Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the Mona Lisa hanging in the Musée du Louvre. The Arc de Triumphe. Wine. Cheese. That’s what people normally thing about when they think of France.
But there’s so much more!
It has beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranian Sea. It has a myriad of valleys with numerous different wine types and flavors, red, white, and rosé. Then there are the French Alps and the Pyrenees. France has historic castles. Let’s not forget that it’s bordered by 3 of the world’s smallest countries – Andorra, Luxembourg, and Monaco. It even has strong influences from several empires, most significantly, the Roman Empire.
You could easily spend a month there and still not see it all.
When we decided to go to France, we chose a slightly different travel plan than most. While we did incorporate the “must sees” in Paris, we also wanted to get out into the countryside to experience what there is in the smaller towns and villages.
The villages have a lot of culture and history themselves, and the people are fascinating.
The Practical Stuff
If you’re planning on driving, the highway road system in France is pretty good. They are maintained well. The tolls are expensive, which reflects the good maintenance. Like any road system, rush hour traffic is something to avoid if possible.
They also have a pretty good train system in France that allows you to get back and forth. It’s definitely cheaper than renting a car like we did. However, we were planning to make out and about day trips using the “hub” approach in our planning. That meant we would need a car to make the planned day trips.
The Metro in Paris is pretty convenient, however, you’ll need to be aware of the potential for pick pocketers. The US State Department has an advisory for Paris and pickpocketing. We had no issue while we were there, but it’s always good to have what’s called “situational awareness”. That’s when you pay close attention to your surroundings and interactions to ensure you’re traveling as safe as possible.
Places to stay are numerous with a plethora of formats. You can choose the standard hotel, Homeaway, AirBnB, or even stay in a castle. If you’re able to work the system like we did, you can use travel points and programs to pay for your trip! Over 50% of our trip to France was paid for using points. FREE.
Parking is generally available, even in most small towns and villages. It may not be where you expect, or totally convenient, but it’s relatively easy to figure out. Our recommendation is to check into it ahead of time to avoid surprises and/or time delays. It’s easy to use Google Maps to research parking in Paris, France for instance.
Off season versus on season is tricky. If you’re sticking to the big cities, it’s less of an issue. Places like The Louvre and Eiffel Tower are almost always accessible. If you’re planning on going off season, it may present some issues, especially in more rural areas. When we went in late October, we discovered a lot of places aren’t necessarily open. Wineries, restaurants, and even hotels may or may not be open. The Hotel Arene in Orange, France that we stayed at closed the night we left in late October for 2 months.