Plan your France holiday

France from Spain

Direct flights, package deals and the best of France for travellers from Spain.

Best time to visit

Monthly breakdown for Spain travellers planning a France trip.

Best value
Apr · May · Jun · Sep · Oct
Peak season
Jul · Aug — Hotter, busier and more expensive

Getting there

Flight time
~1.5–2 h (o tren de alta velocidad / coche para el sur y suroeste)

From Spain

  • Madrid (MAD)
  • Barcelona (BCN)
  • Málaga (AGP)
  • Valencia (VLC)
  • Seville (SVQ)
  • Palma (PMI)

Arriving in France

  • Paris (CDG)
  • Nice (NCE)
  • Bordeaux (BOD)
  • Toulouse (TLS)
Find flights

Why France?

France is the most accessible international destination for Spaniards: it shares a land border across the Pyrenees and can be reached by car, high-speed rail, or a flight of just over an hour from most of the peninsula.

From Madrid and Barcelona there are direct flights to Paris in around ninety minutes, and the Barcelona-France high-speed line connects to Toulouse, Bordeaux and Paris without going through an airport. From northern Spain (San Sebastián, Bilbao, Pamplona) the drive to Bordeaux or Toulouse takes roughly two to three hours.

The country packs very different registers into a single short trip: the cultural and museum life of Paris, the Mediterranean and the Riviera in Nice, the Atlantic and the vineyards around Bordeaux, or the French Pyrenees just across the border from Aragón and Navarra.

Where to stay

  • Paris — The essential cultural capital, about ninety minutes away by plane or high-speed train from Barcelona.
  • Nice — Gateway to the French Riviera, with direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona and Palma.
  • Bordeaux — A city of wine and the Atlantic, under five hours from Barcelona by high-speed train.
  • Nantes — Gateway to the Loire and the Atlantic Brittany coast, with castles and beaches a short flight from Madrid.
  • Toulouse — The 'pink city', at the foot of the Pyrenees and just over two hours from Barcelona by train or car.

A weekend in France (flight or train + 2-3 nights) runs €250-450 from Spain; the Barcelona-Paris or Barcelona-Bordeaux high-speed rail fare costs €60-120 each way, and the daily on-the-ground budget (mid-range lodging, meals, transport) sits between €90 and €150 per person, somewhat pricier than Spain for dining and accommodation.

Plan your trip

Package holidays vs booking independently

Compare packages from Spain-based operators against building your own trip.

Package holidays

Package availability varies by departure airport and dates. Compare the total with booking flights and accommodation separately.

Book independently

Search flights and hotels separately for more flexibility and often better value outside peak weeks.

Find flightsFind hotels

Partner links — we may earn a commission on bookings at no extra cost to you.