France Holidays

From Paris cafés and Riviera beaches to Alpine ski villages, vineyard towns and Atlantic surf coasts, France packs more variety into one country than some continents. Just two hours from the UK, come and discover why it's the most-visited country in the world.

✨ Highlights

• 🗼 Paris and the city breaks: Paris for Eiffel Tower sunsets and Louvre afternoons, Lyon for bouchon dinners and UNESCO old town, Marseille for raw Mediterranean port-city character, and Toulouse for pink terracotta and canal-side wanders.

• 🌊 The French Riviera: Glamorous Mediterranean coastline through Cannes, Nice and Menton towards the Italian border.

• 🏔️ The Alps and the Alpine lakes: Lake-and-mountain summers at Annecy, Alpine gateway cities like Grenoble, and the famous ski-resort villages of the French Alps drawing skiers December to April.

• 🍷 Wine country: Vineyards from Bordeaux and the Atlantic west through Champagne and Burgundy to the Beaujolais hills outside Lyon. Wine-tasting tours, harvest festivals and proper château hotels across the regions.

• 🏰 Disneyland Paris and family-friendly travel: 32km east of Paris, the only Disney resort in Europe, with proper family-friendly hotels on-site and the connecting RER line direct from Charles de Gaulle.

• 🥐 The food: Bouchons in Lyon, bouillabaisse in Marseille, croissants and patisseries everywhere, more Michelin stars than any other country except Japan, and the cheese counter at every supermarket making the treasures in Aladdin's cave look quietly embarrassing.

💡 Good to Know

☀️ Weather: Mediterranean south (Riviera, Provence) hits 28-32°C in July and August, sunny year-round, mild winters. Atlantic west (Brittany, Bordeaux) is cooler and wetter. Paris and the north are mild four-season cities, 20-26°C in summer, 4-9°C in winter. The Alps swing from 25°C in summer valleys to deep snow December to April.

💷 Money: France is on the Euro (€). Not the budget end of Europe but not Scandinavia-expensive either. A casual lunch is £12 to £20, dinner with wine in a good restaurant £35 to £60, a coffee or glass of wine £3 to £5. Paris and the Riviera sit at the top of the range, Lyon and Marseille noticeably cheaper.

🥖 Fun fact: France is the most-visited country in the world, well over 100 million international tourists in a typical year, with the Louvre alone pulling around 9 million visitors annually. The French invented modern tourism in the 19th century when Riviera grand hotels first opened to seasonal winter visitors, decades before they took off as summer destinations.

🛏️ Where to Stay

France is enormous and the regions feel like different countries entirely. Pick the region first, then the base.

🗼 Paris and around

Paris is the obvious headline pick, the City of Light, walkable across the central arrondissements with the Métro filling in everything else. Base yourself in the bohemian heights of Montmartre for artist-quarter atmosphere and Sacré-Cœur on the doorstep, the wine-and-arena nights of Bercy for budget-friendly modern Paris, or the canal-side cool of Porte-Saint-Martin for an authentic working-Paris base 10 minutes from the centre. Orly down by the airport is the practical base for early-flight arrivals and Disneyland-bound families wanting cheaper rooms than central Paris.

Disneyland Paris sits 32km east of the city with on-site hotels for the full character-breakfast experience.

🌊 The Côte d'Azur (French Riviera)

Nice is the Riviera's friendliest base, Belle Époque palaces along the Promenade des Anglais, a proper old town for evening wanders, and pebble beaches that stay warm well into October. Cannes is the higher-glam alternative just down the coast, the Croisette boulevard, palace hotels and the famous film festival in May. St Tropez is the celebrity-yacht base further west, Pampelonne beach and a properly upscale evening scene. Antibes sits between Nice and Cannes, the Old Town inside Vauban-era ramparts, smaller and more family-friendly than its bigger neighbours. Menton is the quieter eastern option right by the Italian border, lemon groves, an authentic feel and noticeably cheaper rooms than Nice or Cannes.

