Interesting Facts About France
From the Arcane to the Mundane

Interesting facts about France are a dime a dozen -  it's a fascinating country wherever you turn! France is of course known for its famous places (Provence, the Louvre, Eiffel Tower), cuisine, fashion, perfumes, art, history, style, wines, culture and for being a little risqué.

That's a good start, but there are plenty of things about France you might not know. 

• France is home to unusual museums, like the Gingerbread Museum (Alsace), Cowbell Museum (Annecy), Museum of Torture (Carcassonne), Smokers' Museum (Paris), Sewer Museum (also in Paris), and the Sugar Museum and the Museum of Hearses (both in Southwestern France).

• Holy Grail Castle?
  levieuxchiendetalus via Wikimedia
  Some believe the Holy Grail castle is located in France at Montségur near Carcassonne. Montségur was the last stand of the Cathars, a 13th-century 'heretical' sect, 220 of whom were burned to death at the castle during the Inquisition for refusing to give up their beliefs. Hike up the hill and imagine the bravery of a few hundred Cathars fending off 10,000 armed French soldiers.

• France has a number of troglodyte cave dwellings - as well as cave hotels, restaurants, and everything cave-like. The most famous are near Saumur in the Loire Valley. The caves are linked to strange practices ranging from underground tunnels for national defence to Satan worship.

• Had you heard that no women compete in the Tour de France, the country's most popular bicycle race? True, yet nearly a third of all spectators are women!

There are plenty of interesting facts about France that are fun, too!

Did you know that...

• France is Europe's largest country.

• France's third-largest city, Lyon, was the second-largest city of the Roman Empire, after Rome.

• Paris is the most visited city in the world, and the Louvre is the world's most popular museum.

• The French have more sex than other Europeans.

• French used to be the international language until it was replaced by English - it was the language of the aristocracy and of diplomacy.

• France has more than 40,000 chateaux.

More interesting facts about France?

• There are more than 450 wine appellations in France and wine has been made there since Roman times: France is the world's number one producer of wine and liquors.

• France publishes about two new cookbooks a day!

• Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc, is in France (and if I lean out of my upstairs window, I can see a tiny upper corner of it!)

• Strikes are relatively common in France, but the French take these disruptions - of subways, planes, trains, medical services, schooling - with a Gallic shrug, in the name of protecting their sacrosanct right to strike.

Interesting facts about France: it's cities

Visiting the most famous places in France is a dream for many backpackers - for most travelers, actually!

There's Paris, of course and yes - there is such a thing as cheap Paris travel if you really want it... but there are plenty of other wonderful cities worth visiting in France!

• Marseille (often spelled with an 's' in English): a major port on the Mediterranean, it's France's oldest city and second-largest after Paris. Must-do: take a stroll along the Old Port and choose an outdoor restaurant for bouillabaisse, the one and only fish soup.

• Lyon (also add an 's' in English) is France's third city and absolutely gorgeous, wherever you turn. Must-do: the Puces du Canal, as the weekend flea market is called - a bit out of town but worth the ride; markets; and the country's highest number of gastronimic restaurants per capita.

• Strasbourg is French but looks German, having changed ownership a number of times in its history. Must-see: the Christmas market (the country's largest and oldest) and the European Parliament.

• Avignon, the city of Popes (it was once the capital of Christianity) is also home to one of the world's premier theater festivals. Must-see: the Pont d'Avignon, a bridge whose name all children know, because it's the title of children's second most popular song (the first being Frère Jacques).

• Nice is the heart of the Riviera, with its beaches, lovely port, antique shops and nearby towns whose names - like Cannes and St Tropez - are often up in lights. Must-do: stroll along the Promenade des Anglais and stop off for a bite or two along the beach.

• And then there's Dijon, home of mustard; Bordeaux, home of wine; Colmar and its Alsatian wines; Grenoble, Chambery, Annecy and Aix-les-Bains, like a ring around the Alps; Nimes and its Roman ruins; Toulouse, home of Airbus... there's not a corner of France that doesn't hold some kind of fascination.

If you're heading to the Continent, take a look at Backpacking Europe and Travel Planning for some help in organizing your trip.

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.women-on-the-road.com