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TOURISM

Who can travel to France as the country lifts its lockdown?

As France enters phase one of its reopening plan, tourism is again possible from some countries, with conditions in place. Here's a quick rundown of who can travel.

Who can travel to France as the country lifts its lockdown?
Photo: Marcel Mochet/AFP

Monday, May 3rd marks phase one of France’s gradual reopening plan, which is a four-step process to loosen restrictions on both domestic life and international travel.

IN DETAIL: France’s calendar for lifting lockdown

The rules on travel into France, however, vary depending on where you are coming from.

EU and Schengen zone countries

Travel into France is allowed for any reason including tourism and family visits. This has in fact been the rule for several months, but since April 3rd the 10km rule has been in place in France. This rule banned any non-essential travel unless it was within a 10km radius of home – in effect ruling out any international tourism.

However, this rule is lifted from Monday May 3rd and travel within France is now allowed for any reason, with no need for a permission form. Travel between regions of France is also allowed for any reason.

Testing – however, if you are coming from an EU country you will still need to present a negative Covid test at the border, as well as a declaration that you are symptom-free and have not been in contact with any Covid cases. There is no quarantine requirement. You can find the relevant forms, and the exempt groups, HERE.

France is also on the ‘red list’ for several EU countries, meaning you may need to test and quarantine on your return, so check your home country’s restrictions carefully before travel.

Restrictions – there are still restrictions in place in France, the main one being the 7pm curfew. Travel by car is not an accepted reason for being out after curfew, but if your train or plane arrives after 7pm, you can continue to your destination after curfew time, although you will need an attestation permission form. Find the form HERE.

Bars, cafés, restaurants, museums and tourist sites remain closed until at least May 19th, and after that there is a phased reopening, if the health situation permits. Masks are compulsory in all indoor public spaces across France, and in the street in most of the larger towns and cities. Failure to wear a mask can net you a €135 fine.

From the UK, Australia, South Korea, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore

Travel into France from most non-EU countries is still allowed for essential reasons only, but there are seven countries that are exempt from that rule, including the UK.

This exemption has been in place since mid-March, but the recent partial lockdown and 10km limit on travel within France has effectively ruled out travel for tourism, family visits and second-home owners.

However, this rule is lifted from Monday May 3rd and travel within France is now allowed for any reason, with no need for a permission form. Travel between regions of France is also allowed for any reason.

However, some countries on the list, including the UK and Australia, are not currently allowing their citizens to travel abroad for non-essential reasons (although the UK rules do have an exemption for second-home owners), so check first that your home country also allows travel.

Testing – if you are coming from one of these countries you will still need to present a negative Covid test at the border, as well as a declaration that you are symptom-free and have not been in contact with any Covid cases. Arrivals are asked to quarantine for seven days and then take a second Covid test. The quarantine can be done at a location of your choice, and there are no police checks on this. You can find the relevant forms HERE.

You should also check the rules in your home country for returning from France as many countries require a quarantine and extra testing on all arrivals from France, including their own citizens.

READ ALSO Everything you need to know on travel between France and the UK

Restrictions – there are still restrictions in place in France, the main one being the 7pm curfew. Travel by car is not an accepted reason for being out after curfew, but if your train or plane arrives after 7pm, you can continue to your destination after curfew time, although you will need an attestation permission form. Find the form HERE.

Bars, cafés, restaurants, museums and tourist sites remain closed until at least May 19th, and after that there is a phased reopening, if the health situation permits.

Masks are compulsory in all indoor public spaces across France, and in the street in most of the larger towns and cities. Failure to wear a mask can net you a €135 fine.

Non-EU countries

For those non-EU/Schengen zone countries not on the exemption list, travel is still allowed for essential reasons only.

Reopening of non-essential travel from all non-EU countries is scheduled for June 9th, however this could be delayed if the health situation deteriorates.

Americans should also bear in mind that France is currently on the US State Department’s ‘Level 4’ list, of countries where travel is not advised due to the health situation. This is advisory, and not a ban, but travelling to a Level 4 destination can invalidate your health or travel insurance, so check your policy before travelling.

Health passport – when travel from these countries reopens, President Emmanuel Macron announced, it will be possible only with a pass sanitaire, or health passport. The full details of exactly how these will work have not yet been revealed, but it seems that the pass will involve an option for inputting either a vaccination certificate or a recent negative Covid test. Here’s what we know so far about health passports. 

France is also on the ‘red list’ for several non-EU countries, meaning you may need to test and quarantine on your return, so check your home country’s restrictions carefully before travel.

Restrictions – even after June 9th, there will still be some restrictions in place, the main being an 11pm curfew. Travel by car is not an accepted reason for being out after curfew, but if your train or plane arrives after 11pm, you can continue to your destination after curfew time, although you will need an attestation permission form. Find the form HERE.

