Getting around France

How to make the most of your time in France ?

Once you are finally in France, you realize that you have easy access to not only France, but also the neighbouring countries and the Schengen area. Now, isn't that something ? So why waste this accessibility ?

Depending on your time in France, be it as an English Language Assistant, a student pursuing their Master's, PhD, Post-Doc or someone who has recently moved to France on the French Tech Visa, your time to explore and get around France has only just begun.

Touring around France

Firstly, it makes most sense to get ahead with exploring the Hexagon before making a beeline for its neighbouring countries.

The country, divided today into multiple departments, comprises not only of France, but also of various overseas departments. Therefore, between the Hexagon (i.e. France in itself) and over 10 overseas departments, you have quite some ground to cover.

What will I see in France ? Although this is a question that sounds quite redundant, but is in fact the first question that I would like to elaborate upon. Why ? Well, because very often most of us end up attributing only the most stereotypical ideas of what there is to do in France, whereas, simply by itself, the country has a lot more on offer than you may have considered.

Here is an easy breakdown of the places to visit :

Let's start off in the North of France or North-west of France:

• Paris

• Provins

• Lille, Bayeux

• Le Havre, Honfleur

• Dinan, Saint Malo, Mont Saint Michel

• Pays de la Loire

• Vannes, Carnac

These cities have hamlets full of culture, history and great food, and can also be classified as some of France's best-kept secrets. Besides, it is also the birthplace to some of the most renowned historical figures and where history has unravelled. The above list summarizes just some of the places I have been to and would recommend ! Should you have discovered more places that the North of France houses, feel free to let me know in the comments.

Moving on, let's head to the west of France, or the south-west of France :

Wine, sun, sand, surfing all combined with the many mysterious châteaux that France has on offer... you have to be in the western region of France.

• Nantes, La Rochelle, Île de Ré

• Limoges

• Bordeaux, Saint-Émilion

• Les Grottes de Lascaux, Sarlat

• Castles of Dordogne

• Dune du Pilat, Arcachon

• Bayonne, Biarritz

• Pau

• Cognac

All these cities and regions will lead you to enjoy the beautiful coast of the Atlantic, where you can let go and go surfing, whilst indulging in some succulent oysters in Port des Barques which is also known as the ‘Land of Oysters’.

The other half of Western France will take you to the Caves of Lascaux, which in turn will take you back to the world’s most famous pre-historic art and one of the best places to visit in Western France.

And of course, when in wine country a visit to Saint-Émilion, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in order to explore wine tourism in the Bordeaux region of France is a must !

Here are a few more places that you can cover when you are busy planning a trip around the south-west of France.

Shouldn't we be south-bound already ? The south of France has a lot to offer, as you all already know. Although, if you are thinking simply the French Riviera, you are grossly mistaken. There is a lot more on offer than that. Yes, of course, Nice and Cannes with the little romanticized town of Èze, amongst others are all magical, but let's also explore a unique flora and many an adventure sites.

Here are the other cities, towns and regions to explore before winding up in good ol' Nice.

• Toulouse and the medieval town of Carcassonne

• Montpellier, Nîmes, Arles and Avignon

• Aix-en-Provence and Marseille, especially the Calanques around Marseille

• Nice, Cannes, Menton, Antibes, Èze, and Saint-Tropez

• Monaco

• Corse or Corsica

• Lyon, Chamonix, Annecy, Aix-les-Bains

And finally, we come full circle and find ourselves back close to where we began, the North-East or Eastern France.

• Strasbourg, the capital of Europe

• Colmar, Riquewihr, Eguisheim

• Reims and the Champagne region

• Dijon

• Nancy, Metz

The region of Eastern France often misses out on much of the press it deserves in lieu of its better-known and significantly more popular other regions of France. But Eastern France boasts of varying architectural styles, unique food and quite a variety in wines and beers. Visiting Eastern France is a great way to see a side of France that is off the beaten track. Read more here to see what unique places can be found in this region of France.

Enjoyed reading the highlights about what to visit when in France ? Let me know in the comments below.

S'gilt and until next time !