FRANCE
TRAVEL INFORMATION
CURRENCY: Euro
VOLTAGE: 220 V/50 Hz
INTERNET: In towns and cities, internet cafes are often available, and free
Wi-Fi can be accessed in a range of public places if you ask for the password.
(Alert: a network called “FreeWiFi” is not, in fact, free – you must be a
subscriber of Free, the telecoms company, to access it.)
TELEPHONE: Payphones and prepaid phone cards can be found in most
cities, as can cheap cell phones for temporary use. If your phone is unlocked,
it is also easy to buy a French SIM card if you want your phone to work locally.
ATM, CASH, AND CREDIT CARDS: International ATMs are widely available
in most cities, and most major credit cards will also be accepted. However,
European credit cards have a microchip embedded in them that American
cards do not have, and while swiping your card is still possible in most places
(restaurants, grocery stores, etc.), things like the metro ticket machines cannot
accept cards without the chip.
LAUNDRY: Laundry facilities are widely available in cities. Participants are
responsible for any costs associated with doing laundry.
LUGGAGE: Either a travel backpack or roller suitcase should do just fine. We will
be on the move a lot and you are responsible for carrying all of your luggage, so
please pack as light as possible, and bring a backpack for day-trips.
VISA CONCERNS: Your passport will suffice if you are a U.S. citizen,
or a citizen of one of the countries not listed on this page: http://www.
consulfrance-chicago.org/spip.php?article657. However, if you are a citizen of
one of the countries listed, then you will need to apply for a tourist visa.
CUISINE: French cuisine is world-famous, and includes such elegant and
intimidating dishes as escargot (snails), magret de canard (duck), and boudin
noir (blood sausage). Cuisine varies by region, from sauerkraut and potatoes
in the east to large amounts of flavorful vegetables and seafood in the
south. It can be hard to be a vegetarian or a vegan in France, since cheese is
ubiquitous and many dishes involve meat, but options do exist.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Capital:
Paris
Location:
Western Europe, with
departments and territories
all around the world
National languages:
French
Population:
65,436,552
Size:
260,558 sq mi
Economy:
A mixed economy
characterized by strong
private sector and a powerful
public sector. Finance and
agriculture play important
roles in making France the
world’s fifth-largest economy.
Structure:
A semi-presidential
constitutional republic, made
up of 101 departments (5 of
which are overseas).
General climate:
Overall, the French climate
is temperate, with the north
suffering long, cold winters
and mild summers. The
south, on the other hand,
experiences relatively mild
winters and hot, sunny
summers.
FRANCE
SUGGESTED READING
Nonfiction Reading
A Year in Provence
by Peter Mayle
Villa Air-Bel: World War II,
Escape, and a House in
Marseille
by Rosemary Sullivan
France
Memoirs of Madame de La
Tour du Pin
Fiction Reading
A Place of Greater Safety
by Hilary Mantel
The Little Prince
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Abundance: A Novel of
Marie Antoinette
by Sena Jeter Naslund
Chocolat
by Joanne Harris
FUN FACTS
Suite Française
• France is the world’s number one tourist destination, ahead
of the USA and China.
Websites
by Irène Némirovsky
• France produces over 400 types of cheese.
• French authors have won more Nobel Prizes for Literature
than any other country in the world.
• Twenty percent of France’s population lives in Paris, whose
nickname – The City of Lights – actually refers to the
intellectuals who tend to congregate there, rather than to
large amounts of lights.
• There are laws regulating all kinds of tiny details that are
considered integral to French culture – for example, all
baguettes must be between 21.5 inches and 26.5 inches long.
News:
Le Monde
www.lemonde.fr/
Liberation (left-leaning)
www.liberation.fr/
Le Figaro (right-wing)
www.lefigaro.fr/
Current Events:
Direct Matin
www.directmatin.fr/
Environmental Issues:
Actu-Environement
www.actu-environnement.com/
Gender Issues:
Feature Films
Documentary Films
La règle du jeu (1939)
Impressionism: Revenge of
the Nice
Les enfants du paradis (1945)
The 400 Blows (1959)
La Haîne (1995)
The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie
Poulain (2001)
Marie Antoinette: The Last
Queen of France (2006)
Skyliners (2011)
Filthy Cities: Revolutionary
Paris (Episode 2) (2011)
Santé
www.e-sante.fr/
Genre, sexualité & société
http://gss.revues.org/
Health Issues:
Travelers’ Health
wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/
destinations/traveler/none/france
Haute Autorité de Santé
www.has-sante.fr/portail/jcms/
fc_124958 8/en/accueil-2012