, 4 = 
, 7 = 
.PRONUNCIATION GUIDE FOR PLACE NAMES
This list includes selected festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout France. Many sights and banks close on national holidays—keep this in mind when planning your itinerary. Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the dates with the festival website, France’s national tourism website (http://us.france.fr), or my “Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in France” web page (www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/festivals). Hotels get booked up on Easter weekend, Labor Day, Ascension Day, Pentecost, Bastille Day, and the winter holidays.
Here is a sampling of events and holidays in 2021:
| Jan 1 | New Year’s Day (closures) |
| Jan 6 | Epiphany |
| Feb-March | Carnival (Mardi Gras) parades and fireworks, Nice (www.nicecarnaval.com) |
| April 2-5 | Easter weekend (Good Friday-Easter Monday, closures) |
| April-Oct | International Garden Festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire (www.domaine-chaumont.fr [URL inactive]) |
| May 1 | May Day/Labor Day (closures) |
| May 8 | VE (Victory in Europe) Day (closures) |
| Mid-May | Cannes Film Festival, Cannes (www.festival-cannes.fr) |
| Late May | Monaco Grand Prix auto race (www.formula1monaco.com) |
| May 13 | Ascension (closures) |
| May 23-24 | Pentecost and Whit Monday (closures) |
| June 6 | Anniversary of D-Day landing, Normandy |
| Mid-June | Le Mans Auto Race, Le Mans—near Loire Valley (www.lemans.org) |
| June 21 | Fête de la Musique (music festival), free concerts and dancing in the streets throughout France |
| June-July | Nights of Fourvière, Lyon (theater and music in a Roman theater, www.nuitsdefourviere.com) |
| July | Nice Jazz Festival (www.nicejazzfestival.fr); Avignon Festival, theater, dance, music (www.festival-avignon.com); Beaune International Music Festival; Chorégies d’Orange, Orange (performed in Roman theater, www.choregies.fr); “Jazz à Juan” International Jazz Festival, Antibes/Juan-les-Pins (www.jazzajuan.com); jousting matches and medieval festivities, Carcassonne; Colmar International Music Festival (www.festival-colmar.com); International Music and Opera Festival, Aix-en-Provence (www.festival-aix.com) |
| July | Tour de France, national bicycle race culminating on the Champs-Elysées in Paris (www.letour.fr) |
| July 14 | Bastille Day (fireworks, dancing, and revelry all over France) |
| July-Aug | International Fireworks Festival, Cannes (www.festival-pyrotechnique-cannes.com) |
| Aug 15 | Assumption (closures) |
| Sept | Jazz at La Villette Festival, Paris (www.jazzalavillette.com) |
| Sept | Fall Arts Festival (Fête d’Automne), Paris; Wine harvest festivals in many towns |
| Early Oct | Grape Harvest Festival in Montmartre, Paris (www.fetedesvendangesdemontmartre.com) |
| Nov 1 | All Saints’ Day (closures) |
| Early Nov | Dijon International and Gastronomic Fair, Dijon, Burgundy (www.foirededijon.com) |
| Nov 11 | Armistice Day (closures) |
| Late Nov | Wine Auction and Festival (Les Trois Glorieuses), Beaune |
| Late Nov-Dec 24 | Christmas markets in Strasbourg, Colmar, and Sarlat-la-Canéda |
| Early Dec | Festival of Lights (celebration of Virgin Mary, candlelit windows), Lyon |
| Dec 25 | Christmas Day (closures) |
| Dec 26 | Second Christmas Day (closures in Alsace-Lorraine) |
| Dec 31 | New Year’s Eve |
To learn more about France past and present, check out a few of these books and films. To learn what’s making news in France, you’ll find France 24 News online at www.France24.com/en.
A to Z of French Food, a French to English Dictionary of Culinary Terms (G. de Temmerman, 1995). This is the most complete (and priciest) menu reader around—and it’s beloved by foodies. You can find it cheaper in France (try FNAC department stores) or by downloading the app.
Almost French: Love and a New Life in Paris (Sarah Turnbull, 2003). Turnbull takes an amusing look at adopting a famously frosty city.
The Course of French History (Pierre Goubert, 1988). Goubert provides a readable summary of French history.
Culture Shock! France (Sally Adamson Taylor, 2012). Demystify French culture and the French people with this good introduction.
D-Day, June 6, 1944: The Battle for the Normandy Beaches (Stephen E. Ambrose, 1994). Relying on 1,400 interviews with war veterans, Ambrose spins a detailed history of this fateful day.
A Distant Mirror (Barbara Tuchman, 1987). Respected historian Barbara Tuchman paints a portrait of 14th-century France.
