Welcome to France!
Hello, or ‘Bonjour’ as they say in France! Did you know that the capital city of France is called Paris? Some people call Paris the City of Light because a long time ago, it was the first city in Europe to have streetlights!
Paris is famous for being very beautiful, and you can see lots of grand old bridges over the River Seine and famous art galleries, museums and places like the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Interesting historical facts
In another part of France, quite near Paris, you can see the Palace of Versailles, which was built by a rich French king called Louis. He was called the Sun King because, in those days, the King was very important and had lots of money to build big, fancy palaces.
Versailles was once the most amazing and expensive palace in the world, but just over 100 years later, the French people had a Revolution because they didn’t want kings and queens any more if they didn’t help the poor people who had nothing to eat.
Interesting geography
France is a very big country, and it looks very different depending on where you go. There are beautiful beaches on the French Riviera coastline and very high peaks in the Alps and Pyrenees mountains. The Loire Valley is very famous for its vineyards (where they grow grapes and make wine) and châteaux (castles).
Interesting animals
In France, you can see red squirrels, European badgers and special bees called Provence lavender bees, which make lavender-scented honey. In the French Alps, you can spot an Ibex (a type of antelope) or a Chamois (a type of mountain goat).
What makes France super interesting
Lots of very famous artists like Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh lived and worked in France. Paris is also known for its fashion and has a fashion week every year where designers and models show off lots of amazing new clothes! The Louvre in Paris is a very interesting art gallery where you can see the Mona Lisa – a very famous and expensive painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
Where people live
Most people in France live in big cities like Paris, but there are lots of towns and villages to visit in the countryside. French families live and work and go to school just like yours does.
Language
In France, people speak French. If you want to try some French, you can say Bonjour (Hello), Merci (Thank you), and S’il vous plaît (Please).
Food
French food is so yummy! Do you like croissants, baguettes and cheese? They are even nicer here! And you can get homemade sweets like macaroons and buy crêpes (thin pancakes) with chocolate everywhere.
Interesting things to see and do
If you’re very lucky, you can go to Disneyland Paris and have fun with Mickey Mouse, Woody and Spiderman, along with lots of other characters! If you are in the South of France, you can go to Carcassone – it’s just like a big fairytale city!
