Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Feminism: chat

Original poster

Nightmare in France mixed toilets

253 replies

Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:25

Ive been in France for two weeks now and appalled at toilet rules here.

i have two young DD who I cannot let go to the toilets on their own anymore.

Bistro number 1, urinals, a male toilet and a female toilet. Past the urinals!!! So having to take my 8 year of and 11 year old past pissing men to access the toilet.

Restaurant number 2 - mixed sink area, 4 toilets one in male/female and baby changing, one male and one female and one blank. Took them both to the loo - had to put one in blank and one in female as baby changing was full. Then had to stop men in my rudimentary French from trying to use the blank one as my DD was in there, then having to listen to men pee etc and get my daughters out of there ASAP.

just shocked at how toilets are now mixed in France and feel I should warn you all.

OP posts:
Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:51

sewerrat · 24/07/2023 07:47

why would you be taking up a baby changing toilet in the first place. just as bad as those skipping queues and using disabled toilets. you're no different to anyone else

I didn’t use the baby changing one I used the toilet that was unidentified and then the female one. Although the baby changing one was also disabled and had a male and female sign on it but no baby changing sign I could see the table so didn’t want to occupy it, although sure a man would.

OP posts:
bellac11 · 24/07/2023 07:50

Bars and restaurants in France, Spain and Italy are nearly all like this, they always have been

Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:49

In the second restaurant the individual cubicles shared a sink area but I think the men assumed the unlabelled loo was for them but I had one DD in that one and then another in the ladies cubicle. For some reason a man came in and didn’t go the unused male cubicle but tried the unlabelled one. I felt my heart leap thinking I hope the lock doesn’t fail!

much easier if the two loos were together they could go together and look after each other or I could stand outside.

OP posts:
Questionsforyou · 24/07/2023 07:49

This is what it was like in France when I was a child. It's not new. But I agree, sort of grim.

sewerrat · 24/07/2023 07:47

why would you be taking up a baby changing toilet in the first place. just as bad as those skipping queues and using disabled toilets. you're no different to anyone else

FatherJackHackettsUnderpantsHamper · 24/07/2023 07:47

Where are you? We were near Toulouse.

<sniggers in a childish way!>

cakeorwine · 24/07/2023 07:46

Been to France loads and never seen this.

BiddyBee · 24/07/2023 07:45

I have 2 (now adult) daughters, and when they were young we holidayed in France often. We eventually bought a holiday home there which we owned for 6 years, and I don't recall ever experiencing what you describe. That's just appalling. Looks like we now have to check facilities before sitting down in a restaurant.

4weeknoalcohol · 24/07/2023 07:44

Maybe we should publish a toilet guide to France with kids 🤪

Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:43

A slight wall to cover the urinal as you walk in but you have to walk past it to access the ladies cubicle.

OP posts:
Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:42

This was in a large bistro (walking past urinals). Not sure why I’ve not picked up on the mixed toilets in the 18 years I’ve been coming! My DH been coming since the 80s and said it’s not been like this…I can’t even send my kids to mixed sink areas. Passing the urinals is something else.

OP posts:
4weeknoalcohol · 24/07/2023 07:42

Maybe it’s the new way now because of gender identity being more fluid? A woman now can have a penis and may use a urinal? I’ll watch out for it when I go later in the year and report back if I come across any.

borntobequiet · 24/07/2023 07:41

Loos in France have always been a bit hit and miss, especially in the south and in more remote areas. (Fifty years ago many smaller cafes and bars, including those in big cities, had just one toilet, and that a rather noisome squat one, but things have improved a lot since then.)

WaitingForSunnyDays · 24/07/2023 07:40

I've been holidaying in France for over 30 years and it's been pretty normal. As places refurbish they often change to hide the urinal, but I know one place that just refurbished and a new urinal appeared in the open, next to the only cubicle.

uggmum · 24/07/2023 07:39

I have come across this on a regular basis in different areas of France.

Even in new build supermarkets and modern restaurants.

4weeknoalcohol · 24/07/2023 07:38

With air conditioning!

4weeknoalcohol · 24/07/2023 07:37

No I have never had to walk past male urinals honestly in the five years I lived in France traveling up and down back to the UK numerous times in and out of numerous restaurants I’ve never come across this scenario. Must have been lucky. I am a bit fussy on where we eat though I don’t tend to frequent the small bistro type places always stuck to big restaurants.

Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:34

cubicles and shared sink area was just about tolerable but walking past peeing men to use the single women’s loo then having to use shared sinks! With then peeing behind us.

OP posts:
Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:33

Walking pass male urinals? Hossegor and now nr La Rochelle.

OP posts:
SaltyGod · 24/07/2023 07:33

I used to live in France and don’t think I’ve ever had to walk past a urinal to get to a loo. Sure some rural small places have mixed loos but they’re all cubicles.

2 bad loos during a 2 week holiday isn’t representative of a national issue.

4weeknoalcohol · 24/07/2023 07:32

I lived in France and never came across this other than the shared sinks but they were outside single cubicles. Where are you? We were near Toulouse.

Gymmum82 · 24/07/2023 07:32

It’s always been like that in the 40 odd years I’ve been going to France

EmmaGrundyForPM · 24/07/2023 07:31

it was like that when I was a child and I'm now in my 50s.

Caughtinlove · 24/07/2023 07:31

Unfortunately they have always been like that - particularly in bars/restaurants. It does make it unpleasant though.

Original poster
Whattosay81 · 24/07/2023 07:31

We’ve been coming since the 00s and my ILs since the 50s (as children) this is the first time they said they’ve seen it like this?

OP posts: