5 Best Travel Hacks for Your Trip to France
Are you planning to visit France in the coming months? Of course, every successful trip begins with careful planning. Although plotting every last hour on your itinerary can ruin the fun, it’s important to at least have a general idea of where you want to go and what you wish to see before embarking on your journey.
From a logistical standpoint, there are a handful of things you can do to maximize the quality, convenience, and overall enjoyment of your trip. Here are five of the best travel hacks to keep in mind when planning your upcoming trip to France!
1. Take Advantage of Luggage Storage Services
The moment you arrive in France and step off the plane, you may be eager to begin exploring. While trekking around the heart of Paris or walking the sprawling coastlines of Normandy, however, the last thing you want is to be tethered to your heavy luggage.
Beyond weighing you down and wearing you out, your luggage won’t be permitted in most museums or attractions. Rather than having to put your adventures on hold or being turned away at the entrance of a bucket-list attraction, invest in luggage storage services.
These services are simple, safe, and extremely affordable. While prices will vary based on the amount of luggage you’re bringing, these services often cost as little as a few dollars per day. With Nannybag’s luggage storage spots scattered all over France, it’s easy to drop off your belongings, go about your day, and pick them up when needed!
2. Use the Train to Get Around
To make the most of your time in France, you’ll need to identify an efficient way to get around. While you might not have any trouble waking from exhibit to exhibit in one of France’s larger cities, you will need to consider another method for longer distances.
Most regard the train as the country’s best mode of public transportation. In fact, France’s state-owned train network, SNCF, is among the best networks in all of Europe.
Systems run throughout most of the country, and their high-speed TGV trains can reach speeds of up to 185 miles per hour—allowing you to get from one spot to the next in a matter of minutes.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Venture Outside Paris
If you’re like most people who get the opportunity to visit France, chances are that you’re already envisioning yourself standing beside the Eiffel Tower or circling around the Louvre for hours on end. And make no mistake—with over 44 million visitors in 2022, Paris is the most-visited city in the world.
It is far from the country’s only visit-worthy area, however. If you crave postcard-worthy Mediterranean views and beautiful baroque architecture, the oceanfront city of Nice delivers it in spades.
Nice is a mere two-hour drive from Marseille, another beautiful city to consider visiting during your trip. Once France’s central trading area, this port is filled with a bevy of Renaissance-era cathedrals, mosques, castles, and fortresses.
4. Brush Up on Your French Before You Leave
Despite English being one of the languages most taught in the French education system, the locals primarily speak French and very few of them can speak English well. Don’t be surprised if you encounter signs and menus written entirely in French, or business owners who only communicate in their native tongue.
For this reason, you should consider adding a few French words and phrases to your repertoire before your trip. This will go a long way toward helping you communicate when needed, avoid misunderstandings, and ingratiate yourself with native French speakers.
“Bonjour,” “au revoir,” “oui,” “non,” “s’il vous plait,” “merci,” “excusez-moi,” and “je voudrais,” are just a handful of the words you’ll use repeatedly during your stay.
5. Remember to Ask for the “Prix Fixe” Menu
Particularly if you’re traveling on a tight budget, you’ll find that French dining can quickly become expensive. Fortunately, there’s a lesser-known hack for those who are looking to hang on to a few extra dollars at meals.
The “prix fixe” menu, the French term for “fixed price” features meals at a discounted price—similar to the “specials” or “discount” menus you might receive at a restaurant stateside. At a dine-in restaurant, these meals will typically include an appetizer, entrée, and dessert.
The only real catch? Options are often limited. A “prix fixe” menu might feature a dozen items or as few as one or two options on any given day. With that said, these are typically meals that showcase the chef’s talents, so you’re bound to get a delicious meal!
