Visit France - 5 Things You Will Love & Hate About Visiting France
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.ค. 2024
- www.woltersworld.com
France is an amazing country to visit. It is full of amazing chateaux and museums, great food and incredible atmosphere, but there are a few things that tourists should watch out for, like the service and trying to park your car. But all and all France is a country that everyone should visit.
I Love France
I Hate France
Which one are you? Because we at Wolters World LOVE FRANCE.
Filmed in Paris, France
Copyright Mark Wolters 2012
I'm French, and I love the enthusiasm you display on each and every one of your videos. Merci beaucoup !
you will love it. I really loved visiting France every time I went. you will have a blast!
Merci! French for fun indeed. I have a couple French videos up for laughs but at least it is something ;) Hope my phrase comes in handy :)
Thanks for watching and commenting again! All the best! Mark
I don't have many problems myself, but yes I do get lots of stories of bad experiences. And honestly in my 20 trips to France I have only had 1 person be rude to me at a shop and that was in paris and the metro workers were not too helpful (but the people riding the metro were super helpful) Crazy stuff :)
Thanks for watching and commenting. I really appreciate it. hope you will like and subscribe too! Big hug and have a great weekend!
Merci! That is one thing that if a tourist just gets outside of paris they see that there is so much more. But paris is so great sometimes it is hard to leave ;)
Well, I have used that line quite a few times and it gets smiles and a helpful store clerk. It works better outside of Paris, that is for sure. But learn a few words in French and you will go a long way. But the actual sentence there was "Excuse me, I'm an idiot, I don't speak French. Can you help me?" So hope that helps :) thanks for watching and commenting!
I'm French and I totally agree with those things you hate, and you love too!
If you haven't yet, I recommand you to visit Normandy where you'll find beautiful places like Honfleur, Le Mont-Saint-Michel or Beuvron-en-Auge...
(sorry for my bad english, I'm an idiot too! lol)
That France, most countries and territories that use French as an official or business language and most ex-Soviet republics and territories don't have large local populations with high English-language proficiency is not surprising. Why that is I don't know, but it is clear that knowing even a little bit of French (or Russian in the case of much of the ex-USSR) will go a long way to breaking the ice.
Hey, about being jerks while working in services. Being french myself (so, sorry if my english is bad), I think that it is because we don't like to work. We often are like 'OMG, when will my day end?!', every day. So we tend to be a little grumpy. We like the work to be well done tho.
Another thing is, with restaurants for example, the more people you serve, the best you're seen by your employer. So waiters chatting with clients are seen a bit like slackers. So there's kind of a pressure on services employees. And this goes for most services jobs I think. That may play.
Plus, these people, especially in Paris, are seeing tens of people every day, so they also might be fed up. But it's part of the 'not liking to work', or at least the 'not liking this job' thing.
I really like your videos by the way, because I think the way you analyse it is honnest and true, and I agree with both your pros and cons about France. Good work! ;)
Everyone hates their job..... But apparently us Americans are better at putting on a fake smile
You sir, are truly a francophile haha ! Your videos are awesome, I've seen a lot of them and Im planning a trip to Germany, your videos really helped me ! Im Parisian but it's nice to see that you didn't just stay in Paris ! People tend to think that Paris is France but it's not :) You've been to many regions in France, but have you been to Corsica ? If not, this is probably the last trip you want to do before you die because Corsica is probably the most beautiful region of France :)
Keep up the good work you're insanely amazing !
I think your user name pretty much sums you up. Thanks for watching and commenting.
me too. loooooove love love going there
I'm french, and loving your videos. I think you nailed it, especially about the food and the diversity of regions. I've lived in Normandy, Alsace, Provence, Pyrénées, Paris, and they all offer incredibly different atmospheres and cultures. I love Paris but wish people around the world were more aware that there's a lot more to see in France. Thank you for making this video !
gracias
I would love to learn french just to go there and enjoy it even more, I don't see the problem in French people wanting you to communicate in French, at the end of the day you ARE in France, and their language is not English, so I totally understand why some people would get upset. LOVED your "Most important" phrase to remember, "Excuse me I'm an idiot LOL! I would be using that one for sure :)
Thank you so much for such a well rounded and put together presentation. That helps me a lot in preparation for my visit, thank you.
Thanks :)
You know watching your videos kind of cheers me up at the moment. I am stuck in the UK at the moment with work and watching them reminds me hey there is a world out there and I want to see it..
