I have been to France twice. Both occasions were about  almost a decade ago. I am planning to go to France sometime this year. Unfortunately I can't find someone who wants to go specifically to France for the amount of time I would like to visit (about a month). I am aware that traveling by yourself can be dangerous (I am a 22 year old female). Any tips on where to go, where to avoid, anything? I am planning on relocating to France. I am majoring in French so I have some understanding of the language and want to experience as much of the country as possible as often as possible.
3Going to France…by myself?
March 29, 2008
By francecom
3 Comments On Going to France…by myself?
SalB
Are you a US citizen? If so, you have stringent rules to meet to move to France permanently. You will have to get a residence visa (or student visa) before you can go for more than 3 months at a time. There is a treaty called the Schengen Agreement that limits visits to all Schengen countries to 90 consecutive days. Then you are required to leave the Schengen zone (most of Europe with a couple notable exceptions) for 90 consecutive days.
What this comes down to is: 3 months inside Schengen territory; 3 months outside Schengen territory. You may repeat this indefinitely. You can get a list of Schengen countries at http://www.eurovisa.info/SchengenCountries.htm and more Schengen information at http://www.schengenvisa.cc/
For now, you simply want to visit so go ahead. A month is no problem. You only need a passport. France is a very safe country so traveling as a lone female shouldn't be a problem if you use a little common sense, like not wandering around dicey suburbs of large cities late at night. I assume you know this already. LOL
I'm sure you want to visit Paris. However, to get a real feel for the country, you should get out of the city and into the provinces. Your personal interests might tell you where to go. For example, a Peter Mayle fan would visit the Alpilles in Provence; a ski fan would head for the Alps or the Pyrenees in winter; an art fan could go nearly anyplace in France as could an architecture student or fancier.
To get started you might want to choose four different places and spend a week in each one. That would give you a chance to make lots of day trips in the area and see what life is really like there. Public transportation is excellent but does limit your choices of where to stay and what you can see. Unless we're staying in a large city, we lease a small Peugeot so we can go where and when we want.
You need to lease for a minimum of 17 days and you might as well take it for the month. You can lease either a Renault or a Peugeot. We always use the Peugeot and I have a friend who has used the Renault plan for years although she's switched this year to Peugeot. You can make arrangements for either at http://www.autofrance.net/  (which is what we use; call 1-800-572-9655 in the USA) or at http://www.autoeurope.com
Either program is reliable. Get the smallest car you can fit into because gas is extremely expensive, village streets narrow and parking places tiny. We use the Peugeot 207 and can get three people and luggage in it but we don't carry much luggage! Unless you need an automatic, you could get the Peugeot 107, the smallest Peugeot.
You need a place to stay. The cheapest way and easiest way to meet people is through (1) Logis de France or (2) Gites de France. These are (1) small family-owned local hotels in nearly every town and village in France or (2) rental houses, cottages or apartments often on farms but also in towns and villages. The Gites de France also has a B&B option if you don't want to do your own cooking. We usually rent a gite in the country near a small town for a week at a time although we've stayed in one for a month on occasion. We eat breakfast and a small dinner at the gite and then eat at a restaurant at midday wherever we are touring that day.
Here are the web sites for both: (1) http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/Â Â (2) http://www.gites-de-visitfrance.travel/gites/uk/rural_gites
You need to settle on an area to stay (or areas). A good place to start might be the Loire Valley. There is a lot to do; driving is quite easy; they speak the purest French; great food and wine; lovely countryside. Find a place near Tours (or without a car, in Tours). That's pretty central to the entire area and is a university town so you'd meet other young people.
To get a feel for other places, consider Alsace in the Strasbourg area. This is a very Germanic part of France but entirely French in feel. We usually stay in Barr but again, Strasbourg is a university town and a political center for all Europe so you might find it easier to meet people. People there speak French and German and younger people often speak English too.
Provence is a great place to get to know (and my personal favorite) but plan to avoid the Riviera, especially in July and August. The traffic is horrible; the beaches are stone; the prices are high and it's very crowded from about May to November. Move inland about 20 km and you are in southern France heaven. There are city options such as Aix en Provence or Avignon. We prefer the St. Remy area because the Old Town is lovely and the surrounding countryside is easily reached, very historic and utterly beautiful.
Southwestern France is another favorite of ours. The beaches there are soft sand and there is a bit of surf. We enjoy the area from the Camargue near Arles to Collioure near the Spanish border. Perpignan is a Catalan city in southern France and with Narbonne might be possible bases. If you don't mind being out of a city, head for Collioure on the Mediterranean and within eyeshot of the Pyrenees. It is an artists colony on a train line with lovely beaches, a colorful market, a chateau, Old Town and colorful fishing boats.
Then there are Brittany, very different from the rest of France; Burgundy famous for wine and with a delightful characteristic architecture and Normandy, famous for the D-Day Beaches but with so much more to offer.
A good base in Burgundy would be Dijon, our second favorite city in France. Lots to do, very colorful, friendly, easy day trips to all of Burgundy.
A good base in Normandy would be Rouen in Haute Normandie. It's a bit off the tourist circuit, a very interesting city with great public transportation and near chateaus, history and art, think Giverny!
You are spoiled for choice and these are just some ideas. You could post this question on http://www.virtualtourist.com to get a more international viewpoint and on http://www.lonelyplanet.com to get a younger viewpoint.
Good luck. Go for it; you're only young once!
Web is about everything in France
http://francevideos.blogspot.com
Hi Catherine, I'm in the same boat as you are except that I'm not relocating to France. I'm planning on visiting France in June for about 2 weeks if possible. Are you looking for a travel buddy? When are you planning on visiting? Feel free to contact me here; my name is Mo.