France

France gives you a great city, serious food and wine, Mediterranean beaches and high mountains, all linked by fast trains.

We usually start in Paris and then head south. Most trips pair the city with Provence or the Riviera, and in summer we can add the French Alps for walking and wildlife.

Where to Go

Paris

Museums, gardens, neighborhood walks and some of the best dining anywhere. Most trips start here.

Provence

Avignon, the hill villages of the Luberon and the Alpilles, Roman Arles, and the wetlands of the Camargue.

The Côte d'Azur

Nice, Antibes and the coast to Monaco, with beaches, art museums and villages perched above the sea.

The French Alps

Chamonix below Mont Blanc and the Vanoise National Park for summer hiking and mountain wildlife.

What to Do

Plan a museum day in Paris around the Louvre or Musée d'Orsay, then walk the Marais or Saint-Germain
Shop the Provence markets and taste wine in Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Look for flamingos and white horses in the Camargue
Swim and lunch on Cap d'Antibes, and visit the art museums of Nice and Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Walk in the Vanoise, France's first national park, where Alpine ibex graze above the trails

Best Time to Go

May, June, September and early October are our favorite months: the weather is warm, the coast is calmer, and Provence is green or in harvest. July and August are hot and busy in the south, and many Parisians leave the city in August. Summer is the season for the Alps. Paris is good all year. For more detail, see our guide to Europe in the shoulder season.

Getting Around and How Long to Stay

High-speed TGV trains link Paris with Avignon, Marseille and Nice, and the Eurostar reaches London in a little over two hours. In Provence and the Alps a private driver is the easiest way to get around. Nice is the airport for the Riviera. We suggest three or four nights in Paris and four to six in the south, so ten days to two weeks in all.

Where We Like to Stay

Le Bristol Paris sits on the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, close to the Élysée and the Tuileries. It has a large garden courtyard and a rooftop pool, which helps in summer.

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc stands on the tip of Cap d'Antibes, with pine gardens running down to the sea. It is our Riviera choice for a few days of swimming and slow lunches.

In Provence and the Alps we choose hotels and private villas to suit each trip. Ask us for ideas.

Pairing France

France pairs well with Italy along the Riviera, with Spain by train from Paris, or with London on the Eurostar.

Species in the Area

Mammals

Alpine ibex (Vanoise)
Alpine chamois
Alpine marmot

Birdlife

Bearded vulture (Alps)
Golden eagle
Alpine chough
Greater flamingo (Camargue)

Alpine Ibex

By the early 1800s, hunting had left only about 100 Alpine ibex in the world, on the mountains between Italy's Gran Paradiso and France's Vanoise. A royal hunting reserve in Gran Paradiso saved the last of them, and reintroductions later brought ibex back across the Alps. France created the Vanoise National Park on 6 July 1963, its first national park, partly to protect the species. About 60 ibex lived in the massif then. The park now estimates around 3,000, the largest population in France, and the world total is about 50,000. Low genetic diversity, a legacy of that near extinction, remains a concern.

France

Paris, Provence, the Riviera and the Alps

France

Where to Go

Paris

Provence

The Côte d'Azur

The French Alps

What to Do

Best Time to Go

Getting Around and How Long to Stay

Where We Like to Stay

Pairing France

Species in the Area

Alpine Ibex

Ready to Plan Your Journey?