Planning to visit France, I decided to write down a list of a few things that you need to know before your trip that will help you better understand French culture.
•France metropolitan has close to 67 million people.
•Paris is the capital city.
It is the biggest and richest with about 2 million people.
•The main language is French and our currency is € (euros).
•France has a mix population including black and biracial people.
•We love a good baguette and every year about 6 billions of them are sold.
•We love to sit at terraces to drink coffee, read the newspaper, talk with friends…
•We believe that work is great but family time is better. The motto is “la joie de vivre”.
•We love going on vacation and spending time with our family. That is why we are the champions in Europe when it comes to vacation time. I am all for it!
•Customer service in France is not that great! Expect to wait even if there isn’t anyone else in the room but you.
•Please don’t rush us. It will not make things go quicker.
•Don’t ask for anything before saying “Bonjour” first! Don’t even try! You might get a nasty look.
•Although you might run into some rude people here, most of us are nice.
•Wine is an important part of the French culture so we consume it a lot! Expect to see wine shops pretty much everywhere.
•Most French/non French smoke. Smoking is everywhere! To the dismay of people like myself who don’t smoke! Expect to see cigarette butts on the sidewalks and even on the beach! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
With that said, I wouldn’t trade living here for anything in the world. We do have a beautiful country with so many beautiful sceneries. So come for a visit.
Have you been to France before? Please share your experience with us down below in the comment section.
