Planning your France itinerary could be as straightforward as copying one I’ve designed or looking for one on the internet.
However should you’re like me, the cookie-cutter strategy might not work, and it’s your decision one thing particular, or totally different, or offbeat.
Which means… you may need to plan your personal itinerary. With all of the locations you need to see.
plan your personal France itinerary
You are able to do this! However you may need to be organized, as a result of the bane of journey planning is solely this: an excessive amount of data.
It is simple to get overwhelmed on-line, particularly on the subject of a rustic as numerous as France. Begin studying, and you may need to go all over the place, see every part, even should you solely have a number of days on your French journey.
Planning issues correctly will assure you do not miss out in your most cherished sights.
1. Get your paperwork out of the best way
That is primary to any journey, however I am going to remind you anyway: you may want all of your paperwork, together with tickets, passport, visas, medical health insurance, vaccination papers, reservation notifications, bank cards and money.
In different phrases, the fundamentals.
TRAVEL TIP: Be sure to {photograph} all of your paperwork and save every part on a flash drive (these are those I exploit). When you lose your papers, you can exchange issues extra simply; you may additionally want all this data to file a police report.
2. Select your journey dates
This must be carried out first as a result of the dates will in all probability dictate the place you go.
Many of the 12 months is okay someplace within the nation, however there are a number of durations to keep away from: July and August, for instance, could be disagreeable in massive cities, and college vacation occasions (the English model of the positioning would not appear to be working) can imply costly lodging and crowded sights.
Listed below are the finest occasions to go to France, by season and by area.
TRAVEL TIP: Attempt to time your journey to coincide with a competition or celebration. France does these superbly and you will find some kind of celebration just about any time of 12 months, throughout the nation. (Here is the French authorities’s impossibly subtle festivals database.)
3. How lengthy are you going for?
It will in fact affect your itinerary as a result of what you’ll be able to see in three days is not the identical as what you may see in three weeks.
What number of days in France is sufficient? Properly, how a lot time have you ever bought?
You might know you’ve got bought two weeks in France, however how do you need to spend these two weeks? Partly in Paris? Partly within the countryside? You may have to know the way lengthy issues take.
Listed below are some examples of what you’ll be able to see over totally different time durations:
And this is an summary of a number of the finest highway journey itineraries in France, to present you an thought of how lengthy every takes by automobile.
If you’ll want to know the way lengthy it takes you to get from A to B in France by automobile, By way of Michelin is a French website (in English) which is able to assist you break down the mileage of your journey into affordable chunks.
4. The place are you going?
Our tendency is commonly to need to see all of it – however France is the scale of Texas, with twice the inhabitants, so seeing every part in a single go is clearly not a good suggestion.
If it is your first time, you’ll in all probability need to spend a minimum of a while in Paris, viewing such classics because the Eiffel Tower or taking a river cruise, however then you definitely’ll have your complete nation to select from.
Among the extra common journey itineraries for France will contain:
For one thing much less traveled, listed below are some France off-the-beaten-path locations you may need to uncover.
The most important problem is narrowing down the locations you intend to go to. You possibly can do that in quite a few methods:
- by theme, if you would like your go to to deal with museums or music or meals
- by location, if you would like to stay to a selected area
- by setting, should you’re searching for seashores or mountains or forests
- by cities, for instance by concert events or structure
- by historical past and time interval… like Gallo Roman ruins or the Belle Epoque
Use no matter sources are at your disposal to determine what you will need to see in your French itinerary this time round. planning software are France’s Inexperienced Guides (also called Michelin Guides). Whereas they’re sturdy on historical past and tradition, a stellar characteristic of this journey information sequence is the wonderful part with an itinerary for France, which gives route strategies for sightseeing. Here is an instance of a Inexperienced Information.
When you already know the place you need to go, you are forward of the sport. However should you’re stumped by the sheer magnitude of locations to see in France, this is an inventory of areas to get you began in your France journey itineraries and offer you a number of concepts.

Different nice sources of inspiration embody evaluation websites (like Tripadvisor), native and regional vacationer workplaces, Fb teams devoted to that vacation spot, or on-line boards.
TRAVEL TIP: My favorite planning software is the non-public advice. I attempt to discover somebody who has visited that city or area, and ask them what they appreciated finest. I do not hesitate to ask questions on boards or on blogs. I’ll not take all the recommendation on board, however a minimum of I will not miss that little deserted church or hole-in-the-wall restaurant I would by no means have discovered in any other case.
