Your first trip to France: leave room in the itinerary - Ouest-France

Choose a few places you really want to see, then build a journey that gives you time to enjoy them.

For a first trip to France, the hardest decision is often what to leave out. Paris, a coastal town and a rural village can all belong in the same holiday, but every change of base takes time. Start with the number of nights you actually have, then choose the journeys you are willing to make.

For a week, our suggested starting point is four nights in Paris and three in one region. This is a planning example rather than a rule: someone visiting mainly for the countryside might reverse the balance. Two bases mean one main transfer and fewer mornings spent packing.

Before reserving accommodation, put the final journey back to your departure airport or station into the plan. A route that looks tidy on a map can leave you with an uncomfortable connection on the last day.

France’s rail network combines high-speed services with regional trains. These can make a multi-stop holiday practical, but a ticket to “Paris” is not enough information for arranging your hotel transfer or next connection. Check the named arrival and departure stations, the number of changes and the time between trains. France’s official rail travel guide is a useful introduction to the different services.

For each move, count packing, checkout, the journey to the station and the trip from the next station to your accommodation. Compare that total with the time you would gain by staying another night in the same place.

Paris transport has different ticket products for metro, train and RER journeys, bus and tram journeys, and airport travel. Do not assume a ticket bought for an ordinary journey across the city will cover the airport. The Paris Region–Airports ticket covers the relevant rail connections to Charles de Gaulle and Orly; check your route and any existing pass before buying.

The transport authority explains how to choose and buy tickets. Save your accommodation’s full address before you travel. It makes choosing the final stop easier when a hotel name has several similar matches.

Choose the two or three places you would be most disappointed to miss, and check their opening days before arranging the rest. The Louvre is closed on Tuesdays; the Palace of Versailles is closed on Mondays. A sequence of museum days should follow those calendars, not simply the order in which the places appeared on your wish list.

Book through the attraction’s official website and read what the ticket includes. For Versailles, use our guide to planning the Palace visit. Leave some unbooked time around major visits so a late train or a longer lunch does not unravel the whole day.

List the places you want to reach from your second base. If they are concentrated in a town with a railway station, start by checking walking routes and local transport. If they are scattered across the countryside, compare a rental car with a day excursion. Include parking at your accommodation in that comparison.

Before paying, check cancellation terms, luggage arrangements and the last connection home after an excursion. A slightly simpler itinerary can leave you with more time in France’s streets, museums and cafés, and less time moving between them.

Since 2004, QuandPartir’s writers and contributors have travelled the world and shared their discoveries. Our English edition brings that French travel perspective to visitors planning a trip to France.