AI overview
France is a Western European country that also includes overseas regions and territories scattered across South America, the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It matters as a major European nation with significant global presence through its far-flung territories and borders with multiple neighboring countries including Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
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Country
- Capital
- Paris
- Population
- 66,351,959
- Region
Travel guide
Understand
France is known for its long turbulent history, unique flair and lifestyle, and picturesque old towns, châteaux and fortresses. It is also blessed with its landscapes, where the sun shines gold upon the connectedness of nature.
Get in
For restrictions on imports, see European Union#Customs.
See
thumb|The cathedral at Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, Northeastern France
If your first thought of France is the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe or the smile on the Mona Lisa, you're thinking of Paris. Paris, the "City of Light" and the capital of romance has been a travellers' magnet for centuries, hosting intellectuals who drank coffee in its lively cafés and dancers and jazz musicians who performed for them in the historic bars and nightclubs of Montmartre. But there is much more to France than Paris. France is full of gorgeous villages in the countryside; there are splendid châteaux, especially in the Loire Valley, and you can also find areas of lavender fields or vineyards as far as the eye can see. It is impossible to cover all of France's sights and attractions, but we present a summary below; there is more details in city and region guides.
Do
thumb|Place du Général de Gaulle, Lille There's a plethora of activities for the budding traveller to engage in, from music and ballet to ski resorts and hiking trails.
For martial arts enthusiasts, France played a key role in the development of modern Olympic fencing, and is considered to be the spiritual home of the sport.
Eat
thumb|Interior of L'Auberge du Pont de Collonges, a 3-Michelin-star restaurant
With its international reputation for fine dining, few people would be surprised to hear that French cuisine can certainly be very good. As a testament to this, France is tied with Japan for first place as the country with the most Michelin star restaurants. French cuisine as a whole has been inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. Unfortunately, the local food can also be quite disappointing; many restaurants that cater to tourists serve very ordinary fare, and some are rip-offs. Finding the right restaurant and one where French people go to is therefore very important — try asking locals, hotel staff or even browsing restaurant guides or websites for recommendations as simply walking in off the street can be a hit and miss affair. The downside is that outside of the tourist traps, it is very rare to find a restaurant with English-speaking waiters, so be prepared to have to speak some French.
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Categories
Countries and territories where French is an official languageCountries in EuropeFranceG20 membersMember states of NATOMember states of the Council of EuropeMember states of the European UnionMember states of the Organisation internationale de la FrancophonieMember states of the Union for the MediterraneanMember states of the United NationsOECD members