Use the France directory to plan your immersion.
CENTRAL.
Centre
Ile-de-France
NORTHWEST.
Bretagne
Normandie – Bass (Lower)
Normandie – Haute (Upper)
NORTH.
Picardie
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
NORTHEAST.
Champagne-Ardenne
Lorraine
Alsace
EAST.
Bourgogne
Franche-Comte
SOUTHEAST.
Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes.
Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur.
SOUTH.
Languedoc-Roussillon
Midi-Pyrenees
SOUTHWEST.
Aquitaine
Limousin
Poitou-Charentes
WEST.
Pays de la Loire
OTHER.
Corse
See France.
A great way to visit France is to break it up into sections. Visit one region at a time. This way, you can see similarities and differences. Travel times are less between places, leaving more time to explore.
Another great benefit is you can pack for only one climate. You do not need snow skiing and beach-going attire. By the fourth day of dragging multiple suitcases, you will understand the gift in this.
Trains, planes, and highways tie so many of them together. Buying two one-way flights to/from France costs about the same as round-trip tickets many times. Multiple destination tickets are sometimes less.
Other Thoughts
Start in the north of a country or region and end in the south. Saving you a day (or longer) to loop back to your original starting point.
Technology is making our world smaller, but remember, you’re not a nano-second. Plan enough time to smell the rose wine.
Air travel continues to deteriorate. I never fly within Europe without building in the rest of the day for the delay that is coming. I travel with only carry-on luggage. Fashion is not my forte. I can forgo style to make sure everything stays with me and arrives in the same place.
So many flights within Europe “stop” somewhere en route. Is it somewhere you might like to see more of than the inside of terminal two?
If the flight arrives early, book an overnight stay and your connecting flight the following afternoon. In 24 hours, you can at least get a feel for the connection city. Maybe next time, it will be the destination.
You are the Only Reason.
Throw out the “I’ll only go to _______ once” mentality. Or worse, “I will never get to ________”.
Start planning and saving NOW!
Write it on paper. I am going to Europe. Tape it next to the computer or the bathroom sink.
Gather all the loose change in the house and put it in a jar. See? You are already $1.43 closer to that trip.
It is getting less expensive to get there every year. Maybe your bank account is not ready for the Grande Tour. But in the off-season, round-trip fares are less.
Why not love Paris in the springtime?
Bon Voyage!