5. Begin constructing your itinerary
Open a doc in your laptop as a result of you are going to want to assemble your analysis. Since you’ll have already got chosen the final space you intend to go to, now could be the time to interrupt it down into smaller bits.
You’ll be able to set up issues any means you please, however this is how I begin pulling an itinerary collectively. I exploit a spreadsheet or add a desk to a doc, with columns for the next gadgets:
- Vacation spot metropolis or area
- Issues to see/do there (together with web sites or articles)
- How a lot time you may want
Then make a map. You’ll be able to simply do it on Google if you would like – put a pin in each place in your France journey itinerary want record and get a way of whether or not your goals could be changed into actuality. When you have ten days with 20 stops, maybe not.
As soon as I’ve gathered sufficient data, I am going to want to arrange it (see #8 under) however first, I am going to have to type my transportation and lodging.
TRAVEL TIP: Placing collectively a map will assist you plan your journey and group issues collectively. After I was headed to southern France, all of the locations I wished to go to have been within the Luberon area of Provence – aside from Carcassonne. By visualizing these locations on a map, I noticed immediately that I must depart Carcassonne for an additional journey.
6. Select your transportation
When you’re specializing in Paris, that is straightforward: public transportation will take you all over the place.
Past Paris, you may need to determine how you intend to journey.
When you’re largely visiting cities or massive cities, you are in all probability higher off taking the practice. The system is great should you’re going from level to level.
When you plan to discover villages or the countryside, you may want a automobile, as a result of public transportation in rural areas is nearly non-existent. If you do not have your personal automobile and plan to lease, I exploit Discovercars to check costs.
If you wish to drive across the nation, listed below are some French driving ideas you may have to study earlier than you go.
TRAVEL TIP: Driving in France could be fairly the journey. Most French drive properly, however could be aggressive, particularly in some elements of the nation, so be defensive. Additionally, there are some guidelines that do not make sense – a minimum of to not somebody who is not French. Be sure to examine them out!
7. E book your lodging
Locations to remain in France can get booked out at sure dates.
For instance, there are college holidays at mid-term however every area has a distinct date for its breaks. Relying on whenever you come to France, chances are you’ll discover your favorite resort is filled with holidaying French households. Reserving a minimum of a few of your lodges, particularly within the extra common areas, will certainly put you in a extra serene frame of mind.
- Reserving.com has an entire stock of French lodges and flats
- HotelsCombined is a good website for value comparisons
- VRBO has an enormous stock of trip properties in France
TRAVEL TIP: When you’re staying multiple night time in a spot, contemplate getting an house by way of VRBO or reserving.com fairly than a resort room. Having a kitchen provides you extra freedom, permitting you to eat meals at your comfort. Keep in mind, restaurant open occasions in France are sometimes ridiculously brief!
8. Arrange your data
It’s best to by now have all the knowledge you want, from lodges to transportation to locations. It is time to set up!
You are able to do this any means you want: on Pinterest, by utilizing a Trello board, on a chunk of paper with a pen, on a spreadsheet… it would not matter. What counts is having all of your data simply accessible in a single place.
Arriving in Marseille? Pull out the Marseille sheet / file / spreadsheet and it ought to all be there for you, from sights you will need to see to your resort’s tackle.
TRAVEL TIP: This little planning sheet offers you an thought of how I plan my journey − you need to use one sheet per day, or one per vacation spot. You should utilize these, or design your personal. However placing all of it down on paper in some kind of logical order will hold issues clear, stop pricey errors, and prevent helpful time.
9. Do you intend to doc your journey?
Earlier than you journey, determine whether or not you intend to share your journey or doc it.
Will you be posting on Fb or Instagram as you journey? Will you be accumulating mementoes alongside the best way for a scrapbook? Will you be maintaining a journal?
No matter you determine to do (if something), it is best to know beforehand so you’ll be able to put together.
You do not need to be looking for a stationery store to purchase a journal on the final minute, or scrambling to get your recording app to work.
After I determined to journey around the globe a few years in the past, I had a digital camera (we did not have cell phones but) however I used to be extra an individual of phrases than footage, so I not often used it. At the moment, many years later, that is considered one of my best regrets. I visited fantastic, distinctive locations which have perpetually modified – and I’ve only a few data to assist jog my reminiscence.
Lesson discovered. Nonetheless inconvenient, I now meticulously doc my travels.
TRAVEL TIP: I discover that social media is an effective way to doc my travels with photographs and hold every part in a single place. I can determine what to do: I can share the photographs I need, however hold the remainder non-public, only for shut pals and even only for myself. I also can add captions to remind me of the place they have been taken, in addition to “location” stamps.
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