6 essential articles for life in France

The complicated process of registering with the unemployment office in France doesn’t help with stress levels after losing your job, and in fact may trigger a whole lot more stress – so, to make things more straightforward, here’s our guide to opening doors at France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi).

Guide: How to register with France Travail if you lose your job

Linked to the above, losing your job might convince you to strike out on your own.

France’s micro-entrepreneur status (formerly known as auto-entrepreneur) is for people starting out a business in a small way or operating as a freelancer — setting it up can be quite complicated, and involves some technical vocabulary.

Micro-entrepreneurs: Vocab guide for being self-employed in France

At the start of 2026 France unveiled a new price structure for its national museums, including the Louvre and Versailles, that charges higher prices to non-EU visitors. Here’s how the new pricing structure works.

Explained: France’s new museum prices for tourists and residents

The government has also set 2026 prices that breakdown services can charge motorists whose vehicles break down on motorways.

What you’ll pay to be towed if your car breaks down on a French motorway

Car, parce que, puisque. En raison de, and étant donné que. Vu que, and comme. French has many ways to say “because”, and the right choice depends on register, grammar and nuance. Here’s our guide leading you through the confusion of it all. Because it’s important…

French grammar tips: all the ways to say ‘because’

Don’t say we don’t cover the important news in France.

For those of us who aren’t professional sommeliers, wine tastings (dégustation) will generally be low-key events at a bar or wine cave, or hosted at the end of a vineyard tour. At most tasting events there will be an ice bucket or similar container in the middle of the table, but are you obliged to use it?

Should you spit or swallow at a French wine-tasting?