France Travel Guide 2026: Paris, Mont-Saint-Michel, Provence and Where to Go

The essentials, updated for 2026

Entering France

Schengen rulesFrance is in the Schengen Area. Europe's Entry/Exit System, which records fingerprints and a photo of non-EU visitors at the border, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026.

ETIAS travel authorisation

No start date yetVisa-exempt visitors will eventually need an online ETIAS authorisation, but the EU has dropped its late-2026 target and will announce a date months ahead. No applications are being taken yet.

The Louvre, non-European visitors

€32Since 14 January 2026 for most visitors from outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, €10 more than before. Discounts for under-26s and others still apply.

Palace of Versailles, non-European visitors

€35For the Palace ticket since 14 January 2026, up from €32.

Eiffel Tower, adult

€36.70By lift to the summit; €23.50 by lift to the 2nd floor, €14.80 by stairs. From 29 September 2026, stairs tickets must also be booked ahead.

Money and plugs

Euro (€), Type C/ECards are accepted almost everywhere. Sockets take the round two-pin European plug.

Where to go

The capital

Paris

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay and the Seine, with Versailles a short train ride away. Book timed tickets for the big sights, and plan at least three or four days.

Two main airports: Charles de Gaulle and Orly

Our Eiffel Tower guide →Paris tourism ↗

Versailles and Louvre guided day tour →Partner link

Island abbey

Normandy and Mont-Saint-Michel

A medieval abbey on a rocky tidal island where Normandy meets Brittany, reached on foot or by shuttle across the causeway. Nearby are the D-Day beaches and the cliffs of Étretat.

Walking the village is free; the abbey is ticketed

Mont-Saint-Michel tourism ↗

Châteaux

The Loire Valley

Renaissance castles along the river, among them Chambord and Chenonceau, which spans the River Cher on arches. Easy by train from Paris to Tours or Blois, then by car, bike or tour.

Good for a two- or three-day trip from Paris

Loire Valley tourism ↗

Lavender and hill towns

Provence

Hilltop villages, Roman remains in Arles and Nîmes, the papal palace in Avignon and, in early summer, lavender fields around the Luberon and Valensole.

Lavender usually blooms from late June into July

Provence tourism ↗

Beaches and old towns

The French Riviera

Nice's seafront and old town, Cannes, Antibes and the hill village of Èze, with Monaco next door. The coastal train links them all.

Nice Côte d'Azur airport serves the whole coast

Côte d'Azur tourism ↗

Mont Blanc

The French Alps

Chamonix sits beneath Mont Blanc, Western Europe's highest mountain, with a cable car up the Aiguille du Midi. Summer means hiking; winter brings some of Europe's best-known ski resorts.

Geneva airport is the closest for Chamonix

Chamonix tourism ↗

When to go

You can visit France at any time of year. The main differences are the crowds and the weather.

Spring to autumn

April to June and September to October bring mild weather and fewer queues in Paris and the Loire.
July and August are hot and busy on the coast; August is the French holiday month, when some small city businesses close.
Plan Provence for late June or July if you want the lavender in bloom.

Winter

December to March is ski season in the Alps.
Christmas markets fill Strasbourg and other towns in Alsace in December.
Paris is quieter outside the holidays, and the museums are at their least crowded.

What to pack

Pack for long days on foot in the cities, and for the season if you head to the coast or the mountains.