Although I guide about wine in France, very, very often I get asked a variety of other questions about France. I think it is because I am not French, a foreigner – like my guests – in France. Except I chose to live here, and in consequence am immersed in the culture. Whether I wish it or not. (And yes, I do wish it.)
If you’ve ever tried to plan a trip to France or even considered the idea of moving here, you’ve probably noticed something strange. There are many, many questions about France, but the answers are often vague, contradictory, or just plain unhelpful. And it got me thinking, and wondering, why? Why do certain questions not get answered, or at least not answered fully enough that the question begins to finally be understood?
That’s because the country of France is one of those places where everyday life looks simple from the outside, but hides a lot of cultural nuance that doesn’t always translate well online. So I decided I wanted to research some of the most common but poorly answered questions about France that keep popping up everywhere, from travel forums to confused midnight looking for inspiration Google searches.
Grab a glass of wine or whatever, get cosy, this is a going to get informative…
The Tap Water Confusion That Never Ends
One of the most long-lasting questions is surprisingly about drinking water. People constantly ask whether tap water in France is safe. I even get this question at least once a month from the guests I guide. In looking into it, I was surprised to find that the answers online tend to swing between “yes, completely safe everywhere” and “don’t risk it outside big cities.”
The reality is a bit more layered. Yes, tap water is safe across the country, but taste, mineral content, and local plumbing age can vary enough that tastes can differ in certain regions. This leads to endless confusion because the question isn’t just about safety. It’s about expectation.
I would say that if you are in a hotel, restaurant, somewhere modern and especially geared towards serving people, that the water will be safe to drink. If you are hiring an old cottage in the countryside, I would still say it’s most likely safe, but older plumbing could provide a funkier taste. And if you don’t like the taste, that’s what bottled water can be for.
Why French Bakeries Seem to Close at Random Times
Another frequently asked but poorly clarified topic is about boulangeries (bakeries). Tourists, even those who have moved here, often wonder why French bakeries sometimes seem to operate on mysterious schedules, including midday closures. Online answers usually explain it as “lunch breaks,” but that barely scratches the surface. This has such a multi-layered answer, be prepared to deep dive.
What looks “random” from the outside is actually the result of several overlapping systems, production constraints, labor structure, and cultural expectations.
1. Baking is tied to a time-sensitive craft, not continuous retail
A traditional French bakery isn’t just a shop. It’s a production built around fermentation cycles. Dough for baguettes and viennoiseries (like croissants) follows precise timelines involving mixing, resting, proofing, and baking. These aren’t easily sped up without compromising texture and flavor.
Bread is baked in waves, not continuously all day, because it is meant to be consumed fresh and there are particular time periods customers buy their bread such as around meal times. Rather than extend opening hours and risk selling products that no longer meet that standard, many bakeries choose to close once their best stock is gone. The decision is as much about protecting reputation as it is about managing supply, since overproduction leads to waste. (And since 2016, there has been a food waste law in France.)
2. There are laws
Now, let’s add in Labor laws. They reinforce these patterns in ways that are not immediately visible to outsiders. Bakers often begin their work in the middle of the night, and French regulations place clear limits on working hours and require adequate rest. In small, independent bakeries, where teams are limited and roles overlap, it is not feasible to maintain continuous service without exhausting staff or violating these rules. Midday closures become a practical solution, allowing those who started before dawn to step away before returning, if needed, for a later shift.
3. Let’s not forget cycles of demand
At the same time, customer behavior follows predictable daily cycles that reduce the need for constant availability. There is a strong morning rush for bread and pastries, a smaller wave around lunchtime, and another in the early evening when people buy bread for dinner. Between these periods, demand drops off significantly. Keeping the doors open during these quieter hours offers little advantage, especially for businesses operating on narrow margins. What might look like inconsistency is, in fact, a close alignment between opening hours and the natural ebb and flow of daily life.
4. And finally, the cultural aspect
Underlying all of this is a cultural acceptance of limited opening times that differs from expectations elsewhere in the world. In France, it is normal for shops to close for lunch, to take one or two days off each week, and even to shut entirely for extended holidays. These patterns are built into everyday routines, so customers plan around them rather than expecting constant access. For visitors, the mismatch comes from interpreting a bakery as a conventional storefront. Prioritising convenience over quality.
Taking into account all of the above, the seemingly irregular schedules of French bakeries are not random at all. They are the outcome of a system that prioritizes quality over convenience, respects the constraints of both craft and labor, and operates in harmony with long-established social rhythms.
The “Do I Greet People?” Mystery in Shops
Then there’s the classic “Do I need to greet people in shops?” question. It sounds simple, but it confuses a huge number of visitors. Some online guides insist it’s absolutely essential to say “bonjour” before anything else, while others claim it doesn’t matter at all in modern urban France.
The truth sits somewhere in between, but what makes this question so hard to answer properly is that expectations shift depending on context, region, and even the tone of the interaction. In smaller towns, skipping a greeting can feel abrupt. In fast-paced urban shops, it might barely register. The internet struggles to capture this flexibility, so people end up more confused than when they started.
