France Solo Female Travel Safety Tips and Advice

On this page you will find first-hand, unbiased, and real safety tips, advice and reviews from women traveling solo, submitted directly from their personal experiences in the country.

Their opinions are unfiltered and submitted independently as part of the Solo Female Travel Safety Index, a ranking of 210 countries and regions based on how safe they are for women traveling solo.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers.

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France Country data

We have compiled a few data points below that can help you better understand France and have more context when thinking about travel safety.

Official country name: French Republic.

Etymology: The word France derives from the Latin "Francia" meaning "Land of the Franks". The Franks were a group of Germanic tribes located along the middle and lower Rhine River in the 3rd century A.D. who merged with Gallic-Roman populations in succeeding centuries and to whom they passed on their name.

Capital: Paris.

Independence / foundation: France does not have an official date of independence. In 486, the Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship and in 843, Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire.

Later on, in 1789 the French monarchy was overthrown and in 1792, the First French Republic was founded. After World War II, France acquired today's borders and in 1958 the Fifth French Republic was established.

Population: 69 million.

Currency: Euro (EUR)
1 USD = 0.91 - 0.93

Time zone: UTC+1

Languages spoken: French (official) 100%, declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish, Occitan, Picard). Note - overseas departments: French, Creole patois, Mahorian (a Swahili dialect).

Religions: Roman Catholic 47%, Muslim 4%, Protestant 2%, Buddhists 2%, Orthodox 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, none 33%, unspecified 9%.

Climate: Mainland France has generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean.

The islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique enjoy subtropical climate with tempered by trade winds, moderately high humidity and a rainy season from June to October.

Mayotte has tropical marine climate with a hot, humid and rainy season during the northeastern monsoon from November to May, and a dry and cooler season from May to November.

Reunion island is tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation. It enjoys cool and dry weather from May to November, and hot and rainy climate from November to April.

Real GDP (ppp – purchasing power parity): $3.12 trillion

Real GDP per capita (ppp): $45,900.

Main airports: Charles de Gaulle Airport , Orly Airport, Nice Airport, Lyon–Saint Exupéry Airport.

World heritage sites in France

There are over 1,100 world heritage sites spread across more than 165 countries. New ones are added every year, and some may be removed from the list for various reasons.

Number of UNESCO listed sites:

Top world heritage sites:

- Cathedral of Notre-Dame.
- Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay.
- Palace and Park of Versailles.
- Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley.
- Vézelay, Church and Hill.
- Chartres Cathedral.
- Amiens Cathedral.
- Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments.
- Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange.
- Palace and Park of Fontainebleau.
- Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay.
- From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt.
- Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe.
- Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance in Nancy.
- Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve.
- Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct).
- Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt.
- Paris, Banks of the Seine.
- Bourges Cathedral.
- Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge.
- Canal du Midi.
- Pyrénées - Mont Perdu.
- Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne.
- Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.
- Historic Site of Lyon.
- Belfries of Belgium and France.
- Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion.
- The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes.
- Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs.
- Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret.
- Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe.
- Bordeaux, Port of the Moon.
- Fortifications of Vauban.
- Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems.
- Episcopal City of Albi.
- Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island.
- Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps.
- The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape.
- Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin.
- Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche.
- Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars.
- The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy.
- The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement.
- Taputapuātea.
- Chaîne des Puys - Limagne fault tectonic arena.
- French Austral Lands and Seas.
- Cordouan Lighthouse.
- Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera.
- The Great Spa Towns of Europe.
- Funerary and memory sites of the First World War.
- The Maison Carrée of Nîmes.
- Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique.

Interesting facts about France

- Cheese is a big part of French culture and nearly 1,200 varieties of cheese are produced in the country. The French also consume snails regularly. 'Escargot' or snails are an important part of French cuisine and 25,000 tones are said to be eaten every year.

- The longest book in the world is French. French writer Marcel Proust published a book called 'Remembrance of Things in the Past' or 'A la recherche du temps perdu', which has over 3,000 pages.

- France is a country of inventors. Important inventions such as the Braille System, the stethoscope, the hairdryer and first hot air balloon flights were developed by French scientists and inventors.

- France's territoy expand the globe, all hemispheres, 12 time zones and pretty much all continents. From the South Pacific islands of French Polynesia to the Caribbean island of Martinique, the North American archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and the Indian Ocean enclaves of Mayotte

Further reading: N/A.

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France Travel tips

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About the Solo Female Travel Safety Index

Safety matters to solo female travelers, you told us so in our annual Solo Female Travel Survey, where year after year, women prove that this is their most important concern when traveling solo.

We wanted to do something about it, so we built these country-specific pages where you can find reviews and scores for 7 key variables affecting the safety of women traveling solo.

How to use the Safety Index

On this page, you will find the country score and the personal opinions on safety of other women traveling solo.

You can sort the comments by:

• The level of experience traveling solo of the reviewer (beginner = <5 trips solo, Intermediate = 5 to 10 trips solo, Experienced = >10 trips solo).
• The age of the traveler.
• Whether they are a visitor or local.
• The date they were posted.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers. 

Thus, the lower the score, the safer the country.

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Looking for more safety resources?

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Solo Female Travel Stats: Results from the the largest, most comprehensive and only global research study on solo female travel trends, preferences and behaviors published.

Thanks to Jacobo Vilella for creating the Solo Female Travelers Safety Index ❤️