In France there are 39 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List: 3 Roman sites (Arles, Orange, Le Gard) 4 cathedrals (Amiens, Bourges, Chartres, Reims) 4 abbeys (Fontenay, Reims, Saint-Savin sur Gartempe, Vezelay) 8 historic city/town centres (Paris, Lyon, Avignon, Strasbourg, le Havre, Mont-Saint-Michel, Provins, Carcassonne) Plus […]
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Regardless of whether he is the biological father or not, a man who claims a child born to a single mother as his may be legally recognised as such. All he has to do is sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity (Reconnaissance de Paternité). Even if he […]
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In 1794, a survey revealed that just 11% of France’s population were native French speakers. By 1880, that number had risen to a mere 20%. Today, 86% of people living in France have French as their first language. Dialects and other languages make up the rest: […]
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Europe’s busiest airport for cargo traffic is Charles de Gaulle International in Paris, and is actually the 6th busiest, in terms of cargo, in the world. With an average speed of 263.3km/h (163.6 mph) from station to station, the French TGV is the fastest train in […]
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Since Roman times, wine has been made in France. In the North (e.g. Alsace), wines are usually made from a single variety of grape (e.g. Pinot Noir), whereas further south (e.g. Provence), they are typically blends (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon + Merlot). With 450 different appellations, there […]
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On New Year’s Day in France (le Jour de l’An), it is usual for friends and family gather together to make New Year’s resolutions. Sometimes gifts and cards are exchanged as well. Bonne année et bonne santé! On behalf of everyone here at France.com, we […]
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Since 1570, there has been a Christmas market in Strasbourg, and just as then, visitors nowadays can fill themselves full of Christmas cheer in the form of bretzels, mulled wine, candies, and pastries. These days, you can buy all the decorations for your Christmas tree as […]
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The tradition of decorating Christmas trees in France goes back to 16th century Alsace, when people would hang apples and nuts from the trees’ branches. However, in 1858, a drought caused the apple harvest to fail, so an enterprising glass blower from Goetzenbruck in Lorraine created […]
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Did you know that when children write letters to Santa in France, it is the law that they each receive a postcard by way of a response? The law was passed in 1962.
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Foie gras, the goose liver pâté that is the staple of le Réveillon in some regions, actually originated in ancient Egypt 4,500 years ago. Around 500 BC, it spread to Greece but didn’t make it to France (or, as it was then, Gaul) until the Romans brought […]
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