Bizarre French laws that could trip up Paris Olympics tourists

These examples of French bureaucracy are “de rigueur” for the country that wrote the rulebook picked up by much of the world.

Paris 2024 Olympics

Olympics swimmers heading to the piscine this summer may need to check their togs or risk being caught out by one of the country’s notoriously tight laws.

Pool guidelines for Paris’ 11 arrondissement stipulate “tight trunks can only be used for swimming”. The reasoning behind this law, in place since 1903, states that long shorts or boardies and other beachwear risk introducing sand and other contaminants to the pool.

More recently, 30 French cities outlawed long, concealing bathing robes that covered the face. The law, dubbed the “burkini ban”, was upheld by the Conseil d’Etat in 2022, after a protest that it violated civil liberties of the majority Muslim wearers. From this year it will be illegal to smoke on any French beaches.

So much for egalite.

It's actually illegal to smoke on French beaches. Picture: Getty Images

These examples of French bureaucracy are “de rigueur” for the country that wrote the rulebook picked up by much of the world.

Since the introduction of the Code Napoleon 220 years ago, there have been some interesting rules and bylaws that seem purposely designed to bamboozle tourists.

It’s been claimed you cannot name a pig Napoleon in France.

Or such was George Orwell’s interpretation of the baffling legal requirements.

Here are five French rules that should be top of mind for anyone visiting France this summer.

It is illegal to transport your snail by train without a ticket

He better have a billet. Image: Getty

A Frenchman found out the hard way in 2008 after he and his pet snail were fined by national rail operator SNCF. A ticket conductor decided the passenger’ snail was fare dodging. The rail operator charged €7 ($11.61 at the present rate) for a pet ticket at the time.

The passenger was eventually refunded after the resulting media storm, but the rules still stand.

Animals under 6kg must be transported in a container, and larger pets must be muzzled throughout the journey. The cost of a “large” pet fare is set at 50 per cent of a second-class ticket.

You cannot take photos of the Eiffel Tower at night without permission

Image: Getty

It’s one of France’s most cliched holiday snaps. It is also illegal after dark.

This is not because there are too many of them, but because the picture is patented intellectual property.

While the tower’s image passed into public domain in 1993, 70 years after the death of architect Gustav Eiffel, the light display was switched on in only 1985.

The Societe d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel can stop professional photographers from profiting from the illuminations.

Though it is thought to be largely unenforceable, in theory, anyone taking pictures of the 20,000 twinkly lights between nightfall and 1am risks breaking French copyright law.

It is illegal to be naked in your hotel

Image: Getty

… or at least it is if you leave the curtains open.

You could be fined €15,000-30,000 ($24,879-$49,739) if you are found to be visible “au naturel” even in the confines of your hotel room or private residence.

Despite France’s reputation for a laissez-faire attitude towards nudity, there are some strict laws around when and where you can be sans clothes. The law is designed to avoid sexual exhibitionism and prevents people from being visibly naked in public, even if you are on private property. Be careful where you choose to get dressed.

Despite this, nudist beaches maintain popularity with some visitors. Although, according to thelocal.fr, under French law even visitors to a plage de nudistes can be charged with “disturbing the peace” if someone takes exception to their state of undress.

In France they take lunch seriously

Lunch is no laughing matter. Image: Getty

The croissant and “le dejeuner” are sacrosanct.

There are several laws to protect local cafes and employees’ rights to enjoy a pause for kai, but also for the establishments serving them.

Article R4228-19 of the French Labour Code prohibits employees from taking a working lunch at their desks. Designed to preserve the hour-long lunch break — a legal right in France — and to bolster custom in the nearby bistros and cafes.

However, there are also strict laws on when and how long particular eateries can open. Bakeries and boulangeries are demanded to close for 24 hours at least once a week, stock up on baguettes. In 2018, the Guardian reported an award-winning bakery in Lusigny-sur-Barse was fined €3000 for working too many hours in a week.

No wonder many will close at 4pm on the dot.

While there’s a lot to commend on protecting workers’ hours and keeping the 24-hours culture, arriving after hours at a hotel with nothing to eat is a travel nightmare. Plan accordingly.

No UFOs in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

The French town of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the Cotes de Rhone is better known for its Grenache wine than its bylaws.

However, a bizzare bit of legislature ended up on the books in 1954 during the “space craze” that claimed it was illegal to park a flying saucer in the town. The law was added as a publicity stunt to market the town to tourists, but the 70-year law has stuck. There are no records of infringements, but the decree still stands.

You can name a pig Napoleon, but not your child

Napoleon statue in Ajaccio, Corsica, France.

It’s been said you cannot name a pig after the “petit corporal” in France, but this has been dismissed as urban legend.

It stems from a claim by George Orwell after a translation of his book Animal Farm was rejected. Publishing laws demanded he rename the villain of the piece from Napoleon to Caesar. While much of this is open to interpretation, the republic still has strict laws on naming conventions.

Thanks to the Code Napoleon, until 1966 there was a list of approved first names that parents had to choose from for their children. While this has since been relaxed, all new names must be approved by judges in the “child’s best interest” to protect them from ridicule.

Previous names on the rejected-names list include Michael Jackson, Prince William and — yes — Napoleon Bonaparte.

This article originally appeared on the NZ Herald and has been republished with permission.

Originally published as Bizarre French laws that could trip up Paris Olympics tourists