The video forgot to mention the rising radical Islamic fundamentalism that is growing in France. Let's just say France has really screwed itself by allowing so much immigration from this Islamic nations. Talk about a clash between the west and Islam. Sharia law is coming to a local French neighborhood near you.
Your videos are very helpful thank you so much !
I love the enthusiasm!!!! I am going here in a year and I cant wait! Thank you for making it sound so exciting!!! I cant wait to go and see this for myself!
I cant wait to visit! need to start learning my french lol
just got back from france in which i stayed for a few weeks and the thing that stood out the most was the service, still had an amazing time and would definitely go back
So right Wolter - there is a massive amount to see in France outside Paris. South western France is amazing and the Atlantic coast beats most other beaches in the world for sunsets.
thanks French house!
woltersworld And don't forget Bretagne, a very rich place for it's diversity about the food (crêpes, galette saucisse, kouign-aman....), landscape (Brocéliande Forest, côtes de la granite rose, etc), friendly people, cultural events (fezt-noz, Interceltiques, etc) and the celtic heritage and legends (arthuriens, celtic,....) to be discovered....I haven't noticed i just turn into a mini-tour guide. I'll end with à Kenavo et Bewet Breiz!
I know! there are so many awesome places in France!!! we are heading back for a couple weeks later this year. I can't wait!
Great job with these videos!! It's always helpful to get insight about each country. You help passionate travelers as myself to prepare for the best and worst when visiting any country.
And I couldn't agree with you more about France. The French are not as bad when you try to speak their language (it's worth learning, period!).
hey wolterworld, hello! really enjoy your videos and really nice job on that one. to me you're spot on!! I am glad you enjoy visiting france just as much as me. I love the country and love to tell tourists where to go just as you mentioned ;) hope to see you on the streets of paris someday
we will be back there next summer for 10 days :) hope to bump into you!
The education system in France must be superb - a few months ago I was sitting in a park eating lunch in a rural part of France and a group of school children were going for a walk with their teacher - they couldn't have been more than about 6 years old and were all speaking fluent French!
Vive la France!
Going to France is one of my traveling dreams. So im just binging on these videos.
+Frifri Pegasus Come ! :D We have wine and cheese for youuu ! 8D
Versailles was amazing when I visited back in 2011. Thinking about going back to visit France in 2018 for LeNans and possibly see the Riviera and French Alps
wow I come from France, but now I live in the us and what you said is exactly how I feel about France when I come back, like the atmosphere, or the weir mood people can have ..
and I have some pretty much similar good surprise or aversion for the us
so good job :)
I may actually be there next May/June so of course I will get a video put together :) I was there a few years ago visiting a good friend of mine who works there. I had a fun time until I broke my ankle at a bar when I missed a step in the bathroom :) but I had a fun time hobbling back to her apartment later that night :) next morning my ankle was 5 times its normal size... which apparentely is not a good thing :)
This is probably the best video about visiting France I've seen yet. Practacle advice from someone who has not only visited, but is in the country at the time of filming. Good thing I'll be taking someone who knows her French well :)
I love the fact you've spoken about the diversity of the regions, I was born in Toulouse (And yes the space museum is awesome!!) and I also lived in Brittany, but have family all over France, from Paris to the Pyrenees and there's so much to see everywhere, you are right about the French pride, my parents made sure to show us and teach us all about France and I love my country. I live in London now, and I love it too although my family send me packages of French food once in a while ahaha!
:) awesome town down in the T :)
well good thing i'm learning French atm,ahah. great video once again!
I can only imagine :) My personal favorite was driving in Sao Paulo... FUN FUN FUN :)
Thanks for watching adn commenting. I am a big France fan too! Big hug and thanks!
I showed this video to my 11 year old son and now he wants to visit France, keep up the good work!
Scott White that is the best compliment I can receive :) thank you! and tell your son great travels! we have a bunch of videos on traveling with kids too. My wife is the presenter in those
Very good, thank you!
+Carlos Solera thank you Carlos!
tienes razon :) con los coches en BA y los hijitos ;)
if you marry a French guy yes you can stay there as long as you like and after 6 or 7 years you can apply for a French passport, your kids will need permission from their biological father to live in france to gain the residence permit. and as you are there they will let them come to and stay. though they will have to have full visas and live in france for the 6 to 8 years (not sure the time limit now though) and learn French and then can apply for citizenship. but it is a bit more complicated
Tout est vrai! La France est un endroit merveilleux, je lui vis et aime ici. Nous avons même beaucoup de vieilles voitures ici et endroits merveilleux à visiter. Désolé pour les gens qui ne parlent que l'anglais, je ne parle que français!
