The Fascinating History Behind The French Flag

Known also as the French Tricolore and in French Le drapeau tricolore, the French flag is one of the most fascinating and iconic in European history. Here’s a quick insight into the story behind the French flag that is so familiar to us today.

The Tricolore’s origin is inextricably linked to the French Revolution (1789- 1799), but the flag of France has changed over the centuries, depending on who ruled the country. The early coat of arms of the French kings in the early 1200s was a blue crest decorated with gold lily flowers (fleurs-de-lis), and the standard of the Bourbon family, who ruled France until the French Revolution from the late 16th century, was a white backdrop with gold fleurs-de-lis.

During the Revolution, blue and red rosettes were worn by the militia, in keeping with the colours of the French coat of arms as well as the red and blue flag of Paris. At the end of July 1789 when the new national police force, the National Guard, was formed, its commander, Marie Joseph Yves Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, created a rosette of blue, white and red as their emblem. This is thought to be one of the first times the Tricolore was used to represent France.

A little fact to finish off with… The French flag’s stripes, today, are of equal width but the initial design had the following proportions: 30 (blue), 33 (white) and 37 (red).

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.