France

Harbour of Nice, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hafen_von_Nizza.jpg
Author: Tobi 87


France is a country in Western Europe. With a size of 674,843 square kilometers (260,558 sq miles), France is the biggest country in Continental Europe. It shares a border with many other European countries including with Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy to the southeast, and Spain to the southwest. In addition, the tiny principality of Monaco forms an enclave to the south of France while Andorra is a small independent country between France and Spain. Across the English Channel lies the British Isles to the northwest.

France Travel Information

• Official Name: France
  
  
• Capital: Paris (2,208,900)
  
  
• Population of France: 60,656,000
  
  
• Currency: Euro
  
  
• Languages spoken: French
  
  
• Religions: Roman Catholic (85%), Muslim, Protestant, others
  
  
• Size: 547,030 sq km (204,134 sq miles)
  
  

Major Cities of France

Categories of Sights in France

Regions of Metropolitan France

Territorial Collectivity of France

Overseas Regions of France

Porte Cailhau, Bordeaux, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bordeaux_Porte_Cailhau.jpg
Author: Luidger


The 2010 estimate places the population of France at around 65.4 million. It is the fifth largest economy in the world by nominal Gross Domestic Product, and the 8th largest by Purchasing Power Parity. The capital of France is Paris. This city of 2.2 million is located in a Métropolitan area of 11.7 million people. It is both the largest city within one of the most populated Métropolitan areas in Europe.

In addition to mainland France, which is called Métropolitan France, the country also count a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica. The forms of government in these territories range from overseas department to overseas collectivity.

The tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tomb_of_Napoleon_Bonaparte_D%C3%B4me_des_Invalides_Paris_France_001.JPG
Author: Riggwelter


France is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. It has much to offer in terms of sights and is particularly famous for its cuisine, history, fashion and culture. In this Travel Guide to France, I want to provide you with a description of every major tourist destination and sight that the country has to offer. You will find these listed on the right column. When I complete describing each destination, I will place a link to this page, so check back often as the information is added regularly.

L'église de la Madeleine
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madeleine_Paris.jpg
Author: Jebulon


Porte Saint-Pierre, a medieval gate at the Maréchal-Foch town square in Nantes
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nantes_-_Porte_Saint-Pierre_01.jpg
Author: Selbymay

World Heritage Sites in France

Most Famous Sights in France

Basilique Saint Amable, Riom, Auvergne, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FRANCE_-_Auvergne_-_RIOM_-_La_basilique_Saint_Amable_Interieur.JPG
Author: Jean-Marc Aubelle

Planning your trip to France

The following are the airports serving Paris:
Eure-et-Loir Chartes Les bords de l'Eure, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:France_Eure_et_Loir_Chartres_Bords_de_l_Eure.jpg
Author: GIRAUD Patrick

France Entry Requirements

Nationals of US, Australia, Canada, Britain and other EU countries do not need a visa for entering France.

How to explore France by Train

Trains are a great way to explore France. The national railway company is called SNCF, which stands for Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français. The Voyages SNCF website shows you the schedules and allows you to book interregional trains. For regional trains, go to Ter-SNCF website.

La Manneporte, a natural arch located west of Étretat in Normandy
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Manneporte-Etretat-Normandie.jpg
Author: Tobi 87

How to explore France by Car

Car rental is plentiful and offers a great way to discover the "off the beaten track" France. Pre-paying for your vehicle gives the best value for cheap car hire in France and avoids any surprises for added extras when you pick up the vehicle. Rental locations can be found throughout the country in all major cities, towns and airports.

How to make sense of the currency of France

France uses the Euro, €. Banknotes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 while coins are in denominations of 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Banking hours are from 9:00am to 12:00 noon and 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

Cabanes tchanquées near Arcachon, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bassin_d%27Arcachon_-_Cabanes_tchanqu%C3%A9es.jpg
Author: Karine Deydier

When to visit France

The best time is spring, around May. If you are going to France for skiing, then it's winter that is best in the French Alps and the Pyrenees.

Bourges Cathedral, France
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kathedrale_Bourges_v2.jpg
Author: Wladyslaw Sojka

What to wear in France

Lightweight clothing for summer and waterproof gear for the mountains. Warm clothing required in winter, including along the Mediterranean coasts.

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.