France travel advice
Advice on travelling with kids
Chloe Knott, from our supplier, Exodus, shares her advice on travelling in France with kids:
“Before you book a French family holiday, ask yourself how far you’re prepared to walk each day, research what types of bikes are offered for children and whether they have those connecting bikes where kids can ride behind their parents, and ask your tour operator if the routes covered are on busy roads. For kids, food is often a big thing too, so ask about the catering facilities and whether the area provides children’s menus. In the Dordogne, the campsites are very much tailored for families and most of the local restaurants cater for possibly more picky children, but up in the Alps, you’re going to be offered hardier mountain food, which isn’t necessarily tailored for kids.”
Our France Holidays
French Alps self guided walking holiday
Chalet based, self guided walking holiday in the French Alps
From
£525
8 days
ex flights
Self guided walking holiday in France
Idyllic walking in France with great food, wine and ambience
From
£875 to £962
7 days
ex flights
Mont Blanc ascent climbing holiday, France
Climb Western Europe's highest peak
From
£2699
8 days
inc UK flights
Alternative family winter holiday in Chamonix, France
Half term family ski, yoga & circus holiday
From
£825
7 days
ex flights
Family adventure holiday to France
Life enhancing family adventure & yoga in the French Alps
From
£834
7 days
ex flights
Mercantour Park self catering gite, France
Beautifully located accommodation in the Mercantour, France
From
€518
per week (sleeps 2)
Snowshoeing in the French Alps
Snowshoeing in the Alps with a high mountain guide
From
€1272
8 days
ex flights
French Riviera holiday, walking, culture & cooking option
Experience real French culture and get off the beaten track
From
€510 to €780
4 days
ex flights
Mont Blanc holiday, Tour du Mont Blanc
The best of the Tour du Mont Blanc
From
£1149 to £1249
8 days
inc UK flights
Winter activity holiday in the French Alps
A flexible winter multi activity holiday in the French Alps
From
€546 to €1113
7 days
ex flights
Guided walking holidays in the French Alps
Guided walking from a historic chalet base
From
£715
8 days
ex flights
Loire Valley self catering accommodation, France
Loire Valley cottage for your holiday to happen with ease
From
€600 to €750
per cottage per week (sleeps 4)
Loire self guided cycling holiday
An interest-packed, gentle cycling holiday.
From
£1539 to £1779
9 days
inc UK flights
Baby friendly family accommodation in France
Family Friendly Loire Valley self-catering holiday cottages
From
€550 to €875
per cottage per week (sleeps 2-6)
Geneva to Lyon self guided cycling holiday, France
Cycle along the Rhône River from Geneva to Lyon.
From
€845
6 days
ex flights
French Pyrenees walking holiday, self guided
A majestic network of verdant green valleys
From
£1159 to £1239
8 days
inc UK flights
Mercantour family walking holiday, France
Family walking tour with a donkey in Southern French Alps
From
€550 to €650
7 days
ex flights
Pyrenees guided walking holiday
Guided walking and trekking holidays in the French Pyrenees
From
£790
8 days
ex flights
Mont Blanc Circuit walking holiday
Probably the most dramatic walk in Europe
From
£1599 to £1649
15 days
inc UK flights
Provence self guided cycling tour, Avignon to Cassis
Discover Provence from Avignon to the Mediterranean by bike
From
€965 to €1380
8 days
ex flights
French Riviera holiday, food, walking & culture
Experience real French culture and get off the beaten track
From
€370 to €1275
7 days
ex flights
Dordogne self catering cabin sleeping 4
Off-grid, off-beat self catering cabin
From
€650 to €900
per week (sleeps 2-4)
France gite accommodation, Mercantour, sleeps 6
Beautifully located gite in the Mercantour, France
From
€518
per accommodation per week
Learn how to kayak holiday in the Ardeche, France
Kayaking holiday in the magnificent beauty of the Ardeche.
