France from the UK

Best time to visit

Monthly breakdown for the UK 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

~1-1.5 h (or Eurostar/ferry/Eurotunnel)

Why France?

France is the closest big country on the map for UK travellers, and it shows in how people actually get there: alongside short flights from Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Stansted and Edinburgh, the Eurostar runs city-centre to city-centre from London St Pancras to Paris Gare du Nord in about two hours fifteen minutes, with no airport transfers at either end.

Driving is just as common, particularly for families heading to gites, campsites and self-catering cottages in Normandy, Brittany and the Loire. The Eurotunnel car train from Folkestone to Calais takes 35 minutes, and ferry routes from Dover, Portsmouth and Poole reach Calais, Caen, Cherbourg and Saint-Malo, making it easy to bring extra luggage, bikes or a full boot of camping kit.

Once in France, the range on offer covers most reasons to travel: Paris for museums and city breaks, the Alps for skiing from December to April, the Riviera around Nice and Cannes for summer sun, and inland wine regions such as Bordeaux and the Loire Valley for slower, food-and-drink-led trips.

Where to stay

• Paris — The obvious first stop, and one of the few European capitals reachable from central London by train in under two and a half hours.
• Nice — Base for the French Riviera, with direct flights from most UK airports and easy onward trains to Cannes, Antibes and Monaco.
• Bordeaux — Wine-region hub in the south-west, popular for long weekends built around vineyard visits and the Atlantic coast nearby.
• Nantes — A practical entry point for Brittany and the Loire Valley, with a short flight time and good rail links onward to the coast and chateaux.
• Toulouse — Gateway to the south-west and the Pyrenees, less visited by UK travellers but well served by direct flights.

A short flight from a UK regional airport typically costs £40-120 return depending on season and how far ahead it's booked, while Eurostar to Paris ranges from around £70 to £200+ return. Once there, a mid-range hotel double room runs roughly £90-160 a night in Paris and the Riviera, and £60-110 a night in regional cities and rural areas, with self-catering gites in Normandy or the Loire often working out cheaper per night for families or groups. A three-course dinner with wine averages £30-45 per person, and a weekly self-drive trip via Eurotunnel or ferry (including fuel and crossing) usually adds £150-300 to the cost of a UK-to-France holiday for a car of four.

Plan your trip

• France travel guide
• Events in France

Package holidays vs booking independently

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

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