France in Brief

Essential information for France

On this page ►	Essential facts:	Territory	Culture
	Money	Climate	Food and wine
	Parisand the rest of France	Public holidays in France	Planning a trip - before you go

France in a nutshell

France is a modern European state and a republicand is one of the world's  top six economies. The French head of state is the President, currently Emmanuel Macron, elected by universal suffrage: the president governs through a Council of Ministers and a parliament made up of two chambersthe National Assembly (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). 
Metropolitan France (France in Europe) has a population of slightly over 62 milliona little more than that of the United Kingdom. For more key data see facts and figures

Territory

Surface area: with a surface area of 547,030 km²or 211,209 sq. miles, metropolitan France is twice the size of the UKand slightly smaller than the state of Texas. It is the biggest nation in western Europe.. France has land borders with BelgiumLuxembourgGermanySwitzerlandItalySpain and Andorra. It is also bordered by the North Seathe English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. See coasts

Major cities:

The capital and the nation's largest city is Paris. Apart from Paris by far the largest urban area in Franceother major cities are LyonMarseilleLille and Toulouse. For city populations and more details see French city ranking tables. For top tourist citiessee city breaks.

Administrative areas:

Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is dividedadministratively, into 13 regionsand 96 countiesknown as departments. See maps of France.  The number of regions was reduced from 22 to 13 in 2016.

Culture

The official language is French, though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making a comeback.

National heritage

One of the oldest nations in EuropeFrance - which the Romans called Gaul - is also a country with a very rich cultural and environmental and cultural heritage.

Religion

There is no official religion in France; France is a secular republic. However about about half of French people say they are Catholics, and 2% Protestants. Less than 10% of French Catholics are regular church-goers. Some 3% to 4% of the French population are Muslims. There are churches in all French towns and most villages. More information: Religion in France

Money

Currency:

France's currency is the Euroand virtually all garageshotels and shops in France accept credit cards from major providers (Visa and Mastercard)as well as digital wallets (ApplePayetc). Click here for advice about currency exchange.

Cost of living

The cost of living in France is fairly similar to neighbouring countriesthough some things (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in Paris can be expensive - as can staying on the Rivieraparticularly during the peak tourist periods.
On the other handfruitwine, travelhotels and restaurants tend to be cheaper than they are in the United Kingdomparticularly in rural areasand there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps.

Climate:

The climate in France is quite variedbut generally west European - on the whole a bit warmer than the UKa bit cooler than Spain . Don't expect to find summer in winter in the South of France!

Food and drink - French life

In spite of the great variety of food and cuisine to be found in Francesome things like the "baguette" the famous French bread stickchange little from one region to another; the 'artisanal know-how and culture of baguette bread' is now listed by UNESCO on  its intangible cultural heritage' list. You'll find baguettes of all qualities in all regionsvarying from the absolutely deliciousto the hard and tasteless. Yet a fresh baguettecoming warm from a traditional bakeryis surely one of the most delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! There are many different types of French bread, but tasty baguettes can be bought all over Franceand a trip to the local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holiday in France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the bread-counter in a supermarket! Indeedthe pre-frozen "fresh-baked" bread counters in supermarkets are not even allowedby lawto call themselves "boulangeries".
     Then there's wine. France is one of the world's great wine producing countriesand a country with a vast range of winesfrom heavy Mediterranean reds to light fruity sparkling whitesvia less well known varieties including "grey wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). The About-France.com French wines pages are there to help you learn about the wines of France; BordeauxBurgundy and Champagne are just the tip of the iceberg; our wine guide takes you through these and all the other wine regions of France.

Tourism

Planning a trip to France: France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you have all the time in the worldyou may not need to plan your holiday in Franceyou can just wander along at your own leisurely paceand it will be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive or fly to Franceyou may find it useful to check out our words of warning tips on booking your travel to France.
About-France.com provides information to help you choose a destinationor travel through Francecheck your route through Francediscover the things to visit in France and its regionshire a carfind a place to stayfor example a holiday cottageor a place to study Frenchand much more. There's even a page on medical cover for your stay in Franceand what to do if you get taken ill or have an accidentas well as some advice and information for people interested in buying property in France.

City-breaks and short trips: Paris
Paris is Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way to discover France for the first time... or the secondor the third... Paris is a city that people easily fall in love withand with city-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or Londonthanks to Eurostar ; it has a wealth of museums and monuments, it is one of the world's great shopping citiesand also arguably the finest city in Europea place where you can easily spend days just walking aroundsavouring the atmosphere, enjoying the life. But don't be caught out by France's closing hours and public holidays.
About-France.com provides information on Paris tourist attractions including things to do for freea comparison of the different Paris visitor passes and tips on how to save money during your stay. And staying in a hotel in Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank Butas they say in the rest of FranceParis is Parisit is not the whole of France. So what about the rest of France?

The rest of France - summer or winter - a wealth of experiences to choose from.
The largest country in Western EuropeFrance is also the most varied in terms of scenery and climate. From Brittany to Provence, the Auvergne the Loire Valley, the Dordogne or the AlpsBurgundy to the Languedoc Poitou-Charentes or Aquitaine and the Pyrenees, each region is specialeach is a holiday in itself. It is also a country with over 2000 miles of beaches and seashores, plenty of space for even the most demanding of holidaymakers! So what are you waiting for?

CLOSED TODAY ......... Foreign visitors in France are sometimes surprised to find themselves faced with closed doorson reaching a museum or a famous monument. So it is not a bad ideabefore visiting Franceto learn what is closed in Franceand when? On Sundayspublic holidays and holiday periods in generalshopsmuseumsbusinesses and public services may be closed. Museums are often closed on Tuesdays. See the About-France.com guide to Public holidaysSundays and other holidays for more information.