🏔️ Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and the Alps

Lyon is France's culinary capital, a UNESCO old town between two rivers, bouchon restaurants on every corner and an excellent year-round city-break alternative to Paris at noticeably lower prices. Annecy is the Alpine lakeside city 90 minutes east of Lyon, one of Europe's cleanest lakes, a medieval old town, the 42km lake cycle loop, and ski resorts 25-45 minutes away in winter. Grenoble sits further south, the bigger Alpine city and gateway to the Vercors natural park and Les Deux Alpes ski area.

🐟 The South and Mediterranean coast

Marseille is France's second-biggest city and its Mediterranean port, raw and characterful, with the Vieux Port, the Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica on the hilltop and Calanques National Park just south for cove-and-cliff hiking. Toulon sits an hour east along the coast, naval-port heritage with proper Provençal markets and Mont Faron towering above. Montpellier is the student-led university city in Occitanie, medieval old town, beaches 10km away and the Mediterranean climate at its best. Toulouse is "La Ville Rose" inland, named for the pink terracotta architecture, with the canal-side Old Town and an outsized aerospace-and-rugby identity. Carcassonne is the UNESCO-listed walled medieval citadel, a proper time-machine of a town for a long weekend. Perpignan is the Catalan-leaning city near the Spanish border, gateway to the Pyrenees and the surfer towns along the Côte Vermeille.

🍷 The Atlantic west and wine country

Bordeaux is the headline wine-country city, classical 18th-century stone-built centre, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional capital and the obvious base for château tours through Saint-Émilion and Médoc. Biarritz is the elegant Atlantic-coast resort with surf culture, Basque cross-border influence and a proper Belle Époque seaside town behind. La Rochelle is the medieval-port town further north, harbour-arch towers, fortified old town and easy access to the Île de Ré island just offshore. Nantes is the Loire-mouth city at the top of the Atlantic coast, the giant mechanical elephants of Les Machines de l'Île and a proper foodie scene built around the river estuary.

⛪ Provence, Normandy and beyond

Avignon is the medieval Provence capital, the 14th-century Palais des Papes, the famous half-bridge "Pont d'Avignon", and easy hopping into Provençal villages and lavender country. Lourdes in the Pyrenees foothills is the pilgrimage city, the Marian shrine drawing millions annually but also a gateway base for southern Pyrenees mountain holidays. Normandy to the north covers D-Day beach country, half-timbered medieval towns like Rouen and Amiens, and the Mont Saint-Michel just over the border into Brittany.

🎪 More France

Disneyland Paris also has an all-inclusive Disneyland Paris page, and France's broader all-inclusive options live at all-inclusive France.

Let's get into the best Beaches for your France Holidays 2026 / 2027

With over 2000 miles of lush coastline floating about, you'll have plenty of choice for a lush, sun-soaked day beneath the sun. There's more to France than the Eiffel Tower, and you kinda get the best of both worlds with a city break and a beach holiday rolled into one, we've got the beaches covered by the way, check em out:

• 🏝️ Palombaggia (Corsica). Often named among Europe's most beautiful, talcum-white sand, turquoise water and pine-fringed coves on the southern Corsica coast.

• ⛵ Plage de Pampelonne (St-Tropez). Five kilometres of fine sand on the Côte d'Azur, the original celebrity beach, lined with private beach clubs (Club 55, Nikki Beach) and the most photographed stretch of Mediterranean coast in France.

• 🏄 Côte des Basques (Biarritz). The Atlantic surf coast at its best, exposed at low tide for a wide beach and surfing waves at almost any tide. The birthplace of European surfing.

• 🥾 Calanque d'En-Vau (Marseille). The most photographed of the Calanques cliff-coves, a steep hike in from Cassis but turquoise swimming water at the bottom and dramatic limestone walls all around.

• 🌲 Plage de l'Île Vierge (Brittany). Quiet pebble cove on the Crozon peninsula, white cliffs and pine trees, well off the tourist trail. The pick for a wild Atlantic coast day.

