and Barcelona/Madrid are operated by Elipsos, with either a SNCF TGV or a RENFE AVE, and bilingual crew.
• Night trains between Paris, Dijon and Italy are operated by Thello
• Day trains between Marseille and Milan (via Nice) are operated by Thello as well
• Night trains between Moscow and Paris operated by the russian RZD run weekly, they stop en-route in Belarus (Minsk), Poland (Warsaw, Poznan) and Germany (Berlin, Erfurt)
• Night trains between Moscow and Nice operated by the Russian company RZD run weekly, they stop en-route in Belarus (Minsk), Poland (Warsaw, Katowice), Austria (Vienna, Linz, Innsbruck) and Italy
• Upon reservation, you can take your bike with you in night trains and single-deck TGV's.

Z avtobusom

Poglej tudi: Intercity buses in France, Medkrajevni avtobusi v Nemčiji

Several companies operate between France and the rest of Europe:

• Eurolines
• ouibus
• Megabus
• Flixbus

Z avtom

Several weekends throughout the year in France are known as 'Black Saturday' (Samedi noir) because of the start or end of school holidays and the coinciding traffic jams on French roads caused by thousands of tourists travelling to and from their holiday destinations. When possible it is wise to avoid these days. For traffic reports, see the website of the French traffic service .

Ridesharing, or carpooling, is very popular in France. Websites such as BlaBlaCar allow drivers with empty seats to safely connect with passengers looking for a ride.

Poglej tudi: Driving in France.

From the United Kingdom

In the Channel Tunnel vehicle car

The Channel Tunnel provides a rail / road connection between South East England and France. Shuttle trains operated by Eurotunnel carry vehicles from Folkestone v Kent do Calais (Hauts-de-France) in 35 minutes, though you only spend about 20 minutes in the tunnel itself. Passengers remain with their vehicles for the duration, with trips to the toilet allowed. Fares start at £23 one way and can be booked online months in advance, though it is entirely possible to 'turn up and go' without a reservation, at a cost of course! The terminal on the British side is in Cheriton, 3 mi (4.8 km) outside Folkestone, and directly accessible from junction 11a of the M20 motorway, about 70 mi (110 km) from London. Passengers undergo French passport/identity card and customs checks and British exit checks before departure. On arrival at Calais, you can drive straight on to the A16 (E402) motorway which heads towards Pariz in one direction and Belgium in the other. Mainland Europe drives on the right and uses the metric system for distance and speed limit measures. In the reverse direction, you will go through British passport control in France before driving onto the train.

See the 'By boat' section above for information on car ferries to France from the Združeno kraljestvo in Ireland.

S kolesom

Bicycles may be taken on car ferries and on Eurotunnel shuttle trains. They may also be carried on aeroplanes, though you should consult your airline beforehand: bikes often count as "oversized luggage" and there is sometimes an extra charge to check them in. You may also be asked to partially dismantle your bicycle, but this policy will vary from carrier to carrier. Eurostar allows folding bikes on all its trains, and offers a more restricted service for other bikes, but has quite strict and specific rules that are worth reading up on before you travel.

From London

The adventurous (and fit!) may want to try cycling between two great capitals - London and Paris. The Avenue Verte follows high quality bike trails all the way from the London Eye to Notre Dame, passing through beautiful countryside on both sides of the Channel. Highlights of the 406 km (252 mile) journey include the South Downs' rolling chalk hills, the ferry crossing between Newhaven in Dieppe, and the rich farmland of Normandy. The itinerary is fully signposted all the way, and its accompanying website gives a detailed breakdown of the route, its points of interest and practical information such as places to rest, eat and sleep the night. Count on at least four days in the saddle, depending how fit you are and how you pace yourself. As there is plenty to see and do en route, there's no rush!

By tram

The Strasbourga tram system inaugurated a cross-border link to the German town of Kehl in 2017. There is another cross-border link under construction between Basel in Switzerland and Saint Louis in France. While the German-French border imposes no problems, as both countries are EU members, going to/from Switzerland, you are leaving (or entering) the EU and thus crossing a customs border with the limits on imports that implies and there may be customs checks. However, Switzerland is in the Schengen Area so those with no goods to declare shouldn't worry.

Obiti

Z letalom

The following carriers offer domestic flights within France:

1. Air France has the biggest domestic network in France
2. HOP!, a subsidiary of Air France, operates domestic flights with smaller aircrafts than Air France
3. easyJet, a low-cost airline, has the second biggest domestic network in France
4. Ryanair, an Irish low-cost airline, serves mainly secondary airports
5. Volotea has a network of domestic flights
6. Air Corsica links Corsica with mainland France
7. Twin Jet operates domestic flights with 19-seat Beech 1900D aircrafts
8. Hex'Air operates flights between Paris-Orly and Lourdes, using 19-seat Beech 1900D aircrafts
9. Eastern Airways operates domestic flights between Lyon and Lorient
10. Chalair Aviation has a limited network of domestic flights, using mainly 19-seat Beech 1900D aircrafts
11. Heli Securite (Cannes (Croisette Heliport), Nice (Cote D'Azur Airport))

Z avtom

Poglej tudi:Driving in France

Driving in France

France has a well-developed system of highways. Most of the motorway (autoroute) network is made up of toll roads. Some have a single toll station giving you access to a section, others have entrance and exit toll stations at every junction. Upon entering a tolled section of a road, you must collect an entry ticket from a machine which records the point on the road you started at and ensures you only pay for the distance you travel. Be careful not to lose your entrance ticket or you will be charged for the longest possible distance. All toll stations accept major credit cards although they may not accept foreign credit cards. It is also possible to use the automatic booth, but only if your card is equipped with a special chip.

Roads range from the narrow single-carriageway lanes found in the countryside to major highways. Most towns and cities were built before the general availability of the automobile and thus city centres tend to be unwieldy for cars. Keep this in mind when renting: large cars can be very unwieldy. It often makes sense to just park and then use public transportation.

A French driver flashing headlights is asserting right of way and warning you of intentions and presence. Do not use it to mean thanks. Flashing headlights can also mean, "Watch out as there's a police speed-check ahead of you!" Horns should be used only in legitimate emergencies; use of the horn in urban areas outside such circumstances might win you a traffic ticket. Parisian drivers were notorious for honking their horns at anything and everything, though increased enforcement has greatly reduced this practice.

Don't forget that, in France and the rest of continental Europe, they drive on the right!

Renting a car

Once you arrive in France you may need to use car hire services. Most of the leading companies operate from French airports and it is advisable to book car hire in advance. It is a common experience at smaller French airports to not get the type of car you booked online but an alternative model. Sometimes the alternative model is quite different so check carefully before accepting the vehicle and stand your ground if it does not match your booking request and is not suitable to your needs.

Most cars in France are equipped with standard transmissions (voiture à boîte manuelle / mécanique), a fact that derives equally from the preferences of the driving public and the peculiarities of French licensing laws. Automatic transmissions (voiture à boîte automatique) are generally only used by the elderly or those with physical disabilities. This extends to vehicle categories that in other countries (read: the US) are virtually never equipped with a manual transmission, such as vans and large sedans. Accordingly, virtually all of the vehicles available for rent at the average car hire will be equipped with a manual gearbox. If you do not know how to drive a car with a manual transmission and don't have the time to learn before your trip, be certain to reserve your rental car well in advance and confirm your reservation. Otherwise, you may find yourself in a car that is much larger than you can afford (or with no car at all).

It is a good tip when travelling in numbers to get one member of the party with hand luggage to go straight through to the car hire desk ahead of everybody else, this will avoid the crush once the main luggage is picked up from the conveyor.

S palcem

France is a good country for hitchhiking. Be patient, prepare yourself for a long wait or walk and in the meantime enjoy the landscape. A ride will come along. People who stop are usually friendly and not dangerous. They will like you more if you speak a little French. They never expect any money for the ride.

Remember that getting out of Paris by thumb is almost impossible. You can try your luck at the portes (city gates), but heavy traffic and limited areas for stopping will try your patience. It's a good idea to take the local train to a nearby suburb as your chance of being picked up will increase dramatically.

Outside Paris, it's advisable to try your luck by roundabouts. As it's illegal to hitchhike on the motorways (autoroutes) and they are well observed by the police, you may try at a motorway junction.

The greatest chance is at toll plazas (stations de péage), some of which require all cars to stop and are thus great places to catch a lift. If you've been waiting for a while with an indication of where to go, drop it and try with your thumb only. You can also try to get a ride to the next good spot in the wrong direction. However, while hitching from a péage is a common practice, it is illegal. French police or highway security, who are normally very tolerant of hitchhikers, may stop and force you to leave. You can get free maps in the toll offices - these also indicate where you can find the "all-stop-Péage".

By shared ride

Blablacar has a quasi-monopoly in France, but it is still a convenient, economical and efficient way to see the country. Prices for distances are below the ones of the train and buses, about €8-10 per 100 km. Between the largest cities you will find many options, some starting in the centre, others just going by the highway—checkout the exact meeting point before committing to a booking. BlaBlaCar has a rating system and the rides are very reliable.

Z vlakom

Main article: Rail travel in France

A TGV crossing the Cize-Bolozon viaduct over the Ain river

Trains are a great way to get around in France. You can get from pretty much anywhere to anywhere else by train. For long distances, use the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, ali High-speed train) on which reservations are obligatory. But if you have time, take the slow train and enjoy the scenery. The landscape is part of what makes France one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Like many things in France, the TGV network is focused on Paris to an almost ridiculous degree, and you may be out of luck when searching for a fast connection between secondary cities. Quite often a considerable detour via the Paris region can be faster than the direct train would be. Usually, if you need to change trains, you can do so at one of three out of town TGV stations: Massy, Marne-la-Vallée ali Charles de Gaulle Airport, which are on a connection line linking the northern, eastern, south-eastern and south-western high-speed lines, but it is still sometimes necessary to change in central Paris. However, the capital has several terminus stations, which are not linked by mainline rail, so you'll likely have to use the RER or metro to transfer from one train to another.

The French national railway network is managed by SNCF Réseaux, a branch of the nationalised company SNCF (Société nationale des chemins de fer français). The SNCF is the butt of jokes about delays and industrial action, but it actually offers a reliable, punctual service on the two days a year there are no strikes on.

