Trips
Top Places To Visit in France
Hotels and Homestays in France
Best Time to
Visit France
Peak season: July and August are the months when the streets are crowded. December is another month when the streets are lively because of the Christmas season. Advance booking is recommended as the prices are high during this period.
Shoulder season: April to June and September is the period when there are fewer tourists compared to the peak season. The weather starts getting warmer and the prices tend to fall.
Off-season: November to February is the winter season when the tourists are less except the Christmas season.
Budget for France
For Budget Travellers: INR 3000 - 4000 a day
- Accommodation in hostels and basic rooms in guesthouses: INR 1350-2000
- Food in local cafes and street eateries: INR 700-1000
- Public Transport in metro and buses: INR 130 - 550
- Sightseeing: INR 300 - 500
For Mid-range Travellers: INR 5000 to INR 6000 a day
- Accommodation in mid-range hotels and homestays: INR 2500 - 3500
- Food in mid-range cafes and restaurants: INR 1500 - 2500
- Local transport in subway train and taxis: INR 250 - 500
- Sightseeing & Tours: INR 600 - 1000
For Luxury Travellers: INR 7000 and upwards
- Accommodation in 4* or 5* hotels: INR 5000 and upwards
- Food in upscale restaurants and bars: INR 3000 and upwards
- Local transport in cabs: INR 600 and upwards
Visa
Information for France
Visa is mostly not required for a visit of up to 90 days or at all for EU nationals, with France being a member of the Schenegen Agreement. Indians and some other nationalities need a Schengen visa. There are no border controls for the countries that are a part of the treaty, such as the European Union (except Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, United Kingdom), Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Citizens of Australia, the USA, Canada, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and many Latin American countries do not need visas to visit France as tourists for up to 90 days. Als tourist visas can't be extended exceot in the case of emergencies. For more information, head to this website.
France
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Champs-Elysees
Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 Paris
This is the most posh district and shopping here is pretty much impossible. You buy one thing and there goes your month's paycheck. All we saw was Jimmy Choo, Roberto Cavalli, Dior, Versace, Yves Saint Laurent and fifty thousand other European designers I have never heard of. I wouldn't be surprised if each of these Roberto Cavalli dressed cost 20 grand a pop
Arc de Triomphe
Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris
It is located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées, so it even comes with an amazing view upon the world-famous shopping street
Montmartre
75018 Paris
Montmarte was the third destination for us, we reached there using the local metro and then from the station it was a 10 minutes walk past the local market where you can shop for souvenir and gifts for people back home. Remember since the economy of Paris is not so great shopkeepers bargain and you can get things like magnets or small Eiffel Tower's and other gifting items at throw away prices, please buy and dont wait for going some other place.
Sacred Heart Basilica of Montmartre (Sacre-Coeur)
35, Rue du Chevalier-De-La-Barre - Montmartre, 75018 Paris
11. Wander through Sacre Coeur in Montmartre…
Sacre Coeur is in Montmartre, a neighborhood known for it’s filming of Amelie. This cute, hilly, and artsy neighborhood is close to the metro station Abesses. There is also the cool staircase that is the famous photo opt there next to the funicular.
Notre Dame Cathedral
6 Parvis Notre-Dame, Place Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris
Who can get away from the gargoyles and the gothic feel! Beautiful inside and spell binding outside.
Chateau de Versailles
Place d'Armes, 78000, Versailles
Absolutely breathtaking. I was amazed by how much land the estate had. The vegetation is perfectly kept and manicured. Along with the hundreds of art scattered across the gardens. I felt as though I had entered another era at times. Highlight of my trip to France❤❤❤
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg
1 rue Rohan, 67060, Strasbourg
La Cathédrale right in the center of the city: emblematic of Strasbourg, the Cathédrale is an unmissable landmark! If you're the athletic type, walk up its 300 stairs and enjoy a great view on the whole city!
La Defense
Paris
La Défense is a major business district of Paris and quite unlikely to be an attraction for the typical tourist. I, on the other hand, was so intrigued by the area that I spent an entire afternoon there. A stark contrast to the historic buildings in central Paris, the modern architecture at La Défense was surprisingly a breath of fresh air to me.
At the heart of La Défense is the iconic La Grande Arche de la Défense. Designed by Danish architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen, the striking 110-metre tall building resembles a cube with a hole in the middle. It was built in the late 1980s, supposedly to be a 20th century version of the Arc de Triomphe.
I was in awe of the Grande Arche. I couldn’t stop looking at it. That sort of explains why I spent such a long time at La Défense.
The Catacombs
1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris
Part of the city’s efforts to store human remains from its overcrowded cemeteries, the tunnels run for more than 150 miles below ground, but only 1 mile is open to the public. No thanks!
