"It Took Several F*ck-Ups Before We Fully Absorbed That Lesson": 12 Biggest Culture Shocks Tourists Experienced In France

France is 1 of the world's astir visited countries, known for its unthinkable food, affluent history, and iconic landmarks. But speech from the beauteous views, it besides has tons of taste differences and mundane habits that tin drawback visitors wholly disconnected guard.

Over connected Reddit, travellers are sharing their biggest civilization shocks erstwhile they visited France. Here are the astir absorbing and fascinating responses:

1. "I person been to France 3 times implicit the past 4 years and lone had large experiences, but 1 large taste quality is the strict work times astatine restaurants. Forget astir luncheon aft 2pm. It took respective fuck-ups by america earlier we afloat absorbed that lesson."

—5x0uf5o

"On the Riviera during summer, each restaurants are closed from noon until 5 p.m."

—M1ssN_ny4Bus1n3ss

2. "I had heard of it, but I wasn't prepared erstwhile I encountered it successful existent beingness however peculiar the French are astir their language. I talk decent French, but arsenic a German autochthonal speaker, sometimes I bash premix up the articles. I asked for 'un baguette, s'il vous plaît' (instead of 'une baguette'), and the boulanger conscionable dormant eyed maine and said 'quoi?' ('what?') There was nary mode helium didn't recognize that I wanted to bargain a baguette. He conscionable wanted to fto maine cognize that either I should bash the French happening right, oregon not astatine all."

—r_coefficient

"It's similar they've got a antithetic connection for everything."

—BartholomewBandy

3. "The nutrient successful the supermarkets. Widest choice, champion taste, cheap. In my state it's the opposite. Dining retired is not what you privation to bash successful France, it's doing groceries."

—tbollinger_swiss

"I retrieve wandering into a Picard's for the archetypal clip and seeing each of the truly precocious prime frozen foods — astounding! Checking retired section market stores is 1 of our favourite things to bash erstwhile we travel."

—Rare_Armadillo4144

4. "For me, it's mostly regarding societal differences. I moved to France from Canada successful 2007 for a year, and I've conscionable moved to France again astir 2 months ago. In Canada, tiny speech is simply a mode of life. France tin look lonely to idiosyncratic who comes from a spot wherever affable casual chats with perfectly anyone is normal. Or astatine slightest immoderate tiny commiseration astir the weather, oregon the magnitude of clip we person some been lasting successful a agelong queue, etc. In France, speech is much purposeful and sincere. Asking idiosyncratic 'Ça va?' is an honorable question, and not an insincere societal work similar it is successful Canada. If you inquire this to a stranger, they'll apt wonderment wherefore you're asking thing similar that. If you inquire it to a friend, beryllium prepared for an honorable answer."

—FinestTreesInDa7Seas

5. "Their deodorants are superior truthful you inactive odor bully erstwhile you get home. :)"

—leastlikelytocare

6. "Coming from Scandinavia: How inefficient and unspeakable an airdrome Paris' CDG is, particularly for being specified a large hub. I've avoided it since 2022, though it might've improved since then!"

—Status-Aerie5658

"Oh I grew up successful France and person treble nationality (FR/USA), each locals that I cognize adjacent maine down southbound effort to debar it similar the plague."

—frenchmezzo

7. "The deficiency of vegetarian options, peculiarly successful the southbound of France. Even successful the astir agrarian spots successful the UK, determination volition beryllium astatine slightest 1 veggie and 1 vegan enactment connected menus. I deliberation we instrumentality it for granted! But successful France (outside of the large cities) it's similar they can't fathom that you mightiness not privation a perfectly circular portion of ham nether the food connected a margarita pizza (no joke, this happened — thankfully I spot into it alternatively of my vegan husband)."

—continentaldreams

8. "I was amazed that the restaurants each connection precisely the aforesaid dishes; there's fundamentally nary variety. I unrecorded successful a likewise sized municipality successful the UK and we person 2 pubs (one serving emblematic English pub grub and the different specializing successful Thai cuisine) positive a Greek restaurant, an Indian restaurant, an Italian restaurant, and a fewer takeaways serving Chinese, food and chips, oregon kebabs. I volition ne'er kick astir the deficiency of prime ever again!"

—DoggyWoggyWoo

"In France, a edifice with a tiny paper of dishes is simply a motion of prime In general, this means that helium cooks fresh, seasonal products. Variety comes with the regular peculiar changing daily."

—Straight_Soup_8758

9. "Having much array work and not going up to the barroom to bid drinks, 2 floors connected trains (love this), much costly brew which is good due to the fact that the vino is truthful overmuch cheaper, the java options are much constricted and you person to spell to circumstantial java shops to get your oat level achromatic (but I'm not complaining astir this). And of course, beverage does not mean beverage with beverage arsenic it does successful England. So I person learned however to inquire for achromatic beverage with beverage connected the broadside successful French."

—Good-Conclusion-9508

10. "Contrary to nationalist belief, radical were highly affable and I didn't brushwood immoderate connection barrier."

—No_Explorer721

11. "As a Brit, I cannot judge their views connected swimming trunks."

—[deleted]

12. "As an American, it took maine mode longer than it should person to recognize however the hellhole to get a buying cart astatine Lidl LOL."

—BelethorsGeneralShit

Now it's your turn: what was the biggest civilization daze you experienced portion travelling? Let america cognize successful the comments oregon usage this signifier beneath to stay anonymous!

Plus, beryllium definite to travel BuzzFeed Canada connected TikTok and Instagram for much question stories and amusive net finds!

Note: Some responses person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.