French or Foe? (Polly Platt, 1994). This best seller, along with its follow-up, Savoir-Flair!, is helpful (if somewhat dated) for interacting with the French and navigating the intricacies of their culture.
I’ll Always Have Paris (Art Buchwald, 1996). The American humorist recounts life as a Paris correspondent during the 1940s and 1950s.
Is Paris Burning? (Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, 1964). Set in the last days of the Nazi occupation, this book tells the story of the French resistance and how a German general disobeyed Hitler’s order to destroy Paris.
Explore Europe on Foot (Cassandra Overby, 2018). From a day-long wander to a months-long pilgrimage, this book covers everything you need to know to plan an epic walk, from how to choose the perfect route to what to pack to how to train for the trail.
La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life (Elaine Sciolino, 2011). Sciolino, former Paris bureau chief of the New York Times, gives travelers a fun, insightful, and tantalizing peek into how seduction is used in all aspects of French life—from small villages to the halls of national government.
The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Day (Cornelius Ryan, 1959). Ryan’s monumental work gives the soldier’s-eye view—both Allied and Axis—of the hours leading up to and during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Marling Menu-Master for France (William E. Marling, 1971). A compact guide for navigating French cuisine and restaurant terminology.
A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway, 1964). Hemingway recalls Paris in the 1920s.
My Life in France (Julia Child, 1996). The inimitably zesty chef recounts her early days in Paris.
Paris to the Moon (Adam Gopnik, 2000). This collection of essays and journal entries explores the idiosyncrasies of life in France from a New Yorker’s point of view. His literary anthology, Americans in Paris, is also recommended.
Portraits of France (Robert Daley, 1991). Part memoir, part travelogue, this is a charming reminiscence of the writer’s lifelong relationship with France, including marrying a French girl on his first trip there.
The Road from the Past: Traveling Through History in France (Ina Caro, 1994). Caro’s enjoyable travel essays take you on a chronological journey through France’s historical sights.
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t Be Wrong (Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow, 2003). This is a must-read for anyone serious about understanding French culture, contemporary politics, and what makes the French tick.
The Sweet Life in Paris (David Lebovitz, 2009). Funny and articulate, pastry chef and cookbook author Lebovitz delivers oodles of food suggestions for travelers in Paris.
Travelers’ Tales: Paris and Travelers’ Tales: France (edited by James O’Reilly, Larry Habegger, and Sean O’Reilly, 2002). Notable writers explore Parisian and French culture.
Two Towns in Provence (M. F. K. Fisher, 1964). Aix-en-Provence and Marseille are the subjects of these two stories by the celebrated American food writer. She also writes about her life in France in Long Ago in France: The Years in Dijon (1929).
Wine & War: The French, the Nazis, and the Battle for France’s Greatest Treasure (Don and Petie Kladstrup, 2001). This compelling story details how French vintners preserved their valuable wine amidst the chaos of World War II.
A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence (Peter Mayle, 1989/1991). Mayle’s memoirs include humorous anecdotes about restoring and living in a 200-year-old farmhouse in a remote area of the Luberon.
All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr, 2014). A moving tale of occupied France seen through the experiences of a blind French girl and a lonely German boy whose paths cross in war-torn St-Malo.
Birdsong: A Novel of Love and War (Sebastian Faulks, 1993). This novel follows a 20-year-old Englishman into WWI France, and into the romance that follows.
Chocolat (Joanne Harris, 1999). A woman and her daughter stir up tradition in a small French town by opening a chocolate shop two days before Lent (also a movie starring Juliette Binoche and filmed in the Dordogne region).
City of Darkness, City of Light (Marge Piercy, 1996). Three French women play pivotal roles behind the scenes during the French Revolution.
The Hotel Majestic (Georges Simenon, 1942). Ernest Hemingway was a fan of Simenon, a Belgian writer who often set his Inspector Maigret detective books, including this one, in Paris.
Labyrinth (Kate Mosse, 2005). This thriller set in Carcassonne jumps back and forth between present-day archaeological intrigue and the medieval Cathar crusade.
Madame Bovary (Gustave Flaubert, 1886). Emma Bovary’s yearning for luxury and passion ultimately lead to her demise in this literary classic.
Murder in the Marais (Cara Black, 1999). Set in Vichy-era Paris, private investigator Aimée Leduc finds herself at the center of a murder mystery.
A Place of Greater Safety (Hilary Mantel, 1992). Three young men come to Paris in 1789—Maximilien Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins, and George-Jacques Danton—and the rest is history.
Suite Française (Irène Némirovsky, 2004). Némirovsky, a Russian Jew who was living in France and died at Auschwitz in 1942, plunges readers into the chaotic WWII evacuation of Paris, as well as daily life in a small rural town during the ensuing German occupation.