From
£759
7 days
ex flights
Mont Blanc climbing holiday
The exhilaration of summiting an alpine peak
From
£2390 to £2460
8 days
ex flights
Dordogne self guided cycling tour, France
The cycling on this tour is varied and packed with interest
From
£1789 to £1859
9 days
inc UK flights
Ski touring holiday in the French Pyrenees
Discover the real mountains ski touring in the Pyrenees
From
£1170 to £1220
8 days
ex flights
Self guided cycling holiday in Brittany, France
Explore the wild coastline of Brittany
From
£960
8 days
ex flights
Advice on refuge trekking
Robert Mason, from our supplier Mountainbug, shares his advice on refuge trekking:
“Refuge trekking along the high Pyrenees and Alps is a great way to explore some paths that are completely wild. Between points you stay in refuges, which are like small mountain hostels, a bit like a youth hostel in that it’s very communal with communal bunks, but in which you get a really good cooked meal and the chance to meet some interesting people. From mid-July, you can do high-level refuge trekking trips that can last for up to 40 days and travel right the way across the mountains. That’s a perfect time to come because the snow has melted and you can access high areas without crampons, ice axes and all the specialist gear. People worry that summer is too hot to trek in, but it’s not, for every 100m you travel up, you lose a degree in heat, so August is comfortable too – say you’re in the Pyrenees at 1,300m, while it’s 30 degrees down in Toulouse, you’ll be walking in the far more temperate 20s.”
Advice on choosing the right gite
Chloe Knott, from our supplier, Exodus, shares her advice on choosing the right gite:
“If you’re doing a walking trip between gites in France, there are specific gites that have specific accreditation for cleanliness and fantastic food; all have something a bit unique about them, perhaps baking their own bread, or making their own beer. There is a definite call for that now - people are looking for a higher standard of hut than perhaps the hardier walker of days gone by, so the accommodation has improved in line with that demand. A few years ago, most walking accommodation comprised one bug bunk bed where you all slept side by side, but we have a lot of trips where the bunk beds are now single as this seems to be more important to people. Understandably so too – sleeping in a row and being lumbered with the snorer in the group next to you can’t be fun! It’s a good thing to check before you go.”
Advice on getting off the beaten track
Sally Guillaume, from our supplier, Undiscovered Alps, shares her advice for getting off the beaten track in the mountains:
“The Valgaudemar Valley is a big, austere, narrow Alpine valley with glaciers and peaks of over 3,000m on either side and was discovered by famous Alpinist, Edward Whimper, but has never gained the reputation of say the Barre des Ecrins because the summit is a little bit lower, so it doesn’t hold the same kudos as doing a 4,000m peak. The advantage in terms of mountaineering is it’s totally off the beaten track, so you’re not going to be sharing a refuge with 200 other people and treading on their poo and rubbish outside. It’s feels how Alpinism was when Alpinism first started; fewer crowds and a fantastic climbing experience that makes you feel on top of the world, but with the advantage of being away from the honeypot.”
Our top France Holiday
Guided walking holidays in the French Alps
Guided walking from a historic chalet base
From
£715
8 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2019: 6 Jul, 10 Aug
2019: 6 Jul, 10 Aug
Helpdesk
Hello. If you'd like to chat about France or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help. Rosy & team.
Health & safety in France
FCO advice for France
Most visits are trouble free, however terrorism is sadly a reality of travelling in these times. France has suffered at the hands of terrorists’ activities, such as the coordinated attacks at the Stade de France and the Bataclan Theatre, as well as at cafes and restaurants in November 2015, when 130 people were killed. And then on the streets of Nice when a truck was deliberately driven into crowds in July 2016. The organisation Daesh (formerly referred to as ISIL), claimed responsibility for the attacks and a state of emergency is in place until July 2017. There have been several terrorist attacks on police and soldiers over the last few years too.The French government has launched an app to alert users about security incidents, called SAIP, or Système d’alerte et d’information des populations, in English and French. Always get up to date information at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) travel advisory department before travelling to France.
HEALTH
SAFETY
Tips from our travellers in France
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful France travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday - and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful France travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday - and the space inside your suitcase.
Take binoculars, the wildlife is fascinating. You have to have a reasonable level of fitness, the Alp slopes are steep!
