Nice To Know

Strasbourg

Politics

France is a member of NATO and a part of the EU. It has an active army and organizations such as UNESCO, OECD and ICC are based in Paris.

Traveling

France has an expansive interstate network, which both, charges toll fees and monitors speeding, so keep an eye out for posted speed limits. The metro system in Paris, Lyon, Lille, and Marseille is excellent, along with the the high speed train TGV.

Eating, Shopping, Living

Staples of a typical French bistro-meal are white bread and red wine. The breakfast, served with café au lait and croissant, is not as opulent as lunch or dinner, which are always with cheese. In France, you can buy the famous vines for real good prices and culinary viands as souvenirs.

Before the trip don't forget to buy a different electrical plug, as in France they're different from UK and USA and the voltage is 220 volts.

It's also a good idea to learn some basic French phases in advance, because you can struggle to communicate with locals, especially in small cities and suburbs.

the French flag

The French flag is a tricolore with the colors blue, white and red, ordered as horizontal coloms. These colors refer back to the French Revolution. White was the color of the royal flag of the king of France and blue and red the colors of Paris. The combination of these three colors symbolizes the limitation of the royal power by the people. With the proclamation of the First French Republic in 1792 it became the offical flag of France and stayed that way eversince.