A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens, 1859). Dickens’ gripping tale shows the pathos and horror of the French Revolution.
A Very Long Engagement (Sebastien Japrisot, 1991). A woman searches for her fiancé, supposedly killed in the line of duty during World War I (also a movie starring Audrey Tautou).
Amélie (2001). A charming young waitress searches for love in Paris.
Before Sunset (2004). Nine years after meeting on a train to Vienna, Jesse and Celine (played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) are reunited in Paris.
Breathless (1960). A Parisian petty thief (Jean-Paul Belmondo) persuades an American student (Jean Seberg) to run away with him in this groundbreaking classic of French New Wave cinema.
Cyrano de Bergerac (1990). A homely, romantic poet woos his love with the help of another, better-looking man (look for scenes filmed at the Abbey of Fontenay).
Dangerous Liaisons (1988). This inside look at sex, intrigue, and revenge takes place in the last days of the French aristocracy in pre-Revolutionary Paris.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988). Steve Martin and Michael Caine star in this comedy, filmed in and around Villefranche-sur-Mer.
The Gleaners & I (2000). Working-class men and women gather sustenance from what’s been thrown away in this quiet, meditative film by Agnès Varda.
Grand Illusion (1937). French WWI prisoners hatch a plan to escape a German POW camp. Considered a masterpiece of French film, the movie was later banned by the Nazis for its anti-fascism message.
The Intouchables (2011). A quadriplegic Parisian aristocrat hires a personal caregiver from the projects, and an unusual and touching friendship ensues.
Jean de Florette (1986). This marvelous tale of greed and intolerance follows a hunchback as he fights for the property he inherited in rural France. Its sequel, Manon of the Spring (1986), continues with his daughter’s story.
Jules and Jim (1962). François Truffaut, the master of the French New Wave, explores a decades-long love triangle in this classic.
La Grande Bouffe (1973). In this hilarious comedy about French food, French sex, and French masculinity, Marcello Mastroianni leads a rat pack of middle-aged men in a quest to eat themselves to death.
La Haine (1995). An Arab boy is critically wounded and a police gun finds its way into the hands of a young Jewish skinhead in this intense examination of ethnic divisions in France.
La Vie en Rose (2007). Marion Cotillard won the Best Actress Oscar for this film about the glamorous and turbulent life of singer Edith Piaf, who famously regretted nothing (many scenes were shot in Paris).
Les Misérables (2012). A Frenchman trying to escape his criminal past becomes wrapped up in Revolutionary intrigues (based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel).
The Longest Day (1962). This epic re-creation of the D-Day invasion won two Oscars and features an all-star cast including John Wayne, Richard Burton, Robert Mitchum, and Henry Fonda.
Loving Vincent (2017). The first fully painted animated feature film, this movie follows an investigation into Vincent van Gogh’s final days before his death in Auvers-sur-Oise.
Marie Antoinette (2006). Kirsten Dunst stars as the infamous French queen (with a Californian accent) at Versailles in this delicate little bonbon of a film about the misunderstood queen.
Midnight in Paris (2011). Woody Allen’s sharp comedy shifts between today’s Paris and the 1920s mecca of Picasso, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald.
Paths of Glory (1957). Stanley Kubrick directed this WWI story about the futility and irony of war.
The Red Balloon (1956). A small boy chases his balloon through the streets of Paris, showing how beauty can be found even in the simplest toy.
The Return of Martin Guerre (1982). A man returns to his village in southwestern France from the Hundred Years’ War—but is he really who he claims to be?
Ridicule (1996). A nobleman navigates the opulent court of Louis XVI on his wits alone.
Ronin (1998). Robert De Niro stars in this crime caper, which includes a car chase through Paris and scenes filmed in Nice, Villefranche-sur-Mer, and Arles.
Saving Private Ryan (1998). This intense and brutal story of the D-Day landings and their aftermath won Steven Spielberg an Oscar for Best Director.
The Silence of the Sea (1949). A Frenchman and his niece, forced to house a German officer in Nazi-occupied France, resist through silent protest.
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969). This award-winning documentary about the Nazi occupation doesn’t pull any punches about French collaboration, which is why it was banned by French TV.
Three Colors trilogy (1990s). Krzysztof Kieślowski’s stylish trilogy (Blue, White, and Red) is based on France’s national motto—“Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity.” Each features a famous French actress as the lead (Blue, with Juliette Binoche, is the best).
Welcome (2009). A young Kurdish refugee in Calais, France faces the harsh realities of illegal immigration as he tries to join his girlfriend in England.
