Our neighbour to the west, France, checks nearly all the boxes for a vacation: sea, ski, culture, and gastronomy. France is large and diverse; perhaps this explains why it has long been the most popular vacation destination in the world. Its people have a contagious love for art, culture, heritage, and tradition. It also has a diverse and gorgeous landscape, an abundance of open space, wonderful food and drink, and good weather (depending on where you are).
PHOTOGRAPH BY GIANCARLO LIGUORI, DREAMSTIME
France is an alluring blend of home and other cultures
Speaking of contagious passion, the romance of France, the intensity and emotion of its people, and the beauty of its language can make us Brits feel a touch prim. The French seem to cherish things that we used to value—things that we would still value if we had the time and hadn’t developed a taste for convenience foods and fast food—as well as things that we no longer value. Making the ideal pissaladière involves sweating onions for four hours without hesitation. Further, they don’t open on Sundays (and often Mondays). They buy fresh bread twice a day and are content with unsightly fruit and vegetables since they taste better. Moreover, they are openly affectionate and frequently greet others with four-bearded kisses.
Therefore, France is a seductive blend of home and abroad. Its closeness to the United States is also a big draw, especially in this day and age when people plan vacations with their carbon footprints in mind.
Current entrance criteria and travel restrictions
Finalement! From August 1, 2022, people entering France will no longer have to show proof that they have been immunized, a negative test result, or proof that they have recently recovered. Also, the country has gotten rid of its passenger locator form, so all you have to do to travel to EU countries after Brexit is follow the rules.
It’s time to go
If you can, try to schedule your visits outside of both the UK and French school breaks. This is especially important for ski excursions and summer vacations in the south. France is a popular vacation destination for British families. The north is really beautiful in the summer, especially those vast, uninhabited beaches, but you run the risk of experiencing British-style weather.
The most prominent national holiday, Bastille Day, is celebrated on July 14. Other fairs and festivals are held throughout the nation during the spring. Check out the March Dunkirk Carnival if you want to see a lot of people dressed up and throwing herrings around quickly.
Top Cities and Regions
Normandy
Places like Monet’s home in Giverny and the Mont St. Michel, which is on the Unesco list, draw people who are interested in history and culture. It is famed for Normandy icons like Joan of Arc and William the Conqueror as well as the D-Day landings. Try the La Manche coastline, which sweeps up towards Cherbourg in a series of upscale beach villages, towering tides, cling-on cliffs, and scattered islands. It’s not just the major players, either.
Visit Etretat’s white cliffs, which were recently made famous by Netflix’s Lupin and are close to where Normandy meets the Bay of the Somme. Or see why Parisians looking for calm continue to go to the harbor city of Honfleur or the upmarket communities of Deauville and Trouville.
Paris
Everyone is familiar with Paris, right? The Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysées, Louvre, and magnificent Notre Dame may all be found in the City of Light. But it’s not until your second or third visit that you begin to realize how truly magical it is: the street performers on Pont St. Louis, the pavement cafes, the dusty bookshops, the leafy cemeteries, the vintage shops, the catacombs, the absurdly posh cake shops, the cream-graveled squares, the couples cuddling on benches, on canal banks, and in art galleries. The more you do it, the better it gets.
Superior hotels in Paris, France
The route is quite long—more than 500 km—and passes through cycling-friendly, beach-ringed islands like Ile-de-Ré (as well as the smaller Noirmoutier and more rugged Ile d’Oléron), the wild surfing beaches of Biscarosse, chic Arcachon Bay, and finally the Basque towns of St. Jean de Luz and Biarritz. Between the city of Bordeaux and the places where wine is made, there is a beautiful area to explore. There are treasures like La Rochelle, a bustling fishing port and the entryway to Ile-de-Ré; the Dune de Pyla, Europe’s tallest sand dune; Cap Ferret, a stylish beach hamlet between the lapping waters of Arcachon Bay and the roaring waves of the Atlantic; and so on.
Alps
The northern alps, which are lower and feature more arid vegetation, are the part of the French Alps that are home to popular ski resorts like Chamonix, Courchevel, and Val d’Isere, and are crowned by Mont Blanc at 4,810 meters. The Alps are a popular destination for spring and summer strolling, hiking, mountain biking, watersports, and wellness activities in addition to winter sports.
Arles and the Cote d’Azur
This part of France is a feast for the senses with its perché towns, eucalyptus bush, beautiful Calanques, and art by Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Renoir. Juicy tomatoes, strong lavender, sparkling seas, wonderful sand between your toes, and evocative twangy accents can all be found in cafes. Yes, it’s touristy, the roads may get congested, and the lodging can be in appalling condition, but it’s worth it.
