France Travel Tips: Everything to Know Before You Go

France welcomes more tourists every year than any other country in the world. Yet many leave feeling they missed something, or worse, that they got fleeced. Most of the time, they were just missing the right codes.

Here is the advice I wish I had been given before my first trip: what genuinely irritates the French, where the pickpockets lurk, how not to get caught out by a strike. Concrete stuff, with names and numbers.

The “Bonjour” that changes everything

If you remember only one tip, make it this one. In France, you say “Bonjour” when you walk into a shop, before you ask for anything at all. In a bakery, a pharmacy, a boutique, a taxi: “Bonjour” first, your request second.

This is not optional politeness, it is the basis of the exchange. Walking in and launching straight into “Do you have a baguette?” without a greeting is the misstep that flips a warm shopkeeper into a cold one. The same person becomes noticeably friendlier after a “Bonjour” and a smile.

Two more words to keep handy: “Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?” rather than opening in English by default. The effort is tiny, the payoff is huge. And on your way out, a “Merci, au revoir” closes the exchange the way it should.

Tipping: the French rule, a world away from the US model

This is the question that comes up most, and the most common source of error for North American travellers. In France, tipping does not work the way it does in the United States.

Since the decree of 3 October 1987, the service charge is compulsorily included in the displayed price. The server earns a real wage, they do not depend on your coins. So a tip is optional, a gesture that rewards a good moment, not a social obligation.

What people actually do: round up the bill, or leave around 5% if the service was good, up to 10% when you were truly looked after. For a coffee or a drink, leaving the small change is plenty. Applying the North American 15 to 20% reflex means paying far too much, and nobody expects it of you.

Money, plugs, opening hours: the practical side

A few markers that save you the small daily headaches.

Power sockets

France uses type E sockets (compatible with type C), at 230 volts, 50 Hz. If your charger reads “100-240V”, which every smartphone and laptop does, a simple plug adapter is enough. No transformer needed.

Restaurant hours

The French rhythm often surprises visitors. Lunch is served between 12pm and 2pm, then the kitchen closes. Turning up at 3pm hoping for a hot meal leads straight to a sandwich. Dinner only really starts from 7.30pm, sometimes 7pm. In between, many restaurants pull down the shutter.

Museum closing days

A classic that wrecks a day: showing up at a closed museum. Remember the Paris trio.

• The Louvre is closed on Tuesday.
• The Musée d’Orsay is closed on Monday.
• The Palace of Versailles is closed on Monday.

Two last practical reflexes. A carafe of tap water is free and compulsory in restaurants, ask for it rather than a paid bottle. And most payments are contactless: a foreign card works almost everywhere, but check with your bank the per-transaction fees outside the euro zone, which can add up. For the full cost breakdown, see our France travel budget.

Safety: pickpockets and scams, no sugar-coating

Paris is not a dangerous city. Violence against tourists is rare. The real risk is pickpocketing, and it clusters in known spots. So let us name them.

The metro lines to watch

Pickpockets work where there are loaded, distracted tourists. In short:

• Line 1, between Étoile and Châtelet, the most touristy of all.
• Line 8, between Opéra and Concorde.
• Line 4 and the RER B (the airport runs).
• The Barbès and Châtelet stations, especially after 9pm.

The reflex that protects you: never put your phone or wallet on a terrace table, and keep your bag closed and in front of you on a crowded metro.

Street scams, by name

Always the same ones, year after year. Once spotted, they become harmless.

• The fake “deaf-mute” petition: someone with a clipboard hands you a sheet near the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre while an accomplice goes through your pockets.
• The “friendship” bracelet at Montmartre and the Sacré-Cœur: a thread is tied to your wrist “for free”, then 5 to 20 euros is demanded.
• The shell game (three cups) on the Seine quays and at Montmartre: you never win, it is rigged.
• The “found” gold ring at your feet, which you are then offered to buy.
• The fake helper who “assists” you at a station cash machine, long enough to memorise your PIN.

One case deserves a special mention, because it comes up again and again: arriving on the RER B from Roissy-CDG airport into Gare du Nord. Families loaded with suitcases get surrounded as they step off. My advice when you land with luggage: take a taxi or a ride-hail rather than the RER. The extra cost is justified, and you start the trip relaxed.

Health, water and pharmacies: what to know

The French health system is solid, and knowing how to use it spares you a lot of stress if something goes wrong. First reflex in an emergency: dial 112 (the European number) or 15 (the SAMU, for a medical emergency). You will be answered in French, often in English too.

For something minor, a cold, a headache, a small cut, the pharmacy is your best ally. French pharmacists advise and dispense many products without a prescription. Look for the lit green cross: when it flashes, the pharmacy is open. Outside opening hours, every district has a duty pharmacy, with the address posted in the window or available online.

Two myths to correct. Tap water is drinkable across mainland France, no need to buy packs of bottles. And on reimbursement, EU travellers should bring their European Health Insurance Card, which covers care at the local rate. Non-EU travellers are well advised to take out travel insurance before leaving, since medical costs are paid upfront.

One more thing about the rhythm of the day: many shops outside the big cities still close for lunch, roughly 12.30pm to 2pm, and a lot of small businesses shut on Sunday and sometimes Monday too. Plan your errands and pharmacy runs around that, and stock up on Saturday if you are heading somewhere rural for the weekend. Bakeries are the reliable exception, open early and often through the morning, so breakfast is never a problem even on a quiet Sunday.

Strikes and transport: the SNCF Connect reflex

Strikes are part of the French landscape, and they mainly hit the trains. Good news: they are announced in advance and tightly regulated. Panic is pointless, planning is not.

The reflex is simple: open the SNCF Connect app. When notice is given, a provisional transport plan appears as early as two or three days out, then the final plan lands the evening before, around 5pm. You then know whether your train is running.

The point many people miss: if your train is cancelled because of a strike, you are fully refunded, even on a ticket marked “non-refundable”. And if you absolutely have to travel, two options bypass the SNCF: FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus, which run normally on rail strike days.

This is exactly where a reliable connection from arrival becomes an asset: checking the traffic live, getting the cancellation alert, switching to a bus in two minutes.

Staying connected to check everything live

France enjoys excellent mobile coverage, which makes a connection genuinely useful on the ground. Checking a strike in real time, translating a menu, following the metro route, booking a table at the last minute: it all runs through your phone.

If you come from the European Union, your plan works in France at no extra cost, you have nothing to do. If you arrive from outside the EU, it is better to avoid roaming and activate a eSIM for France before you leave. You buy online, scan the QR code emailed to you, and you are connected the moment you land. If you are torn between a physical SIM and an eSIM, our France SIM card comparison settles it by profile.

With Orange, the service of more than 300 million customers, you travel with peace of mind: 200+ destinations covered, human support 24/7, and 100% refunded if you do not use your eSIM.