France Dropdown content is one of the world's top tourist destinations. There's plenty to get your teeth stuck into, from great cities like Paris Dropdown content, Bordeaux Dropdown content and Marseille Dropdown content to the prehistoric sites of the Vézère valley and Brittany's Dropdown content beautiful coastline.
From
The country’s national motto Liberte, Egalite, Franernite ("Liberty, Equality and Fratenity") has its roots in the French Revolution, but wasn’t popularized until the end of the 19th century. The famous trio of words were first vocalized in 1790 in a speech given by Maximilien Robespierre. Interestingly, the phrase is also the national motto of the Republic of Haiti (a former French colony).
Lady liberty leading the people of France © irisphoto1/Shutterstock
The world’s most prestigious cycling race was first held in 1903. It has run every year since, save for the two world wars. In 2020, the race was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic – but it still went ahead!
If you're into cycling, read up on
Cyclists battle it out on the tour de France © Marc Pagani Photography/Shutterstock
That’s right, the camera phone was invented in France in 1997 by an enterprising Parisian called Philippe Kahn - a very surprising France fact. The first photo he took was of his new-born daughter, Sophie, which he sent to his family and friends.
Given that you voted Paris one of the
Paris, France — the city that spawned a million selfies © Alliance Images/Shutterstock
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In 2019, a record 10.2 million people visited Paris’
Into art and travelling on a budget? Discover
Louvre Museum, Paris, France © Tijl De Meulemeester/Shutterstock
Since French writer Sully Prudhomme won the first ever Nobel Prize for Literature in 1903, the country has taken the accolade a further fourteen times (the USA and Great Britain come in second with twelve prizes apiece). The winning writers include Jean-Paul Sartre, who won the prize in 1967 but declined it. He described his reasons for declining the prize as being both “personal and objective”.
Read our guide to
France has won the most Nobel Prizes for Literature - one of the top facts about France © Paramonov Alexander/Shutterstock
France welcomes some 89 million visitors annually;
If you can't wait to get back to French shores,
Cassis, France © lnu/Shutterstock
The French affectionately refer to their country as “L’Hexagone” ("the hexagon"), due to its geometrical shape – check for yourself on the
France in hexagonal form © Gts/Shutterstock
That’s quite a figure, roughly equating to the distance from Paris to Petra. From bustling ports to sandy bays and rocky coves, you’ll find beaches of every shape and size along the French coast - read up on
The coastline of France © Boris Stroujko/Shutterstock
France has a land area of 547,000 square kilometres, making it the largest country in the EU. If you extend the parameters to include all European nations – rather than just those in the EU – then France follows up in third place, behind Ukraine and Russia, which dwarfs the rest.
To see more of France, you could consider taking a camping trip, travelling by train, car, or bike. Here's our round-up of the
A rainbow of tulips in Provence, France © MarinaVN/Shutterstock
There are a number of different origin stories linked to this French superstition, but the most likely dates back to medieval times. When an execution was scheduled in town, legend has it the executioner himself would not have time to pop to the bakery before work. The baker would therefore reserve his loaf by turning the bread upside down. Thus, turning a baguette on its head came to be associated with death and misfortune – and the superstition lives on.
If you'd like to learn more kitchen secrets, read our overview of what to eat and drink in France, and take a "behind-the-scenes" bakery tour in Paris,
A superstitious fact about France — never turn a baguette on its head © stock_studio/Shutterstock
France might be the spiritual home of the croissant, but the pastry actually began its days in Austria. The kipferl – ancestor of the croissant, born in the coffee shops of Vienna in the 13th century – was the original crescent-shaped morning sweet.
Made of a denser and less flaky dough, the kipferl later crossed the border to France and became the famous croissant. Surely that's one a few facts about France the French will want to keep quiet.
Shh! That croissants were born in Austria is a fact about France the French might not want you to know © Anna Tryhub/Shutterstock
Yep, some stories suggest that French toast doesn’t actually come from France – instead, it was invented a world away by a man called Joseph French. A humble inn keeper in
Whisper it — French toast was invented in New York © Suzanne Pratt/Shutterstock
Another interesting fact about France: two new cookbooks are published here every day. France is known for its
Why not try recreating them in your kitchen, or
France sure isn't short of cook books © KucherAV/Shutterstock
It's time to dazzle your recycling-loving friends with this fun fact about France! It seems fitting that a country that loves food as much as France should be the first to pass a law making throwing away good food illegal. As of 2016, any unsold but edible food must be donated rather than thrown away, or you could come up against the long arm of the law.
Waste not want not — it's illegal to throw our food in France © John James/Shutterstock
Snails – or escargots – are a popular French delicacy, traditionally served as an hors-d’oeuvre with garlic butter. If you’ve mastered snails, move on to frog’s legs!
Escargots © AS Food Studio/Shutterstock
Move over, snails. The French are the highest consumers of cheese on the planet, with almost half the population eating the stuff on a daily basis. And that means hundreds of different types of cheese produced on home soil, with some seriously good produce. Tuck in and discover it yourself, like on this wine and cheese tasting tour from Bordeaux.
Another of many fascinating food facts about France - the country produces 400+ kinds of cheese © Premier Photo/Shutterstock
Wine is the tipple of choice in France, accounting for almost sixty percent of the country’s total alcohol consumption. The population’s penchant for a glass (or two) of wine might have something to do with the fact that France is one of the world’s biggest wine producers, creating some of the best varieties on Earth.
A well-know fact: France is a nation of wine-lovers © Yulia Grigoryeva/Shutterstock
Following the Norman Conquest, French was the language of the King and Court from 1066 to 1362 (that's about three hundred years). Though English regained prominence in the 14th century, the English language today is still peppered with French-derived words and phrases.
Fancy brushing up on your language skills? Get hold of a
Learning a little lingo will open doors when travelling in France © eriyalim/Shutterstock
While kilts are synonymous with Scotland, similar garments were in fact worn in a number of different countries across the globe, including in early France. Most were worn below the knee, stretching to the ground. However, tartan kilts as we know them today do indeed herald from Gaelic lands, originating in the first quarter of the 18th century.
An assortment of Scottish kilts © Ekaterina Pokrovsky/Shutterstock
It’s true: in 1910, a French law confined couples kissing on train platforms to romantic scenes on the silver screen. The ban was intended to avoid overcrowded stations and service delays – how much difference it made is anyone’s guess. Today there’s no penalty for a cheeky train-station smooch, which is good news for lovers heading for Paris, the unchallenged romance capital of the world.
Weird fact about France: No Kissing on train platform Bon voyage by train © Everett Collection/Shutterstock
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