Paris, France Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go!

Today we’re taking you to the City of Love, Paris, France, and experiencing the most artistic country in the world. If you’re planning a trip to France, this is all you need to know before you go!

This article will be divided into 5 parts:

01 Things to Know Before You Go: France Travel Tips

02 Best Time to Visit France

03 2 Minutes to See All of France

04 Recommended France Travel Itinerary

05 What Are the Must-Try Foods in France?

Writer Ernest Hemingway once said, “Paris is a moveable feast.” As France brings together many literary figures, artists, famous architecture, and 42 proud world cultural heritage sites, it has become one of the brightest stars in the universe. Every year, 70 million to 80 million tourists visit, making it the country with the most tourists in the world for many years.

On your way to France, I suggest you watch a few French art films to get a feel for the French atmosphere:

Paris, je t’aime (2006)

Amélie (2001)

Les amants du Pont-neuf (1991)

Jeux d’enfants (2003)

Things to Know Before You Go

1. The time difference between France and Beijing is 7 hours (6 hours in summer). The power socket interface in France is different from that in China, and the voltage is 230V. Please prepare a converter before your trip.

2. The French are lazy and romantic, and strikes are commonplace. If you encounter a public transport strike, don’t panic, just adjust your itinerary in time.

3. Paris during festivals will make your trip even more memorable. Especially in summer, like the music festival on June 21st, the national day music and fireworks on July 14th, and the “Paris Beach” on the Seine in July and August.

4. Famous attractions in Paris like the Louvre can have lines for several hours. It is recommended that you purchase museum passes online in advance so that you can avoid the lines. When you’re walking around the streets, if you want to use the toilet but don’t have any coins (most tourist attractions in France require money to use the toilet), you can also go to the museum for free.

5. Most French people may not speak English very well, and even if they understand you, they will answer you in French. So it is recommended that you learn some basic French, and the locals will be more friendly to you.

6. Tourist attractions often have thieves who steal wallets from tourists. We will have a video introducing safety issues later in the article to remind everyone how to prevent theft.

7. Students traveling are advised to bring their student IDs. Students under the age of 26 will also enjoy many discounts.

Best Time to Visit France

France has a continental climate in the eastern mountains and a subtropical Mediterranean climate in the south. Spring and autumn in France have the best weather for travel, usually from June to October. But many restaurants will close for the summer in July and August, so please pay special attention. Beaches are crowded with people starting in May. February and March are good for skiing in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Travel in France is generally divided into two categories: Intellectual Journey in Northern France and Provence Vacation in Southern France.

Northern France Intellectual Journey

Paris – Chartres – Chambord – Amboise – Tours – Chenonceau – Mont Saint-Michel – Saint-Malo – Normandy – Honfleur – Rouen

Famous Attractions:

1. The End of the Pilgrimage: Mont Saint-Michel

The sacred abbey on the island, granting the warmest blessings to travelers, as if walking into another time and space, gazing at the pure earthly paradise.

2. Fairyland: The Loire Valley Castle Tour

In Chenonceau, a castle full of tenderness and love, and Chambord, a grand and imposing castle, visit the dream castles in fairy tales and experience the life of the French royal family.

3. The Brightest City in the Universe: Romantic Paris

Get lost in the charming fashion capital, where the most romantic future lights are born, from the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Palace of Versailles, to the leaves on the banks of the Seine, are natural verses.

Southern France Provence Vacation

Nice – Saint-Paul de Vence – French Riviera – Monaco – Gordes – Avignon – Carcassonne – Camargue – Sète – Saint-Emilion – Bordeaux

Famous Attractions:

1. The Palette of the Ocean: The French Riviera

The ocean, buildings, and atmosphere of Cannes and Nice are filled with a sense of leisure, open your heart and embrace the blue charm of the Mediterranean.

2. Artistic Hilltop Towns: Provence

Evergreen vines climb along the old walls, creating a touch of green, how many poets and painters have lingered in Gordes, Avignon, wandering through the quiet alleys of the mountain town, looking forward to the possibility of meeting you.

