France

France is a beautiful country with a wide variety of landscapes, from mountains to beaches, and influenced by its history with its neighbors. More than just Paris, there are many regions to discover, each with its own uniqueness and specialities.

APPS TO DOWNLOAD

The right applications can make your travels so much easier.
In France, and as in most European countries, they use Google applications a lot for GPS navigation and translation.

SNCF Connect: Book train journeys
On this app, you can plan and book small and long journeys: book your train tickets, cards/subscriptions, tickets, or exchange and cancel your tickets.

DeepL: Provides fast, accurate, and high-quality machine translation.
Great translator

IDF Mobilité: App to check transportation in Parisian region
IDF stands for “Ile-de-France” region. Register your favorite tram, bus or train station on this app to check its schedule. You can plan your journey in this region through this app.

Waze: Navigation app for cars
Better than Google Maps when you use a car. It is very precise and quickly updated with the traffic situation.

Toogoodtogo: save money and food
This app puts users in touch with bakeries, supermarkets, florists, etc. to offer them unsold goods at reduced prices in the form of baskets to be saved. You don’t get to choose what is put in the basket because the goal is to not lose unsold products.

TRANSPORTATION (Navigo card)

In France, there is no global card transportation for the whole country. However, there is one for the parisian area (Ile-de-France region). See the hereby photo of the area. Outside of this region, each place has different measures, however, you always can buy the ticket at a machine or online.

Navigo card:
First things to know are the area in which you plan on taking transportation (either metro, tram, bus, or rer). Five zones exist, please refer to the image. Let’s say you are in Paris and want to go visit Versailles, well make sure that your Navigo pass includes zones 1 to 4.

Different kinds of passes exist. To have the details, visit this webpage: https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/tickets-fares/list
Here is my favorite pass:
– Navigo Jeunes Weekend under -26 ticket: 4,70€ zone 1-3 for one day. The cheapest one on the weekend.
Several passes exist (weekly, monthly…), please follow the above link and compare the options according to your situation.

Make sure to validate your pass when entering the transportation. For RER and metro, it is when entering the station, for buses and tram, it is in the vehicle. You don’t need to check out as you pay a pass. However, you might need to check out in some RER and metro stations so don’t lose your ticket if that is what you took. These checks out are only there to discourage fraudsters.

It is possible to either get a card or use your phone instead.

101 culture and language

French people are not very good at English, however, most of them know the basics. It is appreciated to use a few French words.

Words to know :

Hello → Bonjour (morning and afternoon), Bonsoir (evening)
Goodbye → Au revoir
Thank you → Merci
Yes → Oui

No → Non
I am [your name] → Je m’appelle Beyonce or Je suis Beyonce
How are you → ça va (sa va)?, and you respond “oui ça va”
Please → s’il vous plaît

If French people are not necessarily friendly, politeness is very important: make sure to say “Bonjour” before speaking to someone, and don’t forget to say “merci” and “s’il vous plaît” when needed, even for small gestures.

French people love to debate, even when not needed. It is a conversation reflex to disagree at some point in the discussion, it is not rude, on the contrary when disagreeing you show that you are invested in the conversation and that you are honest. Also, it enables to bring other perspectives and can make things more interesting.

If you want to bond with a French, complain about something they would also complain. It can be about anything. It is great to agree on the same complaint and it feels good.

VISA

If you are planning to visit France, it is important to check if you require a visa. The visa requirements vary depending on your nationality and the purpose of your visit.

For citizens of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA), and Switzerland, no visa is required to enter France. They can freely travel and stay in the country for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

For citizens of other countries, a visa may be required. The type of visa will depend on the duration and purpose of your visit. There are different categories of visas, including tourist visas, business visas, and student visas.

To apply for a visa, you will need to submit the required documents, such as a valid passport, proof of accommodation, proof of financial means, travel itinerary, and possibly a letter of invitation or sponsorship. It is recommended to apply for the visa well in advance of your planned trip.