before you go

france for adults and teens

video clips

Books

Parties

.

  documentaries  

games

 activites

movies

puzzles

websites

articles

Cooking

podcasts

Video Clips to watch before you go to france

woman in front of Eiffel Tower

Travel Channel: Parisian Fashion 2:40

Travel Channel: The Macaron 3:08

Travel Channel: Steak and Frites 2:40

Lonely Planet: Intro to France 2:40

Mr. History: History of France 10:30

France 24: Secrets of Iron Lady 12:20

Curious Muse: Impressionism 8:51

Crash Course: The Revolution 12:00

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Documentaries to watch before you go to France

  • BBC’s Art of France: a three part comprehensive history series of the art of France. Click here for trailer.

  • Fire of Learning’s The History of France, a YouTube comprehensive documentary from the early days of France onward.

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  • PBS’s four part documentary detailing the life of Napoleon dramatic rise from obscurity, powerful Emperor of France and eventual fall.

  • PBS’s The Luminous Years explores the lives and works of various artists, writers, and intellectuals who were part of Paris’ vibrant cultural scene from 1905-1930, developing modern art and literature.

  • The History Channel’s The French Revolution: The fall of the world’s most powerful monarchy and the revolution that tore the country apart.

  • Palace Films’ De Gaulle stirringly depicts the life of one of modern French history's most famous figures. Subtitles. Click here for trailer.

  • King of Pastry documents the competition for France’s top pastry prize, with edge-of-the-seat drama as the chefs deliver their fantastical desserts to the table. Click here for trailer.

  • Oscar nominated and Cannes L’Oeil award winning documentary follows Agnes and JR around rural France learning the stories and creating epic sized portraits of locals French.

  • The Kings of France: A series of documentaries highlighting French Kings from Francis I to Louis XVI.

The Louvre glass pyramid

  • Fire of Learning’s complete history of France.

  • Chef’s Table France delves into the lives, philosophies and unique styles of some of the most celebrated chefs in France.

  • The Fall of France: WWII arrives in France

movies to watch before you go to France

  • Julie and Julie tells the stories of two women: French chef Julia Child and young New Yorker Julie Powell. This will inspire you not only to travel to France, but to seek the best food while there. Click here for trailer.

  • For action lovers, Mission Impossible Fallout has stunning views of Paris . Only a third is featured in France, but still a must see for this genre. Click here for trailer.

  • Amélie, a romantic comedy, is without a doubt one of the most impressive screen displays of Paris and France. It is the most successful French language movie in America. Click here for trailer.

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  • The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles. Click here for trailer.

  • The true story of a wealthy quadriplegic who hires an immigrant as a caregiver. You will laugh and cry as this comedy/drama features awe-inspiring shots of the French world. English subtitles. Click here for trailer.

  • Christian, a young composer, falls in love with Satine, a dazzling actress and one of Paris's most beautiful, well-known stars. Click here for the trailer.

  • Full of French nostalgia, a successful screenwriter, Gil, visits Paris and is astonished as he travels back to 1920s Paris at the stroke of midnight each night to meet his literary idols. Click here for trailer.

  • The intertwining fates of the historical figures, the men and the women of the 1789 French revolution, as they meet at the newly established Assemblée Nationale.

  • Captain John Miller takes his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded by the brutal realties of war, while searching for Ryan, each man embarks upon a personal journey and discovers their own strength.

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  • A murder occurs inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings lead to a religious mystery protected for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity. This film provides an impressively comprehensive tour of Paris. Click here for trailer

  • An impromptu road trip takes Alec Baldwin and Diane Lane through France, capturing the French imagination and beautiful scenery. Click here for trailer.

  • A spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte. Click here for trailer.

articles to read before you go to france

Rick Steves: French Culture

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Architectural Digest: France Edition

BBC: French Politics & Current Events

Art in Context: Art & Culture of France

Books to Read before you go to France

  • Marie-Laure and her father flee Nazi occupy Paris a dangerous jewel. In Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, uses his skills building crude radios to help the French Resistance. Against all odds, their lives interweave, as they form a bond, surviving WWII. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.