For regional trains, schedules can be found at ter.sncf.com (choose your region, then "Carte and horaires" for maps and timetables). Booking is available in two classes: première classe (first class) is less crowded and more comfortable but can also be about 50% more expensive than deuxième classe (second class).

The SNCF website Gares & Connexions provides live train schedules, keeping you informed about platform numbers and delays. This information is also available on smartphones via the free application SNCF.

There are a number of different kinds of high speed and normal trains:

• TER (Train Express Régional): Regional trains form the backbone of the SNCF system. TER are sometimes slower but do serve most stations. Available on Eurail in InterRail passes.
• Intercités
• TGV (Trains à Grande Vitesse): The world-famous French high-speed trains run several times a day from Paris to the south-east Nice (5-6h), Marseille (3h) and Avignon (2.5 h), the east Geneva (3h) or Lausanne, Switzerland in Dijon (1h15), the south-west Bordeaux (3h), the west Rennes (2h), Nantes (2h), Brest (4h) and the north Lille (1h). Eurostar to London (2h15) and Thalys to Brussels (1h20) use almost identical trains. Reservations are compulsory.
• Night train services (Intercités de Nuit) include couchettes second class (6 bunk beds in a compartment), first class (4 bunks) and reclining seats. You can ask for a "private room" (in first class). Night trains have been gradually phased out, and there were only a handful of them still in service in 2015.

Booking online

Booking tickets online can be quite a confusing process: SNCF does not sell tickets online by itself, and it is possible to book the same journey through a number of different travel agencies websites (in different languages and currencies). The fares for journeys inside France are the same with every travel agency.

• Voyages-sncf.com French language booking website by Expedia and the SNCF. It can get sometimes confusing, and is known to hardly work when you try to buy a ticket from abroad or with a non-French credit card. Be careful: you will need the credit card that has been used for payment to retrieve your tickets from the ticket machines. If you don't have it, your tickets will be lost, and you will need to buy new tickets.
• Trainline French, English, German, Spanish and Italian language booking website. It aims to be as easy to use as possible. Unlike "Voyages SNCF", you don't need your credit card to retrieve the tickets, only the reservation number and the last name entered for reservation. You can pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Paypal. Tickets can be printed or downloaded on your mobile phone or Apple watch or Android watch.
• RailEurope are booking agencies owned by the SNCF. Fares will often be more expensive on these sites than on the "official" sites, but they are generally easier to use than the SNCF sites.

Beware: To avoid any form of fraud, your ticket must be punched by an automatic machine ("composteur") before entering the platform area to be valid. The machines are situated at the entrance of all platforms. However, e-Billet electronic tickets do not have to be punched: in doubt, punch it anyway, you won't be fined for punching an e-Billet.

French information booths, especially in larger train stations, can be quite unhelpful, especially if you do not understand much French. If something does not seem to make sense, just say "excusez-moi" and they should repeat it.

It is cheaper to book and purchase train tickets, especially those with reservations, in advance.

Z avtobusom

Poglej tudi: Intercity buses in France

There is no single national bus service. Buses used to be limited to local mass transit or departmental/regional service. However, a market liberalization (similar to that in Germany) has meant that long distance buses are now allowed to run everywhere in France and prices can be quite low, especially when booked in advance. However, journey time and comfort tend to be worse than on the train.

The tourist information will often recommend the train before the bus, even though there are often many options to choose from. Be insistent when asking for the bus there, and they will hand you a local long distance bus time table.

On local/city buses always validate your ticket if necessary, especially the card-like tickets with magnet-band.

By bicycle

Main article: Cycling in France

France is not a particularly cyclist-friendly country (unlike, say, the Netherlands), but the situation is improving: more cycle paths are being built and about 40 cities have a bike-sharing system.

Beware of bike thieves. If you have to park your bike in the street, make sure to lock it properly, particularly in larger cities and at night. Avoid using the cable-locks that can be cut within seconds, instead use U-shaped locks, chains or folding locks. Lock your bike to a solid fixed support like a U-Rack. Lock the frame (not only the wheels) and make sure that your wheels cannot be removed without a more-determined thief with tools.

Glej

The cathedral at Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, Northeastern France

If your first thought of France is the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe or the smile on the Mona Lisa, you're thinking of Paris. Paris, the "City of Light" and the capital of romance has been a travellers' magnet for centuries, hosting intellectuals who drank coffee in its lively cafés and dancers and jazz musicians who performed for them in the historic bars and nightclubs of Montmartre. But there is much more to France than Paris. France is full of gorgeous villages in the countryside; there are splendid châteaux, especially in the Loire Valley, and you can also find areas of lavender fields or vineyards as far as the eye can see. It is impossible to cover all of France's sights and attractions, but we present a summary below and more details are in city and region guides.

The French countryside

Some 156 villages have been identified as the most beautiful in France, or "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France". Numerous villages are dotted with medieval villages and castles.

The Alps in Pyrenees, with their many winter sports resorts, possess lush river valleys, dense forests and huge stretches of farmland and vineyards.

The western region of Brittany boasts many megalithic monuments such as those near Carnac.

The beaches of Normandy, also on the Atlantic coast, are famed for the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944. Although the humbling cemeteries and countless museums, memorials and wartime remains keep memory of those dark days alive, the region is now a pleasant and popular destination. Its picturesque coastline includes both long stretches of beach and steep limestone cliffs, such as those near Étretat). The region is also home to the splendid and World Heritage-listed Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay.

The lush hills of the Dordogne are pockmarked with caves, many of which house treasure troves of prehistoric art. The area is also famous for its castles, with over 1,500 of them.

Châteaux

The rolling riverine landscape of the Loire Valley is home to many great châteaux, of which Amboise, Villandry, Azay-le-Rideau, Chambord in Chenonceau are some of the finest examples. The Château d'Angers is also important for the fantastic Tapestries of the Apocalypse, the largest and best preserved series of 14th-century tapestries in the world.

There are also châteaux in Île-de-France, including the famous Château de Versailles, the former royal court of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and Vaux-le-Vicomte, which it was based on. Chantilly, north of Paris, is home to another château which has an excellent art collection.

Houses of worship

Just north of Paris, Saint-Denis is where the first Gothic cathedral was built, and though its style is now eclectic from later additions, it's still well worth visiting. Other famous cathedrals in France include those at Chartres, Reims, Rouen (famously painted in several kinds of light by Monet), Amiens, Bourges, Strasbourga in Sens, and it's well worth your while to emulate centuries of French pilgrims and visitors by visiting these awe-inspiring houses of worship. Notre Dame de Pariz is damaged for now, but you can see the intact Sainte-Chapelle, which though much smaller is comparably lovely. Also worth special note is the tiny town and impressive Romanesque/Gothic cathedral of Vézelay, a traditional point of departure for the Way of St. James to the Spanish Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Though many of France's most famous houses of worship are Medieval, all intervening styles are also represented, and one highlight in Alpes-Maritimes in the south, just outside the centre of the small city of Vence, is the Chapelle du Rosaire des Dominicaines, which was completely designed by the Modernist artist, Henri Matisse.

Art museums

At the Louvre you can see possibly the world's most famous painting...

The grandeur and fame of the Musée du Louvre v Pariz can hardly be matched by any other museum in the world. It boasts a fabulous collection of art from antiquity to the 19th century and is home of the Mona Lisa and many other renowned works.

The Musée d'Orsay is another world class museum that picks up roughly where the Louvre's collections ends. It's in an old railway station and houses the national collection of art works from 1848 to 1914. Its excellent collection includes some of the best French Impressionist, post-Impressionist and Art Nouveau works, including Degas' ballerinas and Monet's water-lilies.

The Musée National d'Art Moderne v Centre Pompidou, still in France's capital, is the largest museum for modern art in Europe.

The Museum of Fine Arts v Lyon has an excellent collection varying from ancient Egypt antiquities to Modern art paintings and sculptures.

In Lille you'll find the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, one of the country's largest museums. Its varied collection is the second largest after the Louvre and boasts everything from antiquities to modern art.

Smaller, but still outstanding, are the collections of the Musée Fabre v Montpellier, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec v Albi in Picasso Museum in Paris. Marseille has many galleries and the Musée Cantini has a good collection of modern art associated with Marseille as well as several works by Picasso. Fondation Maeght houses modern art too and is situated in Saint-Paul de Vence.

Parks & natural attractions

Disneyland Resort Paris is by far France's most popular park, visited by families from all over the world.

Vanoise National Park is the oldest and one of the largest parks, named after the Vanoise massif. Its highest peak is the Grande Casse at 3,855 m.

The impressive natural landscapes of Parc national des Pyrénées are right on the southern border of France and extend well into Španija. The whole area is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. In the French part, the glacial cirques of Gavarnie, Estaubé and Troumouse are some of the best sights, as is the wall of Barroud.

The again mountainous Cévennes National Park covers parts, Occitanie (including the popular Ardèche) and the Auvergene-Rhône-Alpes regions. The park's main offices are in the castle of Florac, but there are towns all over the park. Donkey rides are available and the cave formation of Aven Armand is one of the park's best sights.

Not yet under a protected status, but highly popular, is Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe and attractive for climbing, hiking and skiing. From the French side, it is mostly explored from Chamonix, a well known resort at the foot of the mountain.

Ali

Place du Général de Gaulle, Lille

There's a plethora of activities for the budding traveller to engage in. Some suggestions include the following:

• Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower v Pariz
• Stroll grand Parisian Boulevards
• Climb Montmartre Hill in Pariz
• See the Gothic monuments on the Île de la Cité, in particular the Sainte-Chapelle in Notre-Dame
• See some of the world-famous art in the Louvre, or visit the equally stunning Musée d'Orsay, installed in a former railway terminus
• See the modern architecture in the business district of La Defense
• See the Science Museum in Villette Park, and the other odd attractions assembled there
• Stroll an old train viaduct on the Promenade Plantée in Pariz
• See the stunning, but crowded, Versailles Palace
• Ride the TGV, the train which holds the speed record for a conventional (wheel-on-rails) train, from Pariz do Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourga ali Lille.
• See the "D-Day plaže" of Normandy and their museums
• Climb to the top of Mont Saint Michel
• Explore Chartres Cathedral
• See the quaintness of the Alsace
• Sunbathe on the beaches of the French Riviera
• Climb the Dune du Pilat, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
• See the decorations of Stanislas Square (Place Stanislas) in Nancy

Classical music

Just like in neighbouring Germany, Italy and Austria, France has one of the world's strongest classical music traditions. French composers such as Lully, Rameau, Berlioz, Fauré, Gounod, Debussy, Bizet, Saint-Saëns, Ravel, Massenet, Delibes and Messiaen are generally well-known among classical music circles, and even to some members of the general public. Even if you have never heard of them, chances are you are already familiar with some of their pieces, which are commonly quoted in advertising, film scores and even modern pop music.