I heard somewhere that servers take longer to serve food in France because the French server sees themselves as not below the customer (see the French motto "Liberté, Equalité, Fraternité") as opposed to the Anglo-Saxon view of the customer as "king." Tipping is also not customary in France whereas it is 15-20% in the U.S.
Oh there's France and Nice. Nice is my absolute favorite city in the world, at least when not counting my hometown Stockholm. I wasn't impressed with Paris though. The Louvre is great, the Eiffel-tower is great, Champs Elysées is great, but the town itself was a disappointment in my eyes. I prefer the Riviera. I do not agree with the problem with the French language. I speak a little French and a lot of the French people switched to English when I was struggling to make conversations in their language! It was actually annoying as I wanted to practice, but they meant well. But most people like it when you come and speak French, but they're always ready to help you whether with English or pantomime :P I want to visit so much more of France, as you say, each region is its own country in itself. Thanks for a lovely video.
I really wouldn't consider going until I was at least partially fluent in the language. I have no idea how I could go to another country without knowing the language and expect to be able to get around very well. But I actually already know the French basics so I guess I would probably be good.
thank you because I really needed this for my school report:)))))))))))))))
Sornnika Bora glad I can help ;)
thank you! :) // merci! :)
Gonna get more fluent in French so some day I can visit ^.^ I'll definitely be re-watching this video before I go.
I have an intermediate level of French and was able to get around, with few problems, the last time I visited France. That said, I do hope to visit some ex-Soviet republics, among them Moldova, Russia and Ukraine, countries not known for local populations with even an intermediate English-speaking ability (aside from hotel or airline staff).
I'm French and I absolutely agree with everything you said :) Especially food and châteaux!
Merci Jermey! I appreciate the support!
im also french and I also agree.
:)
LOVED paris, Avignon & Nice last year :D Can you recommend a site for Canadians/Americans that talk about resettling there? Like no gov't sites instead like a how to guide/walkthorugh/blogs (lol I dunno) for people who've already done this & how to do it? I've found some blogs but it's already ppl who've lived there for years...
On another note, in exactly one month, I will be going back to my home country France! I am sooooo excitded!!!!!!!!!
and I am super jealous! safe travels home!
3:14..."it's one of the most visited country in Europe ".....
ok.....France is the most visited country in the world.....
hi Mark, the passion you have is cool. I am French myself but if was abroad, I would die to come to France, you are good guide :)
merci!
can you make a video about some of your favorite resturaunts in france?
I've been to Paris (where I fell in love with the country) and Cannes/Grasse/St Paul de Vence. I adore France.
Wolter if you don't mind me asking do you have recommendations of Hotels in Paris where a family of 4 can stay for about 2 weeks?I have 2 small toddlers and would LOVE to plan a trip to Paris with the whole family (Something affordable though I don't want to spend all their college fund LOL!). Thanks a bunch! Love all your videos, awesome tips :)
I would look for an apartment if you are staying that long with kids. it will pay for itself with the eating in and having a place to crash with the kids makes it so much easier (we are doing the apartment option this December)
I am French and I love your videos. they are well made. Remember that there is a big difference between the French, who are formally for the service and the French daily, which they do not lack sympathy (at least for the majority because France is very diverse). do not judge the French by Paris but feel free to go to other regions with lots of unique richness. Good luck for your other videos :)
jesaispas jenesaispas Merci Jesaispas :)
I hope I have not made too many fault, my English is limited. :) If I may, during your next stay in France I advise you to visit the Ardeche in the Rhone-Alpes region, 45 minutes north of Avignon, it's a beautiful area that has a rich heritage, much appreciated visitors. Otherwise I recommend you the Alps and the Savoie region paticulièrement or Alsace, I fell in love when I visited.
+woltersworld Yes, come in Ardennes ! xD -there is nothing here exept forest and war memories- (and maybe wine :])
I'm French and live in the UK for 1 year. You made me miss home...
Wolter, if you wanna eat the best French bistrot food ever, I advise you to take Un Welsh. It's a flemmish dish made with cheddar, bread, ham and usually served with French fries.
I'm telling you that is the best thing i have ever eaten in my whole life, so if you can do a detour to there, try it!
