School

French schools are fairly similar to British schools in many ways. Children go to primary school when they are six years old, and secondary school (called college) when they are 11. However, school hours are very different to Britain. The day usually goes from 8.30 in the morning until 11.30 and continues in the afternoon from 1.30 to 4.30. During the two hour lunch break, kids can either eat lunch in the canteen or go home: unlike Britain, many choose to go home. Often they will have lunch with their parents, because many French people go home from work for lunch too.

Kids get Wednesday afternoon off to do whatever they want – sports, hobbies and so on. However, they have to go into school for lessons on Saturday mornings! Do you think you’d prefer French school hours, or would you find it hard to get out of bed on a Saturday morning?!


Cinema

The French have always been very passionate about films and the cinema. This goes back to 1895 when the world’s first ever film was made in the French city of Lyon by the Lumière brothers. Today, France makes more films than any other European country. French films are often very different to English and American films: they are seen as works of art rather than just entertainment, and they often have less action and more talking! However, going to the cinema is more popular than ever with young people in France, and they tend to mainly watch American films, just like we do in Britain.


Trains

Travelling by train in France is very popular: although it is a very large country, trains are a quick and convenient way of getting around. This is due to a type of train called the TGV. TGV stands for "Train à Grande Vitesse". In English this translates as "high speed train", and it’s certainly a good name for them. TGV trains can travel as fast as 300 km/h (186 mph), although in special test conditions a TGV has reached 515.3 km/h (320 mph). This makes it the fastest train in the world, and means that French people can travel quickly and safely around the country. Every year, 37 million people use high-speed TGV trains.


Holidays

Although France is a huge country with large areas of countryside, three quarters of the population live in towns and cities. It’s not surprising that they like to get away from it all occasionally, and in the summer most French children go on holiday with their parents. Unlike British adults, the French get four or five weeks of summer holiday, and take it in July and August. France virtually shuts down in August except for the tourist industry


Many French people stay in France for their yearly holiday – the country is big enough that there is always somewhere different to go and something new to do. In the summer there is dramatic scenery and beaches on the Atlantic coast, or sunshine and warm seas in the Mediterranean. In winter skiing is popular, with many mountains in the Alps and the Pyrenees to choose between. It’s not only the French who love their country – more than 70 million tourists join them on holiday each year!

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