3. Medieval Fortress Castle – Carcassonne

The magnificent and weathered castle still stands tall, constantly singing the heroic deeds of the knights of old, spanning thousands of years, becoming the proudest World Heritage Site.

D1 (Paris)

The Louvre – Tuileries Garden – Place de la Concorde – Musée d’Orsay – Centre Pompidou – Luxembourg Gardens – Panthéon – Arc de Triomphe – La Défense

When you come to Paris, you must visit the Louvre and its three treasures: the Mona Lisa’s smile, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. After visiting the Louvre, walk through the Tuileries Garden and Place de la Concorde, cross the Seine to the Musée d’Orsay. Then head to the Centre Pompidou, so you can have a general understanding of the history of French culture and art development in a day.

D2 (Paris)

Palace of Versailles – Champs-Élysées – Palais Garnier

Set off early in the morning, take the RER C line to the terminal and then walk 15 minutes to the Palace of Versailles. Visit the royal treasures in the morning, and in the afternoon, you can stroll along the garden paths or find a place to have a picnic. Return to the Paris city center in the evening and experience a different night on the Right Bank of Paris. Sit in an outdoor cafe on the Champs-Élysées, observe the latest fashions in Paris, go shopping at high-end department stores, and enjoy a world-class performance at the Palais Garnier for an unforgettable night.

D3 (Paris)

Notre Dame Cathedral – Île de la Cité – Hôtel de Ville – Centre Pompidou – Pont Alexandre III – Hôtel des Invalides – Eiffel Tower

Notre Dame Cathedral is another must-see in Paris. Notre Dame is located on the Ile de la Cité in the heart of the Seine River, take metro line 4 or RER B line and get off at the Cité station. It’s a short walk from Notre Dame to the Hôtel de Ville and Centre Pompidou. In the afternoon, take line 1 to Champs Elysees Clemenceau station, cross the Pont Alexandre III and you will arrive at the Hôtel des Invalides. From the Hôtel des Invalides, walk to the Eiffel Tower. Ascend the tower to watch the Paris night view and conclude your three-day trip to Paris.

D4 (Provence)

Atelier Cézanne – Cours Mirabeau

Free activities in the morning, you can choose different dynamic and exciting activities. After the activities, go to the seaside boulevard in the city center, enjoy lunch and stroll along the artificial lake to enjoy the beautiful scenery. In the evening, go to the Chapka Aboriginal Cultural Park for dinner and enjoy the performance.

D5 (Provence)

Roman Amphitheatre – Arles Ancient Museum

Join a day trip to visit nearby towns and villages. It is recommended to choose the Arles route and visit the Roman Amphitheatre and the museum. Of course, the tour will not miss the traces of Van Gogh: the hospital, the suspension bridge, and the vast fields of sunflowers.

D6 (Nice)

Grasse – Chagall Museum – Matisse Museum – Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain

Arrive in Nice, take local transportation to “the city of perfume” Grasse, after visiting the perfume museum, go to the city center for an art tour: Chagall Museum, Matisse Museum, Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain will bring you unexpected surprises.

D7 (Nice)

Monte Carlo – Casino de Monte-Carlo

Head to the most famous town in Monaco, “a country within a country”: Monte Carlo.

Baguette

In France, you can see people running with long baguettes in their arms anytime and anywhere, on any street. Some stores will slice the baguette and toast it to create a garlic aroma, and spreading butter on it is a good choice for a quick bite. The crust is hard, but very chewy, and the inside is white and soft. It is an essential side dish for the French.

Foie Gras

The rich and smooth foie gras is a festive meal for the French during Christmas and New Year, and it is also a protected cultural heritage. Because it’s not cheap, there are duck liver blends available, the higher the proportion of goose liver, the more expensive it is. Foie gras is usually served as an appetizer, spread on bread with a little jam. There’s also a way to pan-fry foie gras, paired with truffles and other side dishes, the texture is tender and smooth, making it unforgettable.

