Packing for any big trip can be complicated, and you can already find lots of general advice on the internet about not forgetting your tickets and such. So, I am going to give you my best and personal advice for how to pack for France specifically. On y va!

A Visa or Mastercard with a chip and a pin code.

This is the standard in France and will facilitate all payments while here.

 

Credit Card with Chip

A credit card with a chip & 4-digit code will make life easier, ©Pixabay

 

A smartphone with a good international plan

Your phone can be helpful in many ways : driving with a GPS, translating, keeping in touch back home, and travel apps of all sorts. France Just For You can recommend the most useful travel apps for your trip, and we are currently developing our own app - but more about that later.

A small change purse to keep coins in.

When eating in a restaurant, the gratuity is included in the price. However, if you are happy with the service, you can leave 1 or 2 euros on the table and having a little change on hand will make this easier.

Contact Solution

If you wear contacts, try to bring along enough solution for the whole trip. Contact solution is more expensive in France, and it is sold in pharmacies and at the opticians, so you may have to go a little out of your way if you need to get some more.

A pair of small binoculars

This allows you to see the architectural details on buildings, zoom in on particular points in the landscape, or take in some wildlife.

Reusable Tote Bag

Bring along a small, reusable tote bag to carry around with you each day. It can be used for picnic supplies, small purchases or souvenirs. Also, often in the French boulangeries, they do not put your baguette in a bag. You can slip your bread into the bag to avoid leaving a trail of crumbs behind you.

A reusable water bottle

Fill up your bottle before leaving for the day so that you do not spend all your money on Evian.

Cozy Items for Relaxing

A small candle to make your room cozier and like home, plus a pair of plushy socks to wear only in your room to help you relax.

 

Travel Candle

A travel candle can help you relax after a fun day of sightseeing, ©Laura Crotet

 

Tissues

Pocket tissue packs and/or wet wipes – these come in handy all the time: spills, no toilet paper, napkins for a picnic, etc.

Student ID and copy of passpoort

If you are a student, bring along your student ID because there are many discounts offered in many museums and galleries, restaurants and even some stores. The same is true for retired folks, so carry around a paper copy of your passport to get some euros off on entrance fees.

Your Personalized GuideBook

Your personalized France Just For You guidebook will be an indispensable reference for making the most of your days during your French adventure. Some of our travelers have even referred to it as their 'Bible'!

A Wine Bottle opener

No explanation required!

 

Wine Bottle Opener

Do not forget a wine bottle opener, ©Pikist

 

And when you are done packing, the best advice remains take half out, and bring more money than you think you'll need.

 

- Laura Crotet, France Just For You

If your bags are ready to go, contact us to help plan your French adventure.

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

5.0
Martina & Simon from the UK
A fantastic well-planned self-drive tour We had the most amazing time on our 6 week self-drive tour designed by Laura, travelling through Brittany, Loire, Dordogne, Medoc, Basque France, Languedoc, Provence, the Alps, Alsace and Champagne. This was a big trip for us and it was everything I’d hoped and dreamed and even more besides. All our …
Bill
France Just For You is a service I highly recommend regardless of how much experience you have traveling through France. Emilie does an amazing job of putting together an exciting and interesting itinerary, taking you to places and meeting people you would never find on your own. Not only are her ideas great, but she is also very thorough. Her trip …
Shanna
Emilie's services are amazing!! I contacted her after my one year anniversary trip planning fell through with another agency. She quickly picked up the reins from where they left off, listened to our budget requests and organized an absolutely fantastic trip for us! From Paris to Provence to the French Riviera, everywhere we stayed was wonderful …
Gabriele
This trip was such an awesome cultural adventure and we can not say enough about Emilie and France Just for You. This service was outstanding, well planned according to our interests and the B&B's were all wonderful. Each B&B was different but all fantastic in their own way. The suggestions Emilie made all worked amazingly well and so did the …
Mounir from Dubai
Laura and Emilie organized a magical trip for us. Every little touch, every recommendation, every part of the trip was absolutely perfect and made our trip even more special! We definitely plan to organize more trips with them!
Cathy
France Just For You planned the trip of a lifetime for my husband and me. We traveled to Normandy, St. Saint Michele, the Loire Valley and Provence. We are typically not road trip travelers, but this adventure brought us closer to the wonderful people of France than any group tour or "drop and plop" vacation could ever do. The bed and breakfasts …

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