For some travelers, the question of how long to stay in France is immaterial. I’m talking to you, (most of) my fellow Americans: You have a certain amount of annual leave—and, smartly, you’re spending it all in France!—and that’s how long your trip can be.
For others, however, a level of discernment is required. France is bigger than it looks, and it takes more time than you probably think you need. Conversely, you don’t want to stay too long or get too much of a good thing, even if that “good thing” is a croissant every morning and a glass of wine every day at lunch.
Thankfully, I’m here with a few awesome France trip ideas. I’ll clearly lay out how much ground you can expect to cover, no matter how many days or weeks you plan to stay in France.
You Need Longer in France Than You Think You Do
Bluntly, many travelers approach the question of how long to spend in France incorrectly. For some, such as those from very large countries, they assume France is smaller than it is. Others (often also in this same cohort) assume that because of France’s TGVs, they can get around much more quickly and efficiently than is actually possible. I recently spoke to a woman who said she expected to visit Paris, Brittany, Normandy, Bordeaux and the Côte d’Azur with just a week in France!
I don’t say this to judge her (much love to you, if you’re reading this!), but to point out how common an issue this is. There’s also the fact that many people travel to France during its increasingly hot summers. Even if you’re a fit person who generally has good travel stamina, this is simply an exhausting prospect. Especially considering how early the sun rises and how late it sets. You’ll be lucky get six hours of sleep per night!
Foolproof France Trip Ideas
One week in France
Unless you’re coming from elsewhere in Europe (in which case, color me jealous!), a week in France is the least amount of time I’d recommend spending. This allows you to stay a few nights in Paris, and visit 1-2 other cities or regions. For example, you could leave Paris and spend a couple nights in Lyon (using one of those days to visit the French Alps), before ending in either Marseille or Nice (but sadly, not both).
10 days in France
A more ideal anwswer to the question how many days in France is 10. While not enough for a comprehensive trip, this gives you options. In the above example, you could do both Marseille and the proper Côte d’Azur, which includes not only Nice, but all the towns from Saint-Tropez in the west to Menton in the east. Alternative, with 10 days at your disposal, you could follow Paris up with Brittany, Normandy and/or Bordeaux, depending upon how you structure your trip.
2 weeks in France
As I’ve written in my post dedicated to the topic, two weeks in France is basically a “Goldilocks” trip. Again, it doesn’t allow you to go “everywhere”; you simply don’t need to pick and choose as you much. With this amount of time, you can head both northwest and southeast; you can visit both Mont Saint-Michel and the principality of Monaco, and still have slack left for an epilogue in Paris (or the Loire Valley).
Three weeks in France
In the future, I may write a very niche post about how many weeks in France you should spend, aimed at the crowd who has unlimited time (and, likely, money). For now, however, I’ll say that three weeks is where you really starting talking about the ability to take an exhaustive (but not necessarily exhausting) trip to France. With this amount of time, you can visit all the place I’ve mentioned thus far, and potentially even add in ones like the French Basque Country or underrated Burgundy.
A month (or more) in France
A month in France is a long time, and I won’t claim otherwise. You can see a huge percentage of France’s major destinations (and even a great number of non-major ones) with this amount of time. Humility, however, is still necessary. For example, a month is likely enough time for you to add a foray to Corsica onto whatever other adventure you have planned. But it might not be, because with travel at this scale, you simply can’t run at 100%, 100% of the time. You have to build in breaks, which can prevent you from see more places.
The Best Way to to Take the Perfect Trip to France
When planning a trip to France, the hardest thing is knowing what you don’t know. Which, to some extent, is the magic of travel—missing out on certain experiences you thought you were destined for can unlock others you never dreamed of. On the other hand, the reality is that not everyone can take multiple trips to France and go through the trial and error I have over the past 20+ years. You might only have one or two chances to get it right.
This is where my custom France itinerary service comes in. Whether to help you with practical matters (such as deciding how long in France you need), or more esoteric ones (such as which destinations and experiences in France align with the trip you’ve been trying to manifest), I step in with personalized daily recommendations for activities, meals and accommodation, plus detailed transportation advice throughout.
Other FAQ About How Long to Spend in France
What’s the perfect length for a trip to France?
The perfect length for a trip to France is however long you can spend! The key is select the proper number of destinations for the time you have and the pace at which you like to travel, and a range of experiences that most aligns with your travel style and the broader goals of your trip.
Is two weeks enough to go everywhere in France?
You can cover a decent amount of ground with two weeks in France—but no, you can’t go “everywhere.” Specifically, you can visit Paris and 2-3 other destinations. Some people will head west to Brittany and Normandy, and continue southward from there to Bordeaux. Others will make their way toward Provence the the Côte d’Azur, stopping en route in Lyon (and using it as a base to explore Burgundy and the French Alps).
How long should I stay in France?
You should stay in France as long as you can. The key to a good trip is not how long you stay, but planning an itinerary that suits your travel preferences and is realistic, keeping in mind the amount of time you do have. You can take a fulfilling and expansive trip with two weeks in French, just as some people devote an entire month to France and leave feel like they’re merely been spinning their wheels.
The Bottom Line
I hope my France trip ideas have stirred inspiration in you. Some travelers—and I say this in the best possible way—are simple. They plan to be in France for a week or two and then, once they’re done in Paris, mosey down to Provence or the Côte d’Azur and feel their way through the country. For others, the occasion of a trip to France demands more structure and intentionality, whether you spend 10 days or a month here. You want to see and do as much as possible; you want to eat every oyster and drink every glass of champagne! No matter where you fall on this spectrum, I do hope you’ll consider commissioning a custom France itinerary.
