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The essentials
- Always say Bonjour entering a shop, a waiting room or a lift — silence reads as rude ;
- Default to vous with anyone you don't know, and let the French person switch first ;
- La bise (cheek kisses) varies regionally — 2, 3 or 4 — let the local lead ;
- Tipping is appreciated but not expected — service is included in restaurant prices.
Explore French culture
Eight detailed guides cover the cultural side of moving to France. Pick the one that matches what you're looking for.
French Customs
The cultural reflexes that surprise newcomers — punctuality, dress codes, August closures, August holidays.
Learning French
Best methods, free options, certifications and what level you actually need for daily life.
French Food
Iconic dishes, regional specialities and how meals are structured at home and in restaurants.
School & Bank Holidays
Public holidays, school holiday zones (A, B, C) and how they shape French life and travel.
Landmarks to Visit
Beyond the Eiffel Tower — the must-see places that locals actually recommend.
French Facts
Numbers and trivia about France that come up in conversation more often than you'd expect.
PACS Civil Partnership
The French civil partnership — eligibility, how to apply, residence rights for non-EU partners.
Expats in France
Where English-speaking expats live, what they earn and how their experience compares to other countries.
Greetings: la bise and the handshake
The French greeting that most surprises newcomers is la bise — a light kiss on each cheek, exchanged between friends, family and many colleagues regardless of gender. The number of kisses varies by region: two in Paris and most of France, three in parts of the south, four around Nantes, and even one in some Mediterranean areas. There's a French website that maps it region by region: combiendebises.free.fr.
In professional settings, a handshake is the safer default — firm but brief. La bise in offices is reserved for close colleagues and is often discouraged in formal corporate culture.
When in doubt, let the French person take the lead and match what they do. A clumsy bise attempt is better received than a cold handshake among friends.
Vous or tu?
French has two ways to say "you": tu for informal, intimate or familiar relationships, and vous for distance, politeness and respect. The wrong choice is rarely catastrophic, but the right one signals cultural literacy.
A practical rule of thumb:
- Tu for children, teenagers, close friends, family, and same-rank colleagues you're already on first-name terms with ;
- Vous for adults you've just met, anyone in a business or formal context, doctors, teachers, shopkeepers, your boss and your in-laws (until invited otherwise) ;
- If unsure, default to vous — being too polite is socially safe, being too familiar is not.
The same rules apply in writing — letters, emails and even text messages with people outside your inner circle. If a French person says "on peut se tutoyer", that's the explicit invitation to switch.
French manners and politeness
Politeness in France is structural — it's not just about being nice, it's about acknowledging that the other person exists. Skip these basics and you'll be perceived as rude without knowing why.
- Say Bonjour the moment you walk into a shop, a waiting room or a lift — even before asking your question ;
- Use Pardon or Excusez-moi if you bump into someone or need to pass through ;
- Say Merci systematically, then au revoir on the way out ;
- Frame requests in the conditional: "je voudrais" rather than "je veux" ;
- Avoid asking someone's age, especially women, or any detailed question about salary and money ;
- Don't show up empty-handed when invited to dinner — wine, flowers or a small dessert is the minimum.
Not yet fluent? Our guide to learning French covers what level you actually need for everyday life and how to get there fastest.
Food and meals
How French meals are structured
A typical French day has three meals — petit-déjeuner (breakfast), déjeuner (lunch) and dîner (dinner) — plus an optional goûter for children around 4-5 pm.
- Breakfast is sweet and carb-focused: cereal with milk, toast with butter and jam, or coffee with a pastry on weekends ;
- Lunch is between 12 pm and 2 pm — a sit-down hot meal in many workplaces, or at minimum a sandwich and salad ;
- Dinner starts around 8 pm, later than most English-speaking countries, and is usually home-cooked.
When invited to a French home, expect a multi-course evening: an apéritif (drinks and savoury snacks), a starter (entrée), a main (plat), cheese, then dessert and coffee. Plan to be there for two to three hours minimum.
Eating out and tipping
Restaurants treat a meal as a multi-hour social event, not a transaction. Service is brisk in cafés and busy bistros but unhurried elsewhere — asking for the bill is on you ("l'addition, s'il vous plaît"), it won't come automatically.
On tipping, France is the opposite of the United States. Service is included in the menu price by law (service compris), so tipping is not expected. Leaving a few euros for great service is appreciated but never obligatory, and you won't be judged for not tipping at all. For a fuller breakdown of must-try dishes, see our guide to French food.
Public holidays and celebrations
France observes 11 national public holidays a year, most rooted in Christian or historic events. Shops, banks and most offices close — plan groceries and admin around them. Two regions (Alsace and Moselle) observe two extra days (Good Friday and Boxing Day).
| Date | Holiday | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day (Jour de l'An) | — |
| March / April | Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques) | Variable date |
| 1 May | Labour Day (Fête du Travail) | Almost everything closes |
| 8 May | Victory Day (Victoire 1945) | — |
| May (variable) | Ascension Day (Ascension) | 39 days after Easter |
| May / June (variable) | Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte) | Worked as solidarity day in some firms |
| 14 July | Bastille Day (Fête Nationale) | Parade on the Champs-Élysées, fireworks nationwide |
| 15 August | Assumption Day (Assomption) | Mid-summer break peak |
| 1 November | All Saints' Day (Toussaint) | — |
| 11 November | Armistice Day (Armistice) | WWI ceremonies |
| 25 December | Christmas Day (Noël) | — |
| 26 December | St Stephen's Day (2e Jour de Noël) | Alsace and Moselle only |
When a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many French employees "font le pont" — take the Monday or Friday off too for a four-day weekend. Schools and offices may follow suit. For school holiday zones (A, B, C) and the full annual calendar, see our guide to French school and bank holidays.