From the French culture of wine (and Dry January) to Paris museums and everything that changes in 20206, this week’s La Belle Vie newsletter offers an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking, and living like a local.
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Hello readers. To drink or not to drink? That is the question the month of January definitely brings up.
And some are definitely tackling the challenge. One of my good friends has been sticking to the no-drinking rule for the entire month (so far) – and I’m impressed.
I believe he is, as the French would say, a bon-vivant. A person who likes to indulge in the simple pleasures of life. And in French culture it’s always hard to turn down a good glass of wine with a nice meal. Now that we’re reaching mid-January, he’s been telling me that he’s feeling great: sleeping better, more energy, less bloating – and of course no hangovers.
It all sounds quite appealing but living in Paris, where new cocktail and wine bars are popping up by the minute, it’s hard to not want to test them all.
‘It’s not French culture to not have wine’: Does France do ‘Le Dry January’?
Having said that, many French people are cutting back on drinking in general.
There is definitely a rise of non alcoholic drinks on the market. The upcoming Wine Paris salon happening in February will put forward non alcoholic wines and spirits and the organisers even said they expected increased attendance as a result.
ANALYSIS: Why the French are drinking less and less wine
I must admit I do enjoy drinking some wine (in reasonable amount of course). The first time I actually got a little drunk was when my father invited me to his friend’s wine tasting in a fancy Parisian apartment. I was 18, in my final year of high school and certainly ready to explore drinking.
As he was busy mingling, I was tasting all the wines, and surely not spitting in the buckets lined up on the table. I learned the hard way that you’re apparently not meant to drink the whole glass and simply enjoy a small sip (the whole point of wine tasting).
Should you spit or swallow at a French wine-tasting?
Besides the wine bars, another thing I love about Paris are the museums.
We have amazing exhibitions coming this year which include a retrospective of British photographer Martin Parr at the Jeu de Paume museum, Henri-Cartier Bresson’s photos of Europe at the Fondation Henri-Cartier Bresson, and Henri Rousseau’s paintings at the Orangerie museum (to name just a few).
But things are going to be changing for tourists visiting certain museums in France as the country unveiled a new price structure for a few places including the Louvre and Versailles, that charges higher prices to non-EU visitors. The government has justified the price increase as a way to raise €20–30 million a year, at a time when it is under pressure to bring in more revenue and cut spending.
Some of these places have confirmed to us that non-EU citizens who are resident in France or another EU country can benefit from the EU price, once they have presented their “justificatif”, such as a carte de séjour.
But it’s created a lot of controversy. Some definitely don’t agree with the price hike and believe it’s unethical. I’d love to hear your views in our survey on this topic.
Explained: France’s new museum prices for tourists and residents
January is always a time for change – in Paris, there are a lot of shifts regarding prices and Metro lines being put on pause for construction purposes.
It’s important to always keep an eye on what’s going on in the capital in order for it to not affect your daily commute.
Paris transport: Everything that changes in 2026
As a consumer in France you should be careful about different loyalty programmes that may be coming to an end.
When you subscribe to a loyalty programme and earn points, you need to make sure they don’t disappear if you’re not using them before their expiry dates.
Certain supermarkets are warning their clients about their accumulated points and when to benefit from them.
Expiry dates approaching for many French supermarket loyalty schemes
All of these changes are definitely making my head spin and this weekend might just be the perfect time for a glass of wine … or a non-alcoholic one for those doing dry January!
Dining and Cooking