  • Two women join the French Revolution. Claire Lacombe and Pauline Leon both come from poor families. Claire, an actress who performs at lavish homes for aristocrats, and Pauline, a laundress who works for those same nobles, become determined to change society.

Cover of The Nightingales

  • Two sisters, separated by years and experience, each embark on her own dangerous path toward survival in German-occupied France―a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women.

  • Convict Jean Valjean, imprisoned for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread is a hardened and streetwise criminal upon his release, but softens, becoming a successful mayor. He is pursued relentlessly by the police inspector Javert and eventually gives himself up for the sake of his adopted daughter, Cosette.

  • Set during the Hundred Years War, this gripping true story of the “duel to end all duels” in medieval France, involves a resolute knight who defends his wife's honor against the squire she accuses of a heinous crime

  • An adventure story with themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy, and forgiveness. It centers on a man who is wrongfully imprisoned, escapes from jail, acquires a fortune, and sets about exacting revenge on those responsible for his imprisonment.

  • An astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the WWII.

  • The novel centres on mysterious and beautiful Agnès Morel, a foundling raised by nuns, who works as the cathedral's cleaner in her 40s. She is a recessive, taciturn character, through whom a wide range of people living in Chartres, or visiting it, reveal themselves.

  • Set in Renaissance France, this is the story of a mother and daughter, driven into opposition by a terrible betrayal, that threatened to destroy the crown. Catherine de' Medici was a ruthless pragmatist and powerbroker who dominated the throne for thirty years.

  • When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved Library. Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

  • Bookseller Laurent Letellier comes across an abandoned handbag on a Parisian street. The bag contains no money, phone or contact information. But a small red notebook with handwritten thoughts reveals a person that Laurent would very much like to meet, but how is he to find one woman in a city of millions?

  • An award-winning historian, Roberts traveled to 53 of Napoleon's 60 battle sites, discovered crucial new documents in archives, and even made the long trip by boat to St. Helena. He is as acute in his understanding of politics as he is of military history. Here at last is a biography worthy of its subject: magisterial, insightful, beautifully written, by one of our foremost historians.

  • A fascinating blend of royalist plots, palace intrigue, and modern science, The Lost King of France is a moving and dramatic tale that interweaves a pivotal moment in France's history with a compelling detective story.

  • The true story of General Dumas's swashbuckling adventures in Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers: he was the son of a black slave—who rose higher in the white world than any man of his race would before our own time. Born in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), Alex Dumas made his way to Paris, where he rose to command armies at the height of the Revolution—until he met an implacable enemy he could not defeat.

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  • Felicity Cloake embarks on the trip of a lifetime, cycling across France in search of classic French dishes. This lively and charming foodie travelogue is accompanied by charming illustrations. Each chapter concludes with Felicity putting her new-found knowledge to good use in a new ‘perfect’ recipe for each dish.

  • The remarkable story of men and women thrown together in circumstances beyond their control during World War II—a heartrending portrait of a small French town under seige, and the people trying to survive, even to live, as Hitler’s horrors march closer and closer to their doors. After Irène Némirovsky wrote Suite Française, she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden.

games to play before you go to france

  • This irreverent and humorous card game takes place during the French Revolution. Players represent rival guillotine operators vying for the best noble heads.

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  • In Trekking the World, race to visit famous landmarks and collect souvenirs, including in France. The game spotlights 48 real-world destinations.

  • Construct the vibrant landscape of medieval Carcassonne, complete with cities, roads, monasteries, and fields

  • Build the most valuable art collection by trading famous works. The player with the highest-value collections wins.

  • Become a restauranteur in Paris. Win by opening restaurants, expanding these restaurants by building terraces, winning majorities, and completing objectives.

  • Become a Medieval Master Builder and recruit citizens with unique expertise to outsmart your rivals.

  • Traditional French games, perfect for the backyard, with a friend or at a party, will connect players with the French culture.