Bars, cafés, restaurants, museums and tourist sites are scheduled to have reopened by June 9th, but reopening could be delayed in certain areas if Covid cases remain high. Masks are compulsory in all indoor public spaces across France and in the street in most of the larger towns and cities. Failure to wear a mask can net you a €135 fine.

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BRITS IN FRANCE

Bad food but good culture: What the French really think of the UK

They might not love British cuisine but the UK remains a very popular destination for French people to visit, while thousands of them also want to make the move permanently.

Bad food but good culture: What the French really think of the UK

Almost three million French tourists travel to the UK every year with the country’s vibrant cities, history and culture given as the top reasons for their trip.

And a recent survey has revealed a surprisingly positive view of their neighbour from French people – with one exception.

The French participants in the study were asked to rank 60 different countries based on several different topics – tourism, culture, people, exports, governance, immigration and investment. 

So what did they say about the UK?

Bad food

French survey respondents placed British food at the very bottom of the list – in 60th place out of all 60 countries. 

This is far lower than the UK’s average, which was 18th amongst the other nationalities interviewed.

In an interview with The Guardian about how the French feel about British food, the British comedian, Tatty Macleod, who was raised in France said “English food to [the French] is essentially fish and chips (…) they think of Brits as beer louts with unhealthy diets”.

This has been a longstanding feeling amongst the French – in 2018, another comedian, Al Murray, went across the Channel with the documentary series ‘Why does everyone hate the English?’

In France, he teamed up with radio host Antoine de Caunes, and when launching the programme, they conducted a small survey of several hundred viewers to find out the top 20 things the French ‘hate’ about the English.

There were a couple of food-related comments: “Their inability to cook” came in fourth place, the “lack of variety in their diet” took 11th place and “the fact that they put ketchup on everything” came in 12th place, according to a round-up by Ouest France.

It’s been suggested that many French people have bad memories of food they were given on school trips to the UK, often decades ago, and certainly bad food is a recurring theme in French films and TV shows about trips to the UK.

Worth visiting

Despite not having a taste for British cuisine, the French did have a positive view of UK tourism, placing the country 5th for both “vibrant city life and urban attractions” and for being “rich in historic buildings and monuments” in the IPSOS study.

According to Visit Britain, the UK welcomed 2.8 million tourists from France in 2022.

In the culture category in general, the French ranked the UK in third place out of all 60 countries. 

One aspect of British culture that French people seem to really enjoy is the royal family.

In 2021, 6 million people in France watched the funeral of Prince Phillip, 4 million watched the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the royal weddings of princes William and Harry attracted 9 and 8 million French viewers respectively.

Charles de Gaulle once remarked: “The French have a taste for princes, but they will always look abroad'”.

READ MORE: Why British royals are so popular in France

And in terms of visiting the UK, IPSOS’ findings are in line with previous data about where French people choose to go on holiday – the UK was the fourth most popular country among French people, as of 2019, according to Le Monde.

A 2021 study by Visit Britain also found that 10 percent of French people would pick the UK as their top global destination.

Moving to the UK

And there are plenty of French people who decide to make their stay a long-term or even permanent one.

The UK ranked in third place as of 2023 for French students to study abroad.

It also comes in third place – behind Switzerland and the US – for having the most French people living there.

After Brexit, over 240,000 French people applied for the EU settlement scheme in the UK from 2018 to 2021, and once applications were reviewed, approximately 130,000 received settled status and 93,100 received pre-settled status. 

Among the French, London is sometimes nicknamed ‘France’s sixth city’ due to the number of French people living there.

Polite, well-mannered and funny

The French ranked Brits in 21st place for the question “If visited, people would make me feel very welcome”. This is an increase of two spots from the 2022 results.

When scouring the internet, British politeness does come up often in French clichés about the UK.

Ouest France reported that over a third (36 percent) of French people interviewed for Al Murray’s show “appreciated the politeness and good manners of the English.”

Three out of every 10 people also thought Brits had a good sense of humour – and Brits felt this way about themselves too. 

In a 2009 survey exploring British views of the French, 71 percent of participants said that the French are ‘sexier’ than the British, but 80 percent said the British had a better sense of humour. 

READ MORE: Do the French really have no sense of humour?

Driving on the left-side

And finally, to get a better idea of French opinions about Brits, The Local turned to Google.

We searched both anglais (English) and britanniques (British) because the French do have a bit of a tendency to mix them up and refer to all inhabitants of the UK (and sometimes even the Irish) with the sweeping les anglais. 

The first suggested response had to do with driving on the left-side of the road, which also popped up in the survey by ‘Why does everyone hate the English?’ as the number 1 thing the French ‘hate’ about the British.

READ MORE: Tea and Dordogne: How do the French perceive the Brits?

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