Questions tagged [france]
Country in Western Europe known for food, culture, and architecture, with a Mediterranean coast and Paris as its capital and largest city.
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Is there a way to prevent "looking like a tourist" in order to not be harassed?
Disclaimer - the title of this post is probably not the best
On my way to visit family in Belarus and Poland, I had a long layover in Paris, so I decided to spend the day in the city. My luggage was ...
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A visa to visit the island that switches countries every six months?
So the island of Faisans is in France/Spain. Yes, both.
For six months of the year, from February 1st to 31st July, it's under Spanish rule - and for the following six months - it's under French ...
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Where is this tower, likely photographed in Belgium about 100 years ago?
This photograph is labelled as "restoration of a Belgian tower" and taken between 1920 and 1930, although both pieces of information might be wrong. However, it must have been taken before ...
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Strange looking region of France on Google Maps
I was idly browsing on google maps and came across this area on the Atlantic coast of France.
The terrain looks intriguing. What is it, any idea? They look like water bodies. But the shapes are not ...
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Is the tap water in France safe to drink?
I am planning to travel to France. When I have traveled recently, I often find myself drinking a lot of water after a lot of walking.
Sometimes buying water can be expensive, especially in central ...
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Is it dangerous to go to Île de Noirmoutier using the pass?
I heard that there are two possibilities to get to the island of Noirmoutier. You can either use a bridge, or you can use a pass through the water, which is only drivable if the tide is low. Is this ...
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Which city in Burgundy is it on this Samsung ad?
I saw this ad recently on the back of a Korean newspaper
What is the city featured on this ad?
I would love to visit there during a stay in France.
The main cities in Burgundy are :
Dijon
Auxerre
...
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Saving leftovers from restaurants in Paris
Doggy bags for saving leftovers in restaurants are extremely common in the USA, especially as portions sizes are usually too large to consume in one meal.
But I have read in various forums that it ...
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What is this design/advert featuring cupcakes on French railway trying to say?
I saw this on a platform at Gare de Lyon in Paris.
There was a similar design, but featuring doughnuts further down.
I’m an uncultured tourist.
What are these trying to sell / say / do? I’m ...
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If I travel to Paris, can I get by with just English?
If I plan on visiting Paris, but not really the rest of France, is it still important for me to learn at least enough French to get by? Are people in Paris going to be willing to speak English if they ...
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What do shops mean when they are open 7/7?
When I have been in mainland Europe, in areas such as France or Belgium, a lot of the shops say they're open "7/7".
The latter 7 presumably means 'every day' like in 24/7, but what about the other 7? ...
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How to get from Nice to Monaco by public transport?
What's the simplest and cheapest way to get from central Nice, France to Monaco by public transportation?
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Do the speed limit reductions due to pollution also apply to electric cars in France?
From time to time, the speed limit is reduced due to pollution in France (example (mirror)). Do these reductions apply to electric cars?
(image source (mirror): MAXPPP)
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France to USA by ship
I would like to travel from France to USA (ideally New York) with a ship. I want to use a ship because I have a long-term flying phobia; I know this is the root problem that I should solve, but this ...
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How can I get people to speak the local language to me?
I went to Paris 2 years ago. When I was there, I was learning the language by talking and listening to the local people. But, while I was trying to speak French with them, they would speak English to ...
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Why can't you order just drinks on a French restaurant's terrace?
We're on holiday in France, where many restaurants are seen having a terrace (an outside seating area). Given many restaurants, at least all over smaller towns in Bretagne, close between like 14:00 ...
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Identifying a Romanesque church in France from a 1900s photo
I'm trying to identify this building:
For completeness, this is the unrestored uncropped version:
According to metadata, the image was taken in 1900-1910 and it is captioned as "facade of a ...
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Is it reasonable / expected that French 'driving accessories' are provided with a rental car?
I'm hiring a car in France soon, for approximately a week.
It's my understanding that in France yellow hi-viz jackets are required for each occupant, in addition to a warning triangle (is there ...
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What is the difference between "Gazole" and "Diesel" in France?
I am driving a car with a Diesel engine. I always thought that "Gazole" and "Diesel" were synonymous to each other, only to drive in a gas station which mentioned both terms, as in "Gazole" and "...
user141
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How to overcome the language barrier when visiting France and Spain?
I may be traveling to France and Spain for business purposes, and I'm likely to mix some pleasure with that business trip.
I do not expect many language issues during the business conversations.
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Which TGV routes travel at 500+ km/hr?
I want to take a TGV for the experience of traveling very fast on the ground. The Lyria trains are advertised to travel at 524+ km/hr. The TGV I took only went 300 km/hr. Does anyone know which routes ...
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Buying Paris metro tickets from Eurostar before/during the journey?
Whenever a Eurostar gets into Brussels, and especially when one gets into Paris, there is always a mad scramble for the metro ticket machines, and if you weren't in the first coach then a very long ...
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US citizen flying to France today and my passport expires in less than 2 months
I'm an American citizen and I have a flight out to France today. One of my travel companions informed me that having a passport that expires in less than 2 months (on June 19th) might be a problem. ...
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How easy/hard is it to go from Lyon to Grenoble (France) on a 50cc scooter?
I am planning a trip trough the French countryside and was wondering if the elevation climb (roughly 800 meters at the halfway point) will be a big factor.
I'm not looking to go fast, roughly between ...
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Are there large US-style supermarkets in France?
I'm in Paris, and I've stopped into a Monoprix and a Carrefour, and in both cases compared to what I'm used to in the US the selection was quite small. It was just a fraction of what American stores ...
