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 range 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, that often gives one the opinion, it has stood still in time. Despite the hectic city life, you will always find contemplation, and the colourful lifestyle that is part of the French culture on this or that corner of the street. Even after you have visited the city many times, it is always good for a surprise.

Weather

In the West, on the Atlantic coast, it is very windy, and towards the end of Autumn, it is 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 during 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. 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 it has a relatively low population density. 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 a country 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

French love celebrating life and country. Therefore there are many events all year round. Wine, delicious food, music and dance are always a part of it. Sports are also omnipresent. The big cycling event «Tour de France», and the tennis tournament «Roland Garos» are among the most spectacular ones.
For your own sport activities 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.