Rehearse your France trip before you go

Entry rules by passport

Checked Oct 2026. Rules change: check the embassy or official site before you travel.

Traps travellers fall into

In the game these hide among the recommendations. See if you can spot them.

• Photos on Rue Crémieux ParisInstagram-famous residential streets often frustrate residents. Be quick and quiet
• A terrace on the Champs-Élysées ParisRestaurants on the Champs-Élysées or facing the Eiffel Tower are tourist-priced; go a street back
• A bar a tout steers you into in Pigalle ParisNever follow touts in Pigalle, and never enter a bar with no prices
• Queue-for-crepes on the Grande Rue Mont-Saint-MichelThe main street is jammed at midday; eat on the mainland, or after the day-trippers leave
• A touting 'bouchon' in Vieux Lyon LyonLook for the 'Les Bouchons Lyonnais' label; not every 'bouchon' in Vieux Lyon is the real thing
• A picture-menu place on Cathedral Square StrasbourgSkip the cathedral frontage; eat in a winstub one lane back
• The restaurant at the Little Venice photo spot ColmarThe photo-spot restaurant charges for the view; walk a few minutes to a winstub
• “Give me your hand, friendship bracelet!” ParisThe Sacré-Cœur bracelet trick is notorious; keep your hands in your pockets and walk on
• A petition ParisTourist-site “petitions” are donation shakedowns or pickpocket cover. Don't stop
• A Métro strike ParisFrench strikes can disrupt transport; check the RATP app the night before

Month by month

• JanuaryJanuary in Paris is about 7°C by day and 3°C at night, often grey and wet. The winter sales start mid-January.
• FebruaryFebruary in Paris is a cold 8°C; Annecy and Alsace can see snow.
• MarchMarch in Paris reaches about 12°C as spring arrives; Easter falls on 28–29 March.
• AprilApril reaches about 16°C: blossom, showers, and Monet's garden at Giverny opens (April to October).
• MayMay reaches about 20°C, the loveliest month, with many holidays (1, 6, 8 and 17 May); most museums close on 1 May.
• JuneJune reaches about 23°C with sunset near 10 p.m.; on 21 June the Fête de la Musique fills the streets.
• JulyJuly is about 25°C but some years bring 35°C+ heatwaves. 14 July means parades and fireworks; summer crowds everywhere.
• AugustAugust is about 25°C with heatwaves. Parisians leave on holiday, and many independent restaurants and bakeries close for two or three weeks.
• SeptemberSeptember is a pleasant 21°C, with the grape harvest in Beaujolais and Alsace.
• OctoberOctober reaches about 16°C with more rain, and the clocks go back at the end of the month.
• NovemberLate November: Paris around 9°C, dark before 5 p.m.; Alsace's Christmas markets are opening.
• DecemberDecember in Paris is about 8°C with sunset before 5 p.m. Alsace's Christmas markets run until late December.

Sample routes

• ClassicClassic: Paris & Mont-Saint-MichelParis in depth, then a night at the abbey in the sea.Paris → Mont-Saint-Michel
• DetourDetour: Lyon's food and Lake AnnecyAfter Paris, the TGV to France's food capital, then an Alpine lake town.Paris → Lyon → Annecy
• Off the pathOff the path: Christmas in AlsaceHalf-timbered towns, Christmas markets and wine-route villages.Paris → Strasbourg → Colmar

Hidden gems

• Musée de la Vie Romantique ParisA little house down a cobbled lane: George Sand's belongings and a greenhouse café.
• Guided walk across the bay Mont-Saint-MichelCross the flats barefoot at low tide, always with a licensed guide (there's quicksand).
• Old Lyon's traboules LyonSecret passages through buildings, used by silk workers.
• Cycle the lakeside path AnnecyThe cycle path down the west shore to the next village.
• Tarte flambée StrasbourgPaper-thin dough, cream, onions, bacon, blasted in a wood oven.
• Alsace Wine Route villages ColmarRiquewihr, Kaysersberg and other villages among the vines.
• Canal Saint-Martin ParisIron footbridges and locks, with locals picnicking on the banks.
• Mont-Saint-Michel at night Mont-Saint-MichelAfter the day-trippers leave, the floodlit island from across the water.

23 more to find in the game.

Before you go

• Install a travel eSIMMaps and transit
• Look up French mealtimesRestaurants close between lunch and dinner