France
“The most visited country on earth, and most of it is not Paris.”
France takes around a hundred million visitors a year, more than any other country, and a striking share of them never leave the Île-de-France. That is the opportunity. The country packs Alps, Pyrenees, two coastlines, volcanic uplands and the largest surviving Roman monuments outside Italy into an area smaller than Texas, and the TGV network puts most of it within three hours of Paris.
It is also a country organised around eating, and regional in a way that has survived centralisation — cassoulet in Toulouse, galettes in Brittany, choucroute in Alsace, and a cheese counter that changes every hundred kilometres. Give Paris four days if it is your first visit, then take the train somewhere with a market square.
Highlights
Paris beyond the checklist
The Marais and Canal Saint-Martin, the covered passages, Père Lachaise, and a museum pass that gets you past the queues. Book the Louvre and Sainte-Chapelle in advance or don't bother.
The Dordogne and the painted caves
Prehistoric art at Lascaux IV and Font-de-Gaume, cliff villages above the river, and the densest concentration of good markets in the country.
The Calanques and Provence
Limestone inlets between Marseille and Cassis, the Roman arena at Arles, Avignon's papal palace and lavender on the Valensole plateau in early July.
The Alps in summer
Chamonix's Aiguille du Midi cable car, the Vanoise and Écrins national parks, and the Tour du Mont Blanc — eleven days on marked trails through three countries.
Entry requirements for France
Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- No vaccinations required. Healthcare is excellent; EHIC or GHIC covers EU and UK visitors for state care, others need insurance. Pharmacies are competent first stops for minor problems and are marked by a green cross. Tap water is safe everywhere. Summer heatwaves have become severe and cities are poorly adapted — take them seriously.
- Money
- Contactless everywhere, including buses and bakeries. Cash is rarely needed but useful at small markets. Service is included in restaurant prices by law — the addition on the bill is optional and small, and nobody expects fifteen per cent. ATMs are free at banks; avoid the standalone Euronet machines, which charge heavily.
When to go
BestMay–Jun, Sep–Oct. AvoidAugust.
Warm, green and pre-season — one of the two best months.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in France
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $130
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
The Mediterranean coast and the Alps both roughly double in their peaks — July and August on the coast, February and the Christmas fortnight in the ski resorts. Paris is expensive year-round with spikes around fashion weeks and major events. TGV fares rise steeply as departure approaches, which is the single biggest controllable cost in a French trip.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — SNCF published fares, RATP tariffs, INSEE price data, hotel rate sampling (2025–2026) · confidence high
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5Paris & Île-de-France
The capital plus Versailles, Fontainebleau and Chartres — all within an hour by regional train.
The southwest
Bordeaux and its vineyards, the Dordogne's painted caves and cliff villages, and the Basque coast at Biarritz.
Provence & the Riviera
Roman Arles and Nîmes, the Calanques, lavender plateaus and the coast from Marseille to Menton.
The Alps & the east
Chamonix and Mont Blanc, the Vanoise, plus Alsace's wine road and half-timbered villages.
The west & north
Brittany's coast and megaliths, the Loire châteaux, Normandy's D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint-Michel.
Practical guide
Getting there
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY) are the main gateways, with Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Bordeaux and Toulouse well served from across Europe. Eurostar links London to Paris and Lille in a little over two hours, and the TGV network reaches Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Barcelona, Turin and Geneva without flying.
Getting around
TGV for long distances, booked well ahead; TER regional trains for everything else, with no reservation needed. Renting a car makes sense for the Dordogne, Provence, Brittany and the Alps, where public transport thins out. City transport is good everywhere — a Navigo Easy card in Paris, tap-to-pay in most other cities. Long-distance coaches (Flixbus, BlaBlaCar Bus) undercut the trains substantially.
Money & costs
Contactless everywhere, including buses and bakeries. Cash is rarely needed but useful at small markets. Service is included in restaurant prices by law — the addition on the bill is optional and small, and nobody expects fifteen per cent. ATMs are free at banks; avoid the standalone Euronet machines, which charge heavily.
Safety
Safe by any reasonable measure, with pickpocketing the dominant risk — Paris metro line 1, Gare du Nord, Barbès, and the approaches to major monuments. Phone snatching from café tables and on scooters is common in Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Demonstrations and strikes are frequent and can shut transport with a day's notice; check SNCF and RATP before travelling. Rural France is safe and quiet.
Health
No vaccinations required. Healthcare is excellent; EHIC or GHIC covers EU and UK visitors for state care, others need insurance. Pharmacies are competent first stops for minor problems and are marked by a green cross. Tap water is safe everywhere. Summer heatwaves have become severe and cities are poorly adapted — take them seriously.
SIM & internet
EU roaming means most European SIMs work without extra charge; others should buy an eSIM. 4G and 5G coverage is comprehensive apart from some Alpine and Massif Central valleys. Free wifi is widespread in cafés and on trains.
Driving
The rural speed limit dropped to 80 km/h on undivided roads in 2018, though some departments reverted to 90 — the signs are what count. Low-emission zones (ZFE) now restrict older vehicles in Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and others; a Crit'Air sticker is required and must be ordered in advance.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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Before you go
FranceFrequently asked questions
Is the TGV worth it over flying or driving?
Almost always. Paris to Marseille takes three hours door to door against four or five by air with transfers, and to Bordeaux is two. Book on SNCF Connect two to three months ahead for the cheap fares — prices rise steeply toward departure. Regional TER trains cover the rest and do not need advance booking.
When should I avoid the coast?
August. The whole country takes its holiday at once, the Mediterranean coast and Atlantic resorts are full, and prices peak. June and September are warm, open and far more pleasant. Note that many restaurants and small businesses in Paris close for two or three weeks in August.
Do I need to speak French?
It helps more here than the stereotype suggests, and less than it used to. English is common in Paris, tourist areas and among younger people; in rural France it is genuinely limited. Opening with bonjour before anything else is not politeness theatre — it materially changes how the exchange goes.