I'm going to FRANCE summer of 2008. Any Ideas on what to see and how to act???????????????

Question

Im going with my school and I want to know what do do so people there dont asume im a rude tourist and.... What should I go and see?? besides all the well known places is there anywhere anybody can think of?

Answer 1

What kinds of things do you want to see?? I'm sure you will get sick of the castles and churches so maybe find a few really good ones.

I stayed in an area in the Lot region for a couple of weeks, which was really lovely. Most of the towns have a medieval feel to them and each village seems like out of a storybok.

A couple of places in that area I would recommend are Rocamadour....an amazing chuch and village on the side of a cliff face....its really stunning.

Little towns like St Cirq lapopie are really sweet and have some stunning views of the river and valleys around.

Also we went to a little place called Autoire which was also sweet.  All these places have stone buildings, often round turret like parts and stone rooves. They have rolling hillsides, some limestone areas.  There are also some caves around which have the cave people paintings on the walls for something different.

Answer 2

First, some things to know about how to behave.

Generally speaking the French are more formal than most North Americans.

In everyday speech this means appending "s'il vous plâit" to any request. It means saying "je voudrais" and not "donnez moi" when ordering from a menu. It means calling the waiter "Monsieur" and not "Garçon." It means greeting the staff at a shop with "Bonjour" (madam or monsieur as appropriate).

A little oddity...in Paris one asks for "la note" rather than "l'addition" as one does in most other parts of France and the Francophone world.

The French tend to follow the older practice of not calling each other by first names or using the familiar without at least some acquaintance (although this is not so much true of young people).

The easy presumption of friendship or the discussing of personal matters with relative strangers that is common in North America is sometimes seen as boorish or crude by the French.

Americans in particular who will talk about the intimate details of their love lives, the state of their personal finances, and the cost of everything they own with someone they met ten minutes ago are, for that reason, regarded as utterly outré.

On the other hand, Americans, who have been taught to never discuss politics or religion, sometimes think they are being singled out for abuse when the French express their opinions on such matters. They are not, of course. they are simply engaging in the second most popular French indoor sport (and the one that does not usually require a bed).

On a more prosaic level, you will notice that butter is not served with bread except at breakfast or when served with the cheese course.

Cafe au lait is only called that at breakfast. At other times it is "café crème " or "une crème."

Asking for special preparation of food items is generally frowned on as is the practice of the "doggy bag."

By law, prices must be posted in the window of cafes. You will notice that there are usually at least two price levels. One is for service at the bar (le zinc) and the other for table service. It is cheating to buy a drink at the bar and then take a table to drink it at.

Now, as to what to do. See all the standard tourist sights if for no other reason than you can one up most of your firends when you're watching some TV show or a movie which is set in Paris by shouting "I've been there!" So yeah, go see the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Arc de Triomphe, Sacre Coeur, the Opera Garnier, etc etc.

I assume that your school chaperones will keep you on a short leash but here is some stuff they might let you do:

1) Check out the big plaza in front of the Centre Pompidu (Which contains the Museum of Modern Art). On most sunny afternoons you'll find all sorts of street entertainers there. Among these will almost always be some guys doing big involved audience participation comedy bits. When they call for volunteers (and they always do) don't hesitate to stand up. The fact that you probably don't speak French will be NO problem. These guys tend to be very good and very funny. You'll have a great time and if you can have someone snap a picture you'll have a great story to tell when you get home (and a photo to prove it).

2) If you have a skateboard bring it along and head over to the Forum des Halles (which is only a few blocks from the Pompidu). You'll find a lot of young skate board enthusiasts hanging out there. A chance for a great photo of you doing a 180 frontside ollie in the Parisian equivalent of the Mall.

3) Go down to the river. In the Summer they cart in a bunch of sand and turn a section of the Seine riverbank into an artificial "beach." You can't swim in the Seine (its really polluted) but people play beach volleyball and otherwise act like they are at the beach.

4) At ten p.m. every Friday night thousands of people gather in the the Place d'Italie and proceed to rollerskate thru the streets accompanied by a special Police unit to clear the way and keep them safe. (You have to bring your own skates).

Answer 3

Pierrefonds Castle, Verdun France

Normandy Area NW

Paris

Lyon

Dijon

Cognac Province

So France.

Cap D Agde Port Nature( for the Au Natural in you?)

Montpiller

San Mortiz

Deauville

Stay at cheteau anyplace in Country, Rich to cheap prices.

Get Car with map & GPS.

Learn to drive Stick shift.

Le Mans.

Try Normandy apple brandy.

Have picnic & wines & breads Fresh.

Have buddy drive & read Maps & use GPS.

Bring online map print outs.

Learn French.

Very much English is spoken in So France & No France near Normandy

Head E & South, More French.

Have cash for Toll ways.

Boost credit card monies alone.

See French villages & towns.

Bring camera & or Digital cameras.

See the People,

Love Art, Music.

See History all over.

Bayeaux Tapestry Museum alone

&* Caen castle center.

Caen, France.

Fine stores.

Ste Marie Eglise is very American since D Day WW2