Most Americans think of France as the country of good wine and food. When they see it in their mind, it is represented by the Eiffel Tower and the red, white and blue flag called the Tricolore, colors that it shares with their own. But there is so much more to France that it can become quite a task to prepare a holiday in this country. In this article we will help you set steps, so that it can become easier.
Determine a Budget
This is a crucial step that must be taken before anything else. It will help determine the length of your stay, how many cities you can visit, what kind of hotels you can stay in, as well as the number of activities you will be able to do once you are there. Start by searching and booking a flight to Paris, where your whole adventure will start. Once that is done, you can start looking at the prices of accommodations, car rentals, etc. Determining your budget is also a way not to overspend on a holiday, which will make you feel much better when you go back home.
Choose the Destination(s)
You could spend a few weeks in Paris without having seen all of the main sites. But if what you are looking for is to get to know the city in depth, then make sure that you don’t leave it, or else you will be surprised by how time flies quickly when you find yourself in the City of Lights. Check out the main attractions online, so that you can put on your lists the ones that you don’t want to miss. There is no doubt that it will include climbing the Eiffel Tower, touring the many rooms of the Louvre Museum and taking a boat ride on the Seine.
If what you really want is to get an idea of what France is all about, then the choices are endless. If it is your first time in this country, you can decide to visit it from North to South. Head straight to Lille, once you have seen enough of Paris. Then, you can decide to come down from the West or East. Since you are already on that last side, heading down to Strasbourg first would be a good choice, with other stops on your way down being Dijon, Lyon and Nice, before closing the road trip in Marseilles. If this sounds like an exciting tour for you, check out the flights from JFK to Paris.
Book Your Accommodations and Buy Attractions and Sites Tickets Online
France is a country that accommodates many visitors per year. If you come in during the holiday season, it could be difficult to find accommodations at a good price, if you haven’t done so before getting there. That is why, as soon as you have determined your itinerary, you need to look up the various hotels and b&b available online. Looking them up on a platform will enable you to compare more easily between them in terms of price, but also by reading the comments that have been left by previous travelers on each of them. Buying the tickets for the locations that you want to visit is also a great way to play it safe, as some may have a limit of people that it lets it per day. Therefore, if you don’t already have your tickets in hand, you may not be able to enter at all.
Look at What Clothes You Need to Pack
The weather can be really different from one city to another in France. That is especially the case if you visit during spring or fall seasons. If you go to Lille in October and Marseilles as well, you will find that you need a light winter jacket for the first and that you should bring a few t-shirts for Marseilles, in case the days get warm while you are there. Also, if you decide to make a stop in the French Alps, you will certainly need a warm shirt, even in summer time, as the nights get really cool.
What Else should you prepare?
If you want to get great service in France, learning a few French words might help. You should at least know how to say thank you, which is “merci.” Learning customs and etiquette can help you avoid any cultural misunderstandings or faux pas as well, which in this country can easily happen.
In the end, planning ahead and doing your research will help your holiday in France. All that will be left to do is to make the most of your time in this beautiful country.