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Friend is worried about language barrier at airport in France
A friend of mine is worried about missing her flight home when she travels to Paris. Her thinking is that there will be a language barrier and she will miss the announcements for her flight in French. ...
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Why does my French Schengen visa say Marsault, or Goat in English?
Bonjour, travelers.
I received a Schengen visa from the French embassy in my country. It was a tourist visa and was my first time to receive a Schengen visa.
It looks like this:
I had to go to the ...
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What is France's traditional costume?
I like to see, and sometimes buy, traditional clothes when traveling in a new country.
Though you seldom see people in poncho and sombrero in Mexico (at least in the Federal District), you can see ...
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Time difference while living in Lille
I came to France( in Lille) 1 month ago for doing masters. I adjusted all my clocks which are not connected to internet according to french time.
Today when I woke up, I noticed that all the clocks ...
user129418
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Racism at Schengen ports of entry. Are there better ports of entry for people of color?
I'll cut to the chase. I am an Indian national and as brown as brown can be. The last time I entered France via Paris, the immigration official was super rude to me, and also upon telling him that I ...
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What does this sign on Air Tahiti ferry mean?
I saw this sign on Air Tahiti ferry in French Polynesia. What does the last icon on this place réservée sign mean?
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Is it legal to avoid the UK quarantine (August 2020) on passengers returning from France by traveling via another country?
I'm British, due to travel to the south of France for a week, flying from London to Turin (Italy) and driving across the border (it's the closest airport to my destination in France)
The UK has just (...
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How can I know of strikes that affect public transport in France?
tl;dr: Is there a resource that warns me of upcoming strikes that affect public transport in France
Recently I was forced to change travel plans very last-minute upon learning of a railway strike. ...
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What times of the year are best for visiting France? [closed]
When I visited Rome, Italy, I ended up visiting during August which seems to be a time when most Italians have fled the city to cooler areas. This was nice because there was less traffic so we were ...
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How can I receive packages while in France?
I'm in France for a month, and I need to receive packages for stuff I buy online. Unfortunately, I'm staying in an apartment building that has a locked gate, and the mailboxes are inside that gate.
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What do the dashes close to each other near French freeway exits mean?
During my last trip to France via car I noticed that French freeways (autoroutes) have a somewhat strange road marking I am not familiar with.
Usually, there are two lanes going my direction on a ...
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How do you avoid the hefty toll fee on the French highways?
Some of the toll fee's on the French highways are hefty. I know that you can avoid them by taking the routes nationales, where some are almost like highways. I don't mind traveling a little bit longer ...
user141
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Are there ways to keep long-distance land transport costs down in France when not planning in advance?
Ten years ago I travelled around Europe for the first time and in some countries I was very frustrated by high cost of trains and lack of alternatives to them.
I remember being in Cannes with a ...
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Dutch immigration at St Pancras intl
We are a family of 3 taking direct train from London St Pancras intl to Amsterdam which has started in April 2018. We have valid Schengen visa already and we hold Indian passports.
However I have a ...
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Where do I drop off and pick up a foot passenger in Calais (P&O)?
I'm dropping off and later picking up a foot passenger in Calais next week. I know how to drive to the ships if I'm boarding by car, but I am not coming with. Where can I get closest the foot ...
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Is American Express widely accepted in France?
I'm going to be in France — mainly cities, especially Paris and Brest — for about a month this summer and the only credit card I have without ridiculous foreign fees is AMEX. How much can I count on ...
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What's the temperature in TGVs?
I noticed that the French TGVs have no window that can be opened so the temperature is necessarily controlled with the air conditioning.
I am curious, is the air conditioning set to a specific ...
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May a cyclist or a pedestrian cross from Switzerland to France near the Basel EuroAirport without going into the airport?
I was cycling today in Switzerland, and I found myself on the path along Route Douaniére heading toward the Basel EuroAirport. I figured I'd cycle up to the airport, find a way to cross into France, ...
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Tips on where to buy clothes for cold weather in Lille, France?
I am a masters student from Chennai, India and I am studying in Lille, France.
The temperature in Chennai is not cold and we don't have much temperature variations. I bought clothes for cold but they ...
user129418
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How can you go from Paris to l'Ile d'Yeu?
This summer I will be going to France for the first time. While preparing my trip, I found L'ile d'Yeu (Yeu Island), off the Vendée coast of western France, as one of the destinations I want to visit ...
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Why do there seem to be no long distance buses in France?
User iHaveacomputer's answer to a question about smoking and EU trains and buses mentions that
in Germany the state-owned railway has a monopoly on long-distance travel.
On my first trip to Europe ...
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The website says the Eiffel Tower is sold out for two months. Is there anything I can do?
I went to the Eiffel Tower web site looking to buy tickets for an upcoming visit, and found that, except for a few days, it is sold out for basically two months. I am guessing that it is not truly ...
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What kind of Visa do I need to land on the EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg?
Assuming I'm not a citizen of the European union, and that I have a Schengen Visa with Germany as the main destination, do I need to make any special arrangements to land at this airport?
The ...
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Where in France can I rent a Citroen 2CV car?
I have never driven a Citroen 2CV and I fancy trying one but not to the extent of buying one. So, renting seems to be the solution. However, if I am going to rent one then rural France would seem to ...
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Cheap way to travel last minute across France by public transport?
The starting point and end point are not very important, but it will probably be Lille (~Belgium border) and end point around Hendaye (~Spanish border)
I am planning to spend ~3 days crossing. Time ...
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