🏨 What are the best hotels for your Holidays to France?

The picks below cover the major regions and demographics. For the full France hotel listing browse all France hotels, or for all-inclusive options have a look at all-inclusive holidays in France.

💕 Couples

• Bleu de Grenelle (Paris). Smart central Paris boutique within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, some rooms with tower views from the windows. The romantic Paris base done well.

• 29 Lepic Montmartre (Montmartre, Paris). A proper Parisian boutique up in Montmartre with a wine and tapas bar on-site, within easy walking distance of Sacré-Cœur and the artist quarter. The atmospheric couples' alternative to central Paris.

• Hotel Croisette Beach Cannes, MGallery (Cannes). Bohemian-and-chic boutique 50 metres from the beach and 800 metres from the Palais des Festivals, with private beach access included. The Riviera couples' base done with proper Cannes glamour.

👨‍👩‍👧 Families

• Explorers Hotel Paris (Disneyland Paris). Themed family hotel less than 10 minutes' drive from Disneyland Paris, themed rooms, indoor play areas for younger kids, plenty of family-room configurations. The practical Disneyland-bound family pick.

• Adagio Paris Tour Eiffel (Paris). Apart-hotel with self-catering options, indoor swimming pool and gym, buffet breakfast included. A 5-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. The obvious pick for longer family stays in central Paris.

• Novotel Paris Sud Porte de Charenton (Paris). Children's playground on-site, family rooms, garden space and easy Métro access into central Paris. The smart-but-affordable family city base.

✨ Luxury

• Hotel Lancaster Paris Champs Elysees (Paris). Properly heritage 19th-century mansion just off the Champs-Élysées with a Zen garden courtyard, spa with sauna and hot tub, consistently well-reviewed by guests. The classic Paris five-star.

• Baltimore Paris (Paris). Five-star elegance near the Arc de Triomphe with in-room massages, a romantic restaurant and bar, and one of the strongest guest-review profiles in the city. The contemporary-luxury alternative to the heritage palace hotels.

• Boscolo Nice Hotel & Spa (Nice). Five-star palace-style hotel in central Nice with an indoor swimming pool and full water-massage area, walking distance to the Promenade des Anglais and the Old Town. The classic Riviera luxury pick.

• Le Grand Hotel Cannes (Cannes). Five-star on La Croisette, 200 metres from the beach, with the Park 45 Mediterranean restaurant set in a private garden venue. The genuine Cannes palace-hotel experience.

👯 Groups

• Mercure Nice Promenade des Anglais (Nice). Private beach access, on-site casino, beauty salon, dead central on the Promenade. Strong group base for a Riviera week split between beach days and town nights.

• All Suites Noisy Le Grand (Paris). Apart-hotel in eastern Paris with fully kitted-out kitchens, pool table in the lounge, a wellness area. Groups can spread across multiple suites, easy RER access into central Paris.

• Nemea Appart Hotel So Cloud Lyon Gare Part-Dieu (Lyon). Lyon apart-hotel right next to Part-Dieu station, indoor freshwater pool, multi-room apartments with kitchens. The practical group base if your trip mixes Lyon with day trips elsewhere.

💰 Value

• Novotel Nice Centre Vieux-Nice (Nice). Heated rooftop pool with 360-degree views over Nice, garden terrace dining with local Niçoise dishes, even a traditional petanque area. Hard to beat for Nice value at this level.

• Citadines Croisette Cannes (Cannes). Apart-hotel studios and one-bedroom apartments with fully-equipped kitchens, sun terrace, garden and bike hire, 10 minutes' walk from the beach and Palais des Festivals. The smart Cannes value pick for self-catering nights.

• Best Western Plus Suitcase Paris la Defense (Paris). Smart four-star in the La Défense business district with breakfast options to suit different routines, walking distance to RER A for central Paris. The reliable Paris value pick.

