A cultural travel guide to the world

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Understanding local customs is where a journey begins. Find the topics that matter to you and feel at ease wherever you go.

France

8 rules found

Essential restrictionsDressPlace-specific guidance · 法国

France: face coverings are banned in public places

Do

  • Showing your face in public places

Don’t

  • Covering your face in streets, shops and other public places

It is illegal, with a fine of up to €150; the law also applies to tourists.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: GOV.UK: France travel advice

Cultural sensitivitiesPhotos & dronesCountry-wide guidance · 法国

France: Check the signs before taking photos; no flash or selfie sticks

Do

  • In permanent galleries, handheld photos for personal, non-commercial use are allowed
  • Check the signs at temporary exhibitions, which often ban all photography for copyright reasons
  • Put your camera away in rooms marked with a no-photo sign
  • Check each museum's official rules on large bags and the cloakroom

Don’t

  • Don't use flash at any time; strong light can damage old paintings and artefacts
  • Don't bring a selfie stick to the Louvre or other museums that ban them
  • Don't block paintings or walkways for long
  • Don't touch the exhibits

Security staff enforce the flash and selfie-stick bans; you will be stopped, and banned equipment may have to be checked in or left behind.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: American Friends of the Louvre: FAQ

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · 法国

France: Keep your voice down in public and never jump the queue

Do

  • Queue patiently and leave a little space in front of you
  • Speak quietly on public transport and in museums and libraries
  • Let passengers off first and don't block doors or aisles
  • Keep to the right on pavements and escalators
  • Offer your seat to older people, pregnant women and people with disabilities
  • Say Bonjour to staff when you enter a bakery or shop

Don’t

  • Don't cut in or push
  • Don't take calls or play music on speaker
  • At markets, don't pick produce yourself; let the vendor choose for you

Cutting in or being loud won't get you fined, but it is considered rude. Some guides note that queues at stations or markets can be looser; still wait your turn and don't push.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: We3Travel: 16 French etiquette tips for Paris

Cultural sensitivitiesEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · 法国

France: Say Bonjour when you enter a shop; friends greet with la bise

Do

  • Say Bonjour when you enter a shop and Au revoir when you leave
  • Friends and acquaintances greet with la bise, a light touch of cheeks
  • The number of kisses varies by region; follow the other person's lead or go with two
  • In formal business settings and first meetings, use a brief, firm handshake
  • Use vous with new acquaintances, elders and service staff; switch to tu only when invited

Don’t

  • Don't start asking a shop assistant questions without greeting them
  • Don't initiate la bise in business settings or at a first meeting
  • Don't hug strangers

Nobody will penalise you, but skipping the greeting in a shop is seen as rude, and getting la bise wrong shows you don't know local ways. Two kisses are usual in Paris and the north, three in parts of the south, and customs vary elsewhere.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: La Minute Française: Guide to la bise

Cultural sensitivitiesDressCountry-wide guidance · 法国

France: Dress modestly in churches and remove your hat

Do

  • Dress modestly, covering shoulders, knees and midriff
  • Take off your hat, silence your phone and keep your voice low inside
  • In summer, carry a light scarf to cover your shoulders when needed
  • Check the signs before taking photos; ask staff if unsure

Don’t

  • Don't walk in front of people who are praying
  • Don't touch statues or eat inside the church
  • Don't use flash or take photos where it is forbidden

French churches rarely check clothing at the door, but revealing outfits are seen as disrespect toward a place of worship, and some churches may require modest dress and refuse entry to those who are not. Follow the notice at the door or the church's website.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Viator: Know before you go to Notre-Dame

Local customsRestaurants & barsCountry-wide guidance · 法国

France: Put bread on the tablecloth and tear it by hand

Do

  • Wait until everyone is served and the host says Bon appétit
  • Put your bread straight on the tablecloth beside your plate
  • Tear off bite-sized pieces by hand
  • Rest your wrists on the table edge with your hands in view
  • Make eye contact when toasting and say Santé
  • Ask for une carafe d'eau for free tap water

