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Everyday-life guide
Housing, budget, working hours, banking, transport, school, health and administration in one practical guide.
Read the guideA guide to FranceTravel, culture and everyday life
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Society & daily life
Institutions, health, work, habits and debates that explain how France lives.38 guides to exploreA USEFUL STARTING POINT
Find the guide you need first
Choose the dossier that answers your next question. Background and the complete directory are just below.
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Understand social protection
Health, family, unemployment and pensions: who funds what and for whom.
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UNDERSTAND BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Understand daily life through real situations
Moving home, taking a job and supporting a family raise different questions. Begin with your own situation rather than a national stereotype.
Rules, habits and personal choices
A social custom is not a legal obligation. For work, housing or social protection, identify your status, the responsible authority and the document requested. Treat accounts of meals, neighbourly life and communication as context, not rules that describe every household or region.
Keep a record of each step
Find the official procedure, prepare the relevant documents and keep evidence of submission. Another person's experience does not establish your eligibility or processing time. Use the guides to organise questions for the right authority.
Define the terms before generalising
In a social debate, first establish who is being discussed: nationality, migration background, residence and student status are not interchangeable. The society dossier separates these frameworks and connects institutions, social protection and collective life without inventing a typical family. For a school question, continue with the phone-use dossier and the institution’s written rules. For table practices, cuisine offers another perspective: observe a practice and its variations rather than treating a habit as a national obligation. A definition helps interpret a claim; it does not decide anyone’s individual rights.
FRA9 · PORTAL SELECTION
01—0901 · Society & lifestyles
Living in France: daily life, budget and practical steps
Housing, budget, working hours, banking, transport, school, health and administration in one practical guide.
Read →02 · Justice & rights
Social protection in France: the essentials
Health, family, unemployment and pensions: who funds what and for whom.
Read →03 · France today
French society
A guide to the major conversations in French society.
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04 · Food & art of living
French cuisine
Understand a cuisine that changes from region to region.
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05 · French politics
French politics: institutions, elections and power
Who decides what across the presidency, government, parliament, regions and communes?
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06 · Health
The French health system, from Carte Vitale to hospitals
Coverage, care pathways, reimbursement and emergency access explained clearly.
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07 · France today
Modern France
Institutions, debates and habits shaping France today.
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08 · Society & lifestyles ·
France is back on winter time: check your clocks
Mainland France turned its clocks back this Sunday, 25 October: 03:00 became 02:00. Paris is now on UTC+1. Check manual alarms, international meetings and the local times on your tickets.
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09 · Higher education ·
France autumn school holiday 2026: dates to plan around
For school zones A, B and C, the break starts after classes on 17 October, with lessons resuming on 2 November.
Read →FRA9 · INDEX
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