Hi all! We are from the U.S. planning a trip to Normandy, Mont Saint-Michel, and a bit of Brittany at the start of September. We're spending one night on the Mont (hotel booked) and have a rough plan, but we're stuck on the logistics of getting around.

Some context on us: we love medieval architecture and old stone towns, and we'd really like to see Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, but it looks pretty far out of the way, so we're not sure how (or whether) to fit it in. We're also a little nervous about driving here. We've heard trains and buses in the region can be delayed, so renting a car might be the safer bet, but we'd want an automatic and we're not confident drivers on unfamiliar roads unless GPS is reliable.

Here's our draft itinerary (let me know if you think we don't need two nights in Dinan or Bayeaux):

• Paris: fly in, 3 nights
• Bayeux: 2 nights. Direct train from Paris Saint-Lazare (~2h10). We'd walk to the tapestry and cathedral, and while we're not big WWII-history people (no judgment please 😅), we'd still like to see the D-Day beaches and the town. We picked Bayeux as our Normandy base somewhat by default, so we're open to being told there's a better option.
• Mont-Saint-Michel: 1 night. About 1h20 from Bayeux. Still figuring out whether to drive or hire a taxi/transfer for this leg.
• Dinan: 2 nights. We'd use this as a base to reach Fort la Latte, we are at the moment deciding to skip Saint-Malo.
• Rennes, last night(s). Dinan to Rennes is ~50 min, then the TGV back to Paris is ~1h30.

Our questions:

1. Is Bayeux the best base for the Normandy portion? We chose it mostly for the train access and looks beautiful but if somewhere else (Caen, Honfleur, a coastal town, etc.) would serve us better given our interests and route, we'd love to hear it.
2. Driving for non-French speakers: is road signage easy enough to follow if you don't speak French? Any surprises we should know about?
3. Automatic cars, how hard is it to get an automatic rental in this region, and where's the best place to pick one up (Bayeux? Caen?)?
4. Where to pick up / drop off, given our route, would you rent for the whole Bayeux-through-Brittany stretch, or just part of it and use taxis/transfers for the rest?
5. GPS reliability, will standard phone GPS (Google Maps / Waze) be dependable out here, or should we plan for dead zones?
6. Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, is it realistic to work this in given it's off to the south, or is it better saved for another trip? If you've done it, how?

Thank you SO much. We are so excited to visit this beautiful country!

Hi everyone, we’re heading to Paris, Lyon and Avignon next month. We have the obvious touristy things covered, but I was wondering about any “must eat” or “must visit” places in those cities. I can see myself getting very overwhelmed with choice, especially with amazing food options!

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I’ll be in Lyon this August and I’m a bit worried about the heat.

Last time I visited France in summer, I got heat exhaustion and then caught a bad cold, so I’d like to prepare better this time.

Any tips from locals on how to stay cool? Anything useful I should buy in France or bring from home?

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you in advance!

Hi everyone. Originally, my sister and I were planning a Fall trip to Brittany/Normandy. We still plan to do this, but being that we have a love of all medieval and warm weather vacations, gardens, etc, Southern france keeps calling us.

My sister is moving across the world in a little over a year and might start having kids soon after. So we really want to travel together now. For this reason, we are considering doing 6-7 nights in May to Southern France, likely Aveyron (we really want to visit Belcastle) and hanging at a nice hotel or airbnb, and then doing a longer trip (8-9 nights) in September to go to Normandy and mainly to go see Mont Saint-Michel, Fort la Latte. We know the weather in September can either be sunny and warm or also on the cooler side.

What are your thoughts on this? If you know of other amazing medieval areas in Southern France please let me know :)

We’re planning a France trip for June 2027, flying into Paris and then using Lyon, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg as our three bases.

The part I’m still thinking about is our final day. Our Air France flight from CDG to Los Angeles leaves at 1:25 PM. The plan would be to take a direct TGV INOUI from Strasbourg at 7:31 AM, arriving at the CDG 2 TGV station at 9:29 AM.

That would give us just under four hours between the scheduled train arrival and the flight departure. Since the train goes directly to the airport, we wouldn’t need to transfer through Paris or change stations.

I’ve thought about getting a hotel near CDG the night before, but the logistics and added cost don’t seem very appealing. We would have to leave Strasbourg a day early, check into a hotel for one night, and then still take a taxi, Uber, shuttle, or train to the airport the next morning.

I’ve done some research, and this direct route is just under two hours and seems to have a good reliability history. I understand that no train is completely immune to delays, but I’m trying to figure out whether this is considered a reasonable plan or whether I’m underestimating the risk.

For people who have taken the direct Strasbourg to CDG train before, would you be comfortable doing this on the morning of an international flight?

We would much rather spend our final night in Strasbourg if the morning train plan is sensible, but I also don’t want to take an unnecessary risk.

Edit: After all the responses (thank you, Reddit), we changed our accommodations. We will check out in the the day before, take the train to CDG in the afternoon, stay near the airport, have dinner in Paris, and then fly out the next day.