Even though Ballet originated during the days of the Italian Renaissance, France played a very important role in the development of the art form, and to this day, many modern-day terms used by ballerinas originate from French. The Paris Opera Ballet is one of the most famous ballet companies in the world, along with the Royal Ballet in London, the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, and the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg. Competition for admission into the Opera Ballet is extremely fierce.

French opera is widely revered throughout Europe. Unlike in the rest of Europe, Italian opera never gained a foothold in France, which instead developed its own unique operatic tradition. One such style is the grand opéra, which combines opera and ballet into a single performance. Another style is operetta, developed by Jacques Offenbach, which combines elements of comedy, light-hearted music, and humour. Not only have French composers contributed to the development of French opera, but so have foreign composers such as Gluck, Rossini, Verdi, and Meyerbeer.

Nekatere najbolj znane operne hiše v državi vključujejo naslednje:

• Pariška opera - glavno operno in baletno podjetje v državi s sedežem v Ljubljani Pariz.
• Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux - Ena najstarejših opernih hiš v državi, ki se nahaja v Ljubljani Bordeaux.

Športni športi

Zadnja tekma Tour de France leta 2017

Brez dvoma so najbolj priljubljeni skupinski športi gledalcev v Franciji (čeprav ne nujno v tem vrstnem redu) rugby union, nogomet in (evropski / ekipni / olimpijski) rokomet z močno domačo konkurenco in nacionalno stranjo, ki je različno zmagala v šestih narodih, svetovnih pokalih in evropskih prvenstvih, na kar je običajno treba računati na svetovni ravni.

Kolesarjenje je še en priljubljen šport v Franciji, saj skozi celo leto po vsej državi potekajo številne profesionalne dirke. The Tour de France, najprestižnejša kolesarska dirka, poteka vsak julij v treh tednih. Dirka vključuje vrsto 21 celodnevnih etap vzdolž cest po Franciji in običajno prevozi 3.500 km. Čeprav se turneja vedno konča na Elizejskih poljanah v Parizu, se posebna pot do nje vsako leto spremeni. Začetek dirke je znan kot Grand Départ, karnevalska afera, za katero se bodo potegovale regije po Franciji in tudi zahodni Evropi. Ogled si lahko ogledate v vseh fazah in je zelo dostopen. Najbolje ga je videti v odrskih mestih in na njegovih najbolj razburljivih odsekih: množični šprinti na koncu ravne etape, tlakovani odseki in gorski vzponi, kjer je ozračje največje.

Nakup

Počitnice

Mnogi Francozi se na dopustu odpravijo avgusta. Posledično bodo številne manjše trgovine (mesnice, pekarne ...) izven turističnih območij v avgustu zaprte. To velja tudi za številne korporacije in tudi za zdravnike. Očitno bodo na turističnih območjih trgovine ponavadi odprte, ko pridejo turisti, zlasti julija in avgusta. V nasprotju s tem bodo številne znamenitosti v teh mesecih in med velikonočnim vikendom grozne.

Nekatere znamenitosti, zlasti na podeželju, zapirajo ali imajo skrajšani delovni čas izven turistične sezone.

Gorska območja imajo običajno dve turistični sezoni: pozimi za smučanje, krpljanje in druge s snegom povezane dejavnosti ter poleti za oglede in pohodništvo.

Denar

Francija uporablja evro, kot več drugih evropskih držav. En evro je razdeljen na 100 centov. Uradni simbol za evro je €, njegova ISO koda pa je EUR. Za cent ni uradnega simbola.

Vsi bankovci in kovanci te skupne valute so zakonito plačilno sredstvo v vseh državah, le da v nekaterih od njih postopoma odpadejo kovanci z majhnimi apoeni (en in dva centa). Bankovci so videti enako v vseh državah, medtem ko imajo kovanci na hrbtni strani običajno skupno obliko, ki izraža vrednost, in na sprednji strani nacionalno obliko, specifično za državo. Spredaj se uporablja tudi za različne modele spominskih kovancev. Zasnova aversa ne vpliva na uporabo kovanca.

Nekatere tuje valute, kot sta ameriški dolar in britanski funt, so občasno sprejete, zlasti na turističnih območjih in v višjih krajih, vendar na to ne smemo računati; poleg tega lahko blagajnik zaračuna neugoden menjalni tečaj. Trgovine na splošno zavrnejo transakcije v tuji valuti.

Za veliko večino podjetij je obvezno objavljanje cen v oknih. Cene hotelov in restavracij morajo biti vidne od zunaj (vendar mnogi hoteli ponujajo nižje cene od objavljenih, če menijo, da bodo težko napolnili sobe; objavljena cena je le najvišja).

Skoraj vse trgovine (razen manjših samostojnih trgovin, vključno z nekaterimi turističnimi in tobačnimi trgovinami), restavracije in hoteli imajo kreditno kartico CB French in njene tuje podružnice Visa in MasterCard. American Express navadno sprejemajo samo v vrhunskih trgovinah. Trgovci bodo pred uporabo kartice knjižili do blagajne, če je potrebna minimalna poraba. Pri svoji banki se pozanimajte o ustreznih provizijah (banke običajno uporabljajo veleprodajni medbančni menjalni tečaj, ki je najboljši od razpoložljivih, lahko pa udari sorazmerno in / ali določeno provizijo).

Knjigarna v Ljubljani Bordeaux

Francoske kartice CB (in kartice CB / Visa in CB / MasterCard) imajo na sebi "pametni čip", ki omogoča preverjanje pristnosti transakcij s kodo PIN. Ta sistem, uveden v Franciji, se je zdaj razvil v mednarodni standard in novejše britanske kartice so združljive. Nekateri avtomati za prodajo na drobno (na primer prodajne vstopnice) so morda združljivi samo s karticami z mikročipom. Poleg tega blagajniki, ki niso vajeni tujih kart, verjetno ne vedo, da je treba tuje kartice Visa ali MasterCard potegniti in pridobiti podpis, medtem ko francoske stranke sistematično uporabljajo PIN in transakcij ne podpisujejo. Vse bolj se širi tudi sprejemanje brezkontaktnih kartic.

V Franciji praktično ni mogoče dobiti gotovine s kreditne kartice brez PIN-a.

Avtomati (ATM) so daleč najboljši način za pridobivanje denarja v Franciji. Vsi jemljejo CB, Visa, MasterCard, Cirrus in Plus in jih je veliko po vsej Franciji. Sprejemajo lahko druge vrste kartic; preverite logotipe na bankomatu in na kartici (na splošno na hrbtni strani), če se vsaj ena ujema. Možno je, da nekateri stroji ne obdelujejo 6-mestnih kod PIN (samo 4-mestne) ali pa ne ponujajo izbire med različnimi računi (privzeto na tekočem računu). Pri svoji banki se pozanimajte o veljavnih provizijah, ki se lahko zelo razlikujejo (banke običajno uporabljajo veleprodajni medbančni menjalni tečaj, ki je najboljši od razpoložljivih, lahko pa udari sorazmerno in / ali fiksno provizijo; zaradi fiksne provizije je na splošno bolje dvigovati denar na velike koščke in ne 20 EUR naenkrat). Preverite tudi veljavne najvišje omejitve umika.

Potniške čeke je težko uporabljati - večina trgovcev jih ne bo sprejela, njihova menjava pa bo morda vključevala iskanje banke, ki jih bo spremenila, in morebitno plačilo provizije.

Poštna služba je tudi banka, zato bodo pošte pogosto imele bankomat. Posledično bodo tudi manjša mesta imela bankomate, ki bi jih lahko uporabljali s tujimi karticami.

Menjalnice (menjalni uradi) so s prihodom evra zdaj redkejši - na splošno jih najdemo le v mestih s pomembno prisotnostjo tujih turistov, kot je Pariz. Nekatere banke zamenjajo denar, pogosto z visokimi provizijami. Banka Francije ne opravlja več deviz.

Ali Na svoj tekoči račun položite denar, nosite kartico bankomata z logotipom Cirrus ali Plus in štirimestnim zatičem, ki se ne začne z '0', ter dvignite gotovino z bankomatov. Večje transakcije (hotel, restavracije ...) plačajte z Visa ali MasterCard. Vedno imejte nekaj evrov gotovine za nujne primere.

Ne S seboj imejte devize ali potovalne čeke in jih med potovanjem menjajte ali pričakujte, da jih trgovine sprejmejo.

Prekuhavanje

V Franciji nasvetov ne pričakujejo, saj so stroški storitev vključeni v račun. Vendar Francozi ponavadi zapustijo drobiž, ki ostane po plačilu računa, ali en do pet evrov, če so zadovoljni s kakovostjo storitve.

Trgovine

V mestih in mestnih središčih boste vedno našli manjše trgovine, verige trgovin z živili (Casino), občasno pa tudi veleblagovnice in majhna nakupovalna središča. V stanovanjskih predelih bodo pogosto majhni supermarketi (kot npr Tržnica Carrefour ali Intermarché). Veliki supermarketi (hipermarketi kot naprimer Auchan, Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Géant Casino) so večinoma na obrobju mest in verjetno niso koristni, če nimate dostopa do avtomobila.

Cene so navedene z vsemi davki (in sicer TVA ali davkom na dodano vrednost). Nerezidenti EU lahko delno povrnejo denar ob odhodu iz nekaterih trgovin, ki imajo nalepko za "neobdavčeno nakupovanje"; povprašajte znotraj. TVA znaša 20% za večino stvari, 10% pa za nekatere stvari, kot so knjige, restavracijski obroki in javni prevoz, in 5,5% za hrano, kupljeno v trgovinah (razen za sladkarije!). Alkoholne pijače so vedno obdavčene v višini 20%, ne glede na to, kje so kupljene.

