If this is your first trip to France
Most Americans see France in 7 to 14 days. A good first trip spends three or four days in Paris and adds one or two regions. Trying to cover the whole country in ten days means spending your vacation on trains; picking one direction out of Paris and going deeper pays off.
Three decisions shape everything else: when you go (prices, crowds and what's open swing hard by season), how long you stay, and whether you'll drive. Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, Nice and most cities work perfectly without a car. Provence's hill villages, the Dordogne and rural Normandy are much easier with one.
Different from home
France runs on reservations. Popular restaurants, timed museum entries, Champagne cellar tours, wine tastings and the best-value fast trains all reward booking ahead. Walk-ins still work for cafés, bistros at lunch and most smaller sights.
Your planning timeline
Dream, decide and check your passport
- Pick your season with our month-by-month guide. Summer and Christmas need the most lead time.
- Check every traveler's passport: it must be valid at least three months beyond your departure from Europe and issued within the last 10 years. Renew now if it's close. See entry rules.
- Sketch a route with the trip builder and a budget with the budget calculator.
- Staying more than 90 days, moving, or bringing a pet? Start now: visas and pet paperwork take months. See long stays and pets.
- Watch flight prices on your route and set fare alerts. See flying to France.
Book the big pieces
- Book flights. Consider flying into Paris and home from another city (an open-jaw ticket) to avoid backtracking.
- Book hotels, especially for Paris in June–September, the Riviera in July–August, Christmas-market towns in December, and anywhere during big events (see festivals).
- Planning to drive? Get an International Driving Permit from AAA shortly before you go, and read driving in France.
- Buy travel insurance soon after paying deposits, so cancellation coverage starts early. Most US health plans and Medicare don't cover you abroad. See health and safety.
Trains, tours and timed tickets
- Book fast trains as soon as sales open for your dates; the cheapest fares go first. See trains in France.
- Reserve guided tours that sell out: D-Day battlefield guides, Champagne houses, small-group wine tours, cooking classes.
- Reserve timed entries as they open: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle, Lascaux IV. See Paris sights.
- Book special restaurants. Top Paris tables open reservations 30 to 60 days ahead.
Money, phone and paperwork
- Check whether ETIAS travel authorization is required yet for your dates, and apply only on the official EU site. See entry rules.
- Get a credit card with no foreign transaction fees and confirm your PINs. See money and cards.
- Choose a phone plan: your carrier's international plan or an eSIM. See phones and apps.
- Enroll in the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).
- Learn ten phrases. “Bonjour,” “Merci” and “Excusez-moi” go a long way. See the phrasebook.
Final checks
- Check the forecast and any strike notices for your travel days.
- Download the apps you'll use and your offline maps.
- Save copies of passports, tickets and insurance to your phone and to email.
- Pack with our packing checklist, including a Type C/E plug adapter.
- Order a small amount of euros if it gives you peace of mind. You can also use an airport ATM on arrival.
Arriving in France
- Keep your passport, accommodation address and return ticket handy for passport control, where first-time entrants under the new Entry/Exit System give fingerprints and a photo.
- Take the RER B, a flat-fare taxi or a pre-booked transfer into Paris. Ignore drivers who approach you inside the terminal. See getting around Paris.
- Stay awake until evening, eat on local time and get outside in daylight to reset your body clock.
Tax refunds and US customs
- Validate any VAT refund forms at the airport before you check your bags.
- Declare food and goods on your US customs declaration. Hard cheese and chocolate are fine; meat products such as saucisson are not. See shopping and coming home.
How long do you need?
| Trip length | What fits comfortably | Try in the builder |
|---|---|---|
| 3–5 days | Paris, plus one day trip such as Versailles or Giverny | 4 days |
| 7 days | Paris and one region: Normandy, the Loire or Champagne | 7 days |
| 10 days | Paris and two neighboring regions | 10 days |
| 14 days | Paris plus a full arc south, such as Lyon, Provence and the Riviera | 14 days |
| 3 weeks | Two arcs joined by a domestic flight, or a slower trip with fewer hotel changes | 21 days |
Insider tip
Change hotels as rarely as you can. Two or three nights in each base, with day trips out, is more relaxing than one-night stops and wastes less time checking in and out.
What a trip costs
For two people sharing a room, a mid-range trip runs about €440–€700 a day (around $490–$785) in Paris and €320–€520 ($360–$580) in the countryside, before flights. Budget travelers spend roughly half that; luxury travelers can spend €1,400 a day or more. Use the budget calculator for your own numbers, and see money, cards and tipping for what things cost day to day.
Want help?
If you'd rather hand the planning to someone who does this every day, tell us about your trip. Otherwise, the guides on this site cover everything above in detail.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.