Recommended Restaurant:

Maison Rostang

The restaurant was originally called Michel Rostang. Even French diners who have eaten a lot of French food and are quite picky are fond of this textbook-like traditional French cuisine two-star Michelin restaurant. The Rotang family’s cooking recipes have been passed down for five generations, accumulating the family’s talent and wisdom in gourmet cooking. Owner Michel Rotang and young chef Nicolas Beaumann together inherit and elevate the traditional dishes. The restaurant’s reservation system is also relatively relaxed, and you can usually make a reservation on the same day. If you have the chance, be sure to try the blood duck (Canette Miéral au Sang) and foie gras (Fois Gras).

Address: 20 Rue Rennequin, 75017 Paris

Directions: Metro Ternes, Courcelles or Péreire stations

Opening Hours: Lunch Tuesday to Friday 12:15-14:00, Dinner Monday to Saturday 19:30-21:45

Price Per Person: 90-225 euros Phone: +33 147634077

Website: www.maisonrostang.com

Black Truffle (Truffe Noir)

A wild fungus native to the south of France. In France, this unassuming ingredient is synonymous with deliciousness. However, production is very low, and it is difficult to cultivate, so the price is very high. If you have a sweet tooth, you can buy truffle sauce at Galeries Lafayette and take it home to spread on bread and savor it slowly.

Recommended Restaurant:

L’Arpège

In this three-star Michelin restaurant, vegetables and fruits are the absolute stars. Chef Alain Passard has three orchards cultivated in a completely natural way, and most of the vegetables in the restaurant are cultivated in the orchard. However, meat lovers don’t need to be discouraged, the meat-based main dishes here are equally amazing. Enjoying molecular cuisine made here allows you to savor the ultimate expression of the chefs’ culinary skills. Passard was awarded the “The Diners Club Lifetime Achievement Award” in 2016 for his unique culinary talent and strength.

Address: 84 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris

Directions: Metro M13 to Varenne station

Opening Hours: Monday to Friday Lunch 12:00-14:00, Dinner 19:00-22:45

Price Per Person: 140-240 euros Phone: +33 147050906

Website: www.alain-passard.com

Veal Head (Tête de veau)

Stewed veal head is a seasonal dish during Christmas, a foodie’s favorite. The veal head is stewed in soup until tender, then topped with sauce, scallions, and other seasonings. It is rich but not greasy, smooth and chewy, and it is said that former President Chirac was also a fan.

Oysters (Huitre)

Be sure to try fresh oysters from the French coast in the autumn and winter. The plumpest season is about after Christmas, and the popular way to eat them is to open the shell and drop a few drops of fresh lemon juice, and the soft oyster meat with the scent of seawater can be eaten directly. For those who don’t like raw oysters, you can eat grilled oysters, but that would be a pity. After all, the raw taste doesn’t waste a bit of freshness.

Recommended Restaurant:

Oyster Bar (Montparnasse Branch)

For picky French people, ingredients labeled with “France” are good ingredients, naturally, the price is higher than imported products. The seafood platter here is also scary and grandiose, of course, the price is not very friendly. There are a total of four branches in the city, modern decoration style, good service environment.

Branch Address 1: 112 boulevard du Montparnasse 75014 Paris (Take metro M4 to Vavin station)

Branch Address 2: 33 Rue Saint-Jacques 75005 Paris

Opening Hours: 12:00-00:00 the next day

Price per person: About 50 euros

Website: www.lebarahuitres.com

Mille Feuille

Finally, we’re going to introduce desserts, mille feuille, commonly known as Napoleon cake. Mille Feuille means thousands of pages in French because the dough and dry butter are folded together, repeated multiple times, and after baking, the layers come out like thousands of pages folded together. It is made of three layers of puff pastry and two layers of custard, with flavors such as vanilla custard, chocolate, or vanilla nuts. The crispy and flaky crust paired with the creamy custard leaves a lingering flavor in the mouth.

This is the end of the written sharing, finally, I would like to share the photos of this trip with everyone.