:)
I'm french, so I'm really grateful that you loved France for how it really is, that is to say: waaaaayyyy more than Paris! Thanks for that!:)
And yeah, some people in Paris might be rude to tourists but not all of them and non-parisians french are by and large more friendly to other people! I do agree with what you said about the diversity of regions! Each region is so different and worth visiting for its characteristics: South of France (Midi-Pyrenée...), is beautiful for example, the east also with the mountains(Jura, Vosges..)..., the west, like Bretagne or Normandy, is gorgeous, the North is also great to see....and I absolutely need to "advertise" my own region which I absolutely love, despite the fact that it's not well-known and not really rich: Auvergne! Best cheeses, best waters;), and beautiful landscapes! (Puy de dome: the "Chaine des Puys" which is a mountains and (dormant) volcanos range! Really beautiful to see!:) (for people who love hiking, it's one of the best place to practice!)
I also should apologize for my not-really-good english! ;)
I'm sorry Laurent :( it is a fantastic country, I am hoping to get back to France next summer.
I like your video
Valras-plage is an amazing city in the south of France. I live here, it's very touristic but it's a very beautiful place, and beaches are cool! (sorry for my bad english!)
Your English is perfect, and I will try to visit on my next visit to France! Thanks for the advice! Merci!
Valras c'est immonde c'est une ville de beauf bétonnée qui sert de camping en été !
I totally agree with the offhand service
Hi Walter. I love France despite these people in service who usually are rude to you ;) That what you said about people working in metro in comparison to those who can just help you, was exactly to the target. It's so funny: I remember the man who was working there and who I ask about which line to take and he was not helpful, and even rude at some point and the young guy who was just a passenger same as I who explained me in an extremely friendly manner what to do and where to go. :))) It was in Paris. In Nice I asked a man working at reception in the hotel where is the nearest restaurant or cafe and he answered that I am crazy if I am hoping to find any open restaurant at 11 p.m. - all is closed as it is late and everyone is sleeping. And that was at summertime and I was staying in the hotel on the second line from the sea :))) Guess what? I have learnt French to make sure I can answer back to such type of people. But in the same time, I had a great time in France. Flog legs, yes, wines, yes, yes, châteaux and museums, yes, yes, yes...and I enjoy speaking French, beautiful language!!! J'adore la France!!!
The food and wine are the best ? Ever been to Italy Mark?
Can you suggest a less expensive place to live in France not too far from Paris that is nice?
How do you get around so easily in all the places you go do you hire a translator before you go?
Hum it depends of your travel,if you want to stay in Paris ,or if you want to visit the south of france or the north west or the campaign ,moutain etc etc i'm from Provence and Brittany and in each part of France the price is different ! (sorry for my poor english !)
He starts by saying Paris is not the start and end of "France" then goes on to list a load of hates that only really apply to Paris.
shaun's vids then it seems like Paris needs to get better lol
are snails expensive in paris?
it is true, France is way more than Paris. I wish Americans would visit other French cities more.. people are so nice in the small towns and smaller cities.
Yeah,French people are great in smaller towns.Parisians seemed nice too,for that matter.I think,like in New York,regular people on the street get unfairly stereotyped.
I enjoy your videos. France is my favorite country and agree with you very much about people judging the entire country based on Paris. I LOVE Paris but it's VERY different in every region. Most Americans think the French are rude, but wouldn't you be rude if people come to your country and don't even try to speak your language and expect you to speak theirs? I've been to France 6 times in the last 14 months and headed there this week. Keep up the good work! :)
Merci !
could you do the best country youve been to
Thank you so much for acknowledging the rest of France, besides Paris. I am French, I travel a lot, and everywhere I go I almost have to give a lecture to people about how France is not limited to Paris, and about how there is so much more to see and experience in France. Btw, the five things you will hate about France relate mostly to Paris, except for the language issue.
People, listen. If you have visited Paris, you haven't visited France. You have visited Paris. That's good, there is a lot to see and experience in Paris, good and bad. But, please, get out of there and travel around our country. Because there is not one French experience, there are as many French experiences as there are regions.
Bienvenu, l'ami !
Ok. No problem.
A good example of the communications problems between two foreigners. ;)
tks
you are welcome :)
Digo lo mismo que el amigo venezolano. Si te acordás de lo que es el tráfico en Buenos Aires, lo de París sería piece of cake, :-)
Tus hijitos, HERMOSOS, como siempre, :-)
I am French, I travel across the country and I never shared a bathroom with other customers in a hotel... dude, what kind of hotel did you book? ;)
Il y a plein d'hotels bon marché où la salle de bain n'est pas dans la chambre donc tu la partage avec d'autres personnes, un peu comme au camping
Where would be the least expensive place in France that isn't real far from Paris to live that is still nice please?
