Read the Blog: https://woltersworld.com/unwritten-rules-of-visiting-france-what-tourists-need-to-know/
Hey there fellow travelers! Mark here with Wolters World and today we’re talking about the unwritten rules of visiting France—the things nobody tells you, but you really need to know before you go.
From saying “bonjour” the right way to understanding French dining culture, strikes, café etiquette, and why you probably shouldn’t be smiling at random strangers… this video is packed with the real cultural tips that help you travel better and avoid awkward tourist mistakes.
Whether you’re heading to Paris, Nice, Strasbourg, or beyond, these tips will help you fit in, enjoy your trip more, and actually connect with locals.
Because let’s be honest—France is amazing, but it’s even better when you understand how things really work.
💡 In this video, we cover:
French etiquette & greetings
Dining culture & restaurant expectations
Strikes & daily life realities
Café culture vs working remotely
Food traditions (yes… cheese is a course!)
Cultural quirks that surprise tourists
👉 If you’re planning a trip to France, this is one of those “watch before you go” videos!
⏱️ CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Intro – Unwritten Rules of Visiting France
0:24 Always Say Bonjour First
1:29 Dining Is Not Rushed in France
2:30 Strikes Are a Way of Life
3:15 Keep Your Voice Down (Seriously)
4:11 Bureaucracy & Lack of Efficiency
5:04 You Have to Ask for the Bill
6:03 Wine Culture (Don’t Overdo It)
6:37 Cafés Are NOT for Working All Day
7:11 Cheese Is a Course, Not a Snack
7:51 Line/Queue Culture Is… Different
8:48 Public Toilets Are Rare
9:26 Don’t Touch Produce or Baguettes
9:57 Be Nice—Or They Won’t Be Nice Back
11:00 France Is More Than Just Paris
12:08 Why French People Don’t Snack
12:42 Don’t Smile at Random Strangers
13:21 Outro & Your Tips
👍 WANT MORE TRAVEL TIPS?
Make sure to subscribe for honest travel advice to help you travel smarter, avoid mistakes, and get the most out of your trips.
🧳 HASHTAGS
#FranceTravel #TravelTips #WoltersWorld #TravelAdvice #VisitFrance #ParisTravel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFr3sz2t3bDp6Cux08B93KQ/join
#travel
Copyright Mark Wolters 2026
We receive a small percentage of sales from links on our videos from companies such as Amazon, Bookings, Expedia, Get Your Guide, and others.
Grab some Wolters World travel gear http://www.woltersworld.store
Help Us Keep Make More Honest Travel Videos: https://www.patreon.com/woltersworld
Hey There Fellow Travelers! Thank you for watching our honest travel vlogs from all over this wonderful world. If you would like to get in contact with us please follow us & send us a message via our social media channels below. Also, if you like our travel videos please feel free to share them with other fellow travelers.
You can find us all over the internet:
Travel Advice & Destinations: https://www.youtube.com/woltersworld
Food Travel Videos: https://www.youtube.com/woltersworldeats
Travel Tips: https://www.youtube.com/@honesttravelnetwork
Business Education: https://www.youtube.com/professorwolters
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@woltersworld
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woltersworld
Jocelyn’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jocelynwoltersworld
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/woltersworld
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/woltersworld
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wolters-world-travel-culture/
36 Comments
I never get drunk out in public because I am a female solo traveler . I gotta be aware of my surroundings. I have champagne, beer and wine in my hotel room and I love watching French news on tv
I visited Nice and the surrounding areas with my mom two years ago, and my heart is still there.
France sometimes gets a bad rep, but I found that a little research and even just a bit of French goes such a long way in making the experience amazing.
I’d love to go back and explore Alsace or Lyon next!
I have to say, these unwritten rules of France are a reason we don't go there anymore. It's just not for us as we get older. We like efficiency and schedules. We like smiling and snacking. The general unfriendliness of the country gets to us after a while. Japan is our go-to place now. France is a beautiful country, but just not for us anymore.
I've been to Paris 3 times and all you say is correct and spot on.
It's so important to being with bonjour when to you talk with someone in France. I did it consistently. My friend did not. I always got more positive results than her because of it. The French take that polite greeting very seriously. Also you really made me laugh when you ended the video, "Dude whose, that weird tourist smiling at me?" Hahaha. Thanks for another cool video!
I practiced my lousy Bonjour and the do you speak English line. I had very funny (to me) experience after asking if the young female clerk spoke English. She said “a leetle beet” and I wanted to adopt her right there.
Hey Mark, awesome video
We’re visiting Paris in early fall and wonder if it’s possible to take a day trip to Strasburg via train. Also, I’m a very picky eater & dislike cheese, creamy sauces, eggs & meat, so when I travel I’m fine with a Sweetgreens or similar. Hopefully I’ll find something amenable in France.
I think some of your rules are crusty and reinforce old stereotypes. And “They don’t snack” – come on… bakeries exist on every corner for a reason. There’s a much greater diversity of culture in France these days. And on strikes, it’s best not to take a side at all – same as with internal politics. Just be diplomatic and avoid inserting yourself.
Line culture has much improved in France in the past decades. Always surprised to see american and chinese tourists skip lines. Bureaucracy owes much to wishful thinking of politicians, most of unaware of everyday life.