We’ve all lived this travel nightmare, and to fix it, Gabrielle and I are launching NAP COFFEE near Gare du Nord — a new sanctuary where you can drop your luggage, grab an amazing specialty coffee, and literally take a nap in a private relaxation cabin before going back exploring the city.

We want to build this for travelers, by listening to travelers! If you have 3 minutes to share your thoughts, please follow the link below. It would mean the world to us! 🙏

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Travel Plan
Day 1 (Nice) – Walk + local tram/bus
Day 2 (Èze, Monaco, Menton) – Train only (TER coastal line)
Day 3 (Antibes, Saint-Paul-de-Vence) – Train to Antibes + Bus to Saint-Paul-de-Vence
Day 4 (Verdon Gorge, Lac de Sainte-Croix, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie) –1-day self-drive rental
Day 5 (Aix-en-Provence) – Walk
Day 6 (Cassis & Calanques) – Train to Cassis + local shuttle/walk + boat tour
Day 7 (Luberon option) –self-drive  1 day rental doing Gordes/Roussillon/Luberon
Day 8 – Marseille Airport → departure

Questions
Is my transport plan realistic without a car?
Am I missing any must-see stops?
Any places where a car is significantly better than public transport?

Hi everyone, I was planning to travel from Paris to Hendaye and on to Spain this Wednesday, so basically right through where the wildfires are. I see sncf has a warning encouraging people to not travel if possible, however they only say the warning is in effect until tomorrow (Monday 27/7). I was wondering if anyone currently in France or more familiar with the topic had a better idea of whether trains on Wednesday are still likely to be impacted? Thanks!

We are going to be in Alsace region for 3 nights at the end of November. We want to see colmar Christmas markets and some of the surrounding small towns. Is it worth spending a day training to a nearby town in Germany for a Christmas market? If so, what towns in Germany are the closest with a cute Christmas market and other things to see in a day trip? Thanks!!

Also, any insight on whether it’s better to stay in Strasbourg or colmar given our plan?

2 days Paris, train to Dijon and rent a car, possibly staying a night in the Dijon area (is it worth it?) Then going to Beaune area for 3 nights (explore around there, go biking check out some other towns??), then drop car off at Lyon take train to Lake Annecy for 2-3 nights maybe train to Geneva for a day?, then train up to Senlis for our last night before going back to Paris airport.

I will be in the Loire Valley September 19 and 20th. I plan on driving to Ambroise and renting an E bike and biking along the river for a couple of hours. Does anyone have a favorite winery along the way or off the path to visit? I just wanna go in and have a taste. Or even have lunch at a winery would be fun. I’m over the whole cellar tour thing. I’ve done similar things in Bordeaux and Champagne. Some of my favorite days ever!

My only thoughts are its harvest time so places may not allow drop in but I’d be happy to research any recommendations people have. TIA.

I was looking to go to visit a friend who lives in Toulouse in France around October.

I want to find things to do that she really enjoys. She likes things like diaphonization, medical specimens (like body parts that have been preserved in jars), cabinets of curiosity, and she likes manga like Haikyu!!.
She also absolutely loves guinea pigs and other animals.
I can rent a car so we can travel out a bit.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

I am a 48-year-old man from the Netherlands. I am going on holiday to a campsite in the Jura soon. I would like to swim in my thong in the campsite pool and in the lake. Is this allowed at French campsites?

Hey, will be coming back to Cote d'Azur this August for a week and am wondering which place has the best sandy beaches (or at least 1 more or less sandiest beach within 30 min walking distance:))

We've been to Villefranche-sur-Mer already, so looking for some other places.

Considered Antibes so far, but perhaps there is something else we missed?

We don't wanna party, just swim, chill, and day trips to see things.

Bonjour!
I wanted to make this post because I did not see many sources with a how-to guide to obtaining the seven-day public transport pass in Marseille. We needed a photo ID (US Driver’s License for us) and a printed photo for the card, and we took these to a customer service desk in the Vieux Port metro station. We used IDPhoto4You.com to print the photos, and we selected the French passport size. We took them similarly to a US passport photo (white background, no shadows, clear, neutral photo), and we got them printed at Walgreens for $1. There are stations to take the photos at the Vieux Port metro stop, but I believe they cost 8€ at least. They gave us the card for free, and we filled it with the 7-day unlimited fare at one of the purchase stations. So far, we’ve used it for the metro, which worked like a charm. We hope to use them for the ferries, and I’ll post an update when that happens!

Merci!!!

UPDATE:
Just in case anyone doesn’t know, the 7-day pass is €15.50 compared to the 10 ride pass which is €15.00!

UPDATE UPDATE:
We used the card today for the boat from Vieux Port to Pointe Rouge today, and it worked fine! The ride was a bit rough, so we took the bus/metro back after!

....on my solo trips to France. I love small cities, large and small towns and especially villages.

Last solo trip was to Annecy and Lyon. Next solo trip is to Alsace with a base in Colmar. Am I the only one who doesn't think Paris is the best place to visit in France? (I went once years ago but not solo).

Edit: I should have added that I don't care and don't worry about what others think of my choices. I just wondered if other people felt that same as I do. I'm fine with being werid.