Travel to France
Do you want to travel to France? You’ll find everything you need to know on this page before your trip to France.
As you can imagine, France is much more than Paris. You have many places to visit in the four cardinal points of the hexagon.
Keep reading and start traveling; you have the information separated by areas of France, for example, Paris, Alsace, Brittany, Dordogne, etc.
Plan Your Trips Easily
With the printable travel planner, you can organize your trips easily, without stress, and without forgetting anything.
How to Plan Your Trips to Paris
Paris is a fantastic and huge city that you have to visit at least once in your life. Here you will find a selection of our posts to plan your stay in the city of lights.
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How to Plan a Trip to Alsace
Alsace is one of the most picturesque regions of France, with towns and cities that seem to have come out of a fairy tale. The best thing is to visit it in your vehicle, to be able to reach all the little towns and enjoy freedom.
How to Plan a Trip to Dordogne
One of the best areas in France to travel by camper van or motorhome is the Dordogne – Perigord. Here you will find charming towns and castles, but there are also many outdoor activities to do, such as cycling, canoeing or kayaking, boating, and visiting prehistoric caves, and beautiful caverns.
How to Plan a Trip to Côte d’Azur (French Riviera)
The Côte d’Azur is one of the ideal places to visit in France. It has good weather practically all year round and very pleasant temperatures. Enjoy its crystal clear waters and charming towns.
How to Plan a Trip to Brittany
In the northwest of France, it’s Brittany, a perfect region to travel by car or RV and explore its cities, towns, and coast.
- Best Things To do in Nantes (it does not currently belong to Brittany)
- What to See in Guerande (it does not belong to Brittany at present)
- Visits Close to Nantes
- What to See in Clisson (where the last Duke of Brittany was born, but no longer belongs to Brittany)
How to Plan a Trip to Normandy
Experience the most recent history of Europe in Normandy or discover spectacular places such as Mont St-Michel and more charming villages on your trip to France.
- Rent a camper van or motorhome
- Renting a car
Nouvelle Aquitaine
France has incredible places to visit. Here are three posts from three places located in the southern half of the west coast of France, called the “Nouvelle Aquitaine” Region.
What do You Need to Know About France?
Before traveling to France, it is good that you have an overview of the country. This way, you will organize your trip comfortably and avoid any surprises.
Capital: Paris
Population: 66 million
Language: French
Time zone: UTC+1, UTC+2 in summer
Currency: Euro
Where to change currency: you can change the currency at the airport (not recommended) or at exchange houses or banks in the city center.
SIM card / Internet: you can buy a prepaid card to access the internet on your trips. In any shopping center or the city center, you will find the main telephone operators.
Visa:
- Citizens within the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein only need a valid National Identity Document or passport.
- The United Kingdom does not belong to the Schengen area, and they need a passport. In the case of being a minor and traveling with the DNI, it must be accompanied by parental permission.
- Coronavirus Information
International Travel Insurance: Not obligatory for members of the European Union. But it is mandatory for everyone who has to get a Schengen visa to travel to France.
Voltage and plugs: The voltage is 220V, Schuko type plugs (Type F) or Europlugs (Type C) are used. My recommendation is a universal plug adapter.
Safety: France in general is a safe country. You have to be careful with pickpockets in the center of big cities and public transport, especially in the subway. Also, use common sense to stay out of trouble.
Where to Stay in France
I leave you a recommendation to stay in the main cities of France at the best prices.
Paris
Marseille
Bordeaux
Nantes by car
Toulouse
Lyon
Basic vocabulary for traveling to France
Hello: Bonjour!
Good morning: Bonjour!
Good afternoon: Bonsoir!
Good night: Bonsoir!
Goodbye: Au revoir!
Thanks: Merci!
Please: S’il vous plâit!
I don’t speak French: Je ne parle pas français
I speak French: Je parle français
Excuse me, do you know how to get to the train station of… : Excusez-moi, est-ce que vous savez comment arriver à la gare …
Where is…? Où est …?
Could you get me a beer? please: Je voudrais une bière, s’il vous plâit.
How much is it? How much?: Combine ça coûte?
I don’t understand, could you please repeat: Je ne comprends pas, pourriez-vous répéter, s’il vous plaît.
PRICES: How much does it cost to travel to France?
Hotels: The price of average hotels in large cities is around €70 per night.
Meals: menu (formule midi) in a restaurant €15 on average.
Activities: The average price of the activities is around €10. Keep in mind that there are cards like the Paris Pass that help you save money on your trip to France.
There are also free activities such as free tours and on the first Sunday of the month, the entrance to the museums is free.
Campsites/areas for vans or AC: €10 average price with all services.
Parking a car: changes a lot depending on the city or town. You can find free places to park a car or a paid area. The hourly price is €2 average price. Except for Paris, which is more expensive.
In Paris, the price per hour changes depending on the area. In the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower, the 15 minutes are approximately €1.
How to Get Around France
Rental car: traveling to France by rental car is very easy. An excellent network of highways and roads connects the entire country. I recommend avoiding the toll highways because they are very expensive, but they are excellent. The speed limit on highways is 130 km/h.
Camper van/motorhome: the best way to travel across France (except Paris). France is a very friendly country and well prepared for trips in a camper van or motorhome. There are paid and free areas. The free ones usually do not include electricity, but they do have gray and black water emptying.
There are areas all over France; I recommend you use the Park4night app to search for the places that interest you the most.
Buses: It is one of the cheapest ways to get to know France. You can get practically anywhere in the country with the bus network.
Train: They have high-speed train and regular train, which connects the main cities and towns of the country. It is one of the most comfortable ways to travel around France. Of course, the price is higher, although cheaper than in other European countries.
Shared car: Bla Bla car or similar. Car sharing and apps like BlaBlacar are used a lot; you will see specific places for this.
Plane: The plane is your best ally for long distances when you have little time. There are low-cost companies that arrive at the main French airports.
All Our Articles About France
Here you have all our articles from France. You will see them in chronological order, from newest to oldest, and it is updated with each new entry from France that we publish.