Itineraries in France

Planning a trip to France ?

🇫🇷 Visit the country of the “croissant”, listen to the song of cicadas or enjoy the snow of the mountains ! 

Country adored by foreigners, France hides under its red beret many surprises. 

Live the french “art de vivre” by tasting cheeses and wine every day.

Explore the country from north to south to discover the wonders of nature: beaches, lavender fields or snowy mountains.

On an air of Edith Piaf, do not regret anything of your trip to French soil and Padam, Padam, you will “la vie en rose“.

Ready for adventure ? Let’s go !

What to see in France ?

What to do in France ?

Live french experiences

• Have a coffee and eat a croissant  on the terrace of a cafe in Paris.
• Taste an amazing red wine in Bordeaux.
• Eat a Raclette / Savoyard fondue in the Alps.
• Swim in the creeks of Marseille.
• Meet Patrick Dempsey at the Cannes Festival.
• Become a child again in Disneyland Paris.

But wait for it … France also knows how to celebrate !

There are many national holidays all year long :

• At the beginning of January, you will not miss the Epiphany and its galette des Rois in reference to the Three Kings. The custom is that whoever finds the bean in his share of the cake buy one in turn (yes, it can take a long time ! ).
• After the cakes of the Kings, it is the turn of the Candlemas to take place early February . We meet then to eat “crepes” with family or friends.
• In February, several festivals are held at the same time in the South of France as the Carnival of Nice and the Lemon Festival in Menton.
• In March, lovers of literature will be able to meet their favorite authors at the Paris Book Fair.
• On April 1st, there is a French custom : the April Fool’s Day. This is the day when children make paper fish they hang on the backs of their friends or adults to make a joke.
• Find the Kite Festival and wind in April in Châtelaillon-Plage near La Rochelle.
• For more sports, mid-April, you can put on your sneakers for the Paris Marathon.
• At the end of April, young and old wait impatiently for Easter Monday. This is the day that the Easter bunny will leave in the gardens of many chocolates.
• Film lovers, direction the Cannes’s International Film Festival during the month of May.
• Between May and June, the professionals of the tennis found on clay courts to compete in the Roland Garros tournament in Paris.
• Celebrate the Independence Day in Normandy on June 6.
• June 21, the musicians are in the spotlight for the Fête de la Musique which lasts until the end of the night.
• Between the months of July and August, you can discover many music festivals : Garorock, the Francofolies, the Old Plows, Hellfest or Solidays.
• Participate in the European Days of Heritage in France during the month of September. You will be able to visit many monuments of the French heritage in a free way.
• Like the Americans, on October 31st, little French people dress up to celebrate Halloween and go door-to-door to collect as much candy as possible.
• November 1st is a holiday in France to celebrate All Saints’ Day. The next day, the French go to the cemeteries to bloom the graves of their loved ones during the Feast of the Dead.
• November 11 is celebrated in France in memory of the end of the First World War and the signing of the treaty.
• Walk in the Strasbourg Christmas market all the month of December.
• On December 24th, French families gather to eat the Christmas meal and wait for Santa Claus who will bring the gifts. It can spend the evening of 24 or the morning of December 25 following family traditions.
• December 31, celebrate New Year with family or friends.

Languages in France

Nous, on parle le français !

France’s official language is of course French

Don’t worry, be happy ! Most people speak english as well !

French 101 ! 

You dream of going to France but their language was not taught in you high school ? Here are the basic words you’ll need :

• Hello : Bonjour (in the morning) / Bonsoir(in the evening)
• Bye : Au revoir  
• Please : S’il-vous-plait
• Thank you : Merci
• Sorry : Désolé
• Yes : Oui 
• No : Non 

Local currency in France

Money, money, money

The local currency is the Euro (EUR). 1 euro is roughly equal to 1.14 USD or 0.90 GBP.
Better get a money converter on your phone to manage your expenses more easily.
Credit / Debit cards are accepted everywhere and ATM are found easily.
Be sure to warn your bank that you are traveling so that they won’t block your card for suspect abroad transactions.

Traveling in France

Is the steering wheel on the left or right ?

To get around, the car is one of the best solutions if you want to feel free..
To rent a car, it will just take you over 18 or 21, over a year of license and sometimes possess the international license.

And for those who are asking the famous question: is the steering wheel left or right ? Well, he is on the left and the French are driving on the right.

Overall cost of your trip in France

Thank you for all the information but how much will this cost ?

About Transportation :

• At the flights level, different airlines fly domestic flights :
  – Volotea (ex : Toulouse/Nantes : from 19€ one-way)
  – Ryanair (ex : Marseille/Lille : from 19€ one-way)
  – EasyJet (ex : Nantes/Lyon : from 35€ one-way)
  – Air Corsica (ex : Bordeaux/Ajaccio : from 50€ one-way)
  – HOP (ex : Strasbourg/Rennes : from 80€ one-way)
  – Air France (ex : Brest/Toulouse : from 85€ one-way)
  
• For long distances, you will be surprised to discover the comfort of some buses set up for the occasion. Some even have berths for night routes, electrical outlets or WI-FI. There are several companies. We took an example to allow you to compare. For a one-way Paris / La Rochelle on the same date :
  – Flixbus (around 19€)
  – OUIBus (around 30€)
  – Isilines (around 40€)
• Car rental starts from 50 € a day for the smaller car but you can also rent different jigs. You will find interesting prices on the internet thanks to the numerous comparators. For any car rental, the price of a liter of petrol is constantly changing. Do not hesitate to inform you on the internet or in the different petrol stations near your place of stay.

About accommodation :

• For a bed in dormitory in the capital Paris, count from 20 € / night.
• A private room with shared bathroom ? it will be from 50 € / night.
• For a private room with private bathroom, count about 70 € / night.
• For a night in a hotel 2 * rather well placed, plan about 100 € / night per person.
• You can also check out AIRBNB website for more affordable offers of rooms (from 30 € / person) or whole apartments (from 50 € / person).

About catering : 

• Count between 8 and 15 € for a takeaway meal and count 15 € for a simple meal in a restaurant.
• You can also order from home or the place where you live thanks to multiple mobile applications specialized in French gastronomy and others.

Useful contact information in France

In case of emergency, call :
– Police : 17
– Medical emergency : 15
– Firemen : 18

Book your trip to France

Here are different website to book your trip.

For flights : 

• Volotea
• Ryanair
• Easyjet
• Hop
• AirFrance
• Air Corsica

For long distance buses :

• Flixbus
• Trainline
• Ouibus

For car rentals :

• Hertz

Practical information in France

Tips to travelers :

• Beware of pickpockets in the streets of large cities and even the smallest.
• As in all countries, keep with you your ID in case the authorities ask you.