Travel guide, from the UK

France

France is a short trip from London by train or plane, and it rewards more than one visit. Paris has the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, which reopened in December 2024. Head south for the lavender of Provence and the beaches of the Côte d'Azur, or north-west for Mont-Saint-Michel and the D-Day beaches. The country has 56 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and even the French gastronomic meal is on UNESCO's list.

Photo: Diogo Fagundes, Unsplash License

The Eiffel Tower framed by Haussmann apartment buildings on a Paris street in warm golden-hour light

When to go: April and May are mild, and the gardens of the Loire châteaux open from April. Summers are hot and dry in the south. Bastille Day on 14 July ends with fireworks in Paris, and lavender colours the Valensole plateau from mid-June for about a month. In winter, Strasbourg's Christmas markets open on 27 November 2026, Lyon's Fête des Lumières runs from 5 to 8 December 2026, and the Nice Carnival from 9 to 28 February 2027.
Getting there from London: The Eurostar runs from St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord in about 2 hours 20 minutes. Flights to Paris take about 1 hour 15 minutes from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted. Nice is just under 2 hours by air, with year-round flights from Heathrow, London City, Gatwick and Luton. Lyon is about 1 hour 30 to 1 hour 40 minutes away, with flights from Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton.

What to do in France

1The Louvre, ParisBook a time slot on the Louvre's own ticket site, ticket.louvre.fr, and avoid look-alike sites. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and opens late on Wednesdays and Fridays. Since January 2026, visitors from outside the European Economic Area, including UK residents, pay a higher price than EEA visitors.
2The Musée d'Orsay and MontmartreSee the Impressionists at the Musée d'Orsay, which fills a former railway station on the Seine. Then walk up the hill of Montmartre to the Sacré-Cœur basilica.
3VersaillesThe palace and gardens are about 30 minutes from Paris on the RER C, plus a short walk. A timed slot is compulsory, even with a free ticket, and the palace is closed on Mondays. Allow a full day.
4Mont-Saint-MichelThe abbey rises from a tidal island off the Normandy coast and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. It opens from 9:00 to 19:00 between May and August, and from 9:30 to 18:00 the rest of the year.
5The D-Day Landing BeachesFive beaches and Pointe du Hoc in Normandy joined the UNESCO World Heritage list in July 2026. Off Arromanches you can still see the remains of the Mulberry harbour built for the landings.
6Lavender in ProvenceThe fields on the Valensole plateau flower from mid-June for about a month, and those around Sault in July and August. The timing changes each year with the weather, so check before you go.

Getting around

High-speed TGV trains link Paris with Lyon in about 2 hours and with Nice in about 6, and Lyon to Nice takes about 4 hours 30 minutes. TGV INOUI is SNCF's full-service brand and OUIGO its low-cost one, with strict luggage limits; book both on SNCF Connect. Slower TER trains serve the regions, including the Riviera line from Cannes to Ventimiglia. In Paris, paper tickets have gone: use a Navigo Easy card, the Île-de-France Mobilités app or your phone. In Nice, tram line 2 runs from the airport to the port, and in Lyon you can tap a contactless bank card across the TCL network.

Living in the UK on a non-UK passport? You'll need a visa for France.

France visa from the UK →