With the exception of China, France has a more varied and developed cuisine than any other country.
Things to know: Almost all restaurants offer two types of meal:
à la carte (extensive choice for each course and more expensive) and
le menu (a set meal at a fixed price with dishes selected from the full
à la carte menu).
National specialties: •
Ratatouille niçoise (stew of courgettes, tomatoes and aubergines).
• In the north of France fish and shellfish are the star features in menus.
• Alsace and
Lorraine are the lands of
choucroute (
sauerkraut) and
kugelhof (a special cake),
quiche lorraine and
tarte flambée (onion tart).
• Lyon is the heartland of French cuisine, though the food is often more rich than elaborate. A specialty of this area is
quenelles de brochet (pounded pike formed into sausage shapes and usually served with a rich crayfish sauce).
• Desserts include:
soufflé grand-marnier; oeufs à la neige (meringues floating on custard);
mille feuilles (layers of flaky pastry and custard cream);
ganache (chocolate cream biscuit); and fruit tarts and flans.
National drinks: • Wine is the most popular alcoholic drink in France, and the choice varies according to region.
• Typically French apéritifs are
Pastis,
Ricard or
Pernod.
• The region of Nord Pas de Calais and Picardy brews beer and cider. Alsace is said to brew the best beer in France.
• Coffee is always served after the meal, and will always be black, in small cups, unless a
café au lait (or
café crème) is requested.
• Brandies such as
Armagnac and
Cognac and liqueurs such as
Chartreuse and
Genepi are available.
Legal drinking age: 18. Minors are allowed to go into bars if accompanied by an adult but they will not be served alcohol.
Tipping: A 12 to 15% service charge is normally added to the bill in hotels, restaurants and bars, but it is customary to leave small change with the payment.
NightlifeIn major cities such as Paris, Lyon or Marseille, there are lively nightclubs that are sometimes free of charge, although drinks are likely to be more expensive. Alternatively, the entrance price sometimes includes a
consommation of one drink. Nightclubs are everywhere and in even the remotest corners of France. Their style and music vary widely from one place to another. Nightclubs have a fixed closing time of 0500.
As an alternative to a nightclub, there are many late-night bars and cafes. In Paris and the regions, theaters offer a wide variety of shows from great classics to light comedy, from one-man shows to cabaret.
Tourist offices publish an annual and monthly diary of events available free of charge. Several guides are also available which give information about entertainment and sightseeing in the capital. Guides for events in Paris are sold at newspaper kiosks (
Pariscope,
L’official des Spectacles and
Zurban). They list all cinema programs, museums, exhibitions and all other types of shows.
Kiosks on the forecourt of the Montparnasse railway station and at Place de la Madeleine offer same day theater tickets at reduced rates. Travelers can also buy tickets for concerts from
FNAC and
Virgin sales outlets or from the venue themselves.
In the provinces, the French generally spend the night eating and drinking, although in the more popular tourist areas, there will be discos and dances. All weekend festivals in summer in the rural areas are a good form of evening entertainment. There are over 100 public casinos in the country.
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