Daily life in France starts with a word. Walk into a bakery, say nothing and point at a croissant. You will get the croissant, and a look that tells you something went wrong. The missing word is bonjour. Daily life in France runs on a handful of small rituals that no administration will explain to you, and that make the difference between feeling like a tourist and like a neighbour.
What is the most important rule of daily life in France?
Say Bonjour madame or Bonjour monsieur when you enter a shop, a surgery or a lift, and Merci, au revoir when you leave, including at the baker's and in small shops. It is the most cited mistake among newcomers. Starting a conversation, a phone call or an email without a greeting passes as impolite and can cool the whole exchange. This French etiquette is unwritten, so nobody will explain it to you.
Vous is the norm with strangers, shopkeepers and officials, and usually at work at the beginning. You switch to tu when the other person suggests it. Among friends and family, the bise (a kiss on the cheek) is common, but a handshake is enough in a first professional meeting.
What language will you need for daily life in France?
French is the language of the administration and of nearly all daily life. Outside big cities and tourist places, do not count on English. Learning the basics before you come, and continuing after, pays off at the town hall, the doctor's and the school gate. Even if your accent is heavy, the effort is noticed. These habits are customs, not official rules, and they vary by region and by person.
What are the meal times and opening hours in France?
Lunch is often between noon and 2 p.m. and dinner around 7:30 or 8 p.m. Many restaurants close the kitchen between the two services, so a late lunch at 3 p.m. can be a problem. On Sundays, in principle, shops are closed. Food shops can open on Sunday morning, in tourist areas the opening can be longer, and the mayor can authorise up to 12 Sundays a year. Many small shops also close on Mondays, so check the hours, especially in small towns.
Many procedures are done online or by appointment. Keep copies of your proof of address, RIB and civil status documents, as you will be asked for them often. For a business meeting, be on time; for dinner with friends, a few minutes' delay is common.
How does a restaurant work in France?
Prices on the menu include taxes and service, so tipping is not compulsory. A few euros for a good service is a gesture, not a duty. Tap water is served free on request: ask for une carafe d'eau. The kitchen often serves a lunchtime menu at a fixed price, which is a good way to try a place.
What are the public holidays in France?
France has 11 national public holidays: 1 January, Easter Monday, 1 May, 8 May, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, 14 July, 15 August, 1 November, 11 November and 25 December. Only 1 May is compulsorily a day off for all employees, with exceptions such as hospitals and transport. For the others, the collective agreement or the employer decides.
Alsace-Moselle has two more: Good Friday in some municipalities and 26 December. The overseas departments commemorate the abolition of slavery on their own date (27 May in Guadeloupe, 20 December in Réunion). When a holiday falls on a Thursday many people take the Friday, the pont, but it is not a right. Details about the working week are in working in France.
What about August and administrative delays?
Many French people take their holidays in the summer, and in August some companies and offices run slowly. Do not expect fast replies, and plan the paperwork around it. Nobody will contact you first: you have to start each step (see the moving to France checklist).
Which emergency numbers should you know in France?
- 112: the European emergency number, routing you to the right service.
- 15: SAMU, medical emergencies.
- 17: police or gendarmerie.
- 18: firefighters.
- 114: emergencies for deaf or hard-of-hearing people (text, video).
- 115: the Samu social, for homeless people.
- 119: children in danger.
- 196: sea rescue.
- 3919: violence against women (listening, not an emergency number); 3114: suicide prevention, 24 hours a day.
For care itself, see healthcare in France for expats.
What changes in the regions and overseas?
Habits, opening hours and local holidays differ between regions and especially overseas. Ask your neighbours and the town hall. Brittany is not Provence, and Réunion is not Paris. To pick a region that suits your lifestyle, read the best places to live in France, and for the budget, the cost of living in France.
What is the best way to meet people and settle in France?
Local life runs through a few reliable channels. The marché (market) is a social place as much as a shop, and the baker and the café owner become familiar faces if you greet them every morning. Associations (associations) of every kind, from sports to music to volunteering, are the traditional way to meet neighbours, and the town hall can give you the list. Parents meet at the school gate and at the canteen. Learning French in a local class gives you both the language and a circle.
Be patient. Many newcomers say that French social life opens slowly and then deeply: you may wait a while for an invitation to dinner, but when it comes it is rarely casual.
How do French meals and food shopping work?
Daily shopping is a mix. Fruit and vegetables at the market, bread at the boulangerie every day, supermarkets for staples and a butcher or cheesemonger for the rest. Lunch is the main meal for many, and the workplace canteen or a fixed-price menu in a restaurant is common. Dinner starts relatively late for some foreigners. Opening hours are shorter than in some countries: shops often close at lunchtime in small towns, and Sunday afternoons are quiet.
What should you remember about the French working day?
The legal working week is 35 hours and employees acquire five weeks of paid leave a year, which most French people spread across the summer. Colleagues use vous until someone suggests tu. Meetings are punctual, and lunch breaks are respected. For contracts, minimum wage and leave, go to working in France, and for the whole move, the moving to France checklist. Daily life in France is easier when the paperwork is done, so start there.