Country Trading Profiles France - Travel information

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service: Consult the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Diplomatic representations: Consult the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
For more information: Embassy of France in Greece

ambafran@first.gr
http://www.ambafrance-gr.org/

Recommendation: Almost all French cities have a public transport network which is safe, and quality is high (in regards to frequency, comfort, safety/security, limited risk of accidents, etc.) Where there are only buses in the smallest towns, the biggest cities have trams, metro, buses and self-service bicycles. Using taxis is also very practical. However, they are very difficult to find in rush hours except for people who have a season ticket. The Paris metro is one of the most extensive in the world. In the ranking of the world's 10 best metro systems, it is in 2nd position.
Maps of urban networks: The Paris RATP network (Paris city transport authority)
The Ile de France Transilien train network
The Lyon transport network (in French)
The Marseille transport network

Recommendation: To travel from city to city the best means of transport is the train. From Paris you should expect between 2 and 4 hours to reach other big cities; fares are affordable, the trains are comfortable and you arrive directly in the city center.
By plane it is about 1 hour 30 minutes' travel time to go from one end of the country to another.
As soon as you leave the city center, you really need a car to get around.
Rail companies: The SNCF (French national rail company) and its on-line reservation service

Flight from Greece: Aircraft companies like Air France and Olympic Airlines operate regular direct flights from Athens to Paris. Air France also offer flights to the main french cities like Lyon and Bordeaux. To find out air connections from Greece to France click here

Recommendation: Traveling by your own means in France poses few problems; it is easy to rent a vehicle, the road network is very good and the road sign system is very clear (in French).
The French authorities have set up a large number of speed cameras on the roads to encourage drivers to keep to speed limits. For further information, consult regulations and penalties enforced (in French).
There is a high risk of traffic jams in and around the big cities.
Road maps: Map of the motorway network
Motorways and national (main) roads
Find an itinerary: ViaMichelin
Mappy

Historical: 40,000 monuments to visit among which 10,000 châteaux, abbeys and manor houses, the landing beaches.....
Cultural: 6,000 museums, 1,000 festivals.
Sculptures, paintings, theater, concerts, cinema, literature, etc.
Nature: Many protected natural parks. See also the French Unesco World Heritage Sites.
Religious: Lourdes, Chartres, Lisieux, Mont Saint-Michel
Thermal: Consult the balneology in France website
Beach: The Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the English Channel. 5,500 km of coastline in all.
Winter sports: The Alps have some of the most pleasant (and most expensive) ski resorts in Europe, such as Chamonix. You can ski less expensively in the Pyrenees or the Massif Central.
Outdoor activities: Rambling, mountain biking, rock climbing, mountain climbing, rafting
Shopping: France is well-known for being the greatest destination in the world for shopping with regards to fashion (the website of the French Federation of Haute Couture), culinary specialties or wine (The guide to French wines), in small specialized boutiques or in the large department stores (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps), etc.

Top Highlights in the main cities
The Eiffel Tower
The Louvre
The Sacré Cœur Basilica
The Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées
The Château of Versailles
The Invalides Museum
Boat trips on the Seine (Les Bateaux mouches)
The Georges Pompidou Center
The Cathedral of Notre Dame
The Paris Opera

Top highlights of the country
The Châteaux of the Loire
Strasbourg Cathedral
The Palace of the Popes in Avignon
Stanislas Square in Nancy
The Amphitheater of Nîmes
Camargue
The Aveyron gorges and the Valley of the Lot
Reims Cathedral
The Mont St Michel
The Lourdes Basilica

Food specialties: France is one of the countries where the cuisine has a lot of variety. With dishes such as: tournedos; rib steak with béarnaise sauce served with green kidney beans or pommes dauphines; meat on skewers; blanquette of veal; etc. Near the sea, fish and sea food such as mussels, cockles and shrimp are offered. Alsace and Lorraine are the regions where you find sauerkraut, kugelhof, quiche Lorraine and tarte flambée. Lyon, the biggest city in the Rhône valley, is the heart of French cuisine. One of the region's specialties is pike quenelles. There are 365 sorts of cheeses; for example, Camembert, Brie, Roquefort, Reblochon and the blues of Auvergne and Bresse.
Drinks: In France, wine is the alcoholic drink people drink most: Champagne, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Côtes de Provence, Côtes du Rhône and wines of the Loire region, etc. Many aperitifs and liqueurs are also drinken: Pastis, Pineau, Muscat, Chartreuse, fruit liqueurs, brandies, etc.
Dietary restrictions: There are no dietary restrictions in the country

Domestic currency: Euro
ISO Code: EUR
To obtain domestic currency: The most practical way is to withdraw money directly from ATMs. There are many of them and they are easily accessible in airports, city centers, and all over the country.
Possible means of payment: Places where you can pay with foreign currency are rare.
In stores, restaurants, hotels, cafés payment is made in cash or by credit card, according to the sum. American Express cards are not accepted very often.
Exchange rate on
Automatic Teller Machines (ATM): To find out the locations of ATMs in in France, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Official language: French
Other languages spoken: The regional languages (Breton, Corsican, Catalan, etc.) are only spoken locally and by a minority of French people.
Business language: According to the type of company contacted, its geographical location and sector of activity, it may be difficult to find someone who speaks English.
Getting some knowledge: Use the travlang website. You can also use the ContexTrans website for translation services.
Free translation tools: Voilà - Translator of words, text and web pages
Educnet - Portal for free translation tools
Foreignword - Translator of words and text
Google - Translator of words, text and web pages
Lexicool - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
Babel Fish - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
Lexilogo - Free Greek-French-Greek translator