French Etiquette For Travelers: How Not to Act Like a Tourist in France

You’ve found the property of your dreams in France, and now you’re ready to make the big move. Before you pack your bags and say hello to life in France there are a few things you should know. Brush on your French etiquette with these helpful tips and you’ll be looking like a local in no time.

Don’t eat dinner before 8pm

If you choose to eat out before 8pm, you will find yourself in an eerily empty dining room and even worse, be dubbed “les Américains.” Most restaurants do not even open before 7 so unless you want to look like a tourist in France, it’s best to grab a snack at apero (French version of happy hour) and go to dinner at 8 or later.

Bring your own grocery bag and go daily

In the land of Costco, Sams and Wal-mart, Americans often have the mentality that grocery shopping is also the same thing as preparing for the next world famine. The French grocery shop daily at the market and local store. They bring their own bags and bag their own groceries (because remember they buy so little.) My friend once bought about 40 Euro worth of groceries and the clerk exclaimed, “tu as faim!” << You are hungry!>>

Forget your watch

The “joie de vivre” of France comes from not stressing about time and not rushing around everywhere. Going to meet your friends for a drink at 8? Don’t expect to see them until 8:15. Have to be at work at 9am but miss the bus? No worries, just catch the next bus. In a world where being early is on time and being on time is late, this approach to time can be earth-shattering. But, if you learn to let go and not worry so much about time, you will find yourself a lot less stressed out.

Use “vous” in all encounters

Two ways exist of saying “you” in French: “tu” is used with friends and family and “vous” is used with strangers. When it comes to French etiquette, it is VERY important that you always use “vous” with people you do not know and who are your superior, ex. managers and elderly. One small slip of “s’il te plait” instead of “s’il vous plait” at the bank will earn you a stern look of disapproval.

Fashion: less is more, but not literally.

Being chic means wearing the same shirt to lunch that you wore to the smoke-filled boîte the night before. How is this possible? The key thing to remember is quality. The French prefer to invest in key pieces to add to their wardrobe and wear them more often instead of buying a $5.99 shirt at a discount store and only wear it once. They also dress a lot more modestly than other cultures. They never show too much skin and they always dress up. They only wear gym clothes to the gym and never to the supermarket. Heels are also a staple in a French woman’s wardrobe. The formality that lingers in their culture, the constant effort to impress while simultaneously not caring so much, is what makes the French fashion-forward.