Beautiful by name, beautiful by nature, la belle France is still turning heads.
Whether it's gastronomic greatness, artistic endeavour or cultural cachet you're looking for, there's no doubt that France still sits right at the top of the European heap. France is the country for which the word chic was invented - seductive and aloof, old-fashioned and forward-looking, but always characterised by a certain je ne sais quoi .
The country that gave the world Champagne, casseroles and Camembert is justly famous for its cooking, and you'll find there are plenty of places to indulge yourself. But while France is undoubtedly a place to eat and drink to your heart's content, there's much more to this fascinating country than cutting-edge cuisine.
French Republic
60,400,000
Name: Euro
Code: EUR
Symbol: €
230V 50Hz
Official: French
GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
+33
Metric
podcast by Chris Pitts, October 2007
French cosies up to English in a global-village version of Franglais. Want to speak like les cool? Read the full article ›
Tags: France
article by Chris Pitts, October 2007
Everyday English is peppered with French expressions, but now there's a bit of cultural role reversal going on. Here's how to get fluent in Franglais. Read the full article ›
article by Paula Hardy, June 2006
The French Riviera for the nouveau pauvre (with some petit splurges thrown in). Read the full article ›
Tags: France
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