France

As he prepares to welcome the Tour de France to his Normandy village, John Lichfield reflects on why the world's greatest cycle race remains as popular as ever with the French, despite their 40-year losing streak.

King Charles III and French President Emmanuel Macron both hailed a new era in UK-France relations as the French president began a formal three-day visit to Britain, the first by an EU head of state since Brexit.

Human-caused climate change made recent European heatwaves up to 4C hotter in many cities, pushing temperatures into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people, scientists have said.

The priceless 11th-century Bayeux Tapestry will be loaned to Britain in 2026-2027, French President Emmanuel Macron announced. Here are some facts about the remarkable work.

The European Parliament gave final approval on Tuesday to a phased rollout of a new border check system for non-EU nationals which will do away with passport stamps.

Getting any type of French visa requires a certain amount of effort and paperwork, but some are more straightforward than others.

Don’t let this Franglais phrase fool you - these rooms have nothing to do with sports.

Air conditioning is not standard in French homes, so if you want to install something to help you get through France's increasingly-severe heatwaves, journalist and AC-convert John Walton has some tips on size, price, installation and the rules for historic buildings.

Firefighters are on Wednesday morning still battling an uncontrolled wildfire on the outskirts of Marseille that saw hundreds evacuated and the airport, rail line and roads closed.

Even once you've factored in hefty renovation costs, the idea of buying a home in France for just €1 is an attractive one - so here's a look at how to find them, who qualifies and what you need to do first.

Over the next three weeks, 184 riders from 26 countries are cycling around France with the dream of winning the world’s most famous cycle race - here's why you should watch the Tour de France, even if you have no interest in bikes.

Thousands of people work on the annual sporting spectacle that is the Tour de France cycle race - but 65-year-old Patrick Dancoisne has something of a unique role.

A French court on Monday dropped a case investigating the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic by three former government officials, including former prime minister and 2027 presidential hopeful Edouard Philippe.

Bosses at Eurostar and London's St Pancras station have signed a deal to increase capacity for the Eurostar - potentially removing one of the biggest obstacles to increases in UK-France train services.

They're expensive, but for some people full immersion French language exchanges are the best way to learn the language - Gabrielle Nadler examines the advantages and disadvantages of these programmes.

France's most recent heatwave brought with it a fierce debate on air conditioning - which much of the country remains deeply resistant to. Some argue that warming temperatures make widespread AC inevitable, but The Local's editor Emma Pearson explains why she thinks the French are right to resist.

The results are out for the 2025 poll to find France's favourite village - from fortified hilltop settlements in wine country to quaint fishing villages and the birthplace of musketeer d'Artagnan, here are some of the country's hidden gems.

If you're in southern France, you'll hear this blamed for a lot of things.

For the first time in more than 100 years, Parisians and tourists alike took a dive into the Seine on Saturday as three new swimming sites opened to the public. The long-forbidden waters are now officially open to the public, following a €1.4-billion cleanup project that paved the way for the open-water events at the Paris Olympics last year.

Kemi Seba, a controversial African activist known for his virulent anti-Western stance, has been arrested in Paris, a source close to the case told AFP Tuesday.

With forest fires becoming more common and more extensive due to hot, dry summers, the French government has an alert system that allows you to check the risk in your area.

If you're worried about wildfires in France, there is an app you can use to track in real-time which areas are affected.

Christian Boltanski, one of France's top contemporary artists whose multimedia works probed the meaning of mortality and memory, has died aged 76, a former museum director told AFP on Sunday.

While the extension of France’s health pass and other new anti-Covid 19 measures announced by President Emmanuel Macron Monday night are yet to be hammered out in detail, what’s certain is that a full-throttled return to a normal life of frequenting café terraces, restaurants, cinemas, theatres and other culture and leisure activities will now hinge on […]

France’s embattled leader saw a week of World War I commemorations as a chance to reconnect with the French and highlight the danger of nationalism. Instead, his comments about Marshal Pétain gave further evidence of his tendency to shock and dismay.