Jej

Poglej tudi: Francoska kuhinja

V L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges v bližini Lyona, restavracija s 3 Michelinovimi zvezdicami od leta 1965 in glavna restavracija pokojnega zvezdniškega kuharja Paula Bocuseja

S svojim mednarodnim ugledom za fine dining, malo ljudi bi bilo presenečenih, če bi slišali, da je francoska kuhinja zagotovo lahko zelo dobra. Kot dokaz tega je Francija povezana Japonska za prvo mesto kot država z največ restavracijami z Michelinovo zvezdico. Francoska kuhinja kot celota je vpisana na Unescov seznam nesnovne kulturne dediščine. Žal je lahko tudi lokalna hrana precej razočarana; številne restavracije, ki poskrbijo za turiste, strežejo zelo običajne jedi, nekatere pa so obupne. Poiskati pravo restavracijo in restavracijo, kamor hodijo Francozi, je zato zelo pomembno - poskusite zaprositi lokalna prebivalstva, hotelsko osebje ali celo brskati po vodnikih restavracij ali spletnih straneh za priporočila, saj je preprosto hojo z ulice lahko zadeva. Slaba stran je, da zunaj turističnih pasti zelo redko najdete restavracijo z angleško govorečimi natakarji, zato bodite pripravljeni govoriti nekaj francosko.

V Franciji lahko poskusite francosko hrano, od restavracij Michelin s tremi zvezdicami do francoskih pivnice ali bistroti ki jih lahko najdete na skoraj vseh vogalih, zlasti v velikih mestih. Na splošno je treba poskusiti jesti tam, kjer se domačini trudijo, da bi imeli najboljše možnosti za nepozaben obrok. Večina majhnih mest ali celo vasi ima lokalne restavracije, ki so včasih navedene v najbolj zanesljivih vodičih. Pravzaprav je veliko restavracij s fino jedilnico namesto v velikih mestih na podeželju in Francozi se pogosto vozijo v te vasi, da bi obedovali ob posebnih priložnostih. Tudi med mesti je Pariz ne Francozi menijo, da ima najboljše prigrizke; ta čast gre Lyonu. Obstajajo tudi posebne lokalne restavracije, kot so bouchons lyonnais v Lyonu, krepek v Bretanji (in na pariškem območju Montparnasse) in baraque à frites na severu

V Parizu so na voljo kitajske, vietnamske, kamboške, celo tajske restavracije, bodisi kot običajne restavracije bodisi traiteurs (hitra hrana). V manjših francoskih mestih niso tako pogosti in so dražji. Marsikje so "italijanske" restavracije, čeprav so to pogosto le nekaj več kot domiselni saloni s pico in testeninami. Našli boste tudi maroško, alžirsko, tunizijsko ter grško in libanonsko hrano. Na voljo so tudi povsod prisotne hamburger palice - ameriški izvirnik ali njihove francoske kopije.

V Franciji so davki (7% celotnega zneska v restavracijah) in storitve (običajno 10%) vedno vključeni v račun, zato je vse, kar pokrovitelji dodajo na znesek računa, "dodatna napitnina". K oglaševani ceni ne sme biti nobenih dodatkov, ne oklevajte in jih dvomite. Francozi običajno pustijo en ali dva kovanca, če so bili zadovoljni s storitvijo, vendar to ni obvezno. Kruh in voda iz pipe sta vedno brezplačna, za posodo pa se ne sme doplačati.

Meniji s fiksno ceno redko vključujejo pijače. Če želite vodo, vam bodo natakarji pogosto poskušali prodati mineralno ali gazirano vodo po ugodni ceni; prosite za carafe d'eau za vodo iz pipe, ki je brezplačna in varna za pitje. Voda nikoli prihaja z ledom, razen če je tako zahtevano, in voda z ledom morda ne bo na voljo.

Tako kot v drugih državah tudi v restavracijah s pijačami veliko zaslužijo. Pričakujte, da bo vino stalo veliko več kot v supermarketu.

Naročilo je mogoče iz menijev s fiksno ceno (meni fixe) ali po naročilu.

Tipičen meni s fiksno ceno bo vseboval:

• predjed, klic predjedi ali predjedi
• glavna jed, imenovana a plat [glavni]
• sladica (sladica) ali sir (fromage)

Včasih restavracije ponujajo možnost, da vzamete samo dva od treh tečajev po znižani ceni.

Kava je vedno na voljo kot zadnji korak, čeprav ji lahko sledijo alkoholne pijače. Kava bo vedno na voljo v črni barvi, razen če ni drugače zahtevano. Prosite za belo kavo café au lait. Zahteva za kavo med obrokom se bo zdela nenavadna.

Vse restavracije niso odprte tako za kosilo kot za večerjo, prav tako pa niso odprte vse leto. Zato je priporočljivo natančno preveriti odpiralni čas in dneve. Restavracija, odprta za kosilo, običajno začne delovati opoldne in sprejema pokrovitelje do 13:30. Večerja se začne okoli 19.30, pokrovitelje pa sprejemajo do 21.30. Restavracije z daljšim delovnim časom običajno najdemo le v večjih mestih in v mestnih središčih. Iskanje restavracije, odprte v soboto in še posebej v nedeljo, je lahko izziv, razen če se ne zadržujete blizu turističnih območij.

V primernem številu restavracij, zlasti zunaj turističnih območij, je rezervacija obvezna in ljudi lahko zavrnejo brez nje, tudi če restavracija očitno ni napolnjena do konca. Iz tega razloga se vam splača vnaprej raziskati potencialne restavracije in rezervirati, da se izognete razočaranju, še posebej, če je restavracija, za katero razmišljate, posebej navedena v vodičih.

Kosilo iz 2-3 tečajev za dva na meni vključno z vinom in kavo vas bo stalo (od leta 2018) v povprečju 30-50 EUR. Glavna jed ob večerji bo v tipični restavraciji stala 15–30 EUR, običajna večerja za dva s pijačami pa 50–110 EUR. Enako s pivom v lokalu bistro ali a crêperie okrog 35-55 €. Lahko ali seveda porabite precej več.

Zunaj Pariza in glavnih mest cene niso vedno nižje, a meni pogosto vključuje četrto jed, običajno sir. Tako kot povsod, tudi tu se je treba paziti na turistične pasti, ki so številne okoli težkih prevoženih krajev in imajo lahko lep razgled, a na krožniku ni veliko zapomniti.

Restavracijski bonton

Francoski natakarji slovijo kot nesramni, a to je večinoma nezasluženo. Čeprav je zagotovo nekaj slabih jajčec, ki se bodo na videz potrudila, da bi pokazala svoje prezir do vas kot kupca, večina dovzetnosti za nesramnost preprosto temelji na popotnikih, ki imajo določena pričakovanja glede storitve, ki se razlikujejo od francoske kulturne norme.

Sledijo nekatere pomembne razlike od drugih angleško govorečih držav. V Franciji kupec ni na prvem mestu. Vi ste ne vedno prav, vsaka tvoja muha se ne si je treba privoščiti in znesek denarja, ki ga utripate, bo ne vam omogočijo vrhunsko storitev drugim v sobi. Velika večina restavracij v Franciji je neodvisnih zasebnikov, z vsem lastniškim ponosom, ki ga prinaša; vi kot stranka niste nič drugega kot začasni gost v restavracijskem domu. To pomeni, da bodo z vami ravnali dobro, če boste vljudni in upoštevate nekaj hišnih pravil. Ponižnost in smisel za humor, ko se zgodijo napake, lahko v tej igri močno prispevata!

Po prihodu v restavracijo počakajte pred vrati, da se pokažejo na vaši mizi. Če sedite, ne da bi vas k temu povabili, se pogosto šteje za predrznega in lahko povzroči, da vstanete na napačno nogo, še preden sploh lahko rečete bonjour. Zahteva po spremembi jedi iz kakršnega koli razloga je nenavadna in jo lahko razumemo kot kritiko kuharskega kuhanja. Če vam ni všeč, kako je določena jed pripravljena, ali ne morete pojesti ene od sestavin, naročite nekaj drugega. Obstaja razlog, da je celoten jedilnik objavljen na vratih vsake restavracije, in sicer tako, da lahko ljudje dobijo idejo o tem, kaj se ponuja, preden se zavežejo, da bodo tam jedli. Med jedilnico velja, da so komolci na mizi; prav tako za polaganje rok v naročje. Če dobite kozarec ali skodelico s pijačo, jo uporabite.

Natakarstvo je v Franciji spoštovan poklic. V francoski psihi je dober natakar, ki poskrbi, da obrok in pijačo sprejmete pravilno, nato pa se vam izogiba, da boste lahko v miru uživali. Če kaj potrebujete, ste več kot dobrodošli, da vprašate, vendar ne pričakujte, da vas bodo med obrokom kontaktirali ali da bodo vaše potrebe predvidene vnaprej. Predvsem pa svojega natakarja ne nagovarjajte kot garçon (fant), saj je to ponižujoče in približno stoletje zastarel bonton. Preprosto excusez-moi je več kot dovolj, da pritegne pozornost strežnika. Eden od načinov za zagotovitev dobre postrežbe je povpraševanje po natakarjevih priporočilih za vino ali opozarjanje na lokalne specialitete v meniju; to kaže, da spoštujete njihovo strokovno znanje in vam daje priložnost, da izveste več o lokalni kuhinji.

Svoje hvaležnost lahko na koncu pokažete tako, da pustite majhno nasvet. Dajanje napitnin ni niti obvezno niti pričakovano, saj strežno osebje prejema polno plačo, številni obrati pa v ceno hrane vključijo 10-odstotno dajatev za storitve (to je označeno z storitev vključuje natisnjeno na računu ali meniju). Večina Francozov, ko se odločijo za napitnino, račun samo zaokroži na naslednjo večkratnico od petih - če račun znaša 26 evrov, ga pokličite na 30 evrov in vsi so zadovoljni.

Kruh

Pekarna in stranka z bageto

Pekarne (boulangeries) so nekaj francoske ustanove in jih najdemo po vsej državi, od najmanjših vasi do mestnih ulic. Vse variante belega kruha se hranijo le kratek čas in jih je treba jesti isti dan ali pa jih shraniti za namakanje v juhi ali vroči čokoladi naslednje jutro. Zato peki pečemo vsaj dvakrat na dan.

