Geography: At 544 435km, France contains slightly over twice the surface area of New Zealand, and is the largest country in Europe. It includes a number of overseas territories, scattered around the world, including in the Caribbean and South America. It is divided administratively into 100 departments (greater Paris for example is composed of 7 departments). At Calais, in the north, the latitude is approximately 50°57'0"N ; Nice, in the south, corresponds to around latitude 43°42'0"N. The highest point is Mt Blanc at 4808m, and there are 3427 kilometres of coastline. The borders are mainly formed by mountains (the Pyrennees – Spain, the Alps – Italy & Switzerland) and the Rhine river delineating Germany. The main rivers apart from the Rhine are the Rhone (emptying into the Mediterranean), the Loire (cutting France in half from west to east), in the south-west: the picturesque Dordogne and the Garonne whose source flows from Spain, and of course the Seine - the iconic river which runs through Paris.

Population: Approximately 62 million inhabitants giving a density of 111 people /km. There are 73 cities of over 100 000 inhabitants and the biggest are Paris: 11.2m, Lyon: 1.7m, Marseille 1.5m, Lille : 1.2m and Toulouse: 1m. 

Climate: The seasons are, of course, inversed when compared with the southern hemisphere. Weather tends to be windier and wetter in the west (0-20°), with hot summers and cold winters in the east (0-30°) and a more continental, Mediterranean climate in the south (5-30°). On summer evenings, don’t be surprised if there are powerful storms with heavy rain after a build-up of heat throughout the day's. 

Money Matters: It is best to change to Euros before leaving as the NZ$ is rare in France and exchange rate will not be advantageous. ATM machines are everywhere, Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted. GST = TVA = 19.6% on most items except food. It is normally included in the price. 

Visas: Not necessary for Kiwis and Aussies, if your stay does not exceed 3 months. No vaccinations required either.

Cuisine: come and find out… 

Time: Officially 11 hours behind NZ, but during daylight saving from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October this gap reduces by an hour, and during NZ daylight saving there is a 12 hour difference.

Public Holidays: See table below

School Holidays:

French school children have five holidays during the year. One week at the end of October, two weeks at Christmas, two weeks in February, two weeks in spring, and the summer holidays during July and August.

Please be aware that tourist sites as well as the roads are busier during these periods.  

Languages: Although the national language is French, there are local languages still spoken, mainly Breton in Brittany and Alsatian (really!) in Alsace. English is spoken willingly more and more but a few basic words attempted in French will be much appreciated.