Leisure

Cinema (cinéma)

As a general rule, new films are released on Wednesdays, a day on which tickets are also often half price. French cinemas play a variety of film genres. Foreign films are either dubbed into French or shown in Version Originale; the original language of the film is often denoted by the letters (VO). Listings for show times and cinema information may be found in local newspapers, in entertainment guides, and online.

Cinéfil - France [fr] 

Allociné [fr] 

National center of cinematography [fr] 

 Film Festivals
> Cannes Film Festival
> American Film Festival (Deauville)
> Festival du film fantastique de Gérardmer (Vosges)
>Other Film Festivals

Theater (théâtre)

Theaters throughout France regularly host pieces including classics, operas, variety shows, and contemporary theater.

Theater and event listings 

Performing arts 

Theater festivals 

Museums (musées)

There are over 7,000 museums in France dedicated to showing the works of famous artists, new artists, and special collections. Some museums design programs for children such as tours or workshops.

Réunion des Musées Nationaux 

Libraries (bibliothèques)

Frances public libraries contain both French language books, as well as translated and original language books from around the world. Although membership conditions may vary, public libraries are usually free to residents of a town or region or inexpensive. Many libraries contain children’s sections and host story hours.

In addition to traditional resources, there are libraries known as médiathèques, which host collections of multimedia items such as videos, CDs, and CD-ROMs. Universities and specialized libraries are often accessible for research purposes. Lists of libraries are often available from the mairie (city hall).

Bibliothèque nationale de France 

Sports (sports)

France has become increasingly athletic in recent years with one out of every two inhabitants practicing a sport on a regular basis in 2001. Sports are generally practiced in clubs in the evenings, on weekends, and during holidays. Clubs may often be found by inquiring with colleagues or at the mairie. Many companies and universities have their own sports clubs. Fees charged for these clubs cover participation and often provide additional insurance.

Following the French soccer team’s (les bleus) World Cup win in 1998, soccer was further solidified as the most popular team sport in France.

After soccer, the nine most popular sports in 1999 were, in descending order of importance: tennis, judo, gym, pétanque , basketball, horse-back riding, hiking, golf, and rugby. Winter sports, practiced in well-known locations like the French Alpes, include skiing, snowboarding, and ice skating. Other popular sports include swimming, bicycling, sailing, and mountain climbing.

Fédération française du sport universitaire [fr] 

Fédération française de football [fr] 

Games (jeux)

Parks are a popular location for playing games such as chess or cards. Many parks have installed chess and ping pong tables, along with other playing surfaces to facilitate this pastime.

Players of pétanque, known to the British as “boules," are often seen in squares and parks. The game is considered by many to be the national sport of Southern France. The game consists of aiming metal balls at small wooden ball, called the cochonnet.

Weekends (week-ends)

Outdoor activities are among many popular weekend pastimes. People possessing gardens often take time out on weekends to work on them. The garden also provides a place to relax or to dine as a family. Other open air activities include walks in the parks, picnics, hiking, bicycling, and sports.

Theme Parks (parcs)

France is home to a number of amusement parks with themes such as animals, aquatic life, and fiction characters. Special prices are usually offered for individuals, families, and groups.

 Theme Parks

> Parc Astérix: based on comic strip heroes Astérix and his friend Obélix
> Jardin d’acclimatation: a leisure park containing a collection of flora and fauna from around the world
> Disneyland Paris: Mickey Mouse and characters based on European fairy tales
> France miniature: a collective representation of historical monuments and culture themes in France
> Planète Futuroscope: voyages into sensation, discovery, imagination, and emotion
> Vulcania: scientific exploration of volcanoes and earth sciences
> Infoparks: information on theme parks thoughout France

Tourism (tourisme)

France continues to be the world’s most popular tourist destination, having accommodated 75.5 million tourists in 2000. Within France, vacations continue to be an integral part of life with 62% of all French people leaving their primary residence during holidays and other days off. A number of resources are available to assist in planning vacations and trips throughout France. Genres of tourism include: culture, gastronomy, festivals, cities, and religion.

Tourist Office (Office de tourisme)

Almost every sizeable town has a tourist office in a prominent location. These offices possess useful items such as maps of the town or region and brochures of local sites and attractions.

Tourism in France 

Maison de la France

The Maison de la France, the French Government Tourist Office, provides a comprehensive website of ideas and information to plan a vacation or an outing.

Maison de la France 

Travel Agencies (Agences de voyages)

Travel agencies provide assistance with items such as transportation, ticketing, lodging reservations or may offer comprehensive packages. A wide variety of package vacations are available and differ based on comfort and price.