• Europeans write a few of their numbers differently than we do: 1 = , 4 = , 7 = .
• In Europe, dates appear as day/month/year, so Christmas 2022 is 25/12/22.
• Commas are decimal points and decimals are commas. A dollar and a half is $1,50, one thousand is 1.000, and there are 5.280 feet in a mile.
• When counting with fingers, start with your thumb. If you hold up your first finger to request one item, you’ll probably get two.
• What Americans call the second floor of a building is the first floor in Europe.
• On escalators and moving sidewalks, Europeans keep the left “lane” open for passing. Keep to the right.
A kilogram equals 1,000 grams (about 2.2 pounds). One hundred grams (a common unit at markets) is about a quarter-pound. One liter is about a quart, or almost four to a gallon.
A kilometer is six-tenths of a mile. To convert kilometers to miles, cut the kilometers in half and add back 10 percent of the original (120 km: 60 + 12 = 72 miles). One meter is 39 inches—just over a yard.
| 1 foot = 0.3 meter | 1 square yard = 0.8 square meter |
| 1 yard = 0.9 meter | 1 square mile = 2.6 square kilometers |
| 1 mile = 1.6 kilometers | 1 hectare = 2.47 acres |
| 1 ounce = 28 grams | 1 centimeter = 0.4 inch |
| 1 quart = 0.95 liter | 1 meter = 39.4 inches |
| 1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds | 1 kilometer = 0.62 mile |
| 32°F = 0°C |
When shopping for clothing, use these US-to-European comparisons as general guidelines (but note that no conversion is perfect).
Women: For pants and dresses, add 32 in France (US 10 = French 42). For blouses and sweaters, add 8 for most of Europe (US 32 = European 40). For shoes, add 30-31 (US 7 = European 37/38).
Men: For shirts, multiply by 2 and add about 8 (US size 15 = European 38). For jackets and suits, add 10. For shoes, add 32-34.
Children: Clothing is sized by height—in centimeters (2.5 cm = 1 inch), so a US size 8 roughly equates to 132-140. For shoes up to size 13, add 16-18, and for sizes 1 and up, add 30-32.
First line, average daily high; second line, average daily low; third line, average days without rain. For more detailed weather statistics for destinations in this book (as well as the rest of the world), check Wunderground.com.
Europe takes its temperature using the Celsius scale, while we opt for Fahrenheit. For a rough conversion from Celsius to Fahrenheit, double the number and add 30. For weather, remember that 28°C is 82°F—perfect. For health, 37°C is just right. At a launderette, 30°C is cold, 40°C is warm (usually the default setting), 60°C is hot, and 95°C is boiling. Your air-conditioner should be set at about 20°C.
Whether you’re traveling for five days or five weeks, you won’t need more than this. Pack light to enjoy the sweet freedom of true mobility.
5 shirts: long- & short-sleeve
2 pairs pants (or skirts/capris)
1 pair shorts
5 pairs underwear & socks
1 pair walking shoes
Sweater or warm layer
Rainproof jacket with hood
Tie, scarf, belt, and/or hat
Swimsuit
Sleepwear/loungewear
Debit card(s)
Credit card(s)
Hard cash (US $100-200)
Money belt
Passport
Tickets & confirmations: flights, hotels, trains, rail pass, car rental, sight entries
Driver’s license
Student ID, hostel card, etc.
Photocopies of important documents
Insurance details
Guidebooks & maps
Basics: soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, deodorant, sunscreen, brush/comb, etc.
Medicines & vitamins
First-aid kit
Glasses/contacts/sunglasses
Sewing kit
Packet of tissues (for WC)
Earplugs
Mobile phone
Camera & related gear
Tablet/ebook reader/laptop
Headphones/earbuds
Chargers & batteries
Phone car charger & mount (or GPS device)
Plug adapters
Daypack
Sealable plastic baggies
Laundry supplies: soap, laundry bag, clothesline, spot remover
Small umbrella
Travel alarm/watch
Notepad & pen
Journal
Second pair of shoes (flip-flops, sandals, tennis shoes, boots)
Travel hairdryer
Picnic supplies
Water bottle
Fold-up tote bag
Small flashlight
Mini binoculars
Small towel or washcloth
Inflatable pillow/neck rest
Tiny lock
Address list (to mail postcards)
Extra passport photos
When using the phonetics: Try to nasalize the “n” sound (let the sound come through your nose). Note that the “ahn” combination uses the “ah” sound in “father,” but the “an” combination uses the “a” sound in “sack.” Pronounce the “ī” as the long “i” in “light.” If your best attempt at pronunciation meets with a puzzled look, just point to the place name on the list.
