Written from France
Guides start from life in France, not from a desk abroad. When a habit differs between Paris and the rest of the country, the guide tells you.
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About The Curious Voyager
The Curious Voyager is an independent guide written from France for American travelers. It answers the questions you ask before and during a trip: when people eat, why shops close at noon, how much to tip, which card a station kiosk will accept. Every guide is checked against official French and EU sources.
Who we are
The Curious Voyager is written and edited by a French local who lives in western France. For us, France is not a destination. It is everyday life, with its long lunches, its quiet Sundays and its unwritten rules.
We also have a deep affection for the United States, and that double loyalty is the reason this site exists. American visitors tend to hit the same walls: dinner that starts later than expected, a pharmacy that works differently from a drugstore, a US card that a ticket machine refuses. Each one looks small on paper and feels big on a jet-lagged first day. Our job is to remove those surprises before you board the plane.
This is an independent project. No tourism board, hotel group or brand owns the site, pays for coverage or reviews an article before it goes live. The method stays the same for every guide: find the exact question travelers ask, read the rule at its source, then answer it in plain English.
The Curious Voyager, written from France
How every guide is made
Travel advice has real consequences. A wrong ETIAS rule can cost you a flight, and a wrong pharmacy tip can cost you a day. Here is the process behind each guide.
Guides start from life in France, not from a desk abroad. When a habit differs between Paris and the rest of the country, the guide tells you.
Entry rules, health, money and transport are verified against official sources: Service-Public.fr, France-Visas, the EU's ETIAS portal, RATP and SNCF.
Each guide shows its last update. When a rule or a price changes, the guide gets revised and the date moves with it.
Found an error or an outdated detail? Write in. Confirmed mistakes are fixed and the correction is noted at the end of the article.
Where to start
Start with the cultural gaps that surprise most Americans, then move on to the practical side of the trip.
Meal times, and why a 6pm dinner reservation is so hard to find.
French cultureWhy stores close at midday and what changes in August.
MoneyWhat "service compris" means and when to leave a little extra.
MoneyChip, PIN, fees, and the machines that say no.
DocumentsWhat US citizens need before departure, and what changed this year.
Paris transportWhich line to take, and where each one actually stops.
Need the time difference before you call a hotel? Check the live France clock.
Open books
The Curious Voyager is free to read. It earns a commission when you buy through some links, mostly Amazon and ticket partners for museums and attractions. Your price stays the same.
A product earns a spot because it solves a real problem in France, like a plug adapter that fits a French outlet or a wallet built for euro coins. Commission size plays no part in the choice, and plenty of guides recommend nothing to buy at all, because the best answer is often free.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Full details in our terms of use and privacy policy.
Quick answers
An independent French editor based in western France, who writes, checks and updates every guide on the site. No brand or tourism board owns or sponsors it.
Yes. Guides are written in US English and start from the habits American travelers bring with them, from tipping to meal times to payment cards.
Rules on entry, health, money and transport are checked against official sources such as Service-Public.fr, France-Visas, the EU's ETIAS portal, RATP and SNCF. Each guide shows the date of its last update.
Yes. Some links pay the site a commission at no extra cost to you. The recommendation comes first; the commission never decides it.
Use the "Write to us" button at the bottom of this page. Every correction request gets read, and confirmed errors are fixed in the article.
Your next step
Read one guide tonight, and your first day in France will already feel easier.