• Slavni bageto: dolg, tanek hlebec;
• Različice bagete: la ficelle (še tanjši), la flûte, la tradicija (bageta na splošno bolj občutljivega okusa, a tudi dražja);
• Pain de campagne ali Bolečina popolna: iz polnozrnatega zrna, ki se razmeroma dobro obdrži.

Pecivo

Pecivo je velik del francoske kuhinje. Hotelski zajtrki so ponavadi lahki, sestavljeni iz tartinov (koščki kruha z maslom ali marmelado) ali slavni rogljički in bolečine v čokoladi, ki se ne razlikuje od rogljička, napolnjenega s čokolado, ampak kvadratne oblike in ne v obliki polmeseca.

Pecivo najdete v pâtisserie ampak tudi v večini trgovin.

Regionalne jedi

Bouillabaisse

Foie gras lahko postrežemo na različne načine

Vsaka francoska regija ima svoje jedi. Te jedi sledijo lokalnim pridelkom iz kmetijstva, lova in ribištva. Tu je majhen seznam regionalnih jedi, ki jih zlahka najdete v Franciji. Na splošno ima vsaka regija edinstveno in razširjeno jed, običajno zato, ker je bila to hrana za množice:

• Cassoulet (na jugozahodu): fižol, raca, svinjina in klobase
• Choucrouteali kislo zelje (v Alzaciji): odstranjeno fermentirano zeljsko svinjsko meso
• Fondue Savoyarde (osrednje Alpe): topljen / vroč sir z belim vinom
• Fondue Bourguignonne (v Burgundiji): koščki govedine (v kuhanem olju), ki jih običajno postrežemo z različnimi omakami.
• Raclette (osrednje Alpe): topljeni sir in krompir / meso
• Pot-au-feu (najdemo po vsej Franciji): kuhana govedina z zelenjavo
• Boeuf Bourguignon (Burgundija): počasi kuhana govedina z omako iz rdečega vina
• Gratin dauphinois (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes): rezine krompirja, pečene v pečici, s kislo smetano in sirom
• Aligot (Aveyron): topljeni sir, pomešan s krompirjevim pirejem
• Bouillabaisse (ribji žafran) (Marseille in Francoska riviera). Naj vas ne zavede! Resnično bouillabaisse je res draga jed zaradi količine sveže ribe, ki jo potrebuje. Bodite pripravljeni plačati vsaj 30 EUR na osebo. Če najdete restavracije, ki trdijo, da strežejo bouillabaisse za približno 15 EUR na osebo boste ugotovili, da je zelo slabe kakovosti.
• Tartiflette (Savoja): stopljeni sir Reblochon, krompir in svinjina ali slanina.
• Confit de Canard (jugozahod): Duck Confit, sestavljen iz nog in kril, ki se kopajo v maščobi. Ta mast je pravzaprav zelo zdrava in je z rdečim vinom eden od prepoznanih virov tako imenovanega "francoskega paradoksa" (jejte bogato, živite dolgo).
• Foie Gras (jugozahod): Račja ali gosja jetra. Čeprav je običajno precej drago, foie gras je mogoče najti v supermarketih po nižji ceni (zaradi njihove kupne moči) okoli božične sezone. Je letni čas, ko večina foie gras uživa v Franciji. Zelo se ujema s šampanjcem.
• Moules marinière (najdemo ga po vsej obali, z velikimi regionalnimi razlikami): Školjke, parjene v vinu ali jabolčniku (Bretanja in Normandija) z različnimi lokalnimi pridelki, npr. preprosta šalotka in česen na severu, smetana na zahodu, paradižnik in paprika na jugu itd ... Običajno se postreže s skorjastim kruhom in frite.

Kuhanje in pitje je pomemben del francoske kulture; vzemite si čas za jesti in odkrivanje novih jedi.

Nenavadna hrana

Škarpe

V nasprotju s stereotipom so polži in žabji kraki v Franciji precej redka hrana, pri čemer mnogi Francozi ne uživajo niti v enem, niti jih včasih niso niti okusili. Kakovostne restavracije jih imajo včasih na svojem jedilniku: če vas zanima preizkušanje novih živil, pojdite naprej.

• Žabji kraki (cuisses de grenouille) imajo zelo fin in nežen okus z mesom, ki ni podoben piščancu. Pogosto jih postrežejo v česnovem prelivu in niso nič bolj čudni kot recimo rakovice.
• Večina okusa Burgundski polži (escargots de bourgogne) prihaja iz velike količine masla, česna in peteršilja, v katerem so kuhani. Imajo zelo posebno spužvasto-usnjeno teksturo in iz očitnih razlogov močan okus po česnu. Polži v katalonskem slogu (tovori) so narejeni na povsem drugačen način, okus pa je še bolj čuden!

Tatarski biftek

Navedimo tudi:

• Rillettes sarthoises poznan tudi kot Rillettes du Mans. Nekakšno meso v lončkih, narejeno iz fino razrezane in začinjene svinjine. Okusna posebnost območja Sarthe na severu Pays de la Loire in je ne gre zamenjati rillettes z drugih področij, ki so bolj podobna grobim pašteta.
• Goveji kostni mozeg (os à moelle). Običajno se postreže v majhnih količinah, z veliko stranjo. Torej, pojdi naprej: če ti ni všeč, boš imel na krožniku kaj drugega!
• Telečji sladki kruh (ris de veau), je zelo dobra (in na splošno draga) poslastica, ki jo pogosto postrežemo z smrčki ali v bolj dovršenih jedeh, kot je bouchées à la reine.
• Goveja črevesja (tripice) se postreže a la mode de Caen (z belo vinsko omako, poimenovano po mestu v Normandiji) oz à la catalane (z rahlo začinjeno paradižnikovo omako)
• Andouillettes so klobase iz drobovja, posebnost Lyona
• Tricandilles so začinjene in svinjske drobnice iz regije Bordeaux
• Goveji jezik (langue de bœuf) in goveji nos (museau) in telečja glava (tête de veau) običajno jedo hladne (vendar temeljito kuhane!) kot predjed.
• Ostrige (huîtres) najpogosteje postrežemo surove v polovični lupini. Pogosto jih razvrščajo po velikosti, št. 1 je največji (in najdražji).
• Naši grehi (morski ježki), za tiste, ki imajo radi koncentriran jod.
• Tatarski biftek velika pečenica z mleto govedino, sušeno v kislini, v nasprotju s kuhano, pogosto postreženo s surovim jajcem. Dober tatarski biftek bomo pripravili po naročilu pri mizi. Podobna jed je boeuf carpaccio, ki so tanke rezine ali trakovi surovega zrezka, prelite z oljčnim oljem in zelišči.
• Cervelle (izgovarja se ser-VELL), jagnječji možgani.

Sir

Francija je zagotovo država za sir (fromage), s skoraj 400 različnimi vrstami. Dejansko je nekdanji predsednik general Charles De Gaulle dejal: "Kako lahko vodite državo, ki ima 365 sort sira?".

Prehranske omejitve

Vegetarijanstvo ni tako redko kot nekoč, zlasti v večjih mestih. Kljub temu pa le malo restavracij ponuja vegetarijanske menije, tako da če vprašate kaj vegetarijanskega, so vam na voljo le solatne in zelenjavne priloge.

Med vegetarijanstvom in pescetarstvom še vedno obstaja zmeda. Začenjajo se pojavljati restavracije z vegetarijansko in organsko hrano. Vendar pa "tradicionalne" francoske restavracije morda nimajo ničesar vegetarijanskega meni fixe, zato boste morda morali nekaj izbrati po naročilu, kar je običajno dražje.

Na srečo je severnoafriška kuhinja v Franciji zelo priljubljena, kuskus je ena izmed najbolj priljubljenih jedi v Franciji (zlasti v vzhodni Franciji) in je splošno dostopen.

Veganstvo, čeprav je v porastu, je še vedno zelo redko in morda bo težko najti veganske restavracije. Kljub temu je francoska veganska skupnost izdelala nekaj orodij za pomoč pri iskanju veganske hrane in restavracij: vegan-mafia.com in vegoresto.fr. Pariz ima eno najhitreje rastočih veganskih skupnosti v Evropi, zato bi morali najti vegansko restavracijo ali dve.

Skoraj vsako mesto ima vsaj eno halal restavracijo ali hrano, v mnogih pa tudi halal mesarjev. Košer (poiščite znake z kasher, cachère in druge podobne besede) restavracije in trgovine so manj pogoste zunaj velikih mest.

Zajtrk

Zajtrk v Franciji je ponavadi zelo lahek, običajno je sestavljen iz kave in rogljička ali kakšnega drugega viennoiserie ob posebnih priložnostih. V običajnih dneh večina ljudi popije napitek (kava, čaj, vroča čokolada, pomarančni sok) in toast bagete ali toast kruha z maslom in marmelado / medom / Nutello, ki jih lahko potopite v vroč napitek, ali žitarice z mlekom ali sadjem in jogurt. Francoski zajtrk je večinoma sladek, vendar se lahko vse spremeni in danes lahko povsod uživate v slanih zajtrkih.

Pijte

Šampanjec!

Šampanjec, Burgundija, Bordeaux, Rhone, dolina Loare ... Francija je dom vino (vin). Poceni ga lahko najdete skoraj povsod. Pivo (bière) je tudi izjemno priljubljen, zlasti v severni Franciji, kjer lahko najdete "Bière de Garde". Starost nakupa alkohola je 18 za vse pijače, vendar se to ne izvaja vedno strogo; vendar se zakoni proti vožnji pod vplivom alkohola dosledno izvajajo z strogimi kaznimi.

Francosko vino je razvrščeno predvsem po regiji, iz katere prihaja. Številna vina ne označujejo sorte grozdja, ki je bila uporabljena, zato se morate naučiti, po katerih vrstah vina je znana posamezna regija. Vina so običajno označena z regijo (ki je lahko široka ali zelo specifična) in stopnjo kakovosti:

• Približno polovica vseh vin je AOP (Appellation d'origine protegee), oz AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) v vinih pred letom 2012. Za to najvišjo stopnjo mora vino prihajati z določenih območij z omejitvami glede sort grozdja, načinov pridelave in profila okusa.
• Druga tretjina vin je IGP (Indikacijska géographique varovanka), oz Vin de Pays pred letom 2012. Tudi te ocenjujejo, da ustrezajo značaju vina v regiji, vendar imajo manj omejitev kot vina AOP / AOC.
• Najnižja stopnja so Vin de France, ali Vin de Table pred letom 2010, to so vsakdanja namizna vina, ki niso označena po regijah.

