Guinguette: the French summer tradition you didn’t know you needed 🇫🇷☀️

Before moving to France, I had no idea how much I loved guinguettes.

Now?

Every summer, I can’t wait for them to reopen.

Because a guinguette isn’t really a restaurant.

It’s not quite a bar either.

It’s more like…

A little piece of French summer.

So… what exactly is a guinguette?

Imagine long wooden tables.

Fairy lights hanging in the trees.

Music playing in the background.

People laughing.

Children running barefoot through the grass.

Someone dancing.

Nobody checking the time.

That’s a guinguette.

You’ll usually find one au bord d’une rivière (by a river), près d’un lac (near a lake), in a park, on a farm or hidden somewhere in the countryside.

Some only exist during the summer.

Others come back every year and locals count the days until they reopen.

They’re simple.

Relaxed.

Friendly.

And that’s exactly why people love them.

My favourite guinguette

Last summer, not long after we moved here, someone said,

« You HAVE to try this guinguette. »

So we went.

It’s hidden beside a fishing lake.

Honestly?

If nobody told you it was there, you’d probably drive straight past it.

There’s a huge buffet filled with homemade starters and local desserts.

Outside, enormous braseros glow all evening while everyone grills their own meat.

Children disappear into a giant field to play football together.

Parents chat over a glass of wine.

A live band starts playing.

Someone gets up to dance.

Then another person joins.

And before you know it…

Half the guinguette is dancing.

Nobody cares if you know the steps.

Everyone is simply having a good time.

That’s what I love most.

The best place to practise your French (without realising it)

Here’s my little secret.

A guinguette isn’t just somewhere to eat.

It’s one of the easiest places to start speaking French.

Not because you’ll have long conversations.

Because you’ll have lots of small ones.

You might say:

Bonjour ! — Hello!

Une table pour deux, s’il vous plaît. — A table for two, please.

Je voudrais une limonade. — I’d like a lemonade.

Merci !

Bonne soirée ! — Have a lovely evening!

Tiny conversations.

Real conversations.

Exactly the kind that slowly build your confidence.

French words you’ll hear

Here are a few words worth recognising before you go:

🥖 une planche à partager — sharing platter

🥩 le brasero — outdoor grill

🍷 prendre un verre – to grab a drink

🍺 une bière pression — draft beer

🎶 un groupe (de musique) — a band

🌅 profiter de la soirée — to enjoy the evening

🚶‍♀️ faire un tour — to go for a look around

✨ l’ambiance — the atmosphere

💃 On danse ? — Shall we dance?

Your Women Speak French challenge 🇫🇷

This week, I have a mission for you.

📍 Open Google Maps.

Type one word:

Guinguette.

Find the closest one.

Go.

Even if it’s just for an hour.

And while you’re there, challenge yourself to use at least three French expressions.

Maybe it’s just Bonjour.

Maybe it’s ordering your drink.

Maybe it’s saying Merci, bonne soirée.

It doesn’t matter.

Every little conversation is another brick in the life you’re building here.

Because becoming part of France doesn’t happen at home.

It happens outside.

One terrace. One smile.One guinguette.

One conversation at a time.

🍷 No guinguette this time…

…but we can still grab a coffee together. 😉

If you’ve got questions about France, your French, or simply want to meet someone who’s been helping rugby families settle in for the past two years…

I’d love to chat.

No sales pitch.

No awkward pressure.

Just a friendly 20-minute conversation.

Click here to book your free virtual coffee.

See you there. ❤️

FAUSTINE