After spending a month traveling across the United States with my French family, I came home with a new perspective on both countries – and on some of the little differences American travelers notice when they visit France. I am French, I live in France, and I have spent 15 years helping American travelers discover my country.
At France Just For You, we design self-drive trips in France, so I am constantly thinking about France through the eyes of foreign visitors.
But this summer, the roles were reversed : I was a traveler in the USA...and it was a LOT of fun!
Cultural differences between France & the USA for travelers
My husband Guillaume, our two teenage daughters Jeanne & Pauline and I (Emilie) spent the entire month of August traveling across the United States from New York to the Montana via Washington DC, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Beach, Kentucky, Chicago, South Dakota.
It wasn't my first American experience: I actually lived in Miami about 20 years ago – but traveling around the US as a French family gave me the chance to look at both countries with fresh eyes. And I realized that traveling between France and the United States is sometimes like stepping into a parallel universe.
Everything is familiar enough to make sense… but different enough to make you smile.
So, with plenty of affection for both countries, here are seven differences between France and the USA that struck me as a French traveler in America – and that may explain a few things American tourists experience when traveling in France.
1. Public restrooms in France vs the USA...
... America wins this one
Let's start with the glamorous subject: public restrooms. Dear Americans, you don't know how lucky you are. After a month traveling around the United States, I became accustomed to something rather wonderful: finding clean public restrooms almost everywhere.
You walk in. There is toilet paper and soap!
Sometimes the restroom is so clean that, as a French person, you wonder whether you have accidentally wandered into somebody's private bathroom.
Then you fly home to France. You land at the airport, visit the restroom and think: "Ah yes. I'm definitely back."
Let's just say that public restrooms are not always one of France's greatest contributions to civilization.
Of course, I am exaggerating for effect. There are plenty of perfectly clean restrooms in France. But compared with the USA, public toilets can be harder to find, and their condition can be more unpredictable.
This is actually one of those small cultural differences that American tourists in France may notice immediately…be ready 😉
2. Veterans in American & French daily lifes
Throughout our trip, we saw American military veterans being recognized in ways that are simply much more visible than in France. At sporting events, on television, in public places, through flags, announcements and ceremonies.
There is a very public culture of saying: We see what you did, and we thank you for it.
France honors its veterans too. We have important national commemorations, particularly on November 11, marking the Armistice of World War I, and May 8, commemorating the end of World War II in Europe.
You will also see war memorials in towns and villages all over France. In fact, when driving through the French countryside, it is difficult to find a village without its monument aux morts.
But the difference is in everyday visibility. French veterans – anciens combattants in French – are much less present in ordinary public life than veterans are in the United States.
I was particularly struck by this when we flew from Dallas to New York. A World War II veteran was sitting in the first row of the plane, and before takeoff, the captain made a special announcement to recognize him. The whole plane applauded. It was a simple moment, but a very moving one – and something I could hardly imagine happening on a domestic flight in France.
In America, this public recognition felt completely natural. And as a French visitor, I found that both striking and touching.
3. American museums have a secret weapon
We visited quite a few museums and historic sites during our trip such as Jefferson’s House in Monticello, Colonial Williamsbug, the MoMA in NY, the Congress Library, the Mexican Art Museum in Chicago… and I noticed something I absolutely loved : Often retired, incredibly enthusiastic volunteers.
They stand in a gallery, near an exhibit or at an entrance, and they are there simply to help. For a visitor, it is wonderful. We met with Mary at the Library of Congress who explained to us about the Thomas Jefferson’s collection: it was very interesting!
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France Just For You - Emilie Thyebaut
Visiting museums in France is a different experience
We don't really have the same volunteer culture in French museums. Of course, French museums have guides, museum attendants and other staff members, (not enough security, especially at the Louvre…), and many offer excellent guided tours and audioguides. But that spontaneous interaction with knowledgeable volunteers is not available in my home country.
For this reason, we often plan for our travelers to have a private guide for the museums they are much interested in.
4. Customer service in France vs the USA
Two very different styles
American customer service is famously friendly. After 3 years living in Miami between 2006 and 2009, I had become quite accustomed to cheerful greetings, big smiles and enthusiastic variations of: “My pleasure!” “You guys have an AMAZING day!”
Then you return to France : “Bonjour”
There is nothing wrong with the French bonjour. But nobody is going to add three exclamation marks to it. For American travelers visiting France for the first time, this difference can sometimes be misinterpreted.
2 Quick side notes here…
- we had horrible interactions with car renters in the US and experienced several times awful customer services with very very long waits…this part seems to have changed in the past 20 years.
- Tipping: when I used to live in Miami, the suggested tips in restaurants used to be 10% (not happy) - 15% (ok) - 20% (very happy) …today, in most restaurants it was 20-25-30% !
French customer service is generally more reserved than American customer service. Reserved does not necessarily mean unfriendly or rude.
French social interactions tend to start more formally. Saying bonjour when you enter a shop, bakery, restaurant or other small establishment is particularly important. Once the initial formality disappears, conversations can become warm, funny and very personal.
The American and French tipping systems may also contribute to different styles of service.
French service can be more reserved – but when your waiter starts joking with you, recommends his favorite wine, or tells you where his grandmother buys her goat cheese, you know there isn't a 20-30% tip riding on the conversation.
Neither approach is better, but crossing the Atlantic definitely requires recalibrating your smile-meter.
5. Restaurants in France vs the USA
France may surprise you on value
I remembered eating out in the United States being quite inexpensive compared with France. In Miami, 20 years ago, I could afford to go out several times a week (ok…I had no family at that time neither…)
During our trip this summer, restaurant prices regularly surprised us and that's where eating out in France has become surprisingly competitive.
