France in brief, essential information from About-France.com (2025)

Essentialinformation for France

For more detail on the topicsmentioned on this FranceinBrief page, follow the underlinedhyperlinks.

Francein a nutshell

France is a modern European stateanda republic, andis one of the world's topsix economies. The French head of state is the President,currently Emmanuel Macron,elected by universal suffrage: the president governs through a Councilof Ministers and a parliamentmade up of two chambers, the National Assembly (lower house) and theSenate (upper house).
Metropolitan France (France in Europe) has a population of slightlyover 62 million, a little more than that of the United Kingdom. Formore key data see facts andfigures

Territory

Surfacearea:with a surface area of 547,030 km², or 211,209 sq. miles,metropolitanFrance is twice the size of the UK, and slightly smaller than the stateof Texas. It is the biggest nation in western Europe.. France has landborders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spainand Andorra. It is also bordered by the North Sea, the English Channel,the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. See coasts

Majorcities:

The capitaland the nation's largest city is Paris.Apart from Paris by far the largest urban area in France, other majorcities are Lyon, Marseille, Lille andToulouse. For citypopulationsand more details see Frenchcity ranking tables.

Administrativeareas:

Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively,into 13 regions, and 96counties, known as departments. See mapsof France. The number of regions was reduced from22 to 13 in 2016.

Culture

Language

The official languageis French,though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making acomeback.

Nationalheritage

One of the oldest nations in Europe, France - which the Romans calledGaul - is also a countrywith a very rich cultural and environmentaland culturalheritage.

Religion

There is no official religion in France; France is a secular republic.However about about half of French people say they are Catholics,and 2% Protestants. Less than 10% of French Catholics are regularchurch-goers. Some 3% to 4% of the French population are Muslims. Thereare churchesin all French towns and most villages. More information: Religion in France

Money

Currency:

France's currency is the Euro, and virtually all garages, hotels and shops in Franceaccept credit cards from major providers (Visa and Mastercard). Clickhere for adviceabout currency exchange.

Costof living

The cost of livingin France is fairly similar to neighbouring countries, though somethings (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in Paris can be expensive - as canstaying on the Riviera, particularly during the peak tourist periods.
On the other hand, fruit, wine,travel, hotelsand restaurants tend tobe cheaper than they are in the United Kingdom, particularly in ruralareas, and there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps.

Climate:

The climatein France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole abit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain . Don't expect to findsummer in winter in the South of France!

Food and drink- Bread and wine

In spite of the great variety of foodand cuisine to be found in France, some things like the "baguette"the famous French bread stick, change little from one region toanother; you'll find baguettes of all qualities in all regions, varyingfrom the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. Yet a freshbaguette, coming warm from a traditional bakery, is surely one of themost delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! Thereare many different types ofFrench bread,but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to thelocal "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holidayin France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the bread-counterin a supermarket! Indeed, the pre-frozen "fresh-baked" bread countersin 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 acountry with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds tolight fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including"grey wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). TheAbout-France.com French winespages are thereto help you learn about the wines of France; Bordeaux, Burgundy andChampagne are just the tip of the iceberg; our wine guide takes youthrough these and all the other wine regions of France.

Tourism

Planninga trip to France:France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you haveall the time in the world, you may not need to plan your holiday inFrance, you can just wander along at your own leisurely pace, and itwill be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive orfly to France, you may find it useful to check out our words of warningtips on bookingyour travel to France.
About-France.com provides information to help you choose a destination, or travel through France, checkyour routethrough France, discover the things to visit inFrance and its regions, hirea car, find a place to stay, for example a holiday cottage, or aplace to study French, andmuch more. There's even a page on medicalcover for your stay in France, and what to do if you gettaken ill or have an accident, as well as some advice and informationfor people interested in buyingproperty in France.

City-breaks and short trips: Paris
Parisis Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way todiscover France for the first time... or the second, or the third...Paris is a city that people easily fall in love with, and withcity-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or London, thanks toEurostar; it has a wealth of museums and monuments,it is one of the world's great shoppingcities, and also arguably the finest city in Europe, a place where youcan 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 touristattractions including things to do for free, a comparison ofthe different Parisvisitor passes and tips onhow to save moneyduring your stay. And staying in a hotelin Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank But, as they sayin the rest of France, Paris is Paris, it is not the whole of France.So what about the rest of France?

Therest of France - summer or winter - a wealth of experiences to choosefrom.
The largest country in Western Europe, France is also the most variedin terms of scenery and climate. From Brittany to Provence,theAuvergne, the Loire Valley,the Dordogneor the Alps, Burgundyto the Languedoc, Poitou-Charentesor Aquitaineand 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 whatare you waiting for?

CLOSED TODAY .........Foreign visitors in France are sometimes surprised to find themselvesfaced with closed doors, on reaching a museum or a famous monument. Soit is not a bad idea, before visiting France, to learn what is closedin France, and when? On Sundays, public holidays and holiday periods ingeneral, shops, museums, businesses and public services may be closed.Museums are often closed on Tuesdays. See the About-France.com guide toPublicholidays, Sundays and other holidays for more information.