France: Paris, the French Riviera and the Loire Châteaux — Where to Go and What to Try

Paris: museums, boulevards and riverside quays

Paris is a city you can keep discovering forever. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, Montmartre with the Sacré-Cœur basilica, Notre-Dame Cathedral, walks along the Seine and through the Luxembourg Gardens. But ordinary neighbourhoods leave just as strong an impression: little bakeries, markets and cafés with tables right on the pavement.

The French Riviera and Provence

In the south lies the French Riviera: Nice with its Promenade des Anglais, Cannes, Antibes and small towns perched on the cliffs above the sea. A little further from the coast, Provence begins — lavender fields that bloom in summer, olive groves, markets and historic towns such as Avignon and Arles.

The Loire Valley and Bordeaux

The Loire Valley is known as the garden of France. Renaissance châteaux stand along the river — Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise — and many of them are easy to tour by bike or by car. In the south-west of the country lies Bordeaux, a city with a beautiful old waterfront, surrounded by famous vineyards.

Normandy and Brittany

The north of France is a coast of tides, cliffs and lighthouses. Mont-Saint-Michel is an abbey on a rocky island that is surrounded by water at high tide. Normandy has the white cliffs of Étretat, apple orchards and cider, while Brittany has stone villages and crêperies where they make buckwheat galettes.

What to try

French cuisine is a whole culture, and every region has its own dishes.

• Fresh baguettes and croissants from the local bakery.
• Cheese — France has an enormous variety, and every region has its own.
• Bouillabaisse — the famous fish soup of Marseille.
• Galettes and sweet crêpes in Brittany.
• Ratatouille and herbes de Provence in the south.
• Macarons, éclairs and other treats from the pâtisseries.

Good to know before you go

France is an easy country for travellers, and a few simple tips will help you feel at ease.

• Saying “bonjour” when you walk into a shop or café is an essential courtesy.
• In many restaurants the kitchen is open at lunchtime and in the evening, often with a break in between.
• It's best to book tickets for the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and popular châteaux in advance.
• On the metro and in tourist crowds, keep an eye on your bags and phone.
• In small towns, many shops are closed on Sundays.

Staying connected

In France you need the internet from the very first minutes: to open a map, get to grips with the metro and trains, find a restaurant, or show your hotel booking or museum ticket. You can install your eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, so after landing you won't have to hunt for a SIM card at the airport or stand in queues. When a plan's validity begins is shown on the checkout page before you pay: for some plans it starts at the first connection in the destination country, for others on installation or right after purchase. Your main number stays in your phone, and calls and messages to it keep arriving as usual, under your carrier's terms.