France has been synonymous with Romance for longer than your grandmother cares to remember, so whether you visit Paris or the Pyrenees, be sure to keep your fantasies in check.
April 5, 2006 (Press Release) --
The French wrote the book on la vie en rose and gave the world champagne and camembert, de Beauvoir and Debussy, the Tour de France and the Tour Eiffel. So if they have a finely tuned sense of national pride, who are we to point fingers? Although the ubiquity of Levis and Le Big Mac flusters the country's cultural purists, anything from a year in Provence to a weekend in Paris will explain why half the world grows dreamy over stalking the streets of Cyrano or picnicking Manet-style sur l'herbe. France has been synonymous with Romance for longer than your grandmother cares to remember, so whether you visit Paris or the Pyrenees, be sure to keep your fantasies in check, your expectations in line and your joie in your vivre.
Destination Facts
Full country name: French Republic
Area: 551,000 sq km (214,890 sq mi)
Population: 59 million
Capital city: Paris (pop 13 million)
People: 92% French, 3% North African, 2% German, 1% Breton, 2% Other (including Proven鏰l, Catalan & Basque)
Language: French (also Flemish, Alsacian, Breton, Basque, Catalan, Proven鏰l & Corsican)
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% Muslim, 1% Jewish, 6% unaffiliated
Government: Democracy
President: Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister: Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Nationals of the EU, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Israel do not require visas to visit France as tourists for up to three months. Except for people from a handful of other European countries, everyone else must have a visa.
Health risks: Your main risks are likely to be sunburn, foot blisters, insect bites and upset stomachs from overeating and drinking.
Time: GMT/UTC plus one hour
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
When to Go
Spring offers the best weather to visitors, with beach tourism picking up in May. Temperatures aren't too bad in Autumn, although the short days mean limited sunlight and the cold starts to make itself felt towards the end of the season, even along the Côte d'Azur. Winter means playing in the snow in France's Alps and Pyrenees, though the Christmas school holidays send hordes of tadpoles in uniform scurrying for the slopes. Mid-July through the end of August is when most city dwellers take their annual five weeks' vacation to the coasts and mountains, and the half-desolate cities tend to shut down a bit accordingly. Likewise during February and March.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
Destination Facts
Full country name: French Republic
Area: 551,000 sq km (214,890 sq mi)
Population: 59 million
Capital city: Paris (pop 13 million)
People: 92% French, 3% North African, 2% German, 1% Breton, 2% Other (including Proven鏰l, Catalan & Basque)
Language: French (also Flemish, Alsacian, Breton, Basque, Catalan, Proven鏰l & Corsican)
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant, 1% Muslim, 1% Jewish, 6% unaffiliated
Government: Democracy
President: Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister: Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Facts for the Traveller
Visas: Nationals of the EU, the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Israel do not require visas to visit France as tourists for up to three months. Except for people from a handful of other European countries, everyone else must have a visa.
Health risks: Your main risks are likely to be sunburn, foot blisters, insect bites and upset stomachs from overeating and drinking.
Time: GMT/UTC plus one hour
Electricity: 220V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
When to Go
Spring offers the best weather to visitors, with beach tourism picking up in May. Temperatures aren't too bad in Autumn, although the short days mean limited sunlight and the cold starts to make itself felt towards the end of the season, even along the Côte d'Azur. Winter means playing in the snow in France's Alps and Pyrenees, though the Christmas school holidays send hordes of tadpoles in uniform scurrying for the slopes. Mid-July through the end of August is when most city dwellers take their annual five weeks' vacation to the coasts and mountains, and the half-desolate cities tend to shut down a bit accordingly. Likewise during February and March.
Source: http://www.yahoo.com
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