Custom travel to France

The world's leading tourist destination since the 1980s, France welcomes nearly 90 million visitors a year and holds 53 UNESCO sites, third in the world after Italy and China: Mont-Saint-Michel (1979), Versailles (1979) and its Hall of Mirrors, the Loire Castles (2000) — Chambord, Chenonceau, Amboise where Leonardo has rested since 1519 —, the Avignon Popes Palace (1995), Carcassonne (1997), Strasbourg Grande-Île (1988), the Canal du Midi (1996), Lascaux (1979) and the Santiago de Compostela routes (1998). Paris, capital since Hugues Capet in 987 and reshaped by Haussmann (1853-1870), holds the world's most visited monuments: the Eiffel Tower (1889), the Louvre and its 38,000 works including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo under I.M. Pei's pyramid, and Notre-Dame, reopened December 8, 2024 after the 2019 fire following a €700 million restoration that mobilized 2,000 craftsmen. Down south, Provence unfurls its Luberon lavender, the Cassis calanques and the MUCEM; the French Riviera brings together the Cannes Film Festival, Saint-Tropez, the Picasso Museum in Antibes and Nice's Promenade des Anglais. In the northwest, the D-Day beaches and the Brocéliande forest. On the lifestyle side: 17 PDO wine regions (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire, Alsace, Rhône) and 30 three-star Michelin chefs, the French gastronomic meal inscribed on the UNESCO heritage list in 2010. We design your regional itinerary in a private driver-guide car or 1st-class TGV.

Highlights

  • UNESCO Paris Eiffel Tower + Louvre + Notre-Dame: 1889 Eiffel Tower (world's most visited 7M/year, 330 m), Louvre (world's largest art museum 38,000 works including Mona Lisa), 1163 Notre-Dame December 8, 2024 reopened.
  • UNESCO 2000 Loire Castles: 1519 François I Chambord (largest 156 m), Chenonceau « ladies' castle » on Cher, Amboise Leonardo da Vinci buried 1519, 280 km Sully-Chalonnes valley 60+ Renaissance castles.
  • UNESCO 1979 Mont-Saint-Michel: 11th-c. Benedictine abbey, Europe's strongest tide bay 15 m amplitude (horse-gallop speed), 8th world wonder per Maupassant 1882, 3 million visitors/year.
  • UNESCO 1979 Versailles: 1682 Louis XIV castle, 73 m × 10.5 m × 12.3 m height Hall of Mirrors (357 Venetian mirrors), June 28, 1919 Treaty of Versailles WWI end, Le Nôtre 800 ha gardens.
  • Provence Lavender + French Riviera: Luberon-Sault June-August fields, Aix-Saint-Rémy-Cassis markets, Cannes May Festival, Saint-Tropez Brigitte Bardot 1956, Antibes Picasso, Nice Promenade des Anglais.
  • 30 3★ Michelin chefs + UNESCO 2010 gastronomic meal: France world's #1 country by Michelin stars (619 stars 2024 including 30 three stars), French gastronomic meal UNESCO 2010 intangible heritage, Bocuse + Robuchon + Ducasse legacy.

Frequently asked questions

How many days for France?

Essential France (Paris + Loire): 7 nights. With Provence + Riviera: 12 nights. With Normandy + Brittany: 14 nights. Complete France (all regions): 21+ nights.

What budget for 7 nights?

Comfort: €2,990-3,800/person (4★ hotels). Premium (Ritz Paris + Domaine Chaumont Loire + Bastide Gordes Provence): €5,200-7,500. Excellence (suites + 3★ starred chefs): €9,500+.

Visa?

No for French obviously, and Europeans (1985 Schengen, founding member). ID card.

Notre-Dame 2024 reopened?

Yes, December 8, 2024 reopening after 5 years spectacular €700 million restoration + 2,000 craftsmen. Frame + spire identically rebuilt in medieval oak. Mandatory free online booking.

Provence Lavender when?

BLOOMING June-August, PEAK mid-July (intense violet-blue fields, 6am sunrise for photos). HARVESTS late July-mid August (combine harvesters). Avoid September (cut fields).