Arc de Triomphe ark duh tree-ohnf
arrondissement ah-rohn-dees-mohn
Bateaux-Mouches bah-toh moosh
Bon Marché bohn mar-shay
Carnavalet kar-nah-vah-lay
Champ de Mars shahn duh mar
Champs-Elysées shahn-zay-lee-zay
Conciergerie kon-see-ehr-zhuh-ree
Ecole Militaire eh-kohl mee-lee-tehr
Egouts ay-goo
Fauchon foh-shohn
Galeries Lafayette gah-luh-ree lah-fay-yet
gare gar
Gare d’Austerlitz gar doh-stehr-leets
Gare de l’Est gar duh less
Gare de Lyon gar duh lee-ohn
Gare du Nord gar dew nor
Gare St. Lazare gar san lah-zar
Garnier gar-nee-ay
Grand Palais grahn pah-lay
Grande Arche de la Défense grahnd arsh duh lah day-fahns
Ile de la Cité eel duh lah see-tay
Ile St. Louis eel san loo-ee
Jacquemart-André zhahk-mar-ahn-dray
Jardin des Plantes zhar-dan day plahnt
Jeu de Paume juh duh pohm
La Madeleine lah mah-duh-lehn
Le Hameau luh ah-moh
Les Halles lay ahl
Les Invalides lay-zan-vah-leed
Orangerie oh-rahn-zhuh-ree
Louvre loov-ruh
Marais mah-ray
marché aux puces mar-shay oh poos
Marmottan mar-moh-tahn
Métro may-troh
Monge mohnzh
Montmartre mohn-mart
Montparnasse mohn-par-nahs
Moulin Rouge moo-lan roozh
Musée d’Orsay mew-zay dor-say
Musée de l’Armée mew-zay duh lar-may
Notre-Dame noh-truh-dahm
Opéra Garnier oh-pay-rah gar-nee-ay
Orsay or-say
palais pah-lay
Palais de Justice pah-lay duh zhew-stees
Palais Royal pah-lay roh-yahl
Parc de la Villette park duh la vee-leht
Parc Monceau park mohn-soh
Père Lachaise pehr lah-shehz
Petit Palais puh-tee pah-lay
Pigalle pee-gahl
Place Dauphine plahs doh-feen
Place de la Bastille plahs duh lah bah-steel
Place de la Concorde plahs duh lah kohn-kord
Place de la République plahs duh lah ray-poo-bleek
Place des Vosges plahs day vohzh
Place du Tertre plahs dew tehr-truh
Place St. André-des-Arts plahs san tahn-dray day-zart
Place Vendôme plahs vahn-dohm
Pompidou pohn-pee-doo
pont pohn
Pont Alexandre III pohn ah-leks-ahn-druh twah
Pont Neuf pohn nuhf
Promenade Plantée proh-mehn-ahd plahn-tay
quai kay
Rive Droite reeve dwaht
Rive Gauche reeve gohsh
Rodin roh-dan
rue rew
Rue Cler rew klehr
Rue Daguerre rew dah-gehr
Rue de Rivoli rew duh ree-voh-lee
Rue des Rosiers rew day roz-ee-ay
Rue Montorgueil rew mohn-tor-goy
Rue Mouffetard rew moof-tar
Sacré-Cœur sah-kray-koor
Sainte-Chapelle sant-shah-pehl
Seine sehn
Sèvres-Babylone seh-vruh-bah-bee-lohn
Sorbonne sor-buhn
St. Germain-des-Prés san zhehr-man-day-pray
St. Julien-le-Pauvre san zhew-lee-ehn-luh-poh-vruh
St. Séverin sahn say-vuh-ran
St. Sulpice sahn sool-pees
Tour Eiffel toor ee-fehl
Trianon tree-ahn-ohn
Trocadéro troh-kah-day-roh
Tuileries twee-lay-ree
Venus de Milo vuh-news duh mee-loh
Abri du Cap Blanc ah-bree dew cah blahn
Aiguille du Midi ah-gwee dew mee-dee
Aïnhoa an-oh-ah
Albi ahl-bee
Alet ah-lay
Alise Ste-Reine ah-leez sant-rehn
Aloxe-Corton ah-lohx kor-tohn
Alsace ahl-sahs
Amboise ahm-bwahz
Annecy ahn-see
