Do France passport holders need a visa to visit GW?

Yes — French ordinary passport holders need a visa to enter Guinea-Bissau for tourism. France is not on Guinea-Bissau's short list of visa-exempt countries (which covers only 14 ECOWAS/West African states). Apply in advance at the Guinea-Bissau Embassy in Paris. A visa at Bissau airport is only an exceptional/emergency option and should not be relied upon. Guinea-Bissau (GW) maintains a restrictive visa policy: only nationals of 14 West African (ECOWAS-area) countries are visa-exempt for stays up to 90 days. France is not on that list, so French citizens must obtain a visa before travel. The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France Diplomatie) explicitly states that a visa is required and should be requested from the Guinea-Bissau Embassy in Paris. A visa on arrival at Bissau Osvaldo Vieira International Airport is technically possible but only in narrow circumstances — when the Immigration Department has been notified in advance, in an emergency, or where the traveller's country has no Guinea-Bissau diplomatic mission — none of which applies to ordinary French tourists, since Guinea-Bissau has an embassy in Paris. Guinea-Bissau does not operate a general public eVisa system, so the reliable route is an embassy visa. The visa permits stays of up to 90 days and is issued single- or multiple-entry. A yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory for entry. Given the official French government guidance, the safe and accurate verdict for a short tourist stay is visa-required.