Why Everyday Life In France Drastically Changes This November

France is known as a country that doesn’t change much and is caught up in lots of bureaucracy. Yet this month it’s all different, as the country undergoes some very important changes, making everyday life that bit simpler for everyone and adding up to a dramatic difference overall.

The postal service will be open on Sundays

You can almost set your clock to the postmen in France, where the postal service rarely changes and is prone to strikes. From November 19, packages will be delivered on Sundays in 14 major cities, plus Paris. It’s a pilot service, that is intended to be rolled out nationwide in 2018. This is a big change for a country where many of the major cities are all but closed on Sundays.

There are big changes to the postal system

People cannot be evicted until April

The truce is now in place until the Spring, meaning people cannot be evicted

French doctors can now charge you more

The French health service is renowned for being one of the best in the world, but it works differently to elsewhere. While healthcare is heavily subsidised, patients must pay when they visit the doctor (usually €23 or €26) and are later reimbursed. Starting November, doctors can now charge more (€45 or €60) for cases they consider more complicated and require further examination, like for example with anorexic or neurological cases.

Car registrations can be done online

It used to be that car registration for new owners was a very complicated procedure that involved going to the Prefecture and queuing up to get a carte gris. The Prefecture is part of everyday French administration and a bureaucratic place where procedures can seem a little opaque to residents and visitors alike. Now all car registrations will be done online. This is monumental for a country where most day-to-day transactions are still mostly done face-to-face or over the phone.

Civil partnerships must be declared at Town Hall, same as marriages

In France, if you don’t want to get married, you can have a civil partnership – which is like a marriage but with different legal ramifications. It’s called a PACS and it’s very common. They used to have to be signed for in a court, but now Town Hall deals with their administration, just like with marriages. It’s one more sign of streamlining French bureaucracy that might help everyday life.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.