Antibes ahn-teeb
Aosta (Italy) ay-oh-stah
Apt ahp
Aquitaine ah-kee-tehn
Arles arl
Arromanches ah-roh-mahnsh
Autoire oh-twahr
Auvergne oh-vehrn
Avignon ah-veen-yohn
Azay-le-Rideau ah-zay luh ree-doh
Bayeux bī-yuh
Bayonne bī-yuhn
Beaucaire boh-kehr
Beaujolais boh-zhoh-lay
Beaune bohn
Bedoin buh-dwan
Bennwihr behn-veer
Beynac bay-nak
Biarritz bee-ah-reetz
Blois blwah
Bonnieux bohn-yuh
Bordeaux bor-doh
Brancion brahn-see-ohn
Brittany bree-tah-nee
Bruniquel brew-nee-kehl
Caen kahn
Cahors kah-or
Cajarc kah-zhark
Calais kah-lay
Camargue kah-marg
Cambord kahn-bor
Cancale kahn-kahl
Carcassonne kar-kah-suhn
Carennac kah-rehn-ahk
Castelnaud kah-stehl-noh
Castelnau-de-Montmiral kah-stehl-noh-duh-mohn-mee-rahl
Caussade koh-sahd
Cavaillon kah-vī-ohn
Cénac say-nahk
Céret say-ray
Chambord shahn-bor
Chamonix shah-moh-nee
Champagne shahn-pahn-yuh
Chapaize shah-pehz
Chartres shart
Château de Rivau shah-toh duh ree-voh
Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg shah-toh dew oh-koh-neegs-boorg
Châteauneuf-du-Pape shah-toh-nuhf-dew-pahp
Châteauneuf-en-Auxois shah-toh-nuhf-ehn-ohx-wah
Chaumont-sur-Loire shoh-mohn-sewr-lwahr
Chenonceau shuh-nohn-soh
Chenonceaux shuh-nohn-soh
Cherbourg shehr-boor
Cheverny shuh-vehr-nee
Chinon shee-nohn
Cluny klew-nee
Colleville kohl-veel
Collioure kohl-yoor
Collonges-la-Rouge koh-lohnzh-lah-roozh
Colmar kohl-mar
Cordes-sur-Ciel kord-sewr-see-yehl
Côte d’Azur koht dah-zewr
Cougnac koon-yahk
Courseulles-sur-Mer koor-suhl-sewr-mehr
Coustellet koo-stuh-lay
Digne deen-yuh
Dijon dee-zhohn
Dinan dee-nahn
Dinard dee-nar
Domme dohm
Dordogne dor-dohn-yuh
Eguisheim eh-geh-shīm
Entrevaux ahn-truh-voh
Epernay ay-pehr-nay
Espelette eh-speh-leht
Eze-Bord-de-Mer ehz-bor-duh-mehr
Eze-le-Village ehz-luh-vee-lahzh
Faucon foh-kohn
Flavigny-sur-Ozerain flah-veen-yee-sewr-oh-zuh-ran
Font-de-Gaume fohn-duh-gohm
Fontenay fohn-tuh-nay
Fontevraud fohn-tuh-vroh
Fontvieille fohn-vee-yeh-ee
Fougères foo-zher
Fougères-sur-Bièvre foo-zher-sewr-bee-ehv
Gaillac gī-yahk
Gigondas zhee-gohn-dahs
Giverny zhee-vehr-nee
Gordes gord
Gorges de l’Ardèche gorzh duh lar-dehsh
Grenoble gruh-noh-bluh
Grouin groo-an
Guédelon gway-duh-lohn
Hautes Corbières oht kor-bee-yehr
Hendaye ehn-dī
Honfleur ohn-flur
Huisnes-sur-Mer ween-sewr-mehr
Hunawihr uhn-ah-veer
Ile Besnard eel bay-nar
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue eel-sewr-lah-sorg
Juan-les-Pins zhwan-lay-pan
Kaysersberg kī-zehrs-behrg
Kientzheim keentz-īm
La Charente lah shah-rahnt
Lacoste lah-kohst
Langeais lahn-zhay
Languedoc-Roussillon long-dohk roo-see-yohn
La Rhune lah rewn
La Rochepot lah rohsh-poh
La Roque St-Christophe lah rohk san-kree-stohf
La Roque-Gageac lah rohk-gah-zhahk
Lastours lahs-toor
La Trophée des Alpes lah troh-fay dayz ahlp
La Turbie lah tewr-bee
Le Bugue luh bewg
Le Crestet luh kruh-stay
