Just as for aerobatics, I guess that the percentage varies widely between countries and clubs/aerodromes. In my local club barely 2% regularly leave the Scottish FIR, but roughly a third do aeros of some sort (with or without the EASA rating) in a Pitts, a Bulldog, an RV4, a Citabria and (soon, inshallah) a CAP10.
At a border aerodrome like Annemasse or Enniskillen I would expect those percentages to be reversed.
As for VFR in France, as long as you avoid power stations and check the AZBA/RTBA timetables, there’s nothing to grumble about.
I have been entering logbooks in an electronic form and was struck by how rapidly after getting my US. PPL I started doing international flights in Europe—within a few hours of flight time. There were 2 key components: access to 1-2 week rentals without daily minimums and CFIs who “showed me the ropes.” After a couple extra hours of dual, I was off on my own, quite quickly doing Germany to Italy (via Rhone valley). I periodically returned to CFIs for additional training (like when I decided I wanted to transit the Alps). You have to “just do it” + you need a mentor + you have to be able to afford it.
Certainly not the Swiss VFR Manual (as it is called), it costs CHF and comes on paper or CDROM (but not online, Skyguide says FOCA objects…)
It’s now included electronically in SkyDemon, though (if you pay the extra subscription, that is).
Yes…, Germany and Switzerland (with their “VFR AIPs”) are the exceptions. 
All the other ones are on the famous EAD database and on the various national websites.
Rhino, PM sent…
Plus the AIPs are free
Where exactly? You can get the IFR stuff from Eurocontrol, but the VFR part?
Certainly not the Swiss VFR Manual (as it is called), it costs CHF and comes on paper or CDROM (but not online, Skyguide says FOCA objects…)
Maybe, since teach for an FTO that does IFR stuff, etc. as well. I was referring to typical PPL schools.
What Jeppesen does is “summarize” the information from the AIPs. It is however my experience that they tend to omit a lot of relevant stuff. The above french thing is an example. Won’t find it in the Jeppesen. Plus the AIPs are free, whereas the Jeppesen costs €€€.
No, there is an AIP VFR!
That sits on the bookshelf next to the AIP IFR. But honestly, I have never really looked into it, or into an actual AIP of any other country. When I was flying privately, I either had a “Fliegertaschenkalender” (a miniature pocket version of the AIP, but for Germany only) or a “Bootlang Airfield Manual” (now run by Jeppesen under a different name) that contains all the relevant information for most European countries.
No, there is an AIP VFR! 
And most people never get to see much of it beyond the famous Sichtanflugkarten.
And then the problems start once somebody starts flying in other countries and notices that there is no such thing as an AIP VFR. And no Sichtanflugkarten for most uncontrolled aerodromes!! Huhhhhh!
BTW: where I got my german PPL (a few years ago…) there were no theory classes at all…
PPL training doesn’t even mention that, sadly…
Where did you get your training from? In every flying school that I was involved with (both as student and instructor), there is an AIP in every class room. Its contents are discussed both in the radiotelephony course and in air law. I even remember the aide-memoire regarding it’s structure from 25 years ago: ”General Aga kommt mit Raketen und Fallschirmen"
