What is France like? (Outside of Paris)

[BunsSweet]

I've only ever visited Paris and I've enjoyed my trips there. But people always talk about "the South of France" and I wonder what's it actually like over there? How different is it? Is life there less fast paced?

Not dissimilar to here but hot, with croissants and better supermarkets.

Its lovely. Ive been to france 14 times, they have amazing food, lovely shops/restaurants and it’s beautiful when you drive through France. Even the supermarkets are great! The beaches are lovely.
The only downside is the road side toilets some of them are standing toilets 😆
one of my favourite places to visit.

It depends where you go. I’m on the Côte d’Azur at the moment, and life here has become more modern and busy over the past couple of decades - more traffic, more McDonalds/KFC/Burger King etc. More big shops and open for longer hours.

But if you’re in the countryside they live life at snail’s pace and it’s a different world! Far more relaxed and traditional.

France is a huge country and has an extremely diverse profile. There are busy towns, remote villages and endless countryside. My favourite parts of France are the coast between Bordeaux and Biarritz and the French Pyrenees. The south of France wouldn’t be my first choice, as it’s touristy and busy.

It depends what you want. France has it all really.

The women are not all chic and slim for sure. Of course it depends on where, some areas are rough af and some are fancy and cosmopolitan.

I travel to France every year. Things I find noticeable are the cleanliness and tidiness of the towns and villages and the good condition of the roads. Lots of places still have their own boulangerie, although sadly this is dying out. Although the French have a lot of dogs, they always seem to be well-behaved and on leads and I've never seen a dog on the beach in summer.

We usually visit in the summer holidays and in August most of the country, with the exception of touristy places, seems to shut down. If you drive through a village in the middle of the day everything is very sleepy.

We travel mostly inland or to the West coast. I have been a few times to the Cote d'Azur which is much livelier and more glitzy than most of the rest of France.

France is big and very different depending on where you go. In terms of south, I have spent a lot of time in the south but not the south east. Over the years it's changed a lot but I love it as it's very relaxed.

A lot of it is wet and mild. Paris gets more rain than London.

I love the Lège Cap-Ferret peninsula. It is a beautiful area. I haven't been for a over decade but am set to go again this year!

I love that area too.

France is a beautiful country - as much as I love Paris, I prefer the other parts. The champagne region is gorgeous, Brittany is beautiful and there are lots of lovely towns and cities - Dinan in the north, Troyes and Dijon in the middle and the west coast is lovely too. I'm not fussed on the Cote d'Azur - expensive and crowded - but there lots of places that aren't either of these.

I live in SW France.
Shops shut on a Sunday afternoon.
Local petrol stations only sell fuel, so from 12.30 Sunday to Monday morning you can't nip out for shopping.
The pace of life is slower.
Customer service is variable.
Weather in summer is usually hot but like last night we can have very violent thunderstorms, still no power since midnight.

If you're polite and say Bonjour before asking for things the French are usually polite.
Food is expensive in supermarkets compared to the uk.
The cheese stalls on the market upsell so be careful.
French markets are lovely though, fruit and veg is usually good.
Toilets can be anything from a plate to a normal English toilet.
Water, wine, french cheese and yoghurt are the best value.

In the tourist office ask for an Agenda des Manifestations to see a list of local events.
Many museums etc close on Mondays.
Most towns don't charge parking between
12 - 2 as its lunch time.
St Emilion is busy but beautiful, Cap Feret is amazing, Bordeaux is large and quite tiring to walk round in the heat,
I love Nice but wouldn't visit in July or August.
Royan on the west coast is lovely as is Carnac.

The main difference between Paris and the south of France (i.e. the bit that borders the Mediterranean), is the climate and the landscape, which are very different to northern France. The south of France has this amazing light, it's hotter, drier and sunnier and it has different flora and fauna. You get umbrella pines and cypresses, vines and dusty hills, cicadas in summer, so it has a really different feel to northern France, which has a climate and landscape more like southern England.

But apart from that, as a tourist, what will most influence your experience will be where you stay - whether it's in a city or somewhere smaller. You can have a big city experience in Nice or Marseille (which are very different), or you can stay somewhere smaller, but charming and touristy, e.g. Menton, Cassis, Martigues or Collioure, or you can go up into the hills and find sleepy little towns and villages where there won't be many tourists and you'll have a more authentic French experience. It's like the difference between London and Devon.

It is twice the size of the UK and has the same population. The further south, the warmer the climate. I can't put my finger on it but as you pass the middle of the country, ie, Limoges, the air changes - warmer, stiller, better scented.

It is a socialist country and much of the infrastructure is state controlled but to a higher standard than the old nationalised version of the UK. Paradoxically, its healthcare system, which is far higher calibre than the NHS is a social insurance system. Services throughout, however, are very bureaucratic, especially around property.

Food is viewed differently and revered more and quality is generally better but don't believe the supermarkets are bereft of UPFs. They are not and there are pockets of deprivation that mirror those here.

The pace is a little slower, and midday/lunchtime is ringfenced and treasured. Shops shut and it isn't always to the liking of Brits.

Touristy areas and holiday camps abound but on the whole are not infused with what I'd describe as Kiss me Quick mentality. It is a very verdant country even in the South.

As mentioned by a pp the French Pyrenees/Cotes Vermielle is a spectacular area, far more understated than Biarritz or Nice/Cannes which have a different, chicer but louder charm. I am, of course, biased.

and midday/lunchtime is ringfenced and treasured.

I love the fact mealtimes are almost sacred.

France is an enormous country with a large number of different landscapes, climates and regional cultures.

I’m not crazy about the Côte d’Azur, certainly not in summer, but I’m fonder of the areas further inland in the Var.

It’s a toxic wasteland populated by roaming bands of zombies & mutant hunchbacks stinking of garlic.

Brittany is like Cornwall with better weather. They have their own regional language and traditional dress.
The Menhirs at Carnac are prehistoric standing stones that go on for miles.

Wonderful!
Actually don't know much about "the south" but everywhere else I've been has been lovely.
And people are nicer o/s of Paris (I'm not particularly getting at Parisians - it's the same with Londoners or New Yorkers!).

You’re forgetting the stripy Breton T-shirts, strings of onions, and the berets pulled down over one undead eye.

I like the area around Valence, Montelimar, Orange and Avignon. Beautiful landscape and friendly people. The food and wine are out of this world.

Love France, especially Brittany and the Pays Basques, camping is easy and cheap and most campsites have pools and a small bar.

Supermarkets are huge, with at least 4 aisles of cheese and an acre of wine but only one checkout open.

Roads are pothole free and empty at lunchtime.

It is beautiful. Albi is one of the most stunningly beautiful cities I have ever been to.
The light is lovely. Food wonderful and people are great.
Tte Dordogne is lovely but very full of tourists. I prefer the Tarn department. I also like the area around Biarritz and Bayonne - if you like history Carcassonne is worth visiting.
Roads are so much better than in the UK!!

My favourite area is the Languedoc area…. I would live there!

I've read they spent a lot on healthcare and it was ranked as the best in the world many years ago