Vino in žgane pijače lahko kupite v supermarketih ali v specializiranih trgovinah, kot je veriga Nicolas. Nicolas ponuja dober nasvet, kaj kupiti (navedite vrsto vina in cenovni razred, ki ga želite). Na splošno so na voljo samo francoska vina, razen če je tuje vino "posebnost", ki nima enakovredne vrednosti v Franciji (na primer pristanišče) in je razvrščeno po regiji izvora, ne pa po grozdju.

Glede na bonton ne smete piti alkoholnih pijač (zlasti rdečega vina ali močnega alkohola, kot je konjak) neposredno iz steklenice s prostornino 70 cl. Takšno vedenje je običajno povezano s pijanci (čeprav ste obkroženi s študenti, ste morda v redu). Pitje piva iz 25 do 50cl pločevinke ali steklenice je v redu.

Cene hrane in pijače se razlikujejo glede na to, ali vam postrežejo v baru ali sedite za mizo - enaka skodelica espressa bi lahko stala 0,50 EUR več, če jo postrežete za mizo, in znova 0,50 EUR več, če postreženo na terasi. Resnično, za pijačo ne plačate toliko kot za mizo. Vseeno razmislite o baru - medtem ko boste morali stati, so kavarne pogosto tam, kjer se zgodi veliko javnega diskurza in interakcije. Kavarne v vsakem primeru po zakonu morajo svoje cene objaviti nekje v obratu, običajno bodisi na oknu bodisi na steni ob šanku.

Obstaja nekaj mešanih pijač, ki se zdijo bolj ali manj edinstvene za Francijo in bližnje frankofonske države.

• Panaché je mešanica piva in limonade, v bistvu pivska senca.
• Monako je Panaché z dodanim sirupom grenadine.
• Kir je prijeten aperitiv belega vina (v teoriji Bourgogne Aligoté) ali redkeje šampanjca (takrat imenovanega kir royal in približno dvakrat več kot običajni kir) in cassis (liker iz črnega ribeza) ali peče (breskev), ali mûre (kupina).
• Pastis je žganje na osnovi janeža (z okusom sladkega korena), po okusu podobno Sambuci ali Ouzo, ki ga postrežemo z nekaj kepami sladkorja in majhnim vrčem hladne vode za redčenje tekočine. Tradicionalno ga uživamo v zelo vročih dneh in je kot tak bolj priljubljen na jugu države, vendar na voljo bolj ali manj povsod.

Obstaja vrsta ustekleničene vode, med drugim:

• Évian, Thonon, Contrex, Volvic: mineralna voda
• Perrier: gazirana voda
• Badoit: rahlo gazirana in slana voda.

Spi

Francija je raznolika in barvita država, v njej boste našli vse od osupljivih brunaric v Alpah, dvorcev na podeželju in vil na plaži na rivieri ... in vse vmes!

Hoteli

Hoteli spadajo v 5 kategorij od 1 do 5 zvezdic. To je uradna ocena ministrstva za turizem in je objavljena na vhodu na modrem ščitu. Zvezde se podeljujejo po objektivnih, a nekoliko zastarelih administrativnih merilih (površina sprejemne dvorane, odstotek sob z lastno kopalnico ...).

Cene se razlikujejo glede na nastanitev, lokacijo in včasih visoko ali nizko sezono ali posebne dogodke.

Od leta 2004 cena za hotel ***, ki je naveden v zanesljivem priročniku, znaša med 70 EUR (poceni) in 110 EUR (drago) za dvoposteljno sobo brez zajtrka.

Po zakonih morajo biti cene hotelov objavljene zunaj (ali vidne od zunaj). To so najvišje cene: hotel lahko vedno ponudi nižjo ceno, da lahko napolni sobe. Pogajanja niso običajna, vendar lahko vedno zaprosite za popust.

Hoteli v mestnih središčih ali v bližini železniških postaj so pogosto zelo majhni (15–30 sob), kar pomeni, da bi morali rezervirati vnaprej. Veliko novejših hotelov, poslovno usmerjenih, najdemo na obrobju mest in so včasih večje strukture (100 sob ali več); do njih morda ni enostavno priti z javnim prevozom. Novejši hoteli so pogosto del državnih ali mednarodnih verig in imajo visoke standarde. Številni starejši hoteli so zdaj del verig in nudijo standardizirane storitve, vendar ohranjajo svoje vzdušje.

Ob obisku Pariza vam toplo priporočamo, da ostanete v pravem mestu; v predmestju obstajajo cenejši turistični hoteli, ki pa poskrbijo za skupine v avtobusnih avtobusih; z javnim prevozom jih bo težko doseči.

Ob omrežju avtocest (avtocest) in na vhodu v mesta boste našli motele v ameriškem slogu; zelo pogosto so dostopni samo z avtom. Nekateri moteli (npr. Formula 1) imate minimalno storitev, če pozno pridete, najdete bankomat, podoben avtomatu, s kreditnimi karticami, ki vam dostavijo kodo, da pridete do vaše dodeljene sobe.

B & B-ji in Gîtes

Gîte podeželje

Po vsej Franciji lahko najdete predvsem na podeželju, pa tudi v mestih B & Bs in gîtes.

B & Bs so v francoščini znani kot "chambres d'hôtes"in so na splošno na voljo ponoči. Po zakonu MORA biti zajtrk vključen v oglaševano ceno za chambre d'hôte. Upoštevajte to pri primerjavi cen s hoteli, kjer zajtrk NI vključen v ceno sobe.

Gîtes ali gîtes ruraux are holiday cottages, and generally rented out as a complete accommodation unit including a kitchen, mostly on a weekly basis. Literally the French word gîte just means a place to spend the night; however it is now mostly used to describe rental cottages or self-catering holiday homes, usually in rural parts of France. There are very few near or in the cities. Finding them requires buying a guide or, for greater choice, using the internet, as you will not find many signposted on the road.

Traditionally, gîtes provided basic good value accommodation, typically adjacent to the owner's household or in a nearby outbuilding. The term can now also be used to describe most country-based self-catering accommodation in France. Hence it includes accommodation as varied as small cottages to villas with private swimming pools.

During peak summer months the best self-catering gîtes require booking several months in advance.

There are thousands of B&Bs and gîtes in France rented out by foreign owners, particularly British and Dutch, and these tend to be listed, sometimes exclusively, with English-language or international organisations and websites that can be found by keying the words "chambres d'hôtes", "gîtes" or "gîtes de france" into any of the major search engines.

There is a large number of organisations and websites offering gîtes.

Gîtes de France

A France-wide cooperative organisation, Gîtes de France groups more than 50,000 rural places of accommodation together and was the first in France to offer a consistent rating system with comprehensive descriptions.

Despite the name, Gîtes de France offers B&B as well as holiday rental (gîte) accommodation.

The Gîtes de France rating system uses wheat stalks called épis (equivalent to a star rating), based on amenities rather than quality - though generally the two go together.

Through its website, bookings can be done directly with owners or through the local Gîtes de France booking agency (no extra fee for the traveller). Although an English language version is available for many of the website pages, for some departments the pages giving details of an individual gîte are only in French.

There is no particular advantage in using Gîtes de France rather than one of the other online gîtes sites, or booking directly with a gîte owner. The procedure is pretty standard for all gîte booking sites, whether French or foreign - with the advantage that the whole booking process can be done in English, which is not always the case with Gîtes de France.

After making a gîte booking you will receive, by post, a contract to sign (for gîtes only). Sign and return one copy. When signing write the words "Read and approved", and the name of your home town, before signing and dating the contract. You will normally be asked to pay a deposit of a quarter to a third of the booking fee. The rest will be required one month before the start of your holiday. When you arrive at the gîte a security deposit, specified in the contact, should be given to the owner in cash. This will be returned at the end of your stay, minus any fuel charges and breakages.

Another great resource for booking gîtes and villas in France is Holiday France Direct, which enables you to deal directly with the property owners and offers customers discounted ferry travel with Brittany Ferries.

Gîtes d'étape

Another possibility is gîtes d'étape. These are more like overnight stays for hikers, like a mountain hut. They are mostly cheaper than the Gîtes de France but also much more basic.

Short term rentals

Travellers should definitely consider short-term villa/apartment/studio rentals as an alternative to other accommodation options. Short term can be as few as several days up to months at a stretch. Summer rentals are usually from Saturday to Saturday only (July & August). This type accommodation belongs to a private party, and can range from basic to luxurious. A particular advantage, aside from competitive prices, is that the accommodations come with fully fitted kitchens.

Hundreds of agencies offer accommodation for short term rentals on behalf of the owner, and can guide you into finding the best property, at the best price in the most suitable location for you. An internet search for the location and type of property you're looking for will usually return the names of several listing sites, each of which may have hundreds or thousands of properties for you to choose from. There are plenty of sites in both English and French, and the rental properties may be owned by people of any nationality.

Well established holiday rental sites include Gitelink France, Holidaylettings.co.uk, Owners Direct in Alpha Holiday Lettings. If you are looking to stay in just a room or part of the property, Airbnb matches holiday makers with hosts who only rent out part of their homes.

Kampiranje

Camping on the beach

Camping is very common in France. Most camp sites are a little way out of town and virtually all cater not just for tents but also for camper vans and caravans. While all camp sites have the basic facilities of shower and toilet blocks, larger sites tend to offer a range of additional facilities such as bars and restaurants, self-service launderettes, swimming pools or bicycle hire. All camp sites except for very small 'farm camping' establishments must be registered with the authorities, and are officially graded using a system of stars.

In coastal areas, three-star and four-star camp grounds must generally be booked in advance during the months of July and August, and many people book from one year to the next. In rural areas, outside of popular tourist spots, it is usually possible to show up unannounced, and find a place; this is particularly true with the municipal camp sites that can be found in most small towns; though even then it may be advisable to ring up or email in advance to make sure. There are always exceptions.

In France it's forbidden to camp:

• in woods, natural, regional and national parks
• on public roads and streets
• on beaches
• less than 200 metres from watering places used for human consumption
• on natural protected sites
• less than 500 metres from a protected monument
• everywhere where it's forbidden by local laws
• on private properties without the owner's consent.

