Introducing France
Good, bad or ugly, everyone has something to say about France and the French: chic, smart, sexy, rude, racist, bureaucratic, bitchy as hell, pavements studded with dog poo, baguettes that dry out by lunchtime and a penchant for torching cars is some of the chitchat on the street. Spice up the cauldron with the odd urban riot, political scandal and a 35-hour working week - not to mention a massive box-office hit like The Da Vinci Code taking over Paris or superstar Angelina Jolie allegedly plumping for a chateau in Normandy to raise her kids - and the international media is all ears too.
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This is, after all, that fabled land of good food and wine, of royal chateaux and perfectly restored farmhouses, of landmarks known the world over and hidden landscapes few really know. Savour art and romance in the shining capital on the River Seine. See glorious pasts blaze forth at Versailles. Travel south for Roman civilisation and the sparkling blue Med; indulge your jet-set fantasies in balmy Nice and St-Tropez. Ski the Alps. Sense the subtle infusion of language, music and mythology in Brittany brought by 5th-century Celtic invaders. Smell ignominy on the beaches of Normandy and battlefields of Verdun and the Somme. And know that this is but the tip of that gargantuan iceberg the French call culture.
Yes, this is that timeless land whose people have a natural joie de vivre and savoir- faire - and have for centuries. But change is afoot. France and the French are fed up - and inspired. It's on the tip of everyone's tongues.
Ready to go?
- Download our new French Offline Translator app. Simply talk or type, and it translates. Available for iPhone, iPad and Android
- Check out the Lonely Planet Paris City Guide app and our new Paris Walking Tours with Audio available via iTunes
- Discover the Loire valley by bike & barge
- Learn to cook your own Parisian banquet
Last updated: Feb 9, 2012
Tips & articles
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The ultimate guide to Brittany
15 May 2012
With its fretted coastline and incredibly varied landscapes, Brittany is one of France‘s greatest charmers. The region is bursting with...
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Gastronomic Provence
15 May 2012
Lonely Planet has produced this article for Vaucluse Tourism in Provence. All editorial views are those of Lonely Planet alone...
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Believe your eyes: the world’s strangest optical illusions and mirages
10 May 2012
Can you believe your eyes? When it comes to these head-twisters, chances are you can’t. Come around the globe with...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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Re: Chemin de St-Jacques walk in Walking in France guide
by peatravelwriter 28 May 2012
I wonder which segments of the Chemin St. Jacques did you walk? During my cross country walk through the Pyrenees, sometimes on GR-10…
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RE: First time driving trip to France, 8 days from Calais. Any ideas please?
by Mrs_Trellis 28 May 2012
Why not bumble down to Colmar and back then? You could go down through the Champagne region (Rheims, Epernay) and then head across countr…
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RE: Single mom wanting to move to Europe, possibly teach English to non-English
by canayjun 28 May 2012
i think you are incredibly naive to think you can just 'go' to France, or anywhere in Europe to teach English, especially with no qualificat…
Hotels & Hostels
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France
Things to do
- All things to do (4,652)
- Activities (754)
- Entertainment (743)
- Restaurants (1,306)
- Shopping (619)
- Sights (1,134)
- Tours (96)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For France
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1 Bond with the Vallée Blanche descent
Make like 007 on the legendary adrenalin-assaulting ski-run from the Aiguille du Midi to Chamonix
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2 Have an art attack in the museums of Paris
Amble through the extraordinary artwork in the Musée d'Orsay, Musée Rodin, Centre Pompidou, Musée du Louvre, Musée Picasso...stopping at cafés and markets along the way, of course
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3 Ride to magical Mont St-Michel
Cycle at low-tide across to this magical sea-splashed abbey atop a tiny island; illuminated night-time visits are especially enchanting
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4 Savour bubbles in Épernay
See what goes into making real Champagne on a tour of Moët & Chandon, and savour the results
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5 Slurp oysters in Gujan Mestras
Devour oysters by the dozen in France's oyster-farming capital, just 60km south of Bordeaux
Fast Facts about France
- Currency: what's the Euro worth today?
- Population:
64 million
- Head of state: President Nicolas Sarkozy
- Varieties of cheese: more than 500
- Border countries: Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland
- Annual alcohol consumption (per person over 15 years):
wine 78.9L, beer 41L, cider 6.9L, spirits 9.1L
- Inventions: braille, bikini, digital calculator, hot air balloon, scuba equipment, stethoscope, parachute, sewing machine, guillotine
- Guinness World Record: Charles de Gaulle survived more assassination attempts (32) than anyone else in the world
- Sarkosis: unhealthy obsession condition with President Sarkozy
- French balls: traditional ball games include pétanque and the more formal boules (which has a 70-page rule book); both are forms of bowls
Our favourite France Blogs (beta)
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Paris Food
Blog: A Traveler's Library - 28 May 2012
FRANCE WEEK This week we’re booking travel (armchair or otherwise) to France. Previously, I’ve waited until Bastille Day to focus on France, but these books were so good, I just could not wait. Later, we’ll look at two specialty guidebooks and an historical mystery novel , along with some pictures from our trip to France [...]This content is a post from: A Traveler's Library To comment on this post or search for related information, click on the link to A Traveler's Library.
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Garden Festival at Domaine de Chaumont-Sur-Loire Part I
Blog: I Prefer Paris - 28 May 2012
About 2 1/2 hours from Paris is an enchanted garden in the Loire Valley. Every year since 1992 on the grounds of the Chaumont-Sur-Loire Chateau there is a garden festival starting in April and continuing through October that has a...
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The Perfect Nightfall in Arles, France
Blog: Landlopers - 27 May 2012
Arles, France Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.Copyright LandLopers All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
