France at a Glance
Ah, c’est la vie! If you love great food, great wine, great art, great cities and great countryside, France may be the location for you. Roughly the size of the state of Texas (551,100 sq. kilometers), France seems to have it all. It’s no wonder some of the world’s greatest creatives such as Debussy, Picasso, Hugo, and Voltaire were inspired here.
For the nu nomad looking to create a long term stay there are a wide variety of lifestyles to choose from. Of course, you may choose city life. Paris, the City of Lights is like no other in terms of culture, art, and amazing architectural and historical beauty almost everywhere you turn. Don’t like big cities? Consider the rolling hills of the French farmland or the grace and bounty of Provence. Ocean lover? Nothing like the French Riviera. France even boasts a share of the Alps, the Massif Central and of course the Pyrenees for those who want a mountain view.
How This Destination Rated
The Ratings
Basic Facts about France
- Language: French (what else is worth speaking?)
- Government: Republic.
- Population: 60 million (10 million in the Paris area).
- Climate: Temperate and divided into 4 zones.
- Geography: 551,695 square kilometres.
- Neighboring Countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Swizerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain (and England is nearby). See map.
- Money: The Euro (click here to convert your currency).
- Mobile Phone Frequencies: GSM 900/1800 | 3G 2100.
- Electricity: 230v (50 cycles) See plug type here.
- Daylight Savings:Begin last Sunday in March, end last Sunday in October.
- Time Zone: GMT/UTC +10, GMT/UTC +9.5, GMT/UTC+8 (Current time.)
- Country Code: 33
City Codes: Aix-en-Provence 42, Biarritz 59, Bordeaux 56, Cannes 93, Chauvigny 549, Cherbourg 33, Corsica 95, Grenoble 76, Le Havre 35, Lille 20, Lourdes 62, Lyon 72-78, Marseille 91, Montpellier 67, Monaco 4, Nancy 8, Nantes 40, Nice 93, Paris 1, Rouen 235, Toulouse 5, Tours 47, Vichy 70.
General Travel Information on France
France Visas and Visitation Limits:
Visa on Arrival (Schengen Visa): Bona fide tourists from the USA and other western countries are permitted entry upon arrival in France for 90 days stay. Longer term stays require special visa.
For complete information on French visas, visit Embassy of France in the USA or France Diplomatie.
Note: The Schengen Agreement establishes a unified type of visa for short stays (up to 90 days) for the participant European countries (GERMANY, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, DENMARK, SPAIN, FINLAND, FRANCE, GREECE, THE NETHERLANDS, ICELAND, ITALY, LUXEMBOURG, NORWAY, PORTUGAL AND SWEDEN).
Getting Around:
Trains: Eurail
passes are available on-line or through your travel agent. Buses: Eurolines connects
much of Europe cheaply and easily. Planes: STA
Travel has
some good bargains.
Where to Stay:
For NuNomad Guidelines on how to choose your nest, visit the NuNomad Blog.
Travel Insurance:
Don’t let your European adventure be spoiled. Get Travel Insurance. See our article Coverage Comparison of Travel Insurance.
Mailing in France:
Mail boxes are yellow and may be used as well as post offices. Stamps may be purchased at post offices or tobacconists. Postal rates can be found at www.laposte.fr. You can expect mail delivery to take 1-2 days for mail within France and 1-5 days for international mail depending on distance.
NuNo Essential Information
- WiFi Hotspots: For a comprehensive list of free and paid for hotspot locations throughout France. [Note: since 2007, Paris has been providing WiFi in all public parks during their opening hours (9am to 7pm), except for the Luxembourg garden.
- SIM Cards: France Orange, Simore
- Internet Access via Mobile Phone: See NuNo Geek for GPRS info, or the Geekzone.com's GPRS article, or Ross Barkman’s GPRS info page.
Internet and Telephone Communication
International Cell Phones: While in France the most economical way to place a call is to do so with your unlocked international cell phone, using a French SIM card. SIM cards can be purchased at post offices, tobacconists and souvenir shops. If you don’t want to spend your travel time searching for a SIM card and don’t mind paying a little more for convenience, we recommend buying one before you go. Telestial is a great source to get your prepaid SIM card delivered to your door before your departure. One of the more common SIM cards is the France Orange. Expect to pay in the vicinity of $60.00 US for this card. It comes with $10 US airtime credit and free incoming calls as well as voice mail. The Simore SIM card allows you to keep 2 numbers simultaneously. For those business people with the need for 2 separate lines this may be the choice.
For GPRS capability try Telestial allowing you to connect to the internet using your international cell phone with Blue Tooth, or to connect your computer directly to the internet wherever you may be in France.
Internet café’s are abundant in France and can be found in every major city as well as some of the smaller towns. You can expect to be charged according to the amount of time you spend on the computer.
- For more information on International Cell Phone basics, read our article on Cell Phone Basics.
- For more information on the various methods of connecting to the Internet, visit our Connecting to WWW page.
International Calling Cards: If you don’t have a Skype account yet, get one. You can use “telephony” service with any hi-speed Internet connection, which most Internet Cafés will have. Otherwise, you’ll have to use land-line systems. If you’re staying at a location where you want to use a land line, it may be most economical to purchase an international calling card. These can be purchased at many common locations throughout France such as grocery stores.
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