So let’s clarify. In France, a greeting is not just a polite extra. It acts as a small social signal that frames the interaction. Saying “bonjour” acknowledges the other person before getting to the transaction. And without it, the exchange can feel impersonal or even be considered rude, particularly when not in a busy environment. The underlying idea is that even brief interactions usually begin with a simple acknowledgment, though how noticeable its absence is will vary depending on where you are.
The best advice? Try it. Greet people in shops, restaurants, etc. It harms no one, and in France may in fact make people more predisposed to help you.
Missing the Last Train in Rural France: What Actually Happens?
Transportation is another goldmine of half-answered questions. One of the most common is what happens if you miss the last train in rural France. Online responses often say “just take a taxi,” but anyone who has actually been in a quiet rural station at night knows that taxis are generally not available. Especially late at night.
This creates a gap between theoretical answers and lived reality. The missing piece in most explanations is the more rural the area, the less to even no options is the answer.
The most reliable approach is to assume there may be no immediate fallback and plan accordingly. In rural areas, the last train often really means the end of service, with no taxis, including Uber (and Bolt, in France), buses, or rideshares waiting nearby. If you know you are heading into the country, before traveling, check. Not just train schedules but also whether the station has any late transport connections, and/or nearby accommodation you can walk to.
What matters is understanding that rural transport operates on a sparse, predictable rhythm, and once that rhythm stops for the night, flexibility, not convenience, becomes the key to navigating the situation.
The Truth About Restaurant Opening Hours
Food-related questions also dominate the “poorly answered” category. People often ask why French restaurants seem to close between lunch and dinner. The typical explanation is “kitchens close in the afternoon,” but that doesn’t explain why this practice persists so widely even in tourist-heavy areas. Or the reverse of that, “Why are restaurants only open or serving from 12 to 2pm and/or 7 to 9pm?” for lunch and dinner.
The deeper answer involves staffing patterns, meal culture, and a strong national emphasis on lunch as a proper sit-down experience rather than a quick break. But because this is cultural rather than purely logistical, it rarely gets explained in a satisfying way online.
What most online answers miss is that these rigid hours aren’t just a quirky habit—they’re built into how the entire restaurant ecosystem functions, especially outside major tourist hubs. In smaller cities, towns and villages, demand is highly synchronized. People eat lunch and dinner at fairly fixed times, and very few expect or even want full service outside those windows.
This predictability shapes everything from supplier deliveries to prep schedules. Kitchens plan for the concentrated rush rather than a slow, continuous trickle, which allows them to maintain consistency and reduce waste. (There’s that waste thing again.) Staying open “just in case” would mean over-preparing food, stretching staff, and ultimately lowering quality. Something many French establishments are unwilling to compromise on.
So while online explanations often frame the midday closure as a limitation or inefficiency, it’s actually a stable equilibrium shaped by culture, economics, and local expectations.
Can You Customize Your Order in France?
Even seemingly small questions, like whether you can ask for substitutions in French restaurants, tend to generate conflicting advice. Some sources say it’s perfectly fine, others suggest it’s frowned upon.
The simplistic answer is ‘Non’ (no). And here’s why.
What’s often missing from online advice is how tightly controlled many French kitchens are. Particularly the smaller ones. And especially when they’re built around a daily “formule” (menu of the day) or limited menu. In these settings, the chef has usually planned the dishes in advance based on what’s fresh, available, and economical that day. They may not be able to substitute what you are asking, or may not wish to as it disrupts the fine balance of preparation and service.
There’s also a philosophical element that often gets overlooked. In many traditional bistros, the “formule” isn’t just a list of options. It’s an expression of the chef’s judgment about what should be eaten that day. What is fresh, in season. Offering broad customisation would run counter to that idea, turning a curated meal into something more transactional.
In this context, the responsibility falls on the customer to decide whether the menu suits them before sitting down, especially since menus are legally displayed outside. Rather than expecting flexibility as a default, the implicit agreement is that the restaurant defines the experience, and the diner opts in. Or does not.
Why Online Answers About France Are So Contradictory
What makes all these questions so interesting is not that they are hard to answer, but that they are context-dependent. France is a country where daily life is guided by a mix of formal rules, informal customs, and long-standing traditions that don’t always translate neatly into universal advice.
As a result, online explanations often end up sounding contradictory because they are trying to summarize something that is inherently situational, even locational. What can be true for a big city (eating when you prefer) can be completely not available in a small village (only lunch is available, between 12 and 2, reservations required). So it’s better to hone your questions about France to be more specific to where you are (thinking of) going.
There’s More
Of course, these are only some of the questions. They are the 6 most asked questions about France, but not the only ones. If you would like to know more about France, which may go on to answer some of the additional questions you may have, I can suggest the following:
Stereotypes and Misconceptions about France
Life in France, Adopt, Adapt, Ignore
And there’s even more! Which you can find in my French Findings.
And if you’ve read enough cultural differences, and just wish to shop from France, here’s a taste from My Shop. Simply click on an image to see more.
Should you wish to support my findings writings, you can certainly Nourish Pumpjack & Piddlewick.