France

France is part of the Schengen Area — a group of European countries with no internal border checks. Whether you need a visa depends entirely on your nationality, so treat this as a general overview and confirm the rules for your own passport before booking. Citizens of many countries — including the US, UK, Canada and Australia — can enter visa-free for short stays; travellers from elsewhere must apply for a short-stay Schengen visa in advance.

Visa-exempt visitors may stay up to 90 days within any rolling 180-day period for tourism, and time spent in any Schengen country counts toward that total. Overstaying can bring fines and a multi-year entry ban. Your passport should have been issued within the last ten years and stay valid for at least three months beyond your departure from the Schengen Area.

The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is now in operation — it registers non-EU visitors electronically with a facial photo and fingerprints instead of stamping passports. A second change, ETIAS, is still to come: a pre-travel authorisation similar to the US ESTA (not a visa), expected to become mandatory for visa-exempt visitors later in 2026 at around €20 and valid for three years. Rollout dates have shifted before, so check the current status close to your trip.

Because requirements vary by nationality and these systems are still rolling out, always verify before you book — using France's official sources and your own government's travel advisory.

France uses the euro (€). Card payments are near-universal and contactless ('sans contact') is the norm — you can tap to pay almost everywhere, including on public transport. Visa and Mastercard are accepted widely; American Express less so. Still, carry some cash for small bakeries, markets and rural cafés, a few of which set a card minimum of around €5–10. ATMs ('distributeurs') are plentiful — prefer ones attached to banks, and decline the machine's currency-conversion offer to get a better rate.

Tipping is modest and optional, and very different from the US. By law, restaurant and café prices already include service ('service compris') and staff earn a proper wage, so a tip is a small thank-you rather than an obligation.

As a rough guide: round up or leave 20–50 centimes for a coffee; leave €1–2 per person, or round up the bill, at a casual restaurant; 5–10% at fine dining for excellent service; and round up for taxis. Tip in cash where you can — many card terminals don't let you add a tip once the payment is processed.

The single most important rule in France is to say 'Bonjour' (or 'Bonsoir' in the evening) when you enter a shop, café or hotel and when approaching anyone for help — ideally 'Bonjour, Madame' or 'Bonjour, Monsieur'. Skipping it is the most common faux pas tourists make, and often earns cooler service. Say 'Au revoir' when you leave. The cheek-kiss greeting, la bise, is for people who already know each other — a handshake is fine with strangers.

A few words of French go a long way. Most French people speak some English in tourist areas, but starting in French — 'Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?', 's'il vous plaît', 'merci', 'excusez-moi' — signals respect and warms up almost any interaction. The effort matters more than the accent.

French dining is unhurried and mannered: keep your hands and wrists visible on the table rather than in your lap, wait for 'Bon appétit' before starting, and don't expect to heavily customise dishes. Dress tends to be neat and understated — smart-casual works almost everywhere. Keep your voice low in restaurants and on transport, where loud conversation reads as rude. In short, France values politeness, discretion and a little formality.

France has excellent public transport. The main international gateways are Paris–Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Paris–Orly (ORY), with large airports also in Nice, Lyon and Marseille. From CDG, the RER B train reaches central Paris in about 50 minutes for roughly €10–13 — frequent, though a known pickpocketing route, so keep bags closed.

Between cities, the SNCF rail network is fast and comfortable. TGV high-speed trains link Paris with Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and beyond in a few hours; Ouigo is the no-frills budget high-speed service; and regional TER trains serve smaller towns. Book TGV tickets well ahead, as fares rise closer to departure — the SNCF Connect app makes it easy.

Within Paris, the Métro and RER are the fastest way around, with buses and trams filling the gaps. Buy single tickets or top up a Navigo Easy card, or pay through the Île-de-France Mobilités app. Always tap your ticket at the turnstile to enter, and keep it until you exit — inspectors check, and travelling without a validated ticket means a fine.

One note on older advice: 'composting' (validating) your ticket in a yellow platform machine is no longer required for SNCF main-line trains, though you still validate at the gate for the Paris Métro/RER and paper transit tickets. For door-to-door trips, official taxis (marked ranks or the G7 app) and rideshare (Uber, Bolt) are both widely available in major cities.

The simplest option for most visitors is an eSIM — buy one online before you travel from a provider such as Airalo, Holafly or Ubigi. You receive a QR code by email, install it in your phone's settings, and have data the moment you land. Your phone must be unlocked and eSIM-compatible. Physical prepaid SIMs from French carriers (Orange, SFR, Bouygues, Free) also exist. If you'll visit several European countries, choose a 'Europe' regional plan rather than a France-only one.

Thanks to the EU's 'Roam Like at Home' rules, a SIM from any EU country works across the EU at normal domestic rates with no roaming surcharge. Travellers from outside the EU — including UK and US visitors — should check their home carrier's roaming fees, which can be steep, making a local eSIM the cheaper choice.

Wi-Fi is widely available in hotels, cafés and many public spaces in cities and tourist areas, though slower or scarcer in rural regions — so having your own mobile data is worthwhile.

France is a safe destination and most visits are trouble-free. The main risk is petty crime — pickpocketing and phone theft — especially in crowded tourist spots and on public transport. Hotspots include the Paris Métro and RER (including line B from CDG), big stations such as Châtelet–Les Halles, and landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur. Carry bags across your body and zipped, and keep your phone off café tables.

Watch for a few common scams: the petition scam (someone asks you to sign a clipboard while an accomplice picks your pocket), the friendship-bracelet scam near Sacré-Cœur, and the 'gold ring' scam. The response to all of them is the same — decline firmly and keep walking. Occasional strikes or demonstrations can disrupt transport, so check local news if your plans depend on it.

Tap water is safe to drink throughout France, including Paris — a free carafe d'eau in a restaurant is tap water and perfectly fine. No special vaccinations are needed for general travel.

In an emergency, dial 112 — the EU-wide emergency number, free from any phone, with English-speaking operators. For minor ailments, pharmacies are an excellent first stop: marked by a green cross, French pharmacists are highly trained and can advise on common problems. One pharmacy in each area stays open late — the 'pharmacie de garde', usually posted on the door of closed pharmacies.

Power: France runs on 230V / 50Hz electricity with Type C and Type E plugs (two round pins). Visitors from the US, UK and many other countries need a plug adapter. Most phone and laptop chargers are dual-voltage and need only the adapter; high-wattage devices such as some hair dryers may also need a voltage converter — check the label.

Language: the official language is French. English is fairly widely spoken in Paris, tourist centres and among younger people, but far less so in rural areas — a few French phrases genuinely improve your trip.

Best time to visit: the shoulder seasons — roughly April–May and September–October — offer mild weather and thinner crowds. Summer (June–August) is warmest and full of festivals but also peak crowds and prices, and many businesses in Paris close in August. Winter is quieter in the cities and ski season in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Time zone: France is on Central European Time (UTC+1), shifting to Central European Summer Time (UTC+2) from late March to late October.