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Give us the chance to welcome you !

Give us a few minutes to show you why France is a great choice for study abroad. We all know clichés die hard, but here are some tips that can help you in your everyday life :

Bienvenue en France !


3 meals in the day

Gastronomy is an integral part of French culture, hence the interest to learn about the eating habits of the country. French took 3 meals in the day: breakfast in the morning, lunch around noon, dinner around 8pm.
Most of the time they take their breakfast quickly : a hot drink (coffee, tea, chocolate) and bread with butter or jam.
The lunch and the dinner is basically composed ofa first course, a hot dish (meat or fish, and vegetables), cheese and dessert (fruit, pastry, ice cream ...).

Shopping and services


Restaurants open for lunch between noon or 12.30pm and 2pm and for dinner from 7.30pm; they are often closed on one or two days of the week. Cafés open early morning until around midnight. Bars usually open early evening and close at 1am or 2am.

Banks and post offices

Banks usually open  9am to 12.30am  and then 1.30pm or 2pm to 5pm, Monday to Friday or Tuesday to Saturday.

Post offices generally open from 8.30am or 9am to 5pm or 6pm on weekdays (from 8am to 8pm in Paris) and Saturday morning from 8am to noon.

Public hollidaysPublic holidays and school holidays

Most businesses and public offices are closed.

Tobacco and alcohol

No smoking


French law prohibits smoking in public places, driving while intoxicated and drug use.

Summer Time, Winter Time

Summer Time, Winter Time

From the end of March until the end of October, French time goes from GMT+1 to GMT+2 (GMT = Greenwich Meridian Time).

Continental France is divided into four climatic zones

Oceanic and humid climate often with cool summers to the west of a line from Bayonne to Lille;
Semi-continental climate with harsh winters and hot summers in Alsace, Lorraine, along the Rhône and in the mountains(Alps, Pyrenees and Massif Central);
Intermediate climate with cold winters and hot summers in the north, and in Paris and the central regions;
Mediterranean climate with mild winters and very hot summers in the south of France.

Useful links

How foreigners see the French ?

I have noticed that in the subway stations, the French put themselves on the right side of the escalator so that they could let pass those who are in a hurry.

Dunkai Liu, chinese student

Speaking more precisely of the Parisians, I was pleased to discover that they have a very human and bright spirit, at the opposite of the cliché I had before my arrival.

Rodrigo de Souza, Brazilian student


It's great to get up early on Sunday, go to the market and take a coffee in quiet bar of “la Butte aux Cailles.”

Jofre Casas Miro