Le Havre luh hah-vruh
Lémeré lay-muh-ray
Le Ruquet luh rew-kay
Les Baux lay boh
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac lay zay-zee-duh-tī-yahk
Les Praz lay prah
Les Vosges lay vohzh
Limoges lee-mohzh
Loches lohsh
Loire lwahr
Longues-sur-Mer long-sewr-mehr
Loubressac loo-bruh-sahk
Lourmarin loo-mah-ran
Luberon lew-beh-rohn
Lyon lee-ohn
Malaucène mah-loh-sehn
Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy marn-lah-vah-lay-shuh-see
Marseille mar-say
Martel mar-tehl
Mausanne moh-sahn
Ménerbes may-nehrb
Millau mee-yoh
Minerve mee-nerv
Mirabel mee-rah-behl
Modreuc mohd-rewk
Mont Blanc mohn blahn
Mont St-Michel mohn san-mee-shehl
Mont Ventoux mohn vehn-too
Montenvers mohn-tuh-vehr
Montfort mohn-for
Montignac mohn-teen-yahk
Mortemart mort-mar
Munster mewn-stehr
Nantes nahnt
Nice nees
Normandy nor-mahn-dee
Nyons nee-yohns
Oradour-sur-Glane oh-rah-door-sewr-glahn
Orange oh-rahnzh
Padirac pah-dee-rahk
Paris pah-ree
Pech Merle pehsh mehrl
Peyrepertuse pay-ruh-per-tewz
Pointe du Hoc pwant dew ohk
Pont du Gard pohn dew gahr
Pontorson pohn-tor-sohn
Provence proh-vahns
Puycelsi pwee-suhl-cee
Puyméras pwee-may-rahs
Queribus kehr-ee-bews
Reims rans (rhymes with France)
Remoulins ruh-moo-lan
Rennes rehn
Ribeauvillé ree-boh-vee-yay
Riquewihr reek-veer
Rocamadour roh-kah-mah-door
Rouen roo-ahn
Rouffignac roo-feen-yahk
Roussillon roo-see-yohn
Route du Vin root dew van
Sablet sah-blay
Sare sahr
Sarlat-la-Canéda sar-lah lah cah-nay-duh
Savigny-les-Beaune sah-veen-yee-lay-bohn
Savoie sah-vwah
Séguret say-goo-ray
Semur-en-Auxois suh-moor-ehn-ohx-wah
Sigolsheim see-gohl-shīm
Souillac soo-ee-yahk
St-Cirq-Lapopie san-seerk lah-poh-pee
St-Cyprien san-seep-ree-ehn
St-Emilion san-tay-meel-yohn
St-Geniès san-zhuh-nyehs
St-Jean-de-Luz san-zhahn-duh-looz
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port san-zhahn-pee-yay-duh-por
St-Malo san-mah-loh
St-Marcellin-lès-Vaison san-mar-suh-lan-lay-vay-zohn
St-Rémy san-ray-mee
St-Romain-en-Viennois san-roh-man-ehn-vee-ehn-nwah
St-Suliac san-soo-lee-ahk
St-Paul-de-Vence san-pohl-duh-vahns
Ste-Mère Eglise sant-mehr ay-gleez
Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer sant-mah-ree-duh-lah-mehr
Strasbourg strahs-boorg
Suzette soo-zeht
Taizé teh-zay
Tarascon tah-rah-skohn
Tours toor
Turckheim tewrk-hīm
Ussé oo-say
Uzès oo-zehs
Vacqueyras vah-kee-rahs
Vaison-la-Romaine vay-zohn lah roh-mehn
Valançay vah-lahn-say
Valréas vahl-ray-ahs
Vence vahns
Verdun vehr-duhn
Versailles vehr-sī
Veynes vay-nuh
Vézelay vay-zuh-lay
Vierville-sur-Mer vee-yehr-veel-sewr-mehr
Villandry vee-lahn-dry
Villefranche-de-Rouergue veel-frahnsh-duh-roo-ehrg
Villefranche-sur-Mer veel-frahnsh-sewr-mehr
Villeneuve-lès-Avignon veel-nuhv-lay-zah-veeh-yohn
Vitrac vee-trahk
Vouvray voo-vray
Villedieu vee-luh-dyuh
When using the phonetics, try to nasalize the n sound.