Conciergerie
2, boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris
8. See La Conciergerie
Also on that island is the little museum called La Conciergerie which is actually the prison where they held Marie Antoinette. Probably skippable, but there is also a little tiny church in the same complex called Sainte Chappelle.
Hotel de Ville
Place de l'Hotel de Ville, 75004 Paris
We grabbed a couple of sandwiches from Carrefour (where we were first spoken to with French and we couldn’t understand a thing though we’ve practiced basic French haha) and pique-niqued with Place Stanislas as our view. Buildings of neoclassical style border the square while elaborate sculptures and wrought iron gates adorn the corners. The statue of Stanislas that stands in the middle of the square was offered a nice background by the stunning HOTEL de Ville.
Place de la Carriere
Place de la Carrière, 54000, Nancy
Then we followed beautiful buildings and got back to Place Stanislas again. From there we walked up north, towards what looks like Arch de Triomphe. Apparently, it is indeed a triumphal arch called L’Arc Here named after architect, Emmanuel Here. It led us to another square gated with the same motif as that of Stanislas’ and bordered by similar trees as that of Alliance’s. These trees frame the beautiful Palais du Gouvernement. This is Place de la Carriere, and together with the two squares, they are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Montmartre Cemetery
20 av. Rachel, Paris
A popular tourist destination, Montmartre Cemetery is the final resting place of many famous artists who lived and worked in the Montmartre area.
Regardless of the time of year that you visit, Montmartre Cemetery is a beautiful place to see. It's also important to keep in mind that it is an active cemetery, so it is a busy place. There are numerous paths and roadways to wander on that will take you through the cemetery and your guided map will list the certain points of interest along the way. Montmartre Cemetery almost looks sunken, as it is below street level. There are numerous hills and steps inside the cemetery, which can make navigating a bit difficult, yet adventurous. It is open 7 days a week and the hours are regulated by the city of Paris.
Memorial des Martyrs de la Deportation
Square de l'Ile de France, 75004 Paris
A minute of silence to remember them.
Le Bateau-Lavoir
Paris
Le Bateau-Lavoir ("The Boat Wash-house") is the nickname for a building in the Montmartre district that is famous in art history as the residence and meeting place for a group of outstanding early 20th-century artists, men of letters, theater people, and art dealers. The name Le Bateau-Lavoir was coined by French painter Max Jacob. The building was dark and dirty, almost seeming to be scrap pile rather than a dwelling. On stormy days, they swayed and creaked, reminding people of washing-boats on the nearby Seine River, hence the name.
Gare du Nord
Rue de Dunkerque, 75010 Paris
If you happen to enter Paris by rail from another International destination( for me it was Amsterdam), then you are most likely to reach Gare Du Nord station. At the very first sight it could seem very intimidating, owing to the fact that it is one of the six large terminus stations and offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Metro, RER and buses.
Well don’t worry you are not alone, there are hoards of tourists haggling over the map to figure their way out. The first thing do is to go to the tourist information counter and let them know your destination and they would very clearly guide you through the maze of the station and help you board the correct transport. And it is advisable to always keep the map handy.
Place Kleber
67000, Strasbourg
This is the largest square of Strasbourg, situated right in the center of the city and its commercial area. The square has numerous attractions like the Aubette Palace and the statue of Kleber, after whom the square has been named. Apart from the history of the Place Kleber, due to which it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, numerous luxury and other brands also have shops here.
Pantheon
Place du Pantheon, 75005 Paris
They changed it from being a church into a mausoleum for war heroes. “Twice since then it has reverted to being a church, only to become again a temple to the great intellectuals of France.”I also read that Rodin’s Thinker was housed here for a short period of time.I found it really weird that there was a huge pendulum present in the mausoleum. I didn’t know what it was and nobody there could tell me, so when I came home I had to google it. Turns out, a physicist (named Léon Foucault) wanted to demonstrate the rotation of the Earth with the help of an experiment with a pendulum (later named after him), which is actually 67 meters tall!There are a number of renown people buried in the mausoleum. Actually, the writing on the facade of the building actually means “To the great men, the grateful homeland”. We could saw Victor Hugo’s, Émile Zola‘s, Louis Braille‘s, Jean Monnet‘s, Marie Curie‘s and Alexandre Dumas‘s graves (among many other notable personas).
Grand Palais
Avenue des Champs Elysees, 75008 Paris
These two grand palaces now turned museums are located right outside the Champs elysee subway station. I sat on the stairs of Grand Palais which was closed due to ongoing renovation and kept staring at the beautiful Petit palais architecture.
Musee Bartholdi
30 rue des Marchands, Colmar
This was the birthplace of Bartholdi, who designed the Statue of Liberty, and his home is open to tourists. If we had had more time I would have loved to visit but there was so much to see that we couldn’t bring ourselves to spend so much of our time in one place.