  • Dive into thriving French culture during Impressionism and the Industrial Revolution; street cafes, “Starry Night”, Paris boulevards, and Notre-Dame. The French railroad system is a blank canvas just waiting for your masterful strokes. However, before you can start claiming routes, you’ll need to lay the tracks! Watch for your opponents, though, because they might claim the route you just spent so much time building…

Puzzles to do before you go to france

  • A 1000-piece puzzle of Paris, featuring modern style landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Arc de Triomphe

  • 1000 piece tour of France. Favorite sites from all corners of France are highlighted in this puzzle!

  • iece together the world of Impressionism in this puzzle depicting the Paris of the day with historical figures and famous artists! 1000 pieces

  • A whimsical “Paris in a day” 1000 piece puzzle. The beautiful illustrations will lead to dreamy conversations of life in France.

  • 1000 piece Paris city scape, highlighting the main sites. Perfect family activity for elementary ages and above.

  • Highly detailed LEGO Paris skyline, featuring the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, and more.

  • Vintage poster puzzle of the French Riviera. 1000 pieces

  • 1000 piece puzzle of Vincent Van Gogh’s art presented in the Muse d’Orsay.

recipes to make before you go to france

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  • A typical French breakfast is simple, with breads and jams or the beloved crepe, which can be found in cafes and streets stands throughout the country.

  • A common cafe style lunch is a croque monsieur or croque madame. Found throughout France in bistros, these ham and cheese sandwiches are a favorite.

  • Considered by many to be the mother of all stews, Beef Bourguignon is a French dish made with beef, bacon lardons, carrots, onions and mushrooms slow cooked in a rich red wine sauce.

  • Coeur a la Creme is a dessert of cream cheese molded in small heart shapes served with cream and fine preserves, a French favorite!

parties to host before you go to france

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  • Host a French painting party. Provide canvases, paint and images of French paintings for inspiration. Play French music and serve French pastries. Click here for a virtual French painting party.

  • Host a Marie Antoinette inspired party, complete with French pastries, macarons, and, of course, cake. Click here for inspiration.

  • Recreate the Cannes Film Festival. Watch French movies and then discuss them and assign awards. Serve French hors d’oeuvres.

  • Host a taste of France dinner party, with dishes from throughout France. Invite a friend with French ties to share their French experiences.

Activities to plan before you go to france

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  • Donate money to a French charity. Consider raising funds by holding a French bake sale. Click here for charities. Click here and here for French dessert recipes.

  • Learn French by meeting virtually with a French speaker. Click here for your native French on-line tutor. Add time on Duolingo for quicker results. Click here to sign up.

  • Choose a French cookbook from which to make a meal once a week until your French vacation. Click here and here and here and here for ideas.

  • Learn to paint in the Plein Air style of the Impressionists. Consider painting several variations of the same subject, to connect with Monet. Click here for tips and here for supplies.

  • The French calendar is full of holidays. Join in the celebrations at home before you leave for France, picking up some French culture in the traditions.

  • Plan a French inspired picnic. Click here, here, and here for inspiration and here for the perfect French picnic basket.

  • Virtually tour France’s highlights before you arrive at your destinations.

  • Search on line for local French community events, such as festivals, cooking classes, symphonies, plays, food tastings, movie screenings, lectures, etc.

websites and blogs to explore before you go to france

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  • The Good Life France: Everything you want to know about France and more.

  • The Local reports France’s news in English. Their articles and videos cover topics like breaking news, , European issues, and international travel.

  • France Today produces content about French travel, culture, gastronomy, shopping & entertainment, art & design, and society.

  • A French Collection is about life in France, travelling and events in France, delicious French recipes and book and film reviews.

  • Frenchly, a robust English-language website for Francophiles covering news, arts, culture, style and all things French.

  • Consider Secrets of Paris your insider guide to the world’s most visited city.

  • French Crazy is designed for French learners. With articles about French-learning, studying and moving abroad, and French culture, taking your French-language journey beyond the classroom.

  • France Travel Tips is a collection of unique travel experiences you may not find in your travel book.

podcasts to listen to before you go to france

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Paris icons

  • Conversations about trips to France, culture and history for the savvy traveler.

  • Discusses thoughts on French topics. (discontinued, but many interesting conversations still available .)

  • Everything you need to know about life in France. Click here.

  • Weekly conversations with journalists regarding politics and current events.