Such a beautiful country :)
I think its a shithole.
Kingofthemattock
Me too what a dump France is!
Kingofthemattock
I concur. Germany is much better.
Kingofthemattock France is 7586826452565 ways better than your shithole you're in. :DDD
Kingofthemattock Uh... Are you SURE you're able to think ?
That was a big ass pigeon walking by at 5:00, are big pigeons considered a good thing or bad thing about France :L Great video mate :D
Just curious! What type of professor are you?
I am going france for a holiday in 2 weeks time. Thanks for the info. my boyfriend speaks French so I guess wil will only speak anything except French.,
awesome! I am jealous! have a great trip!
woltersworld Non, ce n'est pas du spam, je voudrais dire s'il vous plaît vérifier mon amis canal espérons qu'il vous plaira
Haha you're nice to answer at him like you did , he didn't speak like you at him when he wrote in french :) but i understand why he was angry.
About how much money do u need to travel to France? From the USA to France. For a good trip and not thinking very much about the money.
I love FRENCH PEOPLE>.am American want to move there, any suggestions the best way to do it??
Marketing
I've been living in paris for 20 years and i just what to say your hate#4 is the reason of hate#3 and you've experienced it :) so imagine how living in a disneyworld-like town is. Perso I really like to speak to tourists and help them!! but i understand people who don't have time for tourists, especially when they have that maner to impose themselves, and a lot don't even say thank you.
If you hate teh traffic in france, go to caracas (venezuela) and you will know what real bad traffic is :D but good video :) I love france :)
can you please tell me what you do to have the great chance to travel all over the world? i want to live the life your living lol?
If you are that motivated to learn French be my guest. They'll just roll their eyes at you I'm told. I'll go to the Grand Canyon and see my own country.
Are there any Mexicans in France?
Great video! Can you recommend hotels in Paris that are reasonable in price, clean, safe and not far from the tourist sites?
we usually stay up by Moulin rouge and that area, good metro stops, cheaper restaurants and hotels,
Don't know any French, but as a spoken language, it seems to be the "softest" language on the planet most ideal for talking about "beautiful things" like food/cooking, poetry, art, love/romance, & women. It sounds so... unthreatening. Going strickly by ear when you don't speak the language, a 4-year-old screaming "I love you! Your my favorite person in the world!" in German, Russian, or Japanese sounds SCARIER than a French soldier whispering "I'm going torture you and kill you very slowly". =P
well there you go Mozart :)
dear do you make video about amsterdam
Yes, I have a top 10 Amsterdam and a 5 love and hates of amsterdam
In response to Mark's Hate #1, I would say that English-language proficiency is relatively poor in a lot of ex-Soviet republics, too. I do agree with Mark, though, that even knowing a little bit of French will go a long way to making a trip to France much better. I believe that the 1st trip I take to Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan or Kygryzstan will go a bit more smoothly because I have learned some Russian (even with my ability to speak the Slavic language still very poor). Tourist hordes and traffic are common problems in some Russian cities, too. I have yet to rent a car in a foreign country (or even drive outside my home province of Ontario, Canada), and have no plans to do so anytime soon.
Hi, I'm from France and I totally agree what you say (thanks for telling France is not only Paris) ! :)
But you can add a new one in the section "hate" :
There is a LOTS of pickpockets and hustlers from Russia, Romania, Africa...
So becarful and have a nice trip ! (Go to Lyon its better than Paris ;) )
Yes, visit Paris, but even a life wouldn't be enough, so don't stick in Paris all the time. And it's not important if you don't speak even a little bit french.. most of people have a decent level in english...and lot of people in services are fluent. And beside Paris, you should visit Normandy, Loire and Bourgogne regions (castles and wines), southern alps and Corsica of course if you have the time ;-) Have a nice trip in France!
For the n°3: don't worry it's not just for tourists.. It's the same for french people. We don't really like to work. It's some kind of "I'm not your slave". And in Paris ALL the storekeepers have bad reputations.
come to Brittany !!! we love you ^_^
matsu sushi I am hoping to get there this Christmas :)
Thanks. No Worries about your English u dont have to feel sorry for it. Be proud. My English hasnt been perfect either,but I have learned a lot. I'm not from USA either. :)