Bonjour!
This September, we will be heading to France in Europe. As it will be our first visit to this wonderful European country, we started researching about France via the internet and borrowed books about France from the library. We have to decide which part of France – North, South, East or West of France we want to visit before deciding the flight to book.
France Facts
I don’t know much about France other than Paris, The Eiffel Tower and baguette. I have always wanted to visit this country, France, because of all the wonderful things I have heard from people who have been there.
France is said to be the most popular tourist destination in the world. In fact, almost 90million tourists visited France in 2018. I guess the romantic image, fantastic food and beautiful French villages are the reasons for the popularity.
The country’s motto is Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. According to the 2018 census, France has a total population of 67.2mil, of which 2.2mil are residing in the capital of Ile-de-France, Paris. France is considered the largest country in the EU and is known as the hexagon because of its geometrical shape.
The official language in France is French. I have heard that the French do not like to speak English! Is it true?? I am also told to learn a few French like Hello, goodbye, thank you in French before going there.
Which part of France to visit?
This is the most difficult to decide! As it is impossible to see the whole country, France, in just one trip, we have to decide the region to visit in France. And, as our trip will only be around 14 days, it is tough to shrink so many wonderful places in France to fit our 14 days itinerary.
Regions of France
France originally had 22 metropolitan regions but the French government reduced it to 13 in 2016.
Burgundy-Franche-Comté (Burgundy and France-Comté) – Capital is Dijon
Brittany – Capital is Rennes
Centre-Val de Loire – Capital is Orléans
Corsica – Capital is Ajaccio
Grand Est (Alsace, Champagne-Ardennes and Lorraine) – Capital is Strasbourg
Hautes-de-France (Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Picardie) – Capital is Lille. It’s near the France’s border with Belgium.
Ile-de-France – Capital is Paris.
Normandy – Capital is Rouen.
Nouvelle Aquitaine (Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes) – Capital is Bordeaux
Occitanie (Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées) – Capital is Toulouse.
Pays de la Loire – Capital is Nantes, the 6th largest city in France.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur – Capital is Marseille, the 2nd largest city in France.
Rhône-Alpes (Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes) – Capital is Lyon, the 3rd largest city in France.
Which region in France would you go if you are visiting France?
Paris
Paris is known as the city of love. Thus, many people go to Paris for their honeymoon. Besides love, when in Paris you can spend time leisurely without feeling rushed like in other cities such as Tokyo, New York, Singapore.
Paris is the ultimate choice when I asked around. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, the famous Louvre museum, the majestic Arc de Triumph, and the Cathedral of Notre Dame, which caught fire in April 2019.
Avignon – Provence Region
Another good choice would be the Avignon – Provence region. Avignon is a medieval and a designated UNESCO heritage city. As we are keener to see the beautiful French villages and Unesco heritage sites, this region is high in our radar of places to visit in France in this coming trip.
Base on our research, there are also many lovely places around Avignon possible as day trips. Arles, Nimes, Pont du Gard aqueduct, Orange, Saint Remy, Saint-Rémy de Provence and Aix-En-Provence to name a few, are places we could travel to from Avignon. As we will probably be using public transport system rather than driving, like we did in Croatia, we are looking at places that are not too far away from Avignon and accessible by train.
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
The French Riviera region is also an interesting place in France we are considering. Furthermore, there is a promotional fare from Star Alliance airlines such as Lufthansa, Swiss and Singapore airlines to Nice France.
Upon reading up on the places along the French Riviera, we are slowly captivated by places like Nice, Cannes, Monaco, Eze, Antibes etc. The list of places to visit in France just got longer and longer. We really have to decide fast as the promotion of the flight is ending soon.
Accommodations
As usual, we will rely on booking.com to help us find the perfect accommodations in France. We have always stayed in apartments in places we have been to such as Croatia, Okinawa, Taiwan etc. So, this time is no difference. Stay tune for our next post on the apartments or hotels we will be staying for the coming trip to France this September.
Transportation
At this point in time, we have decided not to drive in France because the transportation net work in France is very efficient. We can travel around with ease via trains and buses. But, who knows, maybe we might change our mind and drive to certain French villages rather than by bus.
We have found out via sites like tripadvisors and other travel blogs on how to travel by bus in France. It is always good to read travel blogs wriiten by other travelers to get information on the places you will be going to. They have been there and done that, so best advice to get will be from these travel blogs.
The recommended website for buses and trains in France are :-
https://www.omio.com/buses/france
https://en.oui.sncf/en/train-ticket
https://en.oui.sncf/en/ouigo ( low cost train travel in France)
Stay tune for our next post on the places we have actually visited in France. Our 14 days DIY trip to France is coming soon and we are really looking forward to it. We hope you are looking forward to our next post as well. Till then, take care and Au Revoir.