Having said that, generally, camping in car parks near the beach is not prohibited and is a great way to be near the beach and camp for free. There are some comfy and less busy ones, even sometimes with shade around, especially in the evening after most other visitors have left.

Camping is a great way to explore the local area as it offers you the freedom of being able to travel around at short notice. Larger more popular campsites can be booked through websites such as Eurocamp, Canvas Holidays, Go Camp France in France Break^{[prej mrtva povezava]}.

Learn

Education in France is generally of superior quality, and the country is home to many reputed, prestigious universities. A lot of courses are generally conducted in French, though some programmes are offered in English.

Some of the most reputed universities in the country include École normale supérieure de Paris, École Polytechnique, in Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD).

Grades in France are scored from 0 to 20, with 20 being the highest possible grade. Academic grading is noted for being competitive and strict, to the point that the French have various sayings about it. One of the most famous sayings is "20 is for God, 19 is for the king, 18 is for the Président de la République" (or variations thereof).

Delo

View of La Défense, the business district of Paris

If you are by law required to obtain a visa or other type of authorisation to work and fail to do so, you risk possible arrest, prosecution, expulsion and prohibition from re-entering France and the Schengen area.

Citizens of EU and EEA countries (save from some Eastern European countries, for a temporary period) and Switzerland can work in France without having to secure a work permit. Most non-EU citizens will need a work permit - however, some non-EU citizens (such as Canadians, New Zealanders etc.) do ne require a visa or work permit to work during their 90 day visa-free period of stay in France (see the 'Get in' section above for more information).

If you are an EU citizen or from an EEA country and want to earn money to continue travelling, Interim agencies (e.g. Adecco, Manpower) are a good source of temporary jobs. You can also consider working in bars, restaurants, and/or nightclubs (they are often looking for English-speaking workers, particularly those restaurants in tourist areas - fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's and Quick are also always looking for people).

A lot of 'student jobs', if you happen to be in a big city, are also available for younger travellers, and foreigners are often very welcome. Such example jobs include giving private English lessons, taking care of young children (i.e. au pairing) among other things...check out the buildings of various universities as they often have a lot of advertisements. An easy way to find jobs in France is to use dedicated search engines offered by various employment websites.

Don't forget that being an English speaker is a big advantage when you're looking for a job - French employers really have a problem finding English-speaking workers. However, it will be much easier for you if you know a bit of French, for the same reason (your colleagues are not likely to speak English). However, don't overestimate your chances of finding work; there are often more people applying for jobs than there are vacancies.

The French labour market tends to operate through personal contacts - if you know someone that works somewhere, you can probably figure out quite an easy way to work at that place too. It always helps to know people living in the area you wish to work.

Ostani varen

Crimes

Municipal police officers in Strasbourg

Crime-related emergencies can be reported to the toll-free number 17 or 112 (European emergency telephone number). Law enforcement agencies are the National Police (Police nationale) in urban areas and the Gendarmerie nationale in the countryside, though for minor crimes such as parking and traffic offences some towns and villages also have a municipal police force (Police municipale).

While it remains among the safest countries in the world, France has experienced a noticeable surge in crime, mostly in large metropolitan areas that are plagued with the usual woes. Violent crime against visitors is generally rare, but pickpocketing and purse-snatching are very common, some of which may result in aggravated assaults. If the usual precautions against these are taken, you should be safe.

The inner city areas and some (mostly wealthy) suburbs are usually safe at all hours. In large cities, especially Paris and Marseille, there are a few areas which should be avoided. Parts of the suburbs are hives of youth gang-related activities and drug dealing; however these are almost always far from tourist areas and you should have no reason to visit them. Common sense applies: it is very easy to spot derelict areas.

The subject of crime in poorer suburbs and areas is very touchy as it may easily have racist overtones or interpretations, since many people associate it with working-class youth of North African, Arabic and Sub-Saharan origins. You probably should not express an opinion on the issue.

While it is not compulsory for French citizens to carry identification, they usually do so. Foreigners should carry some kind of official identity document. Although random checks are not the norm, you may be asked for ID in some kinds of situations, for example if you cannot show a valid ticket when using public transportation; not having one in such cases will result in you being taken to a police station for further checks. Even if you feel that law enforcement officers have no right to check your identity (they can do so only in certain circumstances), it is a bad idea to enter a legal discussion with them; it is better to put up with it and show your ID. Again, the subject is sensitive as the police have often been accused of targeting people according to criteria of ethnicity (e.g. délit de sale gueule = literally "crime of a dirty face" but perhaps equivalent to the American "driving while black.")

Due to the international threat of terrorism, police with the help of military units, often patrol monuments, the Paris Metro, train stations and airports. Depending on the status of the "Vigipirate" plan (anti terrorist units) it is not uncommon to see armed patrols in those areas. The presence of police should be of help to tourists, as it also deters pickpockets and the like. However, suspicious behaviour, public disturbances etc., may attract police officers' attention for the wrong reasons.

In France, failing to offer assistance to 'a person in danger' is a criminal offence in itself. This means that if you fail to stop upon witnessing a motor accident, fail to report such an accident to emergency services, or ignore appeals for help or urgent assistance, you may be charged. Penalties include suspended prison sentence and fines. The law does not apply in situations where answering an appeal for help might endanger your life or the lives of others.

Controlled substances

Carrying or using narcotic substances, from marijuana to hard drugs, is illegal whatever the quantity. The penalty can be severe especially if you are suspected of dealing. Trains and cars coming from countries which have a more lenient attitude (such as the Netherlands) are especially targeted. Police have often been known to stop entire coaches and search every passenger and their bags thoroughly.

France has a liberal policy with respect to alcohol; there are usually no ID checks for purchasing alcohol (unless you look much younger than 18). However, causing problems due to public drunkenness is a misdemeanor and may result in a night spent in the cells of a police station. Drunk driving is a severe offence and may result in heavy fines and jail sentences.

A little etiquette note: while it is common to drink beer straight from the bottle at informal meetings, doing the same with wine is normally only done by tramps (clochards).

Stay healthy

Tap water

Tap water (eau du robinet) is drinkable, except in rare cases such as in rural rest areas and sinks in railway carriage toilets, in which case it will be clearly signposted as eau non potable. Eau potable is drinkable water (you may, however, not like the taste and prefer bottled water).

Tap water is generally acceptable in taste, but mineral water (eau minérale) is generally considered to taste better, except in areas that use mountain water from the Alps for their municipal supply. Volvic and Évian are cheap and available most everywhere, and many locals consider them nothing special. You may find Vittel a more interesting-tasting inexpensive French mineral water, and Badoit, a sparkling water, is quite good.

Medical help

French pharmacy signs often feature a display showing time and temperature

Health care in France is of a very high standard.

Pharmacies are denoted by a green cross, usually in flashing neon (or LED). They sell medicine, contraceptives, and often beauty and related products (though these can be very expensive). Medicines must be ordered from the counter, even non-prescription medicines. The pharmacist may ask you questions about your symptoms and then can recommend various medicines and suggest generic drugs.

Since drug brand names vary across countries even though the effective ingredients stay the same, it is better to carry prescriptions using the international nomenclature in addition to the commercial brand name. Prescription drugs, including oral contraceptives (aka "the pill"), will only be delivered if a doctor's prescription is shown.

In addition, supermarkets sell condoms (préservatifs) and also often personal lubricant, bandages, disinfectant and other minor medical items. Condom machines are often found in bar toilets, etc.

Medical treatment can be obtained from self-employed physicians, clinics and hospitals. Most general practitioners, specialists (e.g. gynaecologists), and dentists are self-employed; look for signs saying Docteur (médecin généraliste means general practitioner). The normal price for a consultation with a general practitioner is €23, though some physicians charge more (this is the full price and not a co-payment). Physicians may also do home calls, but these are more expensive.

Residents of the European Union are covered by the French social security system, which will reimburse or directly pay for 70% of health expenses (30% co-payment) in general, though many physicians and surgeons apply surcharges. Other travellers are ne covered and will be billed the full price, even when at a public hospital; non-EU travellers should have travel insurance covering medical costs.

Nujne primere

Hospitals will have an emergency room signposted Urgences.

The following numbers are toll-free:

• 15 Medical emergencies
• 17 Law enforcement emergencies (for e.g. reporting a crime)
• 18 Firefighters
• 112 European standard emergency number.

Operators at these numbers can transfer requests to other services if needed (e.g. some medical emergencies may be answered by firefighter groups).

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited by law in all enclosed spaces accessible to the public (this includes train and metro cars, and station enclosures, workplaces, restaurants and cafés), except in areas specifically designated for smoking, and there are few of these. There is no longer an exception for restaurants and cafés. You may face a fine of €68 if you are found smoking in these places.

As well as police officers, metro and train conductors can and do enforce the anti-smoking law and will fine you for smoking in non-designated places; if you encounter problems with a smoker in train, you may go find the conductor.

As hotels are not considered public places, some offer smoking and non-smoking rooms.

Only people over the age of 18 may purchase tobacco products. Shopkeepers may request a photo ID. A pack of 20 cigarettes costs around €10.20 (Nov 2020).

Respect

The French adhere to a strong set of values. They cherish their culture, history, language and cuisine, which is revered by many around the globe. Once gained acquaintance, the French become warm, sincere and welcoming.

The French have an undeserved reputation for being "rude" or "arrogant" by many around the globe, but this is simply a cross-cultural misunderstanding. Compared to other European countries, the French are direct in a way that might seem abrupt in other parts of the world, and at times they might come across as being dissatisfied with everything and anything, including yourself. Do not be annoyed as it is unlikely that they intend to insult, cause offense or make you feel uncomfortable. Directness is usually seen as a platform to initiate friendly arguments, intellectual conversations, and/or invite opinions on something.

The French take matters of etiquette seriously, and it's not uncommon to be dismissed, ignored, or told off for exhibiting behaviour that is seen as impolite. When conversing with locals, always exchange a simple pleasantry (Excusez-moi, Bonjour, ali Bonsoir) and wait for them to reply before getting into something. It's also customary to use the terms Monsieur (male) or Madame (female) with people you don't know on a personal level. By applying a bit of common courtesy, you'll find that the French are approachable and friendly.

