I used to work in France. The 30 days is just the beginning. I ended up with 44 paid holidays per year towards the end of my contract. There are different types of paid leave and I got 9 days extra because one of my children has a disability.
However, the work culture in France is extremely toxic. You face a sort of social othering if you don't conform with the unspoken rules which are even harder to understand if French is not your first language. Punishments include being managed/bored out and being "put in the cupboard" where you're given a dead end role and basically left to rot until retirement. There's a history of work related suicide in France.
Even so, you are a lot more free than in other countries. I'm not complaining. Plus, unions still have actual powers there (although they're being eroded down)
Between my current job (unlimited PTO) and my last (30 days PTO) I've had 30+ for the last 10 years.
Last year I used 35+ days.
A lot of it goes to smaller things. 1 or 2 days here and there. Few days camping, turn a 3 day weekend in to a 4 day, etc... It really can change how you use your time.
Where I'm from a 36 hour work week is the norm. I work 4 × 9 hours and have every Wednesday off (plus I have like 9 weeks off every year). Some colleagues do work 40 hours a week and then save a day off every two weeks. A friend does this and he takes one fairly long holiday (like a month) and also a week or two off every two months or something.
And you can also take a sabbatical and be guaranteed of your job when you get back. A guy I know from another department took a year off to take a trip around the world with his girlfriend.