The traditional evening meal in France is considered a family affair – around a table, lots of chatter, more good food, and an all-round convivial experience that rolls along merrily for an hour or so. They usually run from roughly 7.30pm until 8.45pm.
Generally dinner in France is later than it might be in the UK or US and is eaten between 7.30 and 8.45 pm – French TV schedules key programmes to commence after dinner at 8.45 as it's considered bad etiquette in France to watch TV while eating dinner.
Lunch is usually between midday and 2 pm, when the kitchen will go off duty. Watch out, as during these times, service can be rather slow if you find yourself in a business area. Parisians don't dine until at least 8.30 pm as prior to that, time is set aside for “l'apéritif”.
In Paris, there are two distinct service times: Lunch is typically from around 12 until 2:30, and dinner around 7:30-11 p.m. If you are hungry in between, you can always step into a patisserie or boulangerie.
At your usual suspects, such as UK, dinner (often a blurry line with the evening tea and supper) is served between 6.30-8pm. After that, you can hit the pub for pint and some snacks. The French eat their gourmet grub a little later, between 8-9pm, as do places like Belgium, France, Austria, Vienna, among others.
Dinner is usually served from 6 pm to 9.30 pm. Many restaurants and pubs, especially in the cities, also offer continuous (11 am-10 pm) hot dishes.
“French people eat late because most standard job hours are 9 or 10 to 6, instead of 9 to 5 like in the States,” Alysa explains. “So, by the time everyone gets home, gets settled, and a meal is prepared, it's about 8 pm.”
The Typical Italian Dinner
Italian dinner or la cena, usually from 8:00 to 10:00pm, is another time that Italians enjoy sitting down together and socializing. Dinner can be much later than 10:00pm, especially if eating out or dining at a friend's house.
Distribution of bedtime during the week among French 2019
It displays that 33 percent of respondents declared going to bed between 11 pm and 12 pm on weekdays.
Expect to eat dinner a little later
Unlike in some European countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, where people tend to enjoy an early evening meal at around 18:00, the French prefer to wait until later to eat their dinner. In fact, they typically don't sit at the dining table until around 20:00 or even later.
Fixed meal times and no snacks
The French have always stuck to three meals a day and generally don't do food outside these set meals.
This is because dinner in Norway, and other Nordic countries, is served between 4pm and 5pm. Several factors contribute to this. The first is that people finish work earlier, so they head home and prepare dinner so they can have the rest of the evening to themselves.
Tipping in French restaurants and cafés is not expected
This is indicated on the menu or the bill with the phrase “service compris.” Nevertheless, if you have a friendly or efficient waiter, you can leave a small gratuity (un pourboire), but this is by no means required.
Le Goûter is an old French tradition that comes from the French verb 'Goûter', which means 'to taste'. As you may know French people traditionally have their lunch between noon and 1pm and eat dinner around 8pm. So "Le Goûter" happens between these two meals, around 4pm.
In France, lunch is typically the main meal of the day, and French people spend more time enjoying lunch than most people in other countries.
A typical French breakfast is light, sweet, and fairly simple. It's usually made up of breakfast cereals, a tartine (slice of bread with topping) and a drink (tea, coffee, orange juice). It's usually eaten between 6 AM and 8 AM.
If you arrive late, it is considered rude and the host may be offended. While that is the custom in America, it is not the custom around the world. In fact, in France, arriving on time to a dinner party is considered rude. The proper etiquette is to actually arrive around 15 minutes late to the party.
They found that French people spend close to nine hours sleeping each night, which was slightly higher than the hours Americans were found to sleep. The question is whether you really need nine hours of sleep every night. This is a personal.
The Average Daily Life in France
A typical workday begins at 9:00 a.m. However, lunchbreak in France can last up to two hours. So, a lot of French businesses will be closed between 12:30 and 2:00 pm. However, this means that French people are generally done with work later too. A usual day would finish around 6 pm.
Dinner: 9–11 p.m.
Cena, or dinner, is usually much lighter than it would be in many other countries. If eaten at home, a Spanish dinner often consists of a salad; a plate of cured ham, sausages or aged cheese; or even just a yogurt and a piece of fruit. Restaurant and bar dinners are another story.
Lunch - between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m. Dinner (sometimes called Supper) - The main meal. Eaten anytime between 6:30 and 8:00 p.m. (Evening meal)
What time is dinner in Greece? In a country that never sleeps, no time is "too late" for dinner. You will find most eateries open until past 12 at midnight. Regardless, traditionally, dinner in Greek homes is served at around 8-9 pm.
Despite her qualms with a.m. pastries, Largeman-Roth says the French way of eating actually is healthy. When you're consuming smaller portions, not snacking, and avoiding processed foods, it balances out those rich, high-quality desserts and moderate amounts of wine.
One unconventional and little-known secret of the French is that they take longer to eat their meals. Eating slower not only helps signal your hunger cues, which in turn helps you feel full faster, but also helps you be more mindful and appreciative of the food.