I've been to France a few times, and it has been tremendous every time. They are very aviation friendly and speak good English at larger airports and in ATC. Every town you visit is special either for the food the wine or the views. I would recommend bringing a crib sheet of some french terms if you want fly into the smallest airfields, this should cover the basics of downwind, backtracking etc. if you are not familiar with French it is best to have a two man crew one to communicate in the best "Franglais" and one to fly the plane. I have always been given the biggest of welcomes no matter where I have gone in these smaller strips, once I did the courteous thing of calling for PPR as normal.