France Travel Tips: What to Know Before You Go

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• Cards work almost everywhere — but carry €20–30 cash for markets, village bakeries, and rural cafés.
• Restaurants close between 14:30 and 19:00 — plan meals around this or you'll find yourself hungry in a town with nowhere to eat.
• Say "Bonjour" before anything else, every time, without exception. Not doing this is considered rude regardless of what follows.
• Book timed entry for the Louvre 3+ weeks ahead in summer — it sells out and there is no walk-in workaround.
• Get an eSIM before you land — airport SIM options are overpriced and slow to activate.
• Pickpockets on the Metro are real but predictable — Metro lines 1 and 13, Sacré-Cœur steps, and Eiffel Tower queues are the main spots.

Money in France

Card acceptance in France is excellent in cities and most towns. Visa and Mastercard work everywhere from brasseries to TGV vending machines. The exceptions are rural markets, some village bakeries, and occasionally smaller cafés in remote areas — these sometimes still ask for cash. Carrying €20–30 in coins and small notes covers most cash-only situations without being inconvenient.

For ATMs, use your home bank's network where possible. French ATM fees vary by bank and are often lower than airport exchange bureaux, which apply brutal spreads. Avoid withdrawing cash at the airport if you can.

Tipping norms in France are different from the US. Service is legally included in restaurant prices (service compris) — you are not expected to add 15–20%. Rounding up at a café or leaving €2–5 at a sit-down meal is appreciated but never obligatory. See money and tipping in France for the full breakdown including card machines, contactless limits, and what "service compris" actually means on the bill.

Dining in France

The rule that trips up most visitors: French restaurants close between lunch and dinner. Lunch service typically ends at 14:00–14:30. Kitchens reopen for dinner from 19:00–19:30 until around 22:00. If you're hungry at 16:00, your options are bakeries, cafés serving snacks, or tourist restaurants that stay open all day (usually a warning sign about quality).

Reservations matter more than in many countries. Good bistros run tight covers — a restaurant with 30 seats and a full reservation book will turn you away, politely and genuinely. You don't need to book every meal, but for anywhere you'd actually be disappointed to miss, book it the day before at minimum.

When you're ready to leave, you'll need to ask for the bill — it will not come automatically. "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" is the phrase. In English, "Could we have the bill, please?" works in most tourist areas. The table is yours until you ask to pay.

See the French restaurant etiquette guide for the full picture: hours by meal type, how to handle walk-ins, Sunday closures, and what "service compris" means.

Language basics

The one rule that matters more than any vocabulary: say Bonjour (or Bonsoir after around 18:00) before any interaction. Before ordering at a bakery. Before asking a question at a shop. Before speaking to a taxi driver. French culture treats the greeting as an acknowledgement that you recognise the other person. Skipping it and launching straight into a request reads as rude, and it's the most common thing tourists get wrong.

Six phrases that actually get used:

• Bonjour / Bonsoir — hello (daytime / evening)
• S'il vous plaît — please (also used to get attention: "Excusez-moi, s'il vous plaît")
• Merci — thank you
• L'addition, s'il vous plaît — the bill, please
• Une carafe d'eau — a jug of tap water (free; saying just "water" may get you bottled)
• Parlez-vous anglais? — do you speak English? (often unnecessary in cities, but asking respectfully is always better than assuming)

In Paris and most tourist areas, English is spoken widely enough that you won't struggle. In smaller towns and rural areas, basic French goes much further. The effort matters more than the accent.

Staying connected

France has good 4G and 5G coverage in cities and most towns. Rural areas, particularly in the Massif Central and some parts of Normandy and Brittany, can have patchy coverage — which is why offline maps are more important than people expect.

eSIM vs local SIM: For trips of 1–3 weeks, an eSIM is the easiest solution if your phone supports it. You set it up before you land, it activates immediately on arrival, and you avoid the faff of buying a physical SIM at a French phone shop. Airport SIM kiosks are expensive and often slower to activate. See eSIM and phone data for France for which providers work well and what to look for in a plan.

Download offline maps (Google Maps or Maps.me both work well) for the regions you're visiting. Particularly important for driving in Provence or Alsace, navigating rural train stations, or walking in parts of Paris where underground sections kill signal.

Practical logistics

Shop hours: Most shops close by 19:00–20:00. Many close on Sunday, especially outside Paris and tourist areas. Monday closures are also common for independent shops and some restaurants. Check before building your day around a specific shop or restaurant.

Pharmacies: The green cross sign is visible on every French high street. French pharmacies are reliable, stocked with useful travel supplies, and staff often speak enough English. They're a good first stop for minor ailments.

Pickpockets: Real, but predictable. The highest-risk spots are Metro lines 1 and 13 (especially between Châtelet and the Marais), the Sacré-Cœur steps and approach at Montmartre, the Eiffel Tower queues, and the area around Gare du Nord. Carry your bag in front of you on crowded Metro carriages, don't put your phone on café tables, and ignore anyone who approaches with a petition or clipboard. See Paris pickpockets and safety guide for the full breakdown of common setups and how to avoid them.

Taxis and Uber: Both work well in cities. Uber is available in Paris and major French cities. Taxis have regulated fares (displayed in the car). Tipping is not expected but rounding up is appreciated.

Same trip planning

• French restaurant etiquette guide — the full dining rulebook: hours, reservations, service pace, and what "service compris" means.
• Money and tipping in France — card acceptance, ATMs, dynamic currency conversion, and the tipping question answered properly.
• eSIM and phone data for France — which plans work, what to set up before you land, and offline map advice.