It’s France trivia time! Even if you love France as much as I do, I bet that you’ll be surprised by some of these fun facts about France.
Join me to learn some of the most interesting France facts, ranging from French culture to gastronomy and even famous French inventions.
Some of these may even come in handy at your next trivia night.
Let’s dive right in!
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1. The Eiffel Tower was supposed to be temporary
That’s right! The Eiffel Tower, the most iconic symbol of Paris and of France, was intended to be a temporary structure.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), and Gustave Eiffel only had a 20-year permit for use of the land.
Fortunately, the Tower served as a giant antenna for radio signals, saving it from being demolished. Whew!
2. The hot air balloon was invented in France
The hot air balloon was invented by French brothers Joseph and Étienne Montgolfier. If you take a hot air balloon ride in France, you’ll see it called “la montgolfière“.
The first balloon flight occurred on September 19th 1783 at the Palace of Versailles in France. It was ‘manned’ by farm animals, who were honored as heroes and given a place in the Menagerie of Versailles!
3. Croissants were not invented in France
Although croissants are nearly synonymous with French cuisine, the croissant was actually invented in Austria!
The Austrian kipferl is made from a yeasted dough, and the texture is more like a roll. A Viennese baker sold these in Paris, and French bakers modified the recipe to turn it into the oh-so-flaky pastry that we all love today!
4. France gastronomy is honored as a UNESCO Cultural Heritage
We all love the cuisine of France, but did you know that French gastronomy has a UNESCO designation?
It is honored in the category of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage.
(The art and culture of baguettes in France is also on the list!)
5. France is the most visited country in world
France is certainly my favorite travel destination, and clearly I’m not the only one!
Statistics show that there were nearly 80 million international tourist arrivals to France in 2022.
(The runner-up country was Spain, with nearly 72 million international tourist arrivals. The United States was #3 on the 2022 list.)
6. France is known as l’Hexagone
France has the nickname of l’Hexagone (the Hexagon) due to its shape. If you squint a little, mainland France looks like a 6-sided polygon.
7. France is the largest country in the EU
Measured by surface area, France is the largest country in the European Union. (It covers nearly 634,000 square kilometers.)
France is also the second-most populous country in the EU, after Germany.
8. France is almost the same size as Texas
It’s hard to gauge how large countries in Europe are compared to the United States. I’m always pleasantly surprised at being able to cross most of France by train in less than a day!
Texas is the second-largest state in the United States (after Alaska) and covers nearly 696,000 square kilometers.
France covers nearly 634,000 square kilometers, so it is a bit smaller than Texas. But it gives you a good comparison!
9. The French consume 25,000 tons of snails per year
Estimates vary, but when you put the word ‘tons’ together with the word ‘snails’…. that’s a lot of snails!
A majority of these are consumed around Christmas. (That’s one France holiday tradition I can do without! I’m not a very adventurous eater, so I’ve never tried them! I’ll stick with French pastries.)
Most of the snails eaten in France are imported from other countries.
10. The pope once lived in France
While we associate the pope with the Vatican City in Rome, there was a time when the popes lived in France.
Back in the 14th century, Avignon France was the seat of the papacy. (Things were a bit too dicey in Rome.)
The Palais des Papes is still one of the top attractions in Avignon!
11. The French motto is Liberté, Égalitié, Fraternité
The national motto of France is “LibertĂ©, ÉgalitiĂ©, FraternitĂ©”. In English, this translates to “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.
This French motto came into use during the French Revolution and became official at the end of the 19th century.
(This is also the motto of the Republic of Haiti.)
12. The Gare du Nord is the busiest train station in Europe
The Gare du Nord, in Paris, is the busiest train station in Europe (and also one of the busiest in the world!)
If you’re traveling by train in France, it’s likely that you’ll pass through the Gare du Nord.
This is the station you’ll depart from if you’re taking the Eurostar from Paris to London. You’ll also use the Gare du Nord to travel to cities like Brussels and Amsterdam, as well as cities in the north of France.
