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Europe · country guide

France travel guide

Paris, the Riviera, the Alps and very long lunches

Mont-Saint-Michel. Photo: Amaustan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

1hflight from London
+1 h all yeartime difference
Eurocurrency
Frenchlanguage
No visafor UK passports
Type C, Eplugs

France is the world's most visited country, and it is easy to see why from the UK: Paris is a little over two hours by Eurostar, ferries cross to Normandy and Brittany, and cheap flights reach every corner from the Riviera to the Alps.

Beyond the capital, you can spend a week touring Loire châteaux, follow lavender fields through Provence, ski or hike under Mont Blanc, or eat your way around Lyon and Bordeaux. July and August are busy and hot in the south; May, June and September are often the best months.

Good forCity breaksFood loversHistory & ruins

Top places to visit in France

  1. 1

    Paris

    City · Île-de-France

    The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and café life along wide boulevards.

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  2. 2

    Nice & the Riviera

    Coast · Côte d'Azur

    The Promenade des Anglais, Monaco and hilltop villages above the Mediterranean.

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  3. 3

    Provence

    Nature · Luberon

    Lavender in early summer, market towns and Roman Arles, Nîmes and Orange.

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  4. 4

    Mont-Saint-Michel

    History · Normandy

    A medieval abbey on a tidal island, a short drive from the Channel ports.

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  5. 5

    Loire Valley

    History · Centre-Val de Loire

    Fairy-tale châteaux like Chambord and Chenonceau, best explored by bike.

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  6. 6

    Chamonix & Mont Blanc

    Mountains · Haute-Savoie

    Western Europe's highest peak, with skiing in winter and hiking in summer.

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  7. 7

    Bordeaux

    Wine · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

    An elegant riverside city surrounded by some of the world's best-known vineyards.

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  8. 8

    Lyon

    Food · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

    France's food capital, with traditional bouchons and hidden traboule passages.

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Trip ideas

One week: Paris and Normandy

  1. Paris (3 nights)
  2. Giverny
  3. Rouen
  4. Bayeux & the D-Day beaches
  5. Mont-Saint-Michel

Two weeks: Paris to the Riviera by train

  1. Paris (3 nights)
  2. Lyon (2 nights)
  3. Avignon & Provence (4 nights)
  4. Nice (4 nights)

Best time to visit France from the UK

Best value: Mar–May, Sep–Oct, Dec. May–Jun and Sep: warm with fewer crowds. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Aug.

3 C3°J3.6 C4°F6.7 C7°M10.3 C10°A13.8 C14°M17.4 C17°J19.3 C19°J18.9 C19°A15.6 C16°S11.6 C12°O6.9 C7°N3.6 C4°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Paris, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Paris for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: May and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (14–16°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Jun–AugUsually 17–19°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Jan–Feb, NovAround 3–7°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
  • Warmest: July (19°C) · coolest: January (3°C)A 16°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
33.66.710.313.817.419.318.915.611.66.93.6

Festivals and events

  • Nice Carnival Feb · Nice
  • Cannes Film Festival May · Cannes
  • Bastille Day Jul · Nationwide
  • Fête des Lumières Dec · Lyon

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris in about 2 h 20 m, ferries from Dover, Portsmouth and Plymouth, or flights to around 30 airports.

Flight time
About 1h
Distance
350 km
Main airport
CDG
Time difference
+1 h all year

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add France to your bucket list Search flights to CDG

Practical info and travel guidance

EuroCapital: Paris
Type C, E · 230VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
112
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Tap water safeAcross the country
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area
  • HealthcareGHIC acceptedYour UK GHIC covers necessary state healthcare. Still take travel insurance.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for France, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 11 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for France before you book and again before you go.

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