👉 All hotels in France | All-inclusive holidays in France

Thinking of going All Inclusive? Take a look at some of our top All Inclusive properties in France here!

More rollercoasters than beaches? Check out Disneyland Paris holidays

🗣️ Local Lingo

French is the official language and the entire country, but English is widely spoken in tourist-area restaurants, hotels and museums. The cultural rule worth knowing: always start with "Bonjour" before asking anything. Walking into a shop and launching straight into English is genuinely rude here.

• Bonjour, bon-ZHOOR, Hello (the social essential, always greet before asking)

• Merci beaucoup, mair-SEE boh-KOO, Thank you very much

• S'il vous plaît, seel-voo-PLAY, Please

• L'addition, s'il vous plaît, la-dee-SYON seel-voo-PLAY, The bill please

• Une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît, oon ka-RAFF doh seel-voo-PLAY, A jug of (free) tap water, please (essential for keeping restaurant bills down)

🧳 Travel Guide - Holidays to France 2026 / 2027

👨‍👩‍👧 Families

• 🎢 Disneyland Paris. The only Disney resort in Europe, 32km east of Paris, two parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios) plus a Disney Village shopping-and-dining zone. RER A line direct from central Paris in 40 minutes.

• 🏖️ Riviera beach week. Pebble beaches at Nice are family-friendly and properly Mediterranean-warm from June through October, with the Promenade des Anglais walking route and the Vieille Ville for ice-cream wanderings.

• 🦢 Lake Annecy for outdoor family days. One of Europe's cleanest lakes, properly swimmable, paddleboard hire, the 42km traffic-free cycle loop has 10-15km kid-doable stretches, and ski resorts open in winter.

• 🏰 Château day trips from Paris. Chambord, Chenonceau and Versailles are the headline-name castles within day-trip range of the capital, all easy to do in a long weekend with kids.

• 🎭 Carcassonne medieval city. The walled medieval citadel in the south, a proper "knights and dragons" backdrop for primary-age kids, UNESCO-listed and pedestrianised inside the walls.

💕 Couples

• 🍷 A Bordeaux wine weekend. Vineyard tours, château-hotel stays and small-town dinners through Saint-Émilion and Médoc. The classic slow-paced French wine weekend.

• 🌅 Sunset on the Promenade des Anglais. The Nice waterfront walk at sunset with the Belle Époque palace hotels lit up behind you, ice cream from Fenocchio in the Old Town for the walk home.

• 🥖 Paris in early spring. April and May before the summer crowds arrive, magnolias in the parks, the Seine quayside Sunday walks, dinner in the Marais.

• 🧀 Champagne cellar tours. Slower-paced wine country two hours east of Paris with cellar tours at Moët, Veuve Clicquot and the smaller producers, and Burgundy's gold-stone villages further south.

• 🛥️ The Mediterranean villages east of Nice. Èze, Villefranche-sur-Mer and the Cap Ferrat coastal path on foot or by hired electric boat from Nice.

👯 Groups

• ⛷️ An Alps ski week. The major French Alps resorts take groups of any size, with self-catered chalets and apartment-style stays working well for ski-week budgets. Grenoble is the gateway city for the southern Alps, Annecy for the northern resorts.

• 🍻 Lyon for food groups. Bouchon set-menus take big tables, Beaujolais by the jug, and the food markets at Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse are a group-day activity in themselves.

• 🏄 Biarritz and the Atlantic surf coast. France's Basque-influenced south-west corner near the Spanish border, surf-and-stay villas, surf schools that work in groups, and pintxo-style bar nights reflecting the cross-border culture.

• 🎉 Cannes during the May film festival. Even without tickets, the town comes alive across the festival's two weeks. Beach clubs and Croisette terraces take big groups easily.

• 🌿 A Provence villa week. Self-catered farmhouse stays around Avignon and the Luberon hill villages, lavender fields if you time it for late June and July, easy day trips to the coast.