A good French bistrot or local restaurant can offer excellent value for money, particularly at lunchtime, when fixed-price menus – formules or menus du jour – are common.
And there is one important difference American visitors should understand when comparing restaurant prices in France and the USA:
In France, the price displayed on a restaurant menu includes taxes and service. Tipping is optional.
So if your lunch menu says €29, your bill can actually be €29. Yes, really.
You are welcome to leave a few euros if you particularly enjoyed the service, but you don't need to calculate 18%, 20%, 22%… while wondering whether somebody will chase you down the street if you get it wrong.After a month in America, this suddenly felt like one of France's great luxuries.
6. Traveling by train in France vs the USA
The TGV changes distances
There are many things America does on a scale France simply cannot compete with: your highways, national parks, your enormous distances, your huge parking spaces. Seriously. French people could live in some of them.
But when it comes to high-speed trains, France gets to show off a little. The TGV – France's high-speed train network – makes it possible to travel between major French cities remarkably quickly when not on strike.
Paris to Bordeaux, for example, can take just over two hours by direct high-speed TGV train.
For American visitors accustomed to much greater distances, this can completely change their perception of a map of France.And it leads to an important piece of France travel planning advice:
Distances that look significant on a map of France may be surprisingly short by high-speed train.
That doesn't mean the train is always the best way to explore France. In fact, once you leave the major cities, having a rental car gives you access to the villages, vineyards, markets, countryside and small roads that make France so special.
This is why combining a TGV journey with a self-drive itinerary can work so well. You can travel quickly between major regions, then slow down once you arrive.
The US rail experience is very different, although things are changing: one day, I would love to board a high-speed train in San Francisco and get off in Los Angeles. And when I do, I promise not to say, “In France, we've had these for years.”
Well…I'll try…I’m still an arrogant French person!
7. What America Has
...That France doesn’t – and vice versa
And finally, there are the things neither country can copy.
During our American trip, we experienced landscapes and environments that simply don't exist in France in quite the same way.
- Huge open spaces
- Endless roads
- Cowboy country
- Skyscrapers
That extraordinary American feeling that the horizon just keeps going. France cannot compete with that. Fortunately, we don't need to.
Because what we have instead are tiny historic villages where houses have been standing for hundreds of years.
- Stone farmhouses covered in climbing roses.
- Market squares.
- Medieval streets.
- Family-owned wineries.
- Castles appearing around a bend in the road.
- Bakers who know exactly how their bread should sound when you tap the crust.
- And chefs who can spend an alarming amount of time discussing the correct way to cook an asparagus.
What American travelers should know
Before visiting France
Spending a month in America reminded me of something I sometimes forget after years of designing trips in France.
- The little cultural differences are part of the fun : Travel isn't about deciding whether France or the USA does things “better.”
- Sometimes America win, Sometimes France wins…Sometimes you are simply standing in a French public restroom desperately wishing America had won this particular round.
- But traveling makes us notice things we no longer see at home.
- As a Frenchwoman traveling through America, I suddenly noticed the friendliness of a museum volunteer, the public recognition of veterans, the size of a parking space and the reassuring certainty that the restroom would contain soap.
- And coming home made me notice France again too : Our high-speed trains. Our restaurants. Our historic villages. Our stone houses. Our food. And the extraordinary amount of history packed into a relatively small country.
So if you're American and planning your first trip to France, don't come expecting a European version of home.
- Say bonjour when you enter a shop.
- Don't panic when your waiter doesn't introduce himself by name.
- Enjoy paying the price printed on the restaurant menu.
- Take the TGV at least once if it makes sense for your itinerary.
- Keep some tissues in your bag.
- Don't try to cover too much ground : France rewards travelers who slow down.
At France Just For You, this is exactly how we like our travelers to experience the country: independently, at their own pace, with enough time to explore the villages, countryside and local places that don't always make it onto a first-time visitor's checklist.
Because ultimately, the differences between France and America aren't inconveniences to overcome. They are part of the experience.
Very often cultural differences become the stories we remember best when we get home.
FAQ about travel differences France vs the US
Should Americans tip in French Restaurants?
This is one of the questions American travelers ask us frequently.
You can absolutely leave a tip in France when you have received particularly good service, and it will be appreciated. But French tipping culture is not the same as American tipping culture.
There is no need to automatically add an American-style percentage to every restaurant bill. A few euros, or rounding up the bill when you are particularly happy with the experience, is perfectly natural.
Is it better to travel around France by train or by car?
It depends on the itinerary. High-speed TGV trains are excellent for traveling quickly when there is more than 4-5 hours drive. While a rental car gives travelers much more freedom to explore villages, vineyards, markets and the French countryside. You won't see the "real France" on a train.
Is customer service different in France and the USA?
Yes. Customer service in France is generally more reserved and formal than in the United States, but this should not automatically be interpreted as unfriendly. Saying bonjour when entering a shop, bakery or restaurant is an important part of French etiquette.
What surprises American tourists most when visiting France?
American travelers are often surprised by France’s more reserved customer service, different tipping culture, smaller distances and slower approach to meals and travel. They may also notice how much history, countryside and local culture can be experienced within relatively short distances.
What should Americans know before traveling to France for the first time?
American travelers should expect France to work a little differently from home: say bonjour when entering small businesses, understand that tipping is optional, allow time for meals, and avoid trying to cover too much territory. France is particularly rewarding when travelers slow down and explore beyond the major cities.