13. Paris became the capital of France in 847
You may be surprised to learn that Paris was not always the capital of France, or even the most important city in France!
Paris was called ‘Lutetia’ by the Romans. In Roman times, cities like Lyon and Narbonne were more important than Paris. (The Gallo-Roman theater is still one of the top Lyon attractions.)
The city’s name eventually changed to Paris, and it became the capital of France in the year 847 A.D.
14. The Pont du Gard is the tallest Roman aqueduct in the world
Speaking of the Romans and their impact on France, one of the most impressive feats of Roman engineering is the Pont du Gard aqueduct bridge.
It’s definitely a must-see if you’re in the south of France!
The Pont du Gard is the tallest aqueduct ever built by the Romans, with a height of 49 meters. It’s remarkably well-preserved, given it was built two thousand years ago!
15. France is the birthplace of cinematography
French brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière invented the cinématographe, one of the first devices used in the making of motion pictures.
The Lumière brothers held the first public film screening on December 28, 1895 in Paris. Paying customers watched ten short films played on the cinematograph.
I bet they never dreamed of such future success for their invention!
16. The Louvre is the most visited museum in the world
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Louvre is one of the best museums in France. It also holds the title of the most visited museum in the world, with over 7.7 million visitors in 2022.
The Louvre is an incredible art museum, whose collections contain nearly a half-million pieces of art. And the glass pyramid in the museum’s entry courtyard makes this French landmark immediately recognizable.
With cultural treasures like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo, it’s no wonder that the Louvre is so incredibly popular!
17. The French army was the first to use camouflage
Certainly, there are a lot of famous brands of French makeup. But did you know that the French army was the first to use camouflage?
If you think the word ‘camouflage’ sounds French, you’re right! It comes from a French verb meaning ‘to make up for the stage’.
During WWI, the French army had a special unit known as ‘camofleurs’. These camouflage artists applied makeup to hide military personnel from observation by enemy forces.
18. France is not the largest producer of lavender
When you see a picture of rolling lavender fields, you probably think of the French region of Provence.
However, France is not always the largest producer of this beautiful purple-hued plant. That title is currently held by Bulgaria.
France and Bulgaria have jockeyed in and out of the #1 spot over the years. Sometimes France is in the #1 spot, and at other times, Bulgaria takes the prize.
19. As upside-down baguette is unlucky in France
You’ve probably seen plenty of loaves of baguettes stacked in piles or held upright in baskets. But I bet you’ve never seen one upside-down!
In France, an upside-down baguette is considered to be unlucky.
There are many explanations floating around, but most of them dating from medieval times and involve executioners. Bakers would hold a baguette for the executioner and would store it face-down so that other customers wouldn’t pick it up.
Due to this tradition, an upside-down baguette is considered to bring misfortune. If you accidentally place a baguette face-down, make the sign of the cross before eating to avoid bad luck!
20. France has the most Nobel prize winners for literature
The Nobel Prize is a highly esteemed award, and French authors have been awarded the Nobel Prize for literature more than authors from any other country!
As of 2023, 16 French authors, poets, and essayists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Frenchman Sully Prudomme was the first winner of this prize (in 1901).
France is home to a wealth of great writers. Famous French authors from Victor Hugo to René Descartes have made significant contributions to literature!
21. There are over 1000 kinds of cheese in France
Boy, do the French love their cheese! Numbers vary widely, but some estimates say there are between 1000-1600 varieties of cheese in France.
Statistics show that the average French person consumes nearly 27 kilograms of cheese per year (that’s 57 pounds).
The French eat more cheese than any other country in the world. (Maybe they’re trying to sample all the varieties..)
Do you love everything about France? Me too! Check out these other posts to learn more about France culture:
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Lisa Garrett
Lisa Garrett is the founder of Travel to Lyon.
She has explored Lyon with her husband (Chris) as well as on solo trips to France. She has visited Lyon many times, including a 2-week stay last spring (unseasonally cold for a Phoenix girl!). Whether you’re interested in food, history, or culture, Lisa’s tips will help you plan the perfect trip to Lyon!
Learn more about Lisa!
