For Mobile devices



A slimmed down version of certain key pages of the About-France.com website for viewing on portable devices (i-phone, blackberry and other media).

About France.com - mobile-phone compatible version:

Other mobile compatible pages:
and coming soon....
Budget Paris
France hotel guide
France ski area guide


Other pages in mobi format  will be added in due course. Meanwhile, check out the standard About-France.com site for traditional browsers.

Plan a holiday in France, a business trip, or just discover the country through the pages of  this online guide, packed with clear and practical information about France. About-France.com is a site for travellers and tourists, as well as for students and anyone wanting to discover France.


France in Brief:  France - a modern European state and a republic, is  one of the world's major economies. France has a population of slightly over 60 million, approximately equal to that of the United Kingdom; but in terms of surface area, France is twice the size of the UK. The capital and the nation's largest city is Paris. The official language is French, though regional languages such as Breton and Alsacian are making a comeback.
      Metropolitan France (France in Europe) is divided, administratively, into 22 regions, and 96 counties, known as departments. France uses the Euro, and most garages, hotels and shops in France accept credit cards, though may not always accept swipe cards   without a microchip. The cost of living in France is fairly similar to neighbouring countries, though some things (like supermarket food) may be more expensive. Staying in Paris can be expensive - as can staying on the Riviera, particularly during the peak tourist periods.. On the other hand, fruit, wine, travel, hotels and restaurants tend to be cheaper than they are in the United Kingdom, particularly in rural areas, and there are plenty of ways of avoiding tourist traps

     One of the oldest  nations in Europe, France - which the Romans called Gaul -  is also a country with a very rich cultural and environmental heritage. The climate in France is quite varied, but generally west European - on the whole a bit warmer than the UK, a bit cooler than Spain .  Don't expect to find summer in winter in the South of France! 

The spirit of France....  

Like any country, France is "different"; it's a special place, with its ways, its quirks, its wonderful variety, its joie-de-vivre and its bureaucracy. Depending on circumstances, life in France can be anything from incredibly relaxed to frustratingly rigid. Stereotypes die hard; there is still a comic-book stereotype image of the Frenchman dressed in a striped tee-shirt and beret, smoking a Gauloise, and carrying a string of onions round his neck; or else driving a Citroën 2CV to market, with two chickens and a rabbit on the back seat. But it is doubtful if this stereotype still exists anywhere; perhaps just here and there, but without the onions, and certainly not in modern urban France. And the iconic 2CV or "Deux-chevaux" is today a rare site on French roads.
     Even so, rural France is still home to a dwindling generation of traditional country folk, living life as it used to be; and the heritage and traditions of the past are being carefully preserved and even reactivated by younger generations, often fugitives from city-life. The old France is still alive and well, in its own way, and still to be found in its villages and markets, traditions and regional specialities. And of course, it is true that the French eat snails - and very good they are too, as long as they have been properly prepared by the chef, in a delicious sauce of garlic, parsley and butter.... More about that on the wining and dining in France page.

Bread and wine
  In spite of the great variety to be found in France, some things like the baguette the famous French bread stick, change little from one region to another; you'll find baguettes of all qualities in all regions, varying from the absolutely delicious, to the hard and tasteless. Yet a fresh baguette, coming warm from a traditional bakery, is surely one of the most delicious forms of bread to be found anywhere in the world! There are many different types of  French bread, but tasty baguettes can be bought all over France, and a trip to the local "boulangerie" is often one of the daily highlights of a holiday in France. But do not confuse the "boulangerie" with the bread-counter in a supermarket! Indeed, the pre-frozen "fresh-baked" bread counters in supermarkets are not even allowed, by law, to call themselves "boulangeries". 
     Then there's wine. France is one of the world's great wine producing countries, and a country with a vast range of wines, from heavy Mediterranean reds to light fruity sparkling whites, via less well known varieties including "grey wine" (vin gris) and "yellow wine" (vin jaune). The most famous wines of France, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are just the tip of the iceberg; discover the immense variety on the About-France.com French wines pages.

Planning a trip to France: France is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. If you have all the time in the world, you may not need to plan your holiday in France, you can just  wander along at your own leisurely pace, and it will be a wonderful and varied experience. Whether you plan to drive or fly to France, you may find it useful to check out our words of warning tips on booking your travel to France.
    About-France.com provides information to help you choose a destination, or travel through France, check your route through France, discover the things to visit in France and its regions,  find a place to stay, for example a holiday cottage, or a place to study French, and much more. There's even a page on medical cover for your stay in France, and what to do if you get taken ill or have an accident, as well as some advice and information for people interested in buying property in France.

City-breaks and short trips: Paris
Paris is Paris ... Staying in Paris for a couple of nights is a great way to discover France for the first time... or the second, or the third... Paris is a city that people easily fall in love with, and with city-centre to city-centre transport from Brussels or London, thanks to Eurostar, Paris is just a short train ride away, and a real break; it has masses of opportunities for cultural tourism, with some of the world's finest  museums and monuments; it is one of the world's great shopping cities, and also arguably the finest city in Europe, a place where you can easily spend days just walking around, savouring the atmosphere, enjoying the life. But don't be caught out by France's closing hours and public holidays.
     About-France.com provides information on Paris tourist attractions including things to do for free, Paris visitor passes and tips on how to save money during your stay. And staying in a hotel in Paris for a couple of nights won't break the bank But, as they say in the rest of France, Paris is Paris, it is not the whole of France. So what about the rest of France?


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