France

Viva la France! Let yourself be enchanted by the charm of the French and enjoy your stay in this beautiful country. Discover the countryside of France – the soft meandering hills, the bizarre mountain ranges of the Pyrenäen, the Alps and the rough Atlantic coastline.
France is not densely populated in comparison to the rest of Europe. One exception to this is of course, Paris. More than one nineth of the total 65 million inhabitants of France live in and around Paris.
Paris is a worldly city, however it often gives you the opinion, that it has stood still in time. Despite the hectic city life, you will always come across something that will trigger you to reflect on the past, and the colourful lifestyle that is part of the French culture. Even after you have visited the city many times, it is always good for a surprise.

France has a lot more to offer than Baguettes and Crepes! Every region has its own specialities: Quiche, fish, meat, or vegetables. Cheese and wine are an important part of every meal!

France offers an almost unlimited amount of cultural things to see and do: architecture, paintings, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur or Castles beautifully ornated with paintings such as the Castle of Versailles or the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims – it does not matter where you go, you will definitely not get bored.

The climate within France is very different, and the vegetation varies accordingly.
In the north and the west, are flat areas with mooreland that is covered in Erica and Heather. In the north east region on the west hang of the Pyrenäen and on the central plateau, you will find a lot of fertile land and many lush, green areas. The vegetation in the south east is mediterranean with olives, thymian, rosmary, pinien and cypress trees.
There are a lot of protected areas such as natural and national parks that provide a haven for many animal species.

France is a democratic country and belongs to the EU. As well as the mainland in Europe, France also has other territories. The current President is Nicolas Sarkozy.
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The culture of France was influenced very early by other European countries. In the 18th century, France was a country that was looked up to by the rest of Europe. The revolution against the Monarchy, as well as the revolution involving Napoleon lead to one reform after another. The modernisation that began in the 18th century, happened slowly and continued into the 20th century.

Weather

In the West, on the Atlantic coast, it is very windy, and towards the end of Autumn, it is also very wet.
Inland, the summers are hot and the winters are cold.
In the south of France, on the Côte d’Azur, the climate is warm to very warm between May and October. Even though the Winter is quite mild, snow has been known to fall.

History

The name France originates from the Franks, a Germanic tribe that occupied the region after the fall of the Roman Empire.
The monarchy reached its height in the 17th century during the Reign of Louis XIV. At this time France had a tremendous influence in European politics, the economy and the culture. It also had the largest population in Europe at that time. France's ultimate victory in World War I and World War II, after initially being invaded and partly occupied by German forces, didn't prevent the loss of the Empire. The Fourth Republic was established after World War II, to be replaced in 1958 by the current semi-presidential Fifth Republic established under General Charles de Gaulle.

Currency

Introduction of the Euro (€ ) in 1999.

Means of payment: EC and Creditcards, as well as travellers cheques.

Current

The voltage is 220 V.

French in France

Vive la France! Let yourself be enchanted by the charm of the French. France is one of the biggest countries in Europe, however the population density is relatively low. More than one nineth of the total 56 million inhabitants live in and around Paris. The region around Paris is known as the «Ile–de–France».
France, officially the French Republic, is in Western Europe and extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and North Sea, and from the Rhine River to the Atlantic Ocean. France is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain.

Recreational activities

The French love celebrating life and their country. Therefore at any time of the year, there will always be a festival somewhere. Wine, delicious food, music and dance are always a part of the celebrations. Sports are also omnipresent. The big cycling event «Tour de France», and the tennis tournament «Roland Garos» are among the most spectacular ones.
If you enjoy doing sport yourself there are no limits: Hiking, cycling, fishing, tennis, golf or various water sports and even special sports such as bungee–jumping, river–rafting, paragliding and many more.

Cars

Unfortunately theft is very common in France, and cars need to be parked in secured parking lots especially at night. Do not leave luggage or valuables in your car at any time.