Mistakes American Tourists Make in France

Welcome to France! Tourists love France for the food, the culture, and the people. Here we go through some common mistakes that tourists make when they visit France. From not learning a few words of French to expecting certain levels of service or not using the TGV trains to their best abilities. These are simple little mistakes that tourists make when they visit France.
Filmed in Strasbourg, France
Are you thinking about visiting France, but aren't sure what to expect? Well first time travelers to France tend to make a few mistakes on their first foray into France. Whether you are going to Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, or the French Riviera here are some of the most common mistakes that tourists make when they visit France.
Tourist information on France.
What not to do in France.
How tourists mess up in France.

Join this channel to get access to perks:

#travelmistakes #france #paris
Copyright Mark Wolters 2023

Some of Our Favorite Travel Videos We Think Other Travelers Would Love

Hey There Fellow Travelers! Thank you for watching our honest travel vlogs from all over this wonderful world. If you would like to get in contact with us please follow us & send us a message via our social media channels below. Also, if you like our travel videos please feel free to share them with other fellow travelers.

Follow Us At

[rodjones]

One caveat re taking a gift when visiting French people at home (and this is counter-intuitive) - don't take wine. It may seem funny, but French people will often interpret this as an implication that you do not expect the wine that your hosts provide to be very good.
Flowers are a safe bet.

[skylineXpert]

Dont forget to say bonjour or bonsoir.

[LarryBinFL]

French restaurants: I think it helps if you understand two things about the waiters. First, in France, waitstaff do NOT think you should be smiling/friendly...they think good service is being quiet, reserved, and not engaging personally. They are NOT being stuck-up or rude...they are being professional. Second being a waiter is a serious profession, with waiters not only staying in a restaurant for decades, but sometimes even generations! These people pride themselves on good, impersonal, fade-into-the-background service.

[ItsGroundhogDay]

I appreciate a lack of noise. Too many people around here don't seem to have an inside voice, during either work or leisure, in person or on the phone. I shouldn't be able to hear every word you say clearly from 30 feet away.

[oliverstemp]

A Citroen Evasion in the background. Lovely bit of French automobilia.

[jolanda.c]

Trying your France and produce a nice frase to say hallo, order some stuff... it helps to brake the ice. But the other person starts a conversation and then my French falls apart. They smile, appreciate your attempt and go on with slow english, slow french, hands, feet and the good will you get there. Had a good time that way on a small market where they sold olives, cheeses and other deli. My stomach was full when we were done. The man let me taste almost everything. And that stuff was good!

[sandramulchahey]

Great information. The first time I traveled outside of the United States, I was shocked to find out the rest of the world is not open 24 hrs 7 days a week.

[pureandsweet]

I’ve been to south of France twice. We bought bottled water in a grocery store and the clerk at the cash said to the old lady before us: is this water yours? And she said: Do I look like someone who drinks water!? 😆 Very French.

[ruskasielu]

As always, spot on! I agree especially with the local museums and all: people will really appreciate if you show an interest for local food and traditions, it'll show you made an effort to go beyond "Paris/moulin rouge/tour Eiffel" and you're not just another cliché tourist. (And that's true for pretty much any country, not just France).

[victoriadell]

I was in Carcassonne once. I'm allergic to lavender, but wanted to buy fancy soaps for people back home. I checked on the post office when I got there; location, open times etc. All good. Bought the soap and went back the next morning. Big sign at the front door "Closed for 6 months". The sign was not there the day before. Ah France :-) Merci Mark

[spydude]

A friend learned not to hang your purse on the chair back at an outdoor restaurant. A young woman walked past and just lifted it off of her chair and continued walking. She felt something against her chair and just happened to look up to see the young woman walking away with her purse and jumped up and pointed at her and screamed "Thief!". The young woman dumped the purse and ran away. Almost a sad ending, but a valuable lesson learned.

[franktozier]

My wife and I were on a Rhine Christmas Cruise. We learned a little bit of Dutch, German and French. Just that little bit made for a wonderful experience in the shops and stands at the markets. There is a but to this. We ordered in German or French, they responded in rapid fir German or French and we stood there with a oh oh look on our faces, They then asked if an English response would be good. Them we found out their English was very good.

[anonymoususer]

I grew up in a large city, but driving in the city there was harrowing. We loved our trip to Toulouse.

[markedwards]

I think it is fair to elaborate on your description of pick pockets.
There will be a lot in the cities.
But I have never, ever heard of anyone being pickpocketed in rural areas, or small towns and villages.

[christopheferraux]

If you are going to a region not served by TGV, Auvergne for example, you can use the services of blabla car which is an online carpooling platform

[timbridges]

Hi Mark, great video. Funny story for you. I made a big faux pa. My friends and I went and stayed with a Count and Countess in a 600 year old castle. I don’t know why I did this I’m not the hugging type of person. But when I got out of the car, I ran up to them give them both a big hug and kiss, bonjour, freaked them right out. But they were warned a crazy Canadian was coming over lol. They were actually very nice people. Really down to earth. As always have a good one eh!😁🇨🇦

[susanmitchell]

From someone who has lived here for 40 years this is really fantastic advice for people visiting this wonderful country possibly for the first time, merci beaucoup et bon voyage a travers le monde !!

[frenchfan]

A lot of people are critical of the people of Paris as being rude and blunt. Just be aware it's not just foreign tourists who are critical of Parisians; French people from other parts of France are critical of them as well. With that said, if you are going to France for tourism, get out of Paris and explore other parts of the country. If you are coming to the U. S., don't just go to the typical New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago.

[chrislim]

Last tip was the most important.
Learn and sincerely speak a little French. The effort will be appreciated and an even better version of France may open up to you.

[Cali-]

I haven’t had the experience of talking quietly. The Parisian’s especially, lively conversations especially out at night. 😂