| English | French | Pronunciation |
| Good day. | Bonjour. | bohn-zhoor |
| Mrs. / Mr. | Madame / Monsieur | mah-dahm / muhs-yuh |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? | par-lay-voo ahn-glay |
| Yes. / No. | Oui. / Non. | wee / nohn |
| I understand. | Je comprends. | zhuh kohn-prahn |
| I don’t understand. | Je ne comprends pas. | zhuh nuh kohn-prahn pah |
| Please. | S’il vous plaît. | see voo play |
| Thank you. | Merci. | mehr-see |
| I’m sorry. | Désolé. | day-zoh-lay |
| Excuse me. | Pardon. | par-dohn |
| (No) problem. | (Pas de) problème. | (pah duh) proh-blehm |
| It’s good. | C’est bon. | say bohn |
| Goodbye. | Au revoir. | oh ruh-vwahr |
| one / two / three | un / deux / trois | uhn / duh / trwah |
| four / five / six | quatre / cinq / six | kah-truh / sank / sees |
| seven / eight | sept / huit | seht / weet |
| nine / ten | neuf / dix | nuhf / dees |
| How much is it? | Combien? | kohn-bee-an |
| Write it? | Ecrivez? | ay-kree-vay |
| Is it free? | C’est gratuit? | say grah-twee |
| Included? | Inclus? | an-klew |
| Where can I buy / find...? | Où puis-je acheter / trouver...? | oo pwee-zhuh ah-shuh-tay / troo-vay |
| I’d like / We’d like... | Je voudrais / Nous voudrions... | zhuh voo-dray / noo voo-dree-ohn |
| ...a room. | ...une chambre. | ewn shahn-bruh |
| ...a ticket to ___. | ...un billet pour ___. | uhn bee-yay poor ___ |
| Is it possible? | C’est possible? | say poh-see-bluh |
| Where is...? | Où est...? | oo ay |
| ...the train station | ...la gare | lah gar |
| ...the bus station | ...la gare routière | lah gar root-yehr |
| ...tourist information | ...l’office du tourisme | loh-fees dew too-reez-muh |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes? | oo sohn lay twah-leht |
| men | hommes | ohm |
| women | dames | dahm |
| left / right | à gauche / à droite | ah gohsh / ah drwaht |
| straight | tout droit | too drwah |
| pull / push | tirez / poussez | tee-ray / poo-say |
| When does this open / close? | Ça ouvre / ferme à quelle heure? | sah oo-vruh / fehrm ah kehl ur |
| At what time? | À quelle heure? | ah kehl ur |
| Just a moment. | Un moment. | uhn moh-mahn |
| now / soon / later | maintenant / bientôt / plus tard | man-tuh-nahn / bee-an-toh / plew tar |
| today / tomorrow | aujourd’hui / demain | oh-zhoor-dwee / duh-man |
| English | French | Pronunciation |
| I’d like / We’d like... | Je voudrais / Nous voudrions... | zhuh voo-dray / noo voo-dree-ohn |
| ...to reserve... | ...réserver... | ray-zehr-vay |
| ...a table for one / two. | ...une table pour un / deux. | ewn tah-bluh poor uhn / duh |
| Is this seat free? | C’est libre? | say lee-bruh |
| The menu (in English), please. | La carte (en anglais), s’il vous plaît. | lah kart (ahn ahn-glay) see voo play |
| service (not) included | service (non) compris | sehr-vees (nohn) kohn-pree |
| to go | à emporter | ah ahn-por-tay |
| with / without | avec / sans | ah-vehk / sahn |
| and / or | et / ou | ay / oo |
| special of the day | plat du jour | plah dew zhoor |
| specialty of the house | spécialité de la maison | spay-see-ah-lee-tay duh lah may-zohn |
| appetizers | hors d’oeuvre | or duh-vruh |
| first course (soup, salad) | entrée | ahn-tray |
| main course (meat, fish) | plat principal | plah pran-see-pahl |
| bread | pain | pan |
| cheese | fromage | froh-mahzh |
| sandwich | sandwich | sahnd-weech |
| soup | soupe | soop |
| salad | salade | sah-lahd |
| meat | viande | vee-ahnd |
| chicken | poulet | poo-lay |
| fish | poisson | pwah-sohn |
| seafood | fruits de mer | frwee duh mehr |
| fruit | fruit | frwee |
| vegetables | légumes | lay-gewm |
| dessert | dessert | day-sehr |
| mineral water | eau minérale | oh mee-nay-rahl |
| tap water | l’eau du robinet | loh dew roh-bee-nay |
| milk | lait | lay |
| (orange) juice | jus (d’orange) | zhew (doh-rahnzh) |
| coffee / tea | café / thé | kah-fay / tay |
| wine | vin | van |
| red / white | rouge / blanc | roozh / blahn |
| glass / bottle | verre / bouteille | vehr / boo-tay |
| beer | bière | bee-ehr |
| Cheers! | Santé! | sahn-tay |
| More. / Another. | Plus. / Un autre. | plew / uhn oh-truh |
| The same. | La même chose. | lah mehm shohz |
| The bill, please. | L’addition, s’il vous plaît. | lah-dee-see-ohn see voo play |
| Do you accept credit cards? | Vous prenez les cartes? | voo pruh-nay lay kart |
| tip | pourboire | poor-bwahr |
| Delicious! | Délicieux! | day-lees-yuh |
For more user-friendly French phrases, check out Rick Steves French Phrase Book or Rick Steves French, Italian & German Phrase Book.