· 7 min read
French Phrases for Travel: 40 for Tourists
By Language Lab editorial team
40 French phrases for travel and tourists: greetings, the hotel, directions and tickets, shops and cafés, with meanings. Checked against the BBC's French lists.
A tourist in France can go a long way on a few French phrases. Begin with Bonjour and end with Merci and Au revoir. Excusez-moi gets someone's attention, and C'est où ? asks where something is; the answers are tout droit, straight ahead, à droite, on the right, and à gauche, on the left. Vous avez... ? asks whether a hotel or shop has something, Je voudrais... says what you would like, and C'est combien ? asks the price. For a train, ask for un aller simple, a single, or un aller-retour, a return. If you are stuck, Vous parlez anglais ? means do you speak English. The 40 phrases below come from the BBC's French Quick Fix lists.
First words
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello |
| s'il vous plaît | please |
| Merci | Thank you |
| oui | yes |
| non | no |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me |
| Vous parlez anglais ? | Do you speak English? |
| Comment ? | Pardon? |
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
At the hotel
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vous avez...? | Do you have...? |
| une chambre | a room |
| double | double |
| simple | single |
| la salle de bains | the bathroom |
| De... à... | From... to... |
| Pour... personnes | For... people |
| Votre nom ? | Your name? |
The frames De... à... and Pour... personnes are for your dates and the size of your party. Votre nom ? is the question you will be asked at the desk.
Directions and tickets
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| C'est où ? | Where is it? |
| C'est loin ? | Is it far? |
| ici | here |
| tout droit | straight ahead |
| par là | that way |
| à droite | to/on the right |
| à gauche | to/on the left |
| en face | opposite |
| un billet | a ticket |
| un aller simple | a single |
| un aller-retour | a return |
In the shops
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Il y a... ? | Is there... ? Are there... ? |
| près d'ici | near here |
| une boulangerie | a bakery |
| une pharmacie | a chemist's |
| Je voudrais... | I would like... |
| C'est combien ? | How much is it? |
| C'est tout | That's all |
Cafés and restaurants
| French | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Vous avez une table ? | Do you have a table? |
| un café | a coffee |
| une carafe d'eau | a jug of water |
| L'addition, s'il vous plaît | The bill, please |
| Où sont les toilettes, s'il vous plaît ? | Where's the toilet, please? |
Three short exchanges
These use only phrases from the tables above.
- In the street. You: Excusez-moi. Il y a une pharmacie près d'ici ? Excuse me. Is there a chemist's near here? Passer-by: Tout droit, à gauche. Straight ahead, on the left. You: C'est loin ? Is it far?
- At the station. You: Bonjour. Un aller-retour, s'il vous plaît. Hello. A return, please.
- At a café. You: Bonjour. Vous avez une table ? Hello. Do you have a table? Later: Je voudrais un café, s'il vous plaît. I would like a coffee, please. And at the end: L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
How to remember them
- Learn the frames first: Vous avez...?, Je voudrais..., Il y a... ? Each takes any noun.
- Say everything aloud. The BBC lists come with audio to copy.
- Cover the French column and produce each phrase from the English.
- Practise a little each day for a week. A 2013 review of learning research rated practice testing and distributed practice as high utility, and rereading as low.
- Train your ear with free material: TV5MONDE offers more than 2000 online exercises built on videos and news reports.
Language Lab's French course is built around voiced real-life scenarios with an AI tutor, so you can rehearse the hotel desk, the ticket window and the café before you travel.
Frequently asked
What are the most useful French phrases for tourists?
Bonjour, Merci and s'il vous plaît, then C'est où ? for where is it, Vous avez... ? for do you have, Je voudrais... for I would like, C'est combien ? for how much is it, and L'addition, s'il vous plaît for the bill.
How do I ask for directions in French?
Excusez-moi, then C'est où ? Listen for tout droit, straight ahead, à droite, on the right, à gauche, on the left, and en face, opposite. C'est loin ? asks whether it is far.
How do I ask if someone speaks English in French?
Vous parlez anglais ?
How do I buy a train ticket in French?
Un billet is a ticket. Ask for un aller simple, a single, or un aller-retour, a return, and add s'il vous plaît.
How do I ask for the bill in French?
L'addition, s'il vous plaît.
How do I ask where the toilets are in French?
Où sont les toilettes, s'il vous plaît ?
Sources: BBC Languages, French Quick Fix: basic, accommodation, food and drink, shopping, getting around and social phrases (archived pages); TV5MONDE, Apprendre le français; Dunlosky et al., Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2013. Checked on 13 October 2026. Photo: The Promenade des Anglais and the bay, Nice, Lspigon / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons).