On the Métro

Beautiful entrance to a Métropolitain station in Paris

The Métro subway system is a great way to get around Paris (or Lyon, Marseille, et al.), a fact which is readily apparent by the throngs of people that use it to get to work, school, and the like. If you do not ride the train at home, or if you come from a place that doesn't have a subway system, there are certain points of etiquette that you may not be aware of:

• When boarding at the station, let those exiting the train step off onto the platform before boarding, and once aboard move to the centre of the car.
• If you have luggage, move it as far out of the path of others as possible.
• Certain stations have moving walkways to cover the distances between platforms - walk on the left and stand on the right!
• Finally, the doors on French subway cars don't generally open automatically once the train has stopped at the station; rather, most cars have a small button or lever on the doors that opens them. If you should happen to be standing near the door in a crowded car you might hear someone behind you say "la porte, s'il vous plait," which means that person would like to get off the train and is asking you to open the door for him/her. Pop the door open and step aside (or down onto the platform) while that person exits the train - the driver will wait for you to get back on.

Noise

The French consider it very rude to be loud in a crowded indoor place, such as a museum or restaurant, and you can expect to be told off for doing so.

Shopping etiquette

In many shops, it's customary to exchange pleasantries with the staff and have them take items for you. Even if you're exploring a shop, always request a staff member to guide you around.

Dress code

Dress codes are fast disappearing, but generally speaking, the French are conservative dressers. To avoid being seen in a negative light, you should avoid white trainers, baseball caps, tracksuits, shorts (except in summer) and flip-flops (except at the beach).

At the beach and at hotel swimming pool, it is normal for women to take off their bikinis while sunbathing. Taking off your bikini bottom is reserved to designated nude beaches. Most resort cities insist on your wearing a shirt when leaving the beach area.

Everyone at public swimming pools is required by law to wear suitable swimming attire. This means swim caps (even if you're bald) and snug-fitting Lycra-based swimsuits. Baggy or "board" swim shorts are banned, as are T-shirts, UV-protective rash guards, and other cover-ups. If you're unlucky in your choice, then most public pools sell pre-approved swimsuits from vending machines on-site, often for rather inflated prices. Watch also for local prohibitions on sunscreen, which can mess with older pools' filtration systems.

Breastfeeding in public is very rare, but nobody will mind if you do.

Addressing people (tu in vous)

The French language has two variants of the word "you". They are tu, which is used for people you're on familiar terms with or with people much younger than you, and vous, which is used for people much older than you, people you're not on familiar terms with, and/or a group of people. As a general rule, the only time you should use tu with an adult is if that person indicates it's alright to do so, usually by saying "On peut se tutoyer." For more information on tu in vous, see the Francoski zvezek

Sensitive issues

Politics:

• Unless you really follow French news closely, you should steer clear of discussing French politics, especially sensitive issues such as immigration. Be aware of the position that being a foreigner puts you in. It is considered rude to ask a person point-blank about which candidate they voted for in an election; instead, talk about the issues and take it from there.

Religion:

• It is generally considered impolite to have a conversation about religion with someone you do not know well. The French are fiercely protective of their tradition of secularism (laïcité). For instance, the wearing of religious items of clothing, such as hijabs, kippas or crucifixes, is illegal for public servants when they are at work, and for all students and staff at public schools. It is also illegal to cover your face in public, which effectively outlaws the burqa (and masks, balaclavas etc.) This has been interpreted by some as an anti-Muslim law.
• France remains a majority Roman Catholic country, though due to the culture of secularism, religion plays virtually no role in French public life, and church attendance levels are among the lowest in the world. However, you are still expected to behave in a respectful manner when visiting churches.

Money:

• You should also avoid presenting yourself through your possessions (house, car, etc.). It is considered to be quite crass to discuss your salary, or to ask someone else directly about theirs. Instead express your enthusiasm about how great are the responsibilities, or how lucky you were to get there, etc.

City/rural differences:

• While roughly one sixth of the country's population lives in the Paris region, don't treat France as Paris or assume that all French people act like Parisians. Life in Paris can be closer to life in London or New York City than in the rest of France, and Parisian customs and opinions differ from those found en province. Bretanja, Korzika in Basque Country in particular have their own national identities.

Povežite se

Phone numbers

To call a French number from abroad, dial: international prefix 33 local number without the leading 0.For example: 33 2 47 66 41 18

All French numbers have 10 digits. The first two digits are:

• 01 for the Paris region, 02 for the northwest, 03 for the northeast, 04 for southeast, 05 for southwest,
• 06 in 07 for cellphones
• 08 have special prices that can be deduced from the two following figures: from free - 08 00 - to very costly (as far as €20.40 per hour) - 08 99. Skype numbers also start with 08.
• 09 if they are attached to voice-over IP telephones connected to DSL modems from French DSL providers that integrate such functions.

You cannot drop the first two digits even if your call remains within the same area. The initial '0' may be replaced by some other digit or longer code indicating a choice of long-distance operator. Don't use this unless explicitly told to.

When speaking phone numbers, people will usually group the digits by sets of two. For example, 02 47 76 41 94 will be said as "zéro deux, quarante-sept, soixante-seize, quarante-et-un, quatre-vingt-quatorze". The two-digit pair 00 is said as "zéro zéro", not "double zéro". If you find it too hard to follow, you may ask the person to say the number digit-by-digit ("chiffre par chiffre"). It would then be "zéro, deux, quatre, sept, sept, six, quatre, un, neuf, quatre".

Toll-free

There are few companies that provide toll-free numbers (often starting with 08 00) and there are also numbers which start with 081, for which you pay the cost of a local call regardless of where you are in the country. Numbers starting with 089 carry a premium toll.

Emergency numbers are 15 (medical aid), 17 (police station) and 18 (fire/rescue). You can also use the European emergency number 112 (perhaps a better choice if you don't speak French). These calls are free and accessible from virtually any phone, including locked cellphones. In case of a serious emergency, if you find a code-protected cellphone, enter a random code three times: the phone will lock, but you will be able to dial emergency numbers.

Cheap international calls

To enjoy cheap international calls from France travellers can get a local SIM card online before they leave or use low-cost dial-around services. Dial-around services are directly available from any landline in France. No contract or registration is required. Most dial-around services allows you to call the USA, Canada, Western Europe and many other countries at the local rate (tarif local). They also work from payphones, though the first minute is surcharged by France Télécom.

Fixed line

If you need a landline (ligne fixe) in France, use VoIP over DSL, such as the Livebox or Freebox service (free long distance calls within France and to a number of countries).

Phone booths

Phone booths have been largely removed. You may still find one in some rural areas. Most use a card (no coins). They accept CB, Visa or MasterCard cards but almost always only with a microchip.

Mobile

France uses the GSM standard of cellular phones (900 MHz and 1800 MHz bands) used in most of the world outside of the U.S. Many companies (e.g., Orange, SFR, Free, Bouygues Télécom, Virgin Mobile) offer wireless service. The country is almost totally covered but you may have difficulties using your mobile phone in rural or mountainous areas. However, for emergency numbers, the three companies are required by law to accept your call if they are able to, even if you are not one of their customers.

If you stay for some time, it may be advisable to buy a pre-paid cell phone card that you can use in any phone that supports the GSM standard on the 900/1800 MHz bands. Then incoming calls and SMSes are free. You can get it from most mobile service providers, but they have a very short validity for the card if you don't recharge it.

An Orange pre-paid SIM card is called a Mobicarte, costs €9.90 and comes with a credit of €5 included. SMSes within Orange France cost €0.12; to international mobile GSM users €0.28. Other operators (SFR, Bouygues) have similar prices. The mobile operator Free offers €2/month subscription without any minimum subscription time including 120 minutes per month, 50 MB internet, and unlimited national SMSes (as of Oct 2020). This is only available through the web and you need a postal address.

Internet

Internet cafés: Internet access is available in cyber cafés all over large and medium-sized cities. Service is usually around €4 per hour.

Residential broadband: In all major cities, there are multiple companies offering residential broadband service. Typical prices are €30 a month for unmetered ADSL (with speeds of up to 24 megabits per second), digital HDTV over DSL and free unlimited voice-over-IP phone calls to land lines within France and about twenty other countries (including the EU, and the U.S.) with external SIP access too (the price includes a modem/router/switch with integrated WiFi MiMo access point).

Wi-Fi: You'll also find wi-fi access (in cities and towns) in a lot of cafés usually those that are a bit trendy. There will be a sign on the door or on the wall. Also look for the @ symbol prominently displayed, which indicates internet availability. However, cyber cafés are increasingly hard to find, especially outside the major cities. Also, check out Carrefour, most of them have free Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi is prounonced "wee-fee" in France even by English speakers. Asking for "wye-fie" will generally not be understood.

Short-term SIM cards

(for smartphones and tablets)

Orange has nearly-unlimited Internet 1-month package for €9 called InternetMax. The official limit of 500MB is not enforced. Tethering is not allowed, but this is also not enforced. Email (POP3/SMTP/IMAP) is not covered, and sold as a separate package for €9 per month. P2P, VoIP and USENET are specifically banned, and risk getting your plan cancelled as well as the loss of any call credit remaining on your account.

As the plan is not marketed by Orange, staff at outlets and hotline operators are often completely unaware of it, and Orange website tells very little on it even in French. If your French is poor, detailed third-party instructions can be very helpful.

Post

Post offices ("La Poste") are found in all cities and villages but their opening hours vary. In the main cities the central office may be open during lunchtime; typically the day's opening hours are 09:00 to 18:00. Most offices are only open on Saturday morning and there is only one office in Paris which is open 24 hours and 365 days (on the Rue du Louvre).

Letter boxes are coloured in yellow.

Postal rates

There are three levels of service for French domestic mail, as of May 2019 (Andorra and Monaco included):

• Priority Letter (lettre prioritaire), usually arrives next day. Cost (up to 20g): €1.05
• Green Letter (lettre verte), usually arrives in two days. Cost (up to 20g): €0.88
• Economy Letter (écopli), usually arrives in four days. Cost (up to 20g): €0.86

For international mail, there is only one service:

• Priority Letter (lettre prioritaire), cost (up to 20g): €1.30 (to European Union and Switzerland), €1.30 (all other countries)

Parcels

International delivery services like FedEx and UPS are available in cities, however you generally have to call them for them to come to you as they have very few physical locations. Another option is to simply use La Poste with a wide network around the country and the same services as its competitors.