Don’t

  • Don't put bread on your plate or cut it with a knife
  • Don't bite into a whole piece of bread
  • Don't plant your elbows on the table during the meal
  • Don't cut lettuce with a knife; fold it into a small parcel with your fork
  • Don't switch your fork to your right hand after cutting, American-style

Nothing happens if you slip up, but you will come across as unfamiliar with French table manners. Tap water is free; bottled water is charged.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: La Minute Française: French dining etiquette

Local customsTippingCountry-wide guidance · 法国

France: Service is included in the price, so tipping is optional

Do

  • Look for "service compris" (service included) on the menu or bill
  • If service was good, you can leave a small tip (pourboire) as thanks
  • Round up to the nearest euro for coffee; leave €1–2 per person at ordinary restaurants
  • At upscale restaurants, leave 5%–10% for especially attentive service
  • Tip in cash where possible, so it is sure to reach your server

Don’t

  • Don't assume you must pay an extra service charge; it is already in the price
  • Don't wait for the bill to arrive on its own; signal when you are ready to pay

Tipping is entirely voluntary and not tipping is not rude; knowing what "service compris" means saves you from paying twice. French law requires restaurant prices to include service (commonly said to be about 15%), and meals are unhurried, so servers rarely bring the bill unasked.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: AFAR: When and how much to tip in France

Site-specific notes 18

Taken from the "don'ts" on each site page here. Open a site for its full etiquette and background.

Eiffel Tower

  • Never carve or scribble on the tower's ironwork
  • don't crowd around for photos at Métro entrances or sight entrances
  • beware the 'friendship bracelet' scam — if someone accosts you insistently, just walk away.

Louvre

  • Don't touch the works or lean on display cases
  • don't hog the best spot in the 'Mona Lisa' room for long
  • don't eat or drink inside.

Nice Carnival

  • Climbing over the parade barriers
  • throwing objects at the floats
  • walking through the float procession

Bordeaux

  • Pressing companions to drink more
  • entering winemaking areas without permission

Strasbourg

  • Making loud noise in the old town's residential streets at night

Cité de Carcassonne

  • Climbing over railings or parapets
  • photographing private courtyards and residents' windows

Loire Valley Castles

  • Touching the furniture and furnishings indoors
  • trampling flowerbeds or lawns
  • talking loudly inside the historic buildings
Show 6 more

Musée d'Orsay

  • No flash photography — strong light damages 19th-century paint layers
  • do not lean close to or touch the paintings — the galleries maintain a viewing distance and staff will remind you
  • do not eat, drink or occupy the benches for long sleeps in the galleries

Mont Saint-Michel

  • Never go down onto the flats alone: the incoming tide can move several times faster than walking pace, and the quicksand and fog have killed — a safety taboo locals stress again and again
  • do not feed the island's many gulls, which will dive to snatch food
  • do not use flash, talk loudly on the phone or eat and drink in the abbey cloisters and church

Arc de Triomphe & Avenue des Champs-Élysées

  • Never walk across the circular traffic of the square — the many radiating streams of traffic have no pedestrian crossings and it is extremely dangerous
  • do not climb the stone railings at the base of the arch or carve or scribble on the reliefs
  • do not sit or lie on the tomb steps, eat there or take loud selfies

Palace of Versailles

  • Do not touch the furniture, tapestries or gilded decoration in the galleries — silent infrared alarms run beyond the barriers
  • no flash photography inside the palace, and no eating, drinking or loud phone calls
  • do not climb the garden sculptures, picnic on closed lawns or pick flowers from the beds

Baguette

  • Don't walk in and order without a greeting
  • don't squeeze the loaves one by one to choose

Notre-Dame de Paris

  • Don't talk loudly or use flash during services
  • don't enter in revealing clothes
  • don't block the queue lanes in the square for long