For Mobile devices
A slimmed down version of certain key pages of the About-France.com website for viewing on portable devices (i-phone, blackberry and other media).
About France.com - mobile-phone compatible version:
Other mobile compatible pages:
- Routes from Calais
- Driving in France - mobile version
- Paris tourist attractions
- Paris travel information
- French restaurant menu glossary
- (French English translation of menu terms)
- French cheese guide
Budget Paris
France hotel guide
France ski area guide
Other pages in mobi format will be added in due course. Meanwhile, check out the standard About-France.com site for traditional browsers.
Plan a holiday in France, a business trip, or just discover the country through the pages of this online guide, packed with clear and practical information about France. About-France.com is a site for travellers and tourists, as well as for students and anyone wanting to discover France.
Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively, into 22 regions, and 96 counties, known as departments. France uses the Euro, and most garages, hotels and shops in France accept credit cards, though may not always accept swipe cards without a microchip. The cost of living in France is fairly similar to neighbouring countries, though some things (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in Paris can be expensive - as can staying on the Riviera, particularly during the peak tourist periods.. On the other hand, fruit, wine, travel, hotels and restaurants tend to be cheaper than they are in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural areas, and there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps
One of the oldest nations in Europe, France - which the Romans called Gaul - is also a country with a very rich cultural and environmental heritage. The climate in France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole a bit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain . Don't expect to find summer in winter in the South of France!
The spirit of France....
Like
any country, France is "different"; it's a special place, with its
ways, its quirks, its wonderful variety, its joie-de-vivre and its
bureaucracy. Depending on circumstances, life in France can be anything
from incredibly relaxed to frustratingly rigid. Stereotypes die hard;
there is still a comic-book stereotype image of the Frenchman dressed
in a striped tee-shirt and beret, smoking a Gauloise, and carrying
a string of onions round his neck; or else driving a Citroën 2CV to
market, with two chickens and a rabbit on the back seat. But it is
doubtful if this stereotype still exists anywhere; perhaps just here
and there, but without the onions, and certainly not in modern urban
France. And the iconic 2CV or "Deux-chevaux" is today a rare site
on French roads.
Even so, rural France is still
home to a dwindling generation of traditional country folk, living life
as it used to be; and the heritage and traditions of the past are being
carefully preserved and even reactivated by younger generations, often
fugitives from city-life. The old France is still alive and well, in
its own way, and still to be found in its villages and markets,
traditions and regional specialities. And of course, it is true that
the French eat snails - and very good they are too, as long as they
have been properly prepared by the chef, in a delicious sauce of
garlic, parsley and butter.... More about that on the wining and dining in France page.
Bread and wine
In spite of the great variety to be found in France, some things like the "baguette",
the famous French bread stick, change little from one region to
another; you'll find baguettes of all qualities in all regions, varying
from the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. Yet a fresh
baguette, coming warm from a traditional bakery, is surely one of the
most delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! There
are many different types of French bread,
but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to the
local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a
holiday in France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the
bread-counter in a supermarket! Indeed, the pre-frozen "fresh-baked"
bread counters in supermarkets are not even allowed, by law, to call
themselves "boulangeries".
Then there's wine.France
is one of the world's great wine producing countries, and a country
with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds to light
fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including "grey
wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). The most famous wines
of France, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are just the tip of the
iceberg; discover the immense variety on the About-France.com French wines pages.
Planning a trip to France:
France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you have
all the time in the world, you may not need to plan your holiday in
France, you can just wander along at your own leisurely pace, and
it will be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive
or fly to France, you may find it useful to check out our words of
warning tips on booking your travel to France.
About-France.com provides information to help you choose a destination, or travel through France, check your route through France, discover the things to visit in France and its regions, find a place to stay, for example a holiday cottage, or a place to study French, and much more. There's even a page on medical cover for your stay in France, and what to do if you get taken ill or have an accident, as well as some advice and information for people interested in buying property in France.
Paris is Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way to discover France for the first time... or the second, or the third... Paris is a city that people easily fall in love with, and with city-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or London, thanks to Eurostar, Paris is just a short train ride away, and a real break; it has masses of opportunities for cultural tourism, with some of the world's finest museums and monuments; it is one of the world's great shopping cities, and also arguably the finest city in Europe, a place where you can easily spend days just walking around, savouring the atmosphere, enjoying the life. But don't be caught out by France's closing hours and public holidays.
About-France.com provides information on Paris tourist attractions including things to do for free, Paris visitor passes and tips on how to save money during your stay. And staying in a hotel in Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank But, as they say in the rest of France, Paris is Paris, it is not the whole of France. So what about the rest of France?
The rest of France - summer or winter - a wealth of experiences to choose from.
One of the largest countries in Western Europe, France is also the most varied in terms of scenery and climate. From Brittany to Provence, the Auvergne , the Loire Valley, the Dordogne or the Alps, Burgundy to the Languedoc , Poitou-Charentes or Aquitaine and the Pyrenees, each region is special, each is a holiday in itself. It is also a country with over 2000 miles of beaches and seashores, plenty of space for even the most demanding of holidaymakers! So what are you waiting for? Click the regions tab above for more information about the different regions of Fance.
CLOSED TODAY ......... British and American tourists in France are sometimes surprised to find themselves faced with closed doors, on reaching a museum or a famous monument. So it is not a bad idea, before visiting France, to learn what is closed in France, and when? On Sundays, public holidays and holiday periods in general, shops, museums, businesses and public services may be closed. Museums are often closed on Tuesdays. See the About-France.com guide to Public holidays, Sundays and other holidays for more information.
Copyright notice: Website and text © About-France.com 2003 - 2010 except where otherwise indicated.