20+ Fun, Cool, Weird & Interesting Facts about France

Last Updated on 11th July 2022 by Sophie Nadeau

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As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, millions opt to visit France on an annual basis in order to enjoy the country’s rich culture, wonderful landscapes, and vibrant cities. However, much like anywhere, there are some rather strange France facts that even many locals don’t know about! Here are some fun, cool, weird, and interesting facts about France (and you really won’t believe some of them!)

#1 France is the largest country in the EU by land mass

France is the largest country in the EU and metropolitan France (since there are a handful of overseas territories) is 643,801 km². To give some perspective, France is around 4 times the size of the United Kingdom.

#2 France is just slightly smaller by land mass than the state of Texas

While we’re on the subject of the size of Metropolitan France, one of the coolest facts about France is that it’s roughly the same size as Texas, USA.

#3 Until recently, it was illegal for women to wear trousers in France!

In an archaic law dating back over two hundred years (to the 17th of November, 1800 to be precise), it was illegal for women to wear trousers in France. The decree stated that women should go to the Police for permission to wear trousers. The law was then amended in  1892 and then again 1909. The law was abolished once and for all in 2013.

#4 France is often nicknamed l’Hexagone

As you might well imagine, l’Hexagone in French is simply translated into English as ‘hexagon’. Metropolitan (mainland) France is therefore nicknamed l’Hexagone thanks to its hexagonal shape.

#5 French was the official language of England for almost 300 years!

From 1066 to 1362, following the arrival of William the Conqueror in England, French was used as the official language in England. This goes far to explain why there are so many French words in English. It also explains why so many of the words we use for meats in English find their roots in French.

You see, during the 11th-Century, following the Norman Conquest, the wealthiest in Britain were the French elite, who were in turn served by the English. As a result, they were the ones consuming the meat, as opposed to the English who would have farmed the animals.

As such, the word for pig meat in English became pork (from the French porc), the word for cow meat became beef (from the French boeuf). If you’re currently learning French, be sure to check out our guide to English words used in French as you may well discover that your vocabulary is already a lot bigger than you thought!

#6 A French king holds the title for the shortest reign in history

Louis-Antoine (i.e. Louis XIX) holds the title for having the shortest reign in history. When his father, Charles X abdicated, he was the heir apparent (known as Dauphin in French) and so automatically became monarch of France. However, he, too, abdicated just twenty minutes later, ensuring that he had the shortest reign of any monarch in history.

In fact, he is considered to be in joint place with Luís Filipe of Portugal (heir apparent to the throne of Portugal), who became monarch when his father, Dom Calos I, was assassinated on the 1st of February 1908. Unfortunately, Luís Filipe was also fatally wounded during the attack and survived his father by just twenty minutes.

#7 The French Army invented camouflage

France, and specifically Paris, may be considered to be the fashion capital of the world, but it’s also where camouflage was invented. Camouflage comes from the verb ‘to make up for the stage,’ and evidently camouflaging oneself is all about blending into the scene. The French army were the first army to begin wearing camouflage during WWI after they commissioned artists to create camouflage.

#8 The French army still use carrier pigeons!

On the subject of the military, one of the most surprising facts about France, and the French army, is that the army still uses carrier pigeons! The pigeons were used during WWI and WWII and the army retains a trained fleet of carrier pigeons at Fort Mont-Valérian in case of emergency (i.e. one in which electronics are knocked out during an electromagnetic war). 

#9 Liberté, Égalitié, Fraternité is the motto of France

The official motto for the Republic of Haiti (due to its colonisation by France until 1804 when it gained its independence from France- under colonial rule, the island was called Saint-Domingue) and the Republic of France is Liberté, Égalitié, Fraternité, which is translated into English as ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’. Though the motto first arose during the French Revolution, it was one of many and only became the official motto of France at the end of the 19th-century.

#10 The oldest person to have ever lived was a French woman from Arles

The Provençal city of Arles is one of the most beautiful towns in Provence. And the oldest person to have ever lived (officially, in that there are records to prove her date of birth and death) came from there.

Jeanne Calment lived until the age of 122 years old and 164 days. She rode her bicycle until 100, lived alone until she was 110, quit smoking at 117, and carried on drinking a glass of port a night until her death.

