The capital of romance, the Eiffel Tower, wine and cheese, art and history, and a stunning azure coastline – France offers variety that ensures every traveller is seduced. Tours of France begin and end in Paris and Nice, and feature options for regional France tours, trips from France to Italy, and combinations with mainland Europe tours.
Tours of France feature romantic Paris, UNESCO historic sites, wineries and beaches
France tours naturally feature a number of activities in the stunning capital of Paris, including sightseeing ‘Illuminations’ tours of the city, priority queue jump at the Eiffel Tower – which means skipping a three-hour wait, reserved tickets for the Louvre, and discounts and pre-reserved tickets for Moulin Rouge or Nouvelle Eve cabaret shows.
Venturing outside the City of Light, itineraries in tour comparison France feature organised day trips and reserved tickets to Versailles Palace, wine tasting experiences, countryside trips off the beaten track, scenic drives on Côte D’Azur and Corniche, and included visits to Monte Carlo. Along with the range of regional attractions and experiences, travellers enjoy stopovers in medieval towns such as Tours, Carcassonne, Mont-St Michel, St. Paul de Vence and Arles – some of France’s most memorable spots.
Aside from all the spectacular stops along the way, there are several benefits of France tours, such as authentic dinners to avoid pricey Paris restaurants, exclusive accommodation in historic castles, organised airport transfers at the end of your itinerary, and advice to ensure you avoid typical tourist traps and scams in Paris. Tours of France that combine with visits to the UK or London also include pre-reserved tickets on the Eurostar train.
Last but not least, there are numerous optional excursions in tour comparison France, such as guided tours of the Latin Quarter and Notre Dame, and visits to Montmartre, Corniche and Saint Paul de Vence.
Ready to plan your trip? Visit our tour comparison France to find the right tour for you.
Want a taste of that insider France tourism knowledge we mentioned before? We have collected the best facts from real life tour guides. Impress them on tour with how much you already know
- France’s capital of Paris hardly needs any introduction, boasting a reputation as perhaps the world’s most romantic city, where history is rich and long, every building is more striking than the next, and the River Seine offers peaceful respite in the heart of the city.
- France is almost impossibly full of beautiful cities to visit, with the cathedral and gastronomy in Lyon, the fine Mediterranean life and sunbathing of Nice, the port city of Marseilles, and even the glitzy casino in the principality of Monte Carlo.
- In the countryside areas worth a visit include the châteaux and vineyards of Bordeaux, the Beaujolais, and the Loire Valley and ski mountains of Les Alpes.
- France is also a popular summer destination for northern Europeans, with the beaches of Biarritz and the French Riviera along the Côte D’Azur the most popular.
- The UNESCO World Heritage walled town of Carcassonne dates back all the way to the third century AD, but was largely destroyed before being restored toward the end of the 19th century.
- The remote castle on an island, Mont Saint-Michel, is one of France’s most recognisable landmarks. Both the commune and the islands surrounding it are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
- France is home to the European mainland end of the Eurotunnel, through which you can travel by vehicle or train to the UK in less than an hour.
- Some of France’s most prominent historical figures include military leader Napoleon Bonaparte, St. Joan of Arc, the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne nicknamed the ‘Father of Europe’, Louis XIV the Sun King, Louis XVI and famously lavish Queen Marie Antoinette of “Let them eat cake!” fame.
- The French Revolution saw a period of social and political change in France, taking place from 1789 to 1799, at the end of which the monarchy was overthrown and a republic was established – making it an important event in global history.
- Claude Monet, Paul Gaugin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Cézanne and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec are just some of France’s celebrated artists.
- The House of Bourbon is a European royal house that began in France in the 13th century, and survives to this day.
- World War I was brought to an end by a series of treaties, the most important of which was the Treaty of Versailles, ending the war between Germany and the Allied Powers when it was signed in June 1919.
- Notable political leaders in France include Charles de Galle, Jacques Chirac, Francois Mitterand, Nicholas Sarkozy, and Francois Hollande.
- Alexandre Dumas, who wrote The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, and Victor Hugo, author of Hunchback of Notre Dame, are two of France’s most important literary figures.
- France is home to perhaps the world’s most famous annual cycling event, the Tour de France, which was first organised in 1903.
- Football players Eric Cantona, Zinedine Zidane and Michel Platini are some of France’s best-known sports stars.
- Coco Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Jean-Paul Gaultier, cosmetics L’Oréal, LaCoste and Fragonards Perfume are just a few of France’s most famous fashion labels.
- Petanque is a form of popular French game boules, which is similar to bocce.
- France’s most notable entertainment contributions include singer Edith Piaf, actors Gerald Depardieu, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, Brigitte Bardot and Cleménce Poésy, director Guillaume Canet, DJs Daft Punk and David Guetta, and the iconic musical Les Misérables.
- French automobile producers include Renault, Peugeot and Citroën.
- Jacques Cousteau was a well-known, rather multi-talented naval officer, conservationist, filmmaker, scientist and author who specialised in the sea and water life.
- Accor and Ibis hotels, Air France, the Concorde supersonic jet, BIC pens, the Michelin Guide for restaurants, Michelin tyres, Tefal pans, Danone and Club Med all originated in France.
- Bastille Day is France’s national day, which commemorates a turning point of the French Revolution – the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789.
- Notable inventions to come out of France include cinema, the guillotine, the periodic table, braille, pasteurised milk, the bra, the periscope, buoys and mannequins.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC