Greeting in France

Greeting people you dont know- say your name only

Say bonjour (hello) without the bisou (air-kiss) if you
dont know the person well or not friends with them
Women greeting men or women they know - kiss the
right cheek to right cheek and left cheek to left cheek
Men greeting other men they know - only shake hands

GESTURES
-To show that someone is crazy, put your
index finger to your temple and turn your
hand back and forth
-To promise or swear to something, place
your hand on top of your head
-To apologize or indicate that you've made a
mistake, cover your mouth with your hands
-Signal a taxi by snapping your fingers
Gesture: Form a circle with your thumb
and forefinger and place it over your nose
Significance: A person is drunk
Gesture: Playing an imaginary flute
Significance: Someone is talking to much
and is becoming annoying

Languages
Official language of France is
French
88% of the population speaks
French
75 different languages in France
24 of these languages are European
Rest of the languages include languages from the South
American, South Asian and Caribbean regions
The policy of France ensures
that the citizens of the country
communicate in French
Many French people can speak
at least one foreign language

EATING IN FRANCE
Breakfast: Consists of coffee, tea or
chocolate with croissants and bread with
butter or jam
Lunch: Served from noon until 2 pm
-Can consist of a five course meal or a
simple salad or sandwich
Dinner: Served from 7:30 pm onwards
-Usually a leisurely event, time to spend with the family or
with friends
Tipping: Tips are usually included in the bill, which ranges
between 10% and 15%
-Not expected to leave a tip on the table

Dining Etiquette and Table Manners

-Not allowed to bring any friends or pets without asking

-Fork is held in the left hand while knife is held with the
right hand when eating
-No elbows on the table
-Cross fork and knife on the plate with the fork over the
knife if youre not finished eating
-Leave wineglass nearly full if you do not want more

Weather and
Climate
Weather is determined by
the balance of power
between oceanic weather
systems from the west,
and continental
anticyclones from the
east
South along the Mediterranean - Mostly sunny days throughout the
year
Southwest - Fairly sunny, wet spring, and summers can get very
hot and humid
Northeast - Cold and mostly rainy falls and winters
Northwest - Mild summers and winters with rain mixed in
Paris - can get extremely hot in the summer with very little wind to
cool things down

HOLIDAYS AND
FESTIVALS
IN FRANCE
The French enjoy 11 national
holidays annually
Bastille Day (July 14th) was
incorporated in 1789
Armistice Day (November 11) was
incorporated in 1918
Labor Day (May 1) was
incorporated in 1935
Holidays nearly every week in the month of May
Many regional festivals throughout France
Every French citizen is entitled to 5 weeks of vacation

ACTIVITIES IN
FRANCE
-Fishing
-Hiking
-Cycling
-Horse riding
-Golfing

TRANSPORTATION
Air
-Approximately 478 airports
-All major cities in France have
airports
Car
-Approximately 500,000 miles of serviceable roadway
-Paris region has most dense network of roads and highways

Public (Metro/Tram/Bus)
-Railway network of France stretches 19,000 miles
-All major tourist attractions can easily be reached