4 Necessary Things To Prepare For Before Your First Trip To France
France is understandably on the must-go list of the bulk of non-European and European travellers out there, boasting places where A-listers have made a habit of visiting, natural spots that will take your breath away, and restaurants with unmatched renown. Evidently, you want to be prepared for your first trip there so as not to avoid falling into the typical tourist traps and paying excessively for an unjustifiably expensive meal, running out of data, or failing to understand a thing from the locals.
Are you ready to discover the four essential tips that can make the difference between a successful and failing first-time trip to France?
A few sites reasonably ban pictures
The “photography forbidden” sign is easily understandable by visitors and means exactly what it symbolizes. You’ll need to learn to control your urge to take pics and videos no matter what your instinct tells you. You may find this sign in churches, museums, caves, and a few other places for various reasons. First, it’s a matter of copywriting laws in a place like Maison de la Photo, where you’ll find a collection of pictures of different celebrities like Bob Dylan or Sylvie Vartan.
At the same time, religious spots like Matisse’s Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence are known as spaces of worship where those with faith go to find peace and pray. Here, things like the stained glass window and the intrinsic murals made by Matisse are eye-catching, but remember that there are already pictures of these spots on the internet that you can show to your loved ones back home when asked how the trip was.
Last but not least, prehistoric caves like the Grotte des Combarelles and Font de Gaume may ban any filming or photographing in their interiors. The reasons are easily understandable. First, these two caves given as examples were found to have come into being anywhere between the 17,000-12,000 year range, so they can’t afford to welcome boundless numbers of people. Having sightseers moving through unhinderedly is essential, especially in tight places. Moreover, were you allowed to use your phone, you’d possibly extend your stay unnecessarily and contribute to larger queues, annoyed crowds, and a slower pace of moving. Not to mention that the dark would imply you used your flash for some picture quality, ruining the ambiance for those longing to see the limestone’s real, unaltered shades and hues.
You can keep roaming charges low – or nonexistent
Assuming you’re traveling to France from America, Australia, or another non-EU country with the UK included, you may incur some pricey roaming charges to use mobile data. With 4G or 5G mobile networks covering the nation, running up a depressing bill is probable even if your stay is short. For safe-budgeting reasons, you don’t want to splurge on mobile data, all the more since the internet will be necessary almost everywhere you go for a successful trip. You want internet access to search reviews about the places you want to visit, study unfamiliar French expressions, use the GPS, and so on.
Fortunately, there’s a widely known and favored method of keeping costs low while remaining connected anywhere you go in France. Your phone will work in France, and if you download an e-SIM card, you can enjoy unlimited data and data-sharing across the territory that goes as high as 500 MBs daily. Such a prepaid plan is a great stand-in for those tired of introducing a physical chip and activating the plan. It’s easy to activate, requesting you to fill in your e-mail and personal data, after which you’ll scan the QR code received in your mailbox and enjoy your paid-for perks.
Staying connected in the most visited and secluded French destinations has never been easier, so take a moment to discover more about the different e-SIM plans and customize your own one based on criteria like your duration of stay or budgetary restrictions.
Some key French phrases may help you unexpectedly much
You may hear French more often than you think, even if you don’t know it as a functional language, and you use it almost daily to greet, introduce yourself, ask for advice, and so on. French may originate in the country you’re visiting, but it’s spoken in different parts of the world. For instance, European nations like Monaco and Southern Belgium speak French, as do many non-European countries like Burundi, Chad, and the Seychelles. In America, the better part of Quebec and Ontario use this language. You may have contact with this language on a daily basis as more and more international artists emerge and catch on singing in French, be it pop, hip-hop, experimental, or other genres they’re breaking into.
As you’ll see, learning and using a few basic French phrases can be of great help, all the more since nationals expect you to be able to understand internationally-used expressions like “Bienvenue”, “comment on appellee ça”, and “s’il-vous-plaît”. Prior to your departure to France, you can download some apps that teach you the basic language phrases any non-French traveler should know. These will help you in more situations than you may imagine. For instance, if you know “Je voudrais” means “I would like”, you can easily read the name of the course you want from the menu. It’s the second most largely spoken and learned language after English, so you may never know when some assimilated French words could save you in challenging situations.
Many restaurants are overpriced just because of the hot-spots nearby
Highly trafficked areas, such as the Eifel Tour’s surroundings or the heart of Burgundy, justifiably abound in super pricey places to eat. Just as obviously, these establishments are almost certain to offer you a great culinary experience if you’re willing to go past the hustle and bustle of the location.
Assuming you want an even more unforgettable experience where your taste buds are overwhelmed with pleasure, then you can avoid the eateries serving as tourist traps and charging astronomically much for the position of the construction in the vicinity of unmissable landmarks. Venture away from tourist-heavy zones and shift to more quiet neighborhoods after researching some options on the internet and platforms like Le Fooding.
In Provence, you can visit La Chassagnette, Ceto, and a few other first-rate restaurants serving Provençal wine and foods with fresh local ingredients, including mouth-watering ratatouille and bouillabaisse. In Marseille, you can indulge in some of the best Mediterranean dishes, such as Tuba, Ripaille, and Tapas Rojas.
With these four compelling tips in mind, your first trip to France is bound to be considerably more rewarding! Live it up!
