France Routebook
The planning library.
Start with the decision holding up the rest of your trip. Where to sleep, which train to take, or whether the next two days need a car.
Not sure where to start? Use the trip planner
Before you go
- Open the departure checklist
- France Entry Requirements for US Citizens
- France Travel Budget for 10 Days: Build It From Your Quotes
- Money, Card Payments and Tipping in France
- Phone and eSIM Options for U.S. Travelers in France
- Common Tourist Scams in France and How to Avoid Them
- How to Spot a Tourist-Trap Restaurant in Paris (and Eat Well Instead)
- Is Paris Safe? A Practical Guide for American Visitors
Where to stay
Getting around
- Do You Need a Car in Normandy?
- Renting a Car in France as an American
- Paris to Bayeux: Train, Car or Tour?
- Loire Valley Without a Car: What Actually Works?
- Rental Car Insurance in France: CDW, Excess and Credit Cards
- Driving in France for Americans: Road Rules, Tolls and Parking
- CDG or Orly to Central Paris: RER B, Métro 14 or a Taxi?
Things to do
- Choose what to visit by region
- Normandy D-Day Tours: Guided or Self-Drive?
- Mont-Saint-Michel from Paris: Day Trip or Overnight?
- Which Loire Valley Châteaux Fit in Two Days?
- Normandy D-Day Tours: Private or Small Group?
- Things to Do in Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar & Obernai
- Things to Do in Provence: Avignon, Arles & Marseille
- Alsace Christmas Markets 2026: Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg
- Louvre, Orsay and Versailles: 2026 Prices, Closing Days and Booking
- Is the Paris Museum Pass Worth It? The 2026 Math for Americans
- Visiting a Relative's Grave at the Normandy American Cemetery
- Omaha, Utah and Pointe du Hoc: Seeing the American D-Day Sectors
- Normandy for the D-Day Anniversary: Planning a June 6 Trip
Itineraries
- Find a route by region, time, and travel mode
- 7 Days in France: Paris & Normandy Without a Car
- 10 Days in France: Paris, Normandy & Loire Valley
- 14 Days in France: Paris, Normandy, Loire Valley & Bordeaux
- 7 Days in Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar & Obernai by Train
- 8 Days in Provence by Train: Avignon, Arles & Marseille
- Paris in 5 Days with Versailles: A First-Timer’s Plan
- Paris in 3 Days: A First-Timer’s Itinerary
- 8 Days: Paris, the D-Day Beaches and Mont-Saint-Michel Without a Car
- 4 Days in the Loire Valley by Train: Chenonceau, Amboise, Blois and Chambord
- Paris with Kids in 5 Days: Parks, Dinosaurs, the Eiffel Tower and Disneyland
- Paris in a Week with Day Trips: Versailles, Fontainebleau, Reims and Giverny
- France in 2 Weeks by Train: Paris, the Loire Valley and Provence
- 3 Days in Normandy from Paris: A Realistic Itinerary