Guide:

• France Travel Guide
• The Basics
• Attractions
• Events
• Public Holidays
• Health
• Contacts
• Airports
• Climate
• Currency
• Visa & Passport
• Photos
• Phrases
• Flights to France
• Expat guide to France

Regions & Cities:

• Lille
• Lyon
• Nice
• Paris
• Basque Country
• Bordeaux
• Brittany
• Champagne Country
• Corsica
• Cote d Azur
• Dordogne and Lot
• French Alps
• Loire Valley
• Marseille
• Normandy
• Provence
• Ski Resorts
• Holiday Resorts

Ports of Call

• Marseille

Activities

• Wine tasting

France Map

Directory

• Tour Operators
• Hostels
• DMCs
• Hotels

• Paris airports using body scanners
  23 February 2026 x Close
  The decision to try out the body scanner at French airports for a trial period of three months was prompted after a man allegedly tried to ignite explosives hidden in his underwear on a Detroit bound flight on Christmas Day last year. France has started using a full-body security scanner for US-bound passengers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport. Reactions varied among passengers about the scanner, which helps detect forbidden objects hidden under clothes. Many were worried about what harmful effects it might have, while other found it fast and practical. Read More at MSN
• Death toll climbs in wind-battered Western Europe
  01 March 2026 x Close
  At least 50 people are reported to have died in the storms that battered France, Spain and Portugal over the weekend with heavy rain and hurricane-force winds. At least 45 died in France, where many victims drowned in floods or were hit by falling trees and branches. More than 100 flights were cancelled at the two main airports and more than one million residents suffered power cuts. The storm claimed the lives of three people in Spain, one in Germany and one in Portugal where a little boy was crushed by a falling tree. Read More at Sky
• Two killed after cruise ship hit by 26ft wave
  04 March 2026 x Close
  Two cruise-ship passengers were killed and another six people suffered minor injuries on board the Cypriot-owned Louis Majesty after a 26ft wave smashed into the ship off the coast of France. The incident happened near the port of Marseilles as the ship was en route from Barcelona to Genoa in Italy with 1,350 passengers and 580 crew members. According to a spokesperson, the ship was hit by three ‘abnormally high’ waves of up to 26ft (8m), breaking glass windshields in the forward section. Read More at Sky

Overview

Paris, France © Panoramas

Wherever you choose to begin or end a sojourn in Europe's largest country, and however long you spend exploring you'll simply be scratching the surface of this vast and varied land. France's geography stretches from rugged coastline to seemingly infinite beaches, from bustling cities to quaint countryside villages and from a sun-drenched isle to luxury mountain ski resorts.

A civilisation dating back to 50,000 BC and a history spanning Roman and Frankish invasion, wars of power and religion, a wealthy and powerful monarchy ultimately crushed by revolution, the rise of Napoleon and a new battle between monarchy and republic, and two world wars, has left the country brimming with a rich heritage. Cave paintings, castles, cathedrals and battle scars are scattered across the land, yet much of the French countryside remains untouched, and traditional rural life still flourishes.

This is a country that has inspired Monet's reinvention of colour, Toulouse Lautrec's dark underbelly of Paris society, and the haunting harmonies of Debussy. It has tantalised our taste buds with foie gras and frogs' legs, and captured the imagination of the world's jet-set with the resorts of St Tropez and Port Grimaud. Discover France, and rediscover the meaning of joie de vivre.