I hope this is not mandatory, but I can't even drink any type of alcohol due to medication I am on (I have seizure medication), so it's okay I never drink anything like it right? I have never been to France, but it's one of the locations I've always wanted to visit due to Ancestry and being an Art lover (Monet is my fav Artist for a reason). My hope is to visit the Normandy area since my French ancestors are from there, plus I have a great Uncle buried there (he's a WW2 vet and was a part of D-Day). I also know that Monet's residence where he painted his famous Water Lillies paintings is there too. Plus I'd just love to see the coast anyway.
Haha bonjour is confusing for Canadians, if you go to Montreal or Quebec they come off as offended for trying
Good to know all the reasons not to visit France. Instead of bothering about idiotic rules like having to demonstrate linguistic patriotism, dealing with strikes, inefficiency, obnoxious attitude, etc, better to visit a place like The Netherlands or Finland where people are by and large more sensible. Yes, every country and region will have some weird rule or customer, but France has too many of them that it is just not worth for me. I stick to places where people are more straightforward and don't make such a big fuss about some strange custom or make such a big issue of language and pretend English is not the international language which it obviously is. My experience is Dutch people are very much passionate about their language and promote use of Dutch in all settings but unlike the French they don't shove their language into your ass, especially if you are a tourist or a short time visitor.
Also, don't ask for a to-go container, if you have meal leftovers. Finish it there, or allow them to discard it. No doggie bags.
Don't expect people in rural France to speak English! They might have a few words if you're lucky.
Answer, learn some basic French! Then you can muddle it out and have a proper cultural experience.
unwritten rules are that order French products instead of imports
Thanks for the video! Regarding the restrooms, Paris has gotten better with hundreds of free to use automatic toilets (sanisette). Those aren't he loveliest places, but they do the job 🙂
I have learned a great deal about the inner health of a good number of Americans, including parts that should best be left unmentioned in public, from having dinner in restaurants when they come to visit. Naturally, this was unsolicited information. However, given the volume there was no choice but to learn all about their ailments, blood tests, hormones etc.
I forgot to say bonjour about half the time. People seemed forgiving about it. I’m an introvert. I get flustered when I’m overwhelmed and I would lose my train of thought. Paris was overwhelming. I don’t plan on ever going back, but it’s not because of any issue with Parisians on a personal level.
Bonjour is NEVER an option. Politesse is a social mandatory rule.
I laughed out loud, dude 🤣
I've been wary of visiting France after a bad experience in a town near Dunkirk in 2016, locals were extremely rude and not helpful.
I know I shouldn't judge a whole country off of one town but since that incident I have steered away from France.
However I'm glad to say I'm booked in to visit Paris next year
So True. Great Observations ! Great Advice Always ! 👍👍 from Jim, Harriet and Yuki
I remember when I was visiting France it seemed a lot of people smoked and it was hard for me to be indoors because of the smell and having bad asthma. That’s something else good to know.
The French are very kind and helpful. Be polite, be quiet and be respectful. If they speak English tell them how much you love their country in a genuine way. It goes a long way.
Quand j'essais parler français, falo portugues. Ou mo prefer koz kreol.
MERCI BEAUCOUP!!!!!
They walk ALOT too!!!!
Canada is where (Quebec) one place if you don’t say hello, attempt à French good day the people will totally ignore you
9:57 Hey Mark, you’re a tourist when you eat while walking in Paris 😂
Bonjour is good any time of day, although once the sun has set, bonsoir (good evening) might be better. Bonne matin (good morning) & bonne nuit (goodnight) would seem weird as greetings. Bonne matin works if you're greeting someone coming to you (clerk greeting customer), but it's weird the other way. Bonne nuit is more of a farewell than a greeting, just like in English. If you're tending bar & a patron walks in, walks up to the bar & says "Goodnight," you probably won't serve them.
That orange juice machine! Was that at a Franprix? I stayed at a hotel in Bercy village, Paris years ago, right near the Cour St-Emilion metro station, and there was a Franprix just up the street with one of those! Delicious!
Lot of good points here. I've spent a lot of time in France (for an American, that is) probably about a year total over several trips. So I've navigated every pitfall, and even some you didn't mention. Here's how it all boils down – the French are very polite, but they aren't especially friendly to strangers. There is a big difference between being polite and saying "bonjour" versus the American exuberance with which we greet other people. The worst faux pas I made was the day I was watching a wedding party come out of the City Hall on a Saturday afternoon. The bride and groom got into a convertible with all the signs and cans tied to it just like we do, and in the spirit of the moment – when they slowly drove past where I was standing on the sidewalk – I "forgot" myself and I waved and smiled (yes, SMILED!) The "eat dirt and die" look I got in return made me want to crawl into a crack in the sidewalk and disappear. The French have an inherent suspicion about strangers who randomly smile at them. I believe that the reason is because they are very sincere people, and when they DO smile at someone, it is somebody they know and the sentiment is genuine. A stranger randomly smiling at them is not welcome, they just don't do that (nor would they ever wave at someone like I did.) The flip side of this is that when a French person DOES smile at you or pay you a compliment, they mean it 100%. Their approval can be hard won, but when you get it, you can be sure they mean it.
Bon jour! How do you decide which country you're going to visit and in what order? I'd love to know what your analytics show. For example, does your data tell you that April is a good time to put out a video showcasing France because more tourists will be visiting there soon? Just curious. Merci!
"Bonjour" is 100% necessary. Here's the level-up: Enter a store with "Bonjour Monsieur/Madame" and leave a store with "Merci, au revoir" and a little wave. It doesn't matter if you buy anything–the French believe money doesn't rule the world, but politeness does.
If you don’t like slime that smells like unwashed gym socks, pass on the Brie. 🫢
If all else fails surrender 😂