- Lesley Munro
Book the Provence cooking and walking holiday. The local tours are great with good food - Alison Mott
Just enjoy what the hosts have organised for you as it is all very carefully thought out. We have been independent travellers for a long time and wanted to rush around and do so many other things but were glad we let everything be taken care for us! - Tammy Railton
If you plan only to hike and do not have a car, you should be able to work with the provided maps to work out possible alternative hikes. Your hosts will also help with alternative hikes and local detail. If you bike there are even more possibilities - Katherine Layton
Go with an open mind, and don't be afraid to ask questions (however many you have) before you go - Catherine Fish
Just enjoy what the hosts have organised for you as it is all very carefully thought out. We have been independent travellers for a long time and wanted to rush around and do so many other things but were glad we let everything be taken care for us! - Tammy Railton
If you plan only to hike and do not have a car, you should be able to work with the provided maps to work out possible alternative hikes. Your hosts will also help with alternative hikes and local detail. If you bike there are even more possibilities - Katherine Layton
Go with an open mind, and don't be afraid to ask questions (however many you have) before you go - Catherine Fish
Despite reading reviews about how well equipped our self-catering cottage in the Loire Valley was for families with young children, I still over packed
- Becky Reid
If you like moderately strenuous walking, good company, excellent food and clean, tidy but informal "within a family home" accommodation, I'd strongly recommend guided walking in the Pyrenees. Go in late May/early June for maximum wildflower impact! - Caroline Rae
Do some hilly walks in preparation; take clothes for cool and wet, or hot and humid, or in-between weather; then just go for it, and enjoy the experience - H M Gill
We expected our young children to grumble about the hiking but in fact they exceeded all expectations and walked 5 steep miles per day for 3 days in a row. It's easy to under-estimate what your kids (and you) can do - Alison Godfrey
Do some hilly walks in preparation; take clothes for cool and wet, or hot and humid, or in-between weather; then just go for it, and enjoy the experience - H M Gill
We expected our young children to grumble about the hiking but in fact they exceeded all expectations and walked 5 steep miles per day for 3 days in a row. It's easy to under-estimate what your kids (and you) can do - Alison Godfrey
More about France
For the best time to go to France, read more about all the different regions, festivals, temperature and je ne sais quoi…
We have packed a lot of beauties into our France travel guide, including what we rate and what we don't. We definitely rate a lot though.
There are so many stunning areas to go to in France and some more famous than others. It is also packed with hidden gems…
Amble, ramble or hike yourself happy as things to do in France should always start with the great outdoors and finish with fine food & drink…
The French Alps are so big, it’s hard to know where to start. Let us show you the way. And there are many beautiful ways…
Like rebellious cousins to the goody two-shoes Alps, the French Pyrenees are all about the jagged peaks, the moody landscapes and the rugged terrain…
The Mercantour National Park is glorious mix of Alpes Maritimes and Alpes de Haute Provence. All just an hour north of Nice. Which is nice...
With approaches from France, Switzerland and Italy, Mont Blanc is a tripartite triumph of nature. Climb it, circumnavigate it, camp on it or go chic on it…
Rural idylls, walking trails, quaint historic market towns and spectacular marshlands, Poitou-Charentes is France without the fancy bits. Just the real and absolutely beautiful bits…
Provence holidays take you into a landscape immortalised in painting, literature and film. Medieval cities, olive groves, perched villages and superb food…
France is perfect en famille. With a great variety of holidays too from trekking with a donkey to white water rafting. Allez les enfants!...
From holiday homes, to hunting and pollution in the mountains our responsible tourism tips are all you need to travel better in France…
Find all of our France guides in one place, for particular places in France such as Corsica, the Alps or Poitou-Charentes. Or a range of activities holidays too of course...
Why book with Responsible Travel
Photo credits: [Page banner: Hervé] [Advice on travelling with kids: Jon Shave]
[Refuge trekking: Kitty Terwolbeck]
[Advice on choosing the right gite: Brian Burger]
[Advice in getting off the beaten track: dyonis]
[Health and safety: Paul Rysz]
[Review intro: Grillot edouard]
[Review 2 - Becky Reid: Manoir de la Boirie]
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