#11 The Louvre in Paris is the largest art museum in the world

If you’ve ever been to Paris, then no doubt that you’ll have visited the Louvre Museum. Home to world-famous artwork such as the Mona Lisa and the Winged Victory of Samothrace, the items on display total over 35,000, meaning that it would take over 200 days to see everything (and that’s if you looked at each artistic object for only 30 seconds!).

As of 2019, the actual collections of the Louvre (the museum has a larger collection than its able to display), the number of items within the Louvre’s collection total over 380,000 objects. For more information, check out our guide to the top facts about the Louvre.

#12 It’s estimated that 25,000 tons of snails are eaten in France each year!

One of the more unusual facts about France is that it’s estimated that the typically French delicacy, ‘les Escargots’ are eaten by the literal ton each year. Traditionally cooked in garlic butter, it’s estimated that around 25,000 tons of snails are consumed in France on an annual basis.

#13 The French flag is known as the Tricolore

The French flag is the Tricolore of blue, white, and red. The flag you see today has officially been used since the mid 19th-century. The interesting history behind the current French flag originates all the way back during the French Revolution, which occurred from 1789 to 1799, with the flag we see today being officially adopted on February 15, 1794.

You see, when the Bastille was stormed by insurgents on July 13th, 1789, they were wearing ribbons of red and blue (which are the official colours of Paris). The most current version of the flag has been in use since 1830, i.e. when the original French Revolution flag was modified and the monarchy was no longer in power. 

#14 There are 30 3-star Michelin restaurants in France

Fans of all things fine dining and gastronomy related will be delighted to discover that, as of 2021, there are

#15 The croissant was actually invented in Austria!

Although crescent shaped patisseries have been popular since the Renaissance period (14th-17th Centuries), evidence suggests that this shape has been popular as far back as antiquity!  No one knows the exact origins of the croissant.

However, it’s quite likely that the popular buttery pastry originated from the ‘kiperfl,’ a heavier, older form of croissant. The kiperfl has roots which date back to 13th-Century Austria and the most traditional of this form of pastry consists of rolled soft butter dough.

#16 Paris first became the capital city of Paris in 847

Of all the surprising facts about France, one of the most unbelievable of them all is probably that, during Roman times, Paris was known as Lutetia and was not the most significant cities in what is now modern day France. It wasn’t until 847 CE that Paris became the capital city of France.

#17 Mainland France shares a border with eight countries.

The countries which France shares a border with in mainland Europe are Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco (in fact, the entire principality of Monaco is surrounded by France), Andorra and Spain.

#18 The two oldest city in France in Marseille

Today, the Southern French city of Marseille is best-known for its still-in-use fishing port, plethora of museums, and sunny climate. Marseille also happens to be the oldest city in France and was originally founded in 600 BCE as a Greek colony under the name of Massalia, which is, of course, the root of the city’s current name.

#19 France has more roundabouts than any other country in the world

If you know any weird facts about Paris, then you may well know that there are zero stop signs in the entirety of intra-muros Paris. This is actually because Paris instead has plenty of roundabouts, with one of the most confusing being that surrounding the Arc de Triomphe (drivers coming onto the roundabout have priority over those who are already on it). It’s estimated that France has around 30,000 roundabouts!

#20 The oldest church in France is in Metz

The oldest church in France can be found in Metz and dates back to 390. Today, the church is used as a cultural centre and exhibition hall and a visit here is easily one of the best things to do in Metz. As one of the oldest churches in France, Saint-Pierre-aux-Nonnains was first constructed as part of a Roman bath complex in the 4th-century.

#21 Metz has the largest surface of stained glass windows in the world

Metz’s Cathedral’s windows cover an area of an impressive 70,000 ft², making them the largest surface area of stained glass not only in France, but in the whole world! They are simply stunning, with some designs even by the iconic Marc Chagall and are a must see when in the city of Metz.

#22 Bank holidays are on set days each year

Unlike somewhere like in the UK where bank holidays are the ‘first Monday of May’ or the ‘first Monday after Easter,’ French bank holidays are taken on the date at which they fall.

This means that if the 1st May (Labour day in France) falls on a Wednesday, the day is celebrated on the Wednesday. Many French workers will ‘faire le pont’ (make the bridge) which is when they’ll take their holiday leave to make up the day(s) between the weekend and the bank holiday.

#23 France has thirteen French-administered territories outside Europe

France has a number of territories outside of Europe. One of the lesser-known of these is the archipelago of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, which lies just off the coast of Canada and is the only part of France in North America.

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