5 Weird and Cool Facts About France That Will Surprise Most Teenagers
Published May 10, 2025
Forget the boring tourist stuff your parents might drag you to see. France has a cooler side that most visitors completely miss. Here are five things about France that even the most unimpressed teenager might find pretty interesting.
1. France Is Tourist Central (But You Can Escape the Crowds)
France gets more international visitors than any other country on Earth – around 90 million people annually. That's like the entire population of Germany deciding to vacation in one country! While tourists swarm the obvious spots, there are plenty of places where you'll have amazing views, delicious food, and authentic experiences without the crowds.
2. In Some Paris Parks, Sheep Do the Lawn Mowing
Instead of using noisy lawnmowers, some parks in and around Paris use real sheep to graze the grass. It’s called éco-pâturage (eco-grazing), and it’s better for the environment, quieter, and honestly kind of fun to watch. The sheep aren’t pets and you can’t take them home, but you might see them happily munching away near a pond or behind a little fence.
3. France Has More Dramatic Geography Than You'd Expect
Most people picture France as just wine country and cute villages, but it's home to Western Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc, towering at 15,774 feet on the border with Italy. France actually contains pieces of four completely different mountain ranges (the Alps, Pyrenees, Massif Central, and Vosges), has both Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines, and even includes tropical islands around the world. The country's landscape is so varied that you can ski in the morning and swim in the Mediterranean that same afternoon in late spring.
4. French Teens Have Their Own Secret Language
French teenagers speak a slang called Verlan, where they flip words around to create new ones. The name itself is an example – "Verlan" is the reverse of "l'envers" (meaning "backward"). So "femme" (woman) becomes "meuf," "bizarre" becomes "zarbi," and "merci" becomes "cimer." The slang evolved in the suburbs as a way for kids to talk without adults understanding them. It's constantly changing too. Once parents figure out certain words, teens create new ones!
5. The World's Oldest Person Ate Two Pounds of Chocolate Weekly
Jeanne Calment from Arles, France, lived to be 122 years and 164 days old – the longest confirmed human lifespan ever. Her secret? She claimed it was olive oil (which she put on her skin and food), regular port wine, and about two pounds of chocolate every week! She was born in 1875, met Vincent van Gogh when she was 13 (she said he was "ugly and smelled bad"), and didn't even quit smoking until she was 117. When reporters asked about her future on her 120th birthday, she replied, "I see a very short one."
France isn't just old buildings and fancy restaurants. It's a country where underground music scenes thrive, extreme sports were born, and cultural movements start. Look beyond the tourist traps, and you might find it's way more interesting than you expected.