After spending time in the US, I appreciate even more French strong coffee! Cups are small, but the flavor is rich! And I like the fact that you seldom have to walk more than a block to find a café in a French city.
Breakfast included
Another good thing about being a tourist in France is that breakfast is normally included in room rate. Of course, prices are adjusted accordingly, but it feels nice to be able to attack the breakfast buffet without considering how much extra it will cost me.
Cheese!
Speaking of breakfast, no French breakfast buffet without at least two to three different types of cheese: Not the child-friendly sliced cheese, but regional specialities of e.g. brie or goat cheese. One time, on a road trip in England, I stayed in a small hotel with a very nice restaurant. I couldn’t find any cheese at the breakfast buffet, so I ask a waiter if they might have a little bit of cheese. “Sure” replied the waiter, and brought me a big sandwich with grated cheddar! English and French culinary traditions clearly differ.
Spacious cities with grandeur
French cities have “grandeur” with broad tree-lined boulevards, avenues and grand places (squares) that leave room for cafés and street life. And cathedrals and castles amplify the character of French cities and arouse curiosity anyone interested in history.
Shopping: Diversity and quality
A Francophile friend once told me she buys all her clothes and personal care products in France, because she finds the variety greater and quality better than anywhere else. I think she has a point: Just go for a walk in Nice e.g. in the Jean-Medécin area, and you will find small shops with products unlike the established branded stores that dominate the street scape in most European city centers.
You get to practice French
This is true if you avoid major cities and the most popular vacation spots. In the countryside, you rarely find French people who speak English, and restaurant menus are in French only. Here your French language skills – no matter how basic – will come in handy.