France

Capital Paris

Population 66,710,000

Area 640,679 km2

Key facts

France is a member state of the European Union located in Western Europe. There are 8 countries (Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland) that France shares its borders with. The official language of France is French. Although English is not the official language, a large number of people in France are fluent English speakers.

In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, France was ranked 31st out of 100 countries in 2021.

The national currency in France is Euro (EUR). The euro (€) is subdivided into 100 cent (c).

French
Banknotes

€5€10€20€50€100€200€500

French
Coins

€1€25c10c20c50c1c2c

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in France is 369.51 Mbps and mobile is 165.27 Mbs.The global average is 187.01 Mbps and 128.37 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density France has more ATMs than most other countries.93.54 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.49.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in France, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 2 socket types used in France. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries.

Type C 230 V, 50 Hz  Type E 230 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2024, France will celebrate 11 national public holidays. The next one Easter Monday will take place on April 1.

Date Holiday name
January 1, 2024 New Year’s DayJour de l’an
April 1, 2024Moving holiday Easter MondayLundi de Pâques
May 1, 2024 Labour DayFête du Travail
May 8, 2024 Victory in Europe DayVictoire 1945
May 9, 2024Moving holiday Ascension DayAscension
May 20, 2024Moving holiday Whit MondayLundi de Pentecôte
July 14, 2024 Bastille DayFête nationale
August 15, 2024 Assumption DayAssomption
November 1, 2024 All Saints’ DayToussaint
November 11, 2024 Armistice DayArmistice 1918
December 25, 2024 Christmas DayNoël

Tourism

What hotel chains are present in France?

There are Mariott hotels in 3 cities.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in France.

The IHG hotel chain operates in France.

The Best Western hotel chain operates in France.

There are Radisson hotels in 14 cities.

The Accor hotel chain operates in France.

What fast food chains are present in France?

The McDonald’s chain operates in France.

The KFC chain operates in France.

The Burger King chain operates in France.

The Subway chain operates in France.

The Domino’s Pizza chain operates in France.

The Starbucks chain operates in France.

Weather

What is the weather like in Paris?

Today the sun in Paris, rises at 6:35 AM and sets at 7:15 PM. The climate of Paris may be categorized as a Marine west coast (Cfb), according to Koppen’s classification system.

TodayMar 28Rain showersLow: 6.3°C (43.34°F)High: 12.2°C (53.96°F)
FridayMar 29RainLow: 8.2°C (46.76°F)High: 14.4°C (57.92°F)
SaturdayMar 30RainLow: 7.5°C (45.5°F)High: 10.9°C (51.62°F)
SundayMar 31RainLow: 4.8°C (40.64°F)High: 12.2°C (53.96°F)
MondayApr 1RainLow: 8.5°C (47.3°F)High: 14.5°C (58.1°F)
TuesdayApr 2Rain showersLow: 6.9°C (44.42°F)High: 16.5°C (61.7°F)

Weather data for Paris (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains , and some of them are high-speed trains.

Subway Systems The subway system is available in 6 cities.

Taxi Apps Uber is available in 20 cities. Bolt is available in 16 cities.

Car Rental Avis , Sixt , Hertz are all available in France.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  With a score of 6.6, France is placed 9th out of 129 nations.

Driving Side In France traffic is right-handed.

Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  1,042.00 thefts per 100,000 people in 2020.The global average is 544.

Road Traffic Casualties 5.10 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 2: Exercise increased caution. 

Emergency phones in France

112 Police
112 Ambulance
112 Fire police

Sources

Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban Smoking is prohibited in all public places excluding entertainment and restaurants. Local limitations may apply in some areas.

Cananbis legality Both recreational and medicinal use of cannabis is prohibited.

You are not entitled to a duty-free allowance for tobacco or alcohol if you are under the age of 18.

Alcohol allowance

Travellers from EU countries:

  • 90L of still wine (60L of sparkling wine)
  • 110L of beer
  • 10L of alcoholic beverages stronger than 22%
  • 20L of fortified or sparkling wine or other liqueurs up to 22%.

Travellers from non-EU countries:

  • 4L of wine
  • 16L of beer
  • 1L of spirits over 22% volume or 2L of alcoholic beverages less than 22% volume

Tobacco allowance

  • 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco
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