France

France is the most visited country in the world. It has everything that you could ever want to see on your holidays: a great city like Paris, good beaches, more monuments than any other country, lovely nature and incredible mountain scenery.

Paris
Paris is the capital city of France and is located in le de France region, on the Seine river, with an estimated population of 2,153,600 inhabitants.
A great destination for a city trip is Paris . This romantic city has tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, the Centre Pompidou and the Louvre Museum. There are a million and one things to do in Paris and just as many places to spend the night.

Lyon
Lyon is the third largest city in France, is located 431km (268 miles) southeast of Paris and 311km (193 miles) north of Marseille. Lyon is also called the 'city of light' because of its history which began on Fourvire Hill, when the city was under the Romans, and the city was proclaimed capital of the three Gauls, while during this period Lyon obtained a big development in economic, politic, religious and military aspects. The tradition od the city of Lights or 'Lugdunum' (as called by the Romans) is still present, every evening more than 100 sites across the city are lit up to show the splendor of Lyon.

Cannes
The city of Cannes is situated at the south part of France in the Riviera region and its population is approximately of 70.000 inhabitants. Cannes is very famous around the world for its Film Festival and also for its Cannes Lions Festival. This is a very luxurious city and has as a principal source the tourism.

Bordeaux
Bordeaux is the capital of Gironde department with a population of 660,000 people, this is the largest cities in France and one of the largest in Europe, Bordeaux is an economic, comercial and industrial center, but its principal source is the wine trade, all the wine produced in the Bordelais region is known as Bordeaux wine.

Saint Tropez
Truly, one of the most beautiful place on Cote D'Azur, St Tropez is still all bright blue water, exclusive yachts, and beautiful beaches; it's also the ancestral home of the G-string bikini. Here you can really live it up for all you're worth (and it helps if you're worth a fair bit). Be hedonistic by night and dozy by day. Grab a drink in one of the harbourside cafes and watch the very rich and the very beautiful promenade past the plane trees and the sparkling sand. Eat a baguette, sip a cafe and pinch yourself this is real life, for some.

Activities and Tours

The Eiffel Tower
This is probably the most known monument in France, but at the beginning it was a not very well accepted construction, french citizens did not like it and thought it was a waste of money. This iron tower was built on the Champ de Mars beside the River Seine in Paris, the tower replaced the Washington Monument and was called the Tower Eiffel in honor of its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel.

La Rochelle
The city of La Rochelle was the first city in the world to provide free bikes "city bikes", back in the 70's. Free to use for the day. La Rochelle also has beautiful beaches all around where you can enjoy and relax, La Rochelle is also famous for its towers some of them are: La Tour de la Lanterne, Tour Saint Nicolas and la Tour de la Chaine.

The French Alps
If you like skying this is a good option, the French Alps are imponent and majestic, the perfect place to sky, the Mount Blanc is the highest mountain in Western Europe with an altitude of 4808 meters. There are also shop markets and valleys with trees and lakes, the landscape is simply fascinating.

Travel Tip and useful information

Climate
When visiting France, you will find that the weather is quite temperate, offering stable highs and lows throughout the city. There are rarely any extreme temperatures occurring in the area. The average high for the entire year can be seen around 75 degrees. The lows often can be found in the mid 30s.

Time Zone
French time goes from GMT+1 to GMT+2.

Population
France is poblated by three main ethnic groups: Celtic, Latin and Teutonic or Frankish, France had the major population of Europe from 1945 until the end of 1960s. Now its population estimates 64,102,140 inhabitants. The French people comprise all French citizens, including the French overseas departments and territories.

Transport
Transport services are good enough, specially when you travel by train you will find a comfortable environment, with restaurants and other places where you can relax. Cyclists are very admired in France, there is a city where you can ride a bike with no cost, the bikes are completely free and in Paris takes place the Tour of France, the cycling tournament where only the bests participate.

Currency and credit cards
The national currency in France (and in the European Union ) is the Euro. Currency exchange can be made in most banks (look for a sign indicating Change) and post offices as well as in some large stores, train stations, airports and exchange offices near major tourist sites. They are accepted in a large number of shops, hotels and restaurants. Shopkeepers often state a minimum amount required to be spent.

Dress Code
Dress codes are fast disappearing all over the country but very few French people will wear white sneakers, baseball caps and flip flops (except at the beach). Nobody will tell you anything, you will just be labeled as a tourist. Generally speaking, business casual dress code is sufficient in cities and in all but the most formal occasions.

Safety and security
France is not a high crime area but large cities are plagued with the usual woes. The inner city areas and a few select suburbs are usually safe at all hours. In large cities, especially Paris, there are a few areas which it is better to avoid. The outer ring of most cities and especially suburbs are sometimes grounds for youth gang violent activities and drug dealing. The subject is very touchy as it may easily have racist overtones.