Best off-the-beaten-path locations
France’s Highlands
You’ve never heard of it, right? No, and let’s maintain that. The north of France is a hidden jewel; Brits who put their foot on the gas and speed south fail to notice its history, culture, and geography, which are signposted in brown on the side of the autoroute. In addition to the vibrant cities of Lille and Amiens and cultural treasures like the Louvre-Lens, this region is home to the white sands of the Opal Coast, towns like Le Touquet that capture the glory days of the seaside, gastronomic hotspots like Montreuil-Sur-Mer, and more.
Why you should visit the North of France instead of the South of France
It’s a mountainous location east of Burgundy and west of the Swiss border that may be the quietest spot in all of France. What can you expect from the Jura? It’s not mountainous enough to compete with the Alps for skiers, but it packs a punch for cross-country skiing. Along with tranquility, the area has its fair share of lakes, waterfalls, caverns, and slopes covered in rolling vines.
Loire Valley Lands
Even if it may not be as impressive as the mansions and moats of the Loire, it is nonetheless wonderful. Nantes, the country’s capital, has a large number of students, progressive political leaders, and people who love good food, green spaces, public art, history, and joie de vivre. Les Machines de l’Ile, a “museum” devoted to the design of mechanical creatures where you can ride on a huge elephant that shoots water out of its trunk, is evidence of this. A silver slide has been built at a castle from the Middle Ages so that visitors can skirt around the exterior defenses. The remainder of the area is made up of coastal lowlands, salt pans, stunning beaches like La Baule and Les Sables d’Olonne, historic villages, and, for added enjoyment, Puy du Fou, a historical theme park.
Best Activities in France
Château swooning
These four are what the French would call “Les Incontournables” (the unmissable) if you only have time to visit a few of the 42 chateaux that make up the Unesco Loire Valley: Chambord, Chenonceau, Villandry, and Azay-le-Rideau. Choose your time wisely when visiting one of the most popular tourist spots in France outside of Paris. Some chateaux offer nighttime illuminations, which might be an excellent way to visit and avoid crowds.
Swallow and Spit
Wine is a significant component of French culture, and the French are extremely proud of it, along with cheese, cars, rugby, and cooking. This is true whether the wine is from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Languedoc, the Loire, the Rhone, Alsace, or Champagne. Try it, discuss it, discover its legacy and history, stroll through the vineyards, and stop for a picnic en route.
France has a rich gastronomic history. The quality is so good because of a combination of excellent ingredients, time-honored techniques and traditions, and reverence for the culinary arts. It’s easy to get into the French way of cooking and eating, whether you want to eat in small, independent restaurants or buy your food from high-end supermarkets.
Navigating the Waters
A popular waterway for vacationers, the Canal du Midi runs 240 kilometers (km) from Toulouse to the coast at Sète. This is mostly because the canal is quiet and is shaded by trees from the hot sun. There are also many great places to see along the way, such as Carcassonne, Castelnaudry, Beziers, and Narbonne.
The TGV handles high-speed transcontinental travel, and regional lines connect the remainder. The train network in France is up-to-date and reasonably priced. Large cities including Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse, and Nice may all be reached by air.
The motorways are very well maintained and simple to use, although toll costs on longer trips can add up. Numerous bus lines and trams are available in several cities for shorter distances. Even though the number of bike lanes varies, most side streets and minor roads are pretty safe for cyclists.
Getting there
Because France is so close, your best transportation choice will vary based on where in the UK you live and where you are going in France.
When traveling not too far on either side, the Eurotunnel is typically the least expensive alternative; otherwise, flying is the most economical option.
The fastest way to travel is usually by plane, but if you live in the southeast and want to go to or through Northern France, the Eurotunnel or Eurostar may be just as fast.
The most environmentally friendly option is the Eurostar passenger train, which is best used in conjunction with French public transportation.
Saving Advice
When it comes to their yearly vacation down south, the French are magnificently partisan, with a mixture of modern juilletistes (who like to vacation in July) and aoûtiens (traditionalists who go in August). Therefore, travel before July or later in August to avoid paying high-season hotel rates.
Questions Answered About A Travel Guide to France
How is the weather today?
The summers are scorching and the winters are moderate in the Mediterranean region. Western regions are rather moderate and moist due to the Atlantic. While the mountains are cooler and have snow for up to six months of the year, the interior, central, and eastern regions experience hot summers but chilly winters.
In which time zone is it?
From the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, France observes CET plus CEST. This puts it one hour ahead of UK time all year.
What kind of money do I need?
Euros.