The famous Musée d'Orsay in Paris has had to drop its ban on visitors taking photos of its artworks after the country's own Culture Minister openly flouted the restriction.
The famous Château de Monte-Cristo, once home to famed novelist Alexandre Dumas, author of the Three Musketeers, has fallen into a state of disrepair. Almost €1 million is needed to save the historic building, its director tells The Local.
Paris and London are joining hands in solidarity, launching a new cross-country cultural exhibition that will see David Bowie, London's Philharmonic Orchestra, and much more on show in Paris. We take a closer look at what Parisians can expect.
France's culture minister sparked controversy this week when she admitted she'd never read a single book by the French author who just won the Nobel Prize for literature. In fact, she says she hasn't read a book in two years.
What passes for normal behaviour and customs among Anglos can look pretty alien to the French at times. Here’s our list of the things the French find weird about us. What else would you add?
What may seem like normal behaviour in your home country doesn't always apply to French culture. Whether you’re at the supermarket checkout or the raising your glass at a dinner party, here are ten common customs to watch out for in France.
France's prolific summer festival season threatens to grind to halt this year as disgruntled performers and technicians strike over a controversial welfare agreement.
A Briton was formally admitted on Thursday into the Académie France's top body charged with preserving the purity of the Gallic tongue. Sir Michael Edwards' election to the Académie was jokingly described by a fellow immortal as "an earthquake, a revolution".
The greeting of kissing twice on the cheek is synonymous with French culture but not everyone in France likes the ritual. A movement in Brittany has launched a campaign to defend their custom of giving just one peck on the cheek, which they say is under threat from the Gallic double kiss.
The film may be 37 years old but the force continues to be with Star Wars as a new Paris exhibition looks set to break records for visitor numbers after a storming opening weekend.
The famous guardians of the French language, the Académie Française, elected its first ever Canadian to join its "immortals" on Thursday. It follows the nomination of a British academic earlier this year. A French teen was also in the running, but missed out.
People move to France for all sorts of reasons – whether it’s for love, a university course, a job, or even a ski slope. Give it a few months and you’ll start to display symptoms of having joined one expat tribe or another. But which one do you belong to?
In what has been described as a “very rare” event, a 15-year-old boy is in the running for a seat at the prestigious Académie Française. On Thursday the institution is set to decide on who will fill the coveted place among France's fabled "Immortals."
France's culture minister controversially snubbed Google on Tuesday, cancelling, at the last minute, her attendance at the launch of the US internet giant's cultural hub in Paris, citing concerns over data protection and other issues.
Paris night-owls sick of early closing times, pricey pints, and a lacklustre atmosphere can finally do something about it as the capital holds its first (unofficial) election for Mayor of Nightlife on Saturday, with similar ballots in Toulouse and Nantes.
Just how French are you? Some may be proud of it, some not so much, but any seasoned expat is likely to have picked up a truly Gallic trait or two. With some help from our readers, we've compiled a list of 10 tell-tale signs you’ve gone native.
Iconic French comic book hero Asterix made his long-awaited return on Thursday with "Asterix and the Picts", the first new volume in eight years. The 35th installment of the series started in 1959 takes Asterix and Obelix on an adventure in ancient Scotland, of all places.
The famous Musée d'Orsay in Paris has been accused of damaging a Venetian palace after installing air-conditioning to protect paintings on display in a rare exhibition by French painter Manet, which closed on Sunday. One politician has filed a complaint with police.
Looking for a good book about France to read this summer? Look no further. The Local has asked authors who have written best-selling books about France and staff from Anglo bookshops in the country to name their favourite reads. See below if you agree with their choices.
He is one of France's best-loved filmstars, but for more than a decade has been plagued by drug addiction, alcohol abuse, and a proclivity for serious violence. Meet Samy Naceri, the French actor who makes Charlie Sheen look like a choirboy.
EU ministers were trying Friday to convince France its prized "cultural exception" could be safely included in
talks on the world's biggest free trade deal with the United States but Paris still refused to budge.
Imagine the scene – you roll up in your Cadillac convertible, and slurp on a milkshake as the credits start. This is not 1950s America, but a plan to transform Paris’ famous Grand Palais into a drive-in cinema, starting on Monday.
When it comes to fighting off the invasion of English words the French Resistance has had mixed fortunes over the years. Nevertheless the fight goes on. With the help of the Ministry of Culture here's a list of the latest English terms that French authorities want deported.
A teenager was shot 23 times in the latest fatal shooting in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille, police reported on Friday. The 17-year-old was killed as he drove his car in the north of the city.
Paris is changing, albeit slowly, but the new generation of Parisians still have their own customs, cultures and way of life that are slightly different to anywhere else. Here are The Local's top tips for how we foreigners can blend in.
