20 Insider Tips for Traveling to France

Our trip was arranged and detailed well in advance, with reservations for activities and places of special interest, and free days with suggestions for things to see and do. We fell in love with Dordogne and the Paleolithic caves for which we had reserved tours, and were able to take in another cave the next day at the suggestion of our B&B hostess. We would have missed many beautiful places, and certainly missed the fine lodgings and conversation with fellow travelers, had we not had the help of France Just for You. Emilie stayed in touch and resolved issues before we even knew about them, so we wasted no time and experienced no frustration at all.

My boyfriend and I spent a week in Paris last month and we decided that we would do a couple of day-tours outside of the city during our trip. We really wanted to avoid the typical tour-bus day-tour and the crowds that come along with these kinds of tours – we wanted something more personalized that would allow us to go at our own pace. I found the France Just For You website and the ‘Bayeux and World War II Sites in a Day’ tour seemed to be exactly the type of thing we were looking for, as we’re both really interested in history. On a personal note, this tour appealed to me because my grandfather fought in Normandy in World War II. I filled up the contact form on the website and Emilie got back to me the same day. She organized every little detail to make it the perfect tour for us: she booked our return train tickets from Paris, organized for us to spend the morning on our own in the picturesque old town of Bayeux, where we enjoyed exploring the cathedral and saw the famous Bayeux Tapestry. Emilie sent over maps and directions and recommended a fantastic restaurant for lunch. After lunch, our private guide Christophe met us at the agreed meeting point in Bayeux and took us to the Normandy landing sites. I had explained to Emilie that I specifically wanted to visit this site as my grandpa had fought for one of the American infantry divisions that landed in Normandy in 1944. Christophe was extremely knowledgeable (and very patient with all of my questions!) and took us to the sites where my grandpa’s battalion would have fought. It was a very moving experience, especially when I thought back to the stories that my grandpa used to tell me about the war.
I really couldn’t have chosen a better tour option. It was perfectly customized to the preferences that I had given to Emilie, and she was very thorough and asked all of the right questions to help her plan the perfect day for us. We knew how to contact her in case there were any problems on the day (which there weren't), and the fact that everything was planned for us meant that we could just focus on enjoying the day. Thank you so much, I wouldn’t hesitate to book with you again!

Laura and Emilie planned such a professional, authentic and fantastic trip that it has become one of my favorite vacations! Excursions, accommodations, and suggested activities were flawless -- such that the only difficult decision for us was what to select from scrumptious French cuisine. I was hesitant at first to trust an unknown online trip planner, but I'm so glad I did. Knowing France from the inside made all the difference. The specific tips about traveling in France made our first driving experience actually enjoyable! We drove out of Paris, visited Normandy, Mont St. -Michel, Loire Valley, Provence, Burgundy and Nice!

Emilie deserves every 5 (actually I give her 10!) star review since we never dreamed our 2 week trip through the Loire, Normandy and Paris could be so perfect. One of the many steps above and beyond was arranging a full-day private tour in Normandy since my husband's uncle (who is still alive) was there on D-Day. Our guide, Noémie, knew in advance about Uncle Gerald and geared our visit accordingly with her depth of knowledge.
Emilie arranged ways to beat the crowds at the touristy sites, but more importantly arrange charming B&Bs and recommend enchanting itineraries. The gourmet host dinners with other travelers at the B&Bs were a highlight. And the hosts were so welcoming and helpful during our stay.
The smartphone, the book with suggested restaurants and must-see places, and the envelope full of city maps and brochures make France Just for You a unique and top-notch choice for planning a vacation in France. We will use Emilie and Laura for a future trip to Burgundy? Dordogne? Provence? Who knows? They will help us figure it out.

France Just for You - Emile and Laura - accomplished the task with skill and knowledge. Accommodations were excellent with lots of local color, suggestions for parking a large SUV were helpful, solving on the spot problems was handled with expertise and courtesy, sites were overwhelmingly beautiful. The guide book is the best. All the guides were excellent, well informed, professional to a high extent, knowledgeable about subjects not in their area of expertise. They made a most enjoyable trip excellent. The cooking class with Oliver Laboute in his high tech kitchen and professional knowledge was the highlight of the trip, as he planned and executed a wonderful 80th birthday dinner. Best day was in Beauvais and visits to the WWI sites near Verdun. This was the second time we have booked with France just for you and will do so again in the future.

Such a professional company and their attention to every detail was amazing.
Car hire , French phone, tours and suggested stops were all fantastic. And the B& B’s in the country and wine districts were fabulous. The owners all very friendly and helpful as well as the accommodation being clean and beautiful.
We cannot give enough praise for Emilie and Laura and their organisation.
The books we were given had every bit of information and history that you needed and more.
So much more I could say about our trip around France but would be too much to read.
A wonderful company and do not hesitate for a second if you are thinking of using them.
We will certainly be using them again.
20stars from Australia