Finding lodging without advance reservations

Depends how choosy you are, as well as where you are.
Generally, these days, I find it too stressful trailing round town trying to find somewhere, so I'd always book at least a day or two in advance.

You need to realize that September is still high season. Yes, you can always find somewhere to stay if you either aren't fussy, or just throw money at it. Neither are something I would choose to do. Booking at least a couple of days in advance is good advice.

Can you? After a few bad experiences here in France, I’d say it depends on how bad you are willing to accept. There aren’t always that many choices outside the large cities. September is silver season when the grandparents are finished with 3-generation vacations and babysitting while parents work, and they hit the road for their own child-free vacations.
Granted the internet makes it easier nowadays. I’d say that if you are looking to stop at the last minute, that’s risky. If you decide on a trip in the morning, you should be able to find something for the same night. Avoid Saturday nights.

OP France is not the USA.

Reserve accommodation(s) in advance.

Why burden yourself with trying to secure a room in an unfamiliar country?

What Claudia said.

September is the busiest hotel month of the year in Paris. I strongly urge you to reserve accommodations.

Great advice! To clarify, I'm not interested in going without making reservations for places I'm planning to visit. I'm wondering what to expect if I decide, in the moment, to go somewhere I hadn't planned on.

Merci!

In that case, before you hop on a plane, train, bus or drive to somewhere else, take a look at booking.com or similar and you'll get an idea availability and can see actual customer reviews.

You can do this, but as others have said, you may not get first class options. I've done this in small towns in the Meuse Valley and found one place I've gone back to, and one place where i had to kill a couple spiders (the room obviously had not been opened in a while). In the cities it's easier to find a room than parking. In Reims I ended up walking about a kilometer back to a hotel (not bad) I found one rainy day.

One thing you also need to consider, especially in smaller towns, is even if you find a room your meal options can be quite limited. I've encountered this in big cities like Nancy, where all the really nice spots are "reservations required", to small towns like Heudicort where I ended up finding a food truck used by the local night shift.

I am great at finding good hotels in advance and a total loser on the fly. Our grimmest hotel experiences have been when we didn't plan ahead

At minimum research and identify places along your route and reserve a day or two ahead. You will need a big list as some places will have sold out -- and for popular locations in high season you really do have to reserve well in advance.
You used to be able to go to an office at the train station and identify places to stay -=- all that sort of thing has been made obsolete with the internet.

All lodging is online now. Gone are the days when places would hang signs indicating a room was free. Sure, you can probably find some place (probably after 3-4 tries) and the walk up rate will be twice what you would have paid online, but, sure, you can do it.

I have been to Paris probably two dozen times at different times of the year and personally I would not show up at a hotel without a reservation by choice - however, I have done it on two occasions (one was an extreme last minute change of cities in Paris and one was a last minute change of hotel in Florence) and we had good luck both times with our first choice - getting a good deal in the process. Consider your expectations and flexibility in being a risk taker. I wouldn't rely on it, as you say, but if you have a few back ups, good luck to you!

Since you have clarified that you have reservations for your planned destinations, but may go rogue then it's as easy as checking on booking.com. It's not like you go to a town/city walking door to door asking if there is room at the inn. And if there isn't anything available the night before your departure, then go with another plan. Best if you aren't picky.

Hi Robert, I am an organized planner and always have reservations months ahead. But, I was in Italy last month & saw on the train strike on-line list that one of my locations would be impacted. There was enough time to cancel the 1-night reservation a week ahead and slightly modify my itinerary.

I looked on Booking.com and found a B&B that I had considered when doing general searches during the planning stage. He had one room left. All turned out very well. It didn’t cost any more than what the cost was listed months ahead,

Look up your potential cities for lodging availability two days from now. It will give you a rough idea of the situation.

In general, it is easier to get a last-minute room for one night than for a longer stay.

DO IT!

I have traveled solo all over France on the "book as you go" system. And I am an older woman, not a backpacking young college student.

I have never had any problem finding a hotel or transportation booking on the fly. In fact I enjoy the freedom of choosing an interesting city I want to see and booking it while I'm there. I've had some of my best adventures traveling that way. Worse comes to worst (maybe a city you want to see is having a big event and you can't find a room) then you just choose another destination instead. If you are willing to be flexible, it almost always works out. Honestly can't say I have ever regretted traveling this way.

I do, however, prebook where I'm staying the first few nights, because of course you need to know where you're going to lay your head when you arrive, and I'll book the second place after that. But from there I am prone to "winging it" and I've had a lot of fun that way. Most of France has a very solid tourist infrastructure so you are rarely at a loss to find lodging and transportation. I say go for it!

One thing you also need to consider, especially in smaller towns, is
even if you find a room your meal options can be quite limited. I've
encountered this in big cities like Nancy, where all the really nice
spots are "reservations required",

I've never made a restaurant reservation anywhere in Europe EVER (and I've traveled a lot in Europe, and never missed a meal) Now, granted I'm not a "foodie" so I don't feel like I must go to some certain restaurant that is in the Michelin Guide and is not to be missed. So my options are pretty flexible and if need be I'll grab some bread, fruit and cheese at the market and make a picnic off of that.

If you're really into fine dining, that approach may not work for you, but trust me no one ever goes hungry for lack of making reservations in France. One caveat, though, is to be prepared for slim pickings on Sundays in very small towns because the markets are closed and you need to lay in a supply on Saturday.

Worse comes to worst

For me, the worst would be finding only options far exceeding my budget.

For me, the worst would be finding only options far exceeding my
budget.

Sure, that is a risk you take. On the other hand, I've gotten some great deals at the last minute. As I shared with the OP in a PM, I once booked an Airbnb in Paris in the 6th arr in Saint-Germain-des-Prés for $100/night. Last minute booking, and it was half the price of the cheapest hotel in Paris. I had a whole apartment to myself just steps from Les Deux Magots

It can be a roll of the dice, but you'd be surprised how many deals you find this way. You have to figure that many hotels or Airbnbs have been booked with a 48 hour cancellation policy which means some of their bookings are bound to be canceled at the last minute and they are looking to book those slots. That's when you can get a good deal. But yes, you do have to allow for contingencies which might have you paying more than you planned sometimes. For me it has all come out in the wash - overall, it hasn't cost me any more than booking all my hotels far in advance.

I want to thank everyone who's responded here. Never knew about this resource till I bought the guidebook a few days ago. You've all made me feel so informed on a point that I had strong curiosity about! Very grateful.

Finding lodgings is a juggling act with many factors to consider:

• Basic quality (room size, decor, cleanliness, etc.)

• Key physical features (air conditioning, reliable Wi-Fi in the room itself, elevator/lift, shower larger than a phone booth rhat can be used without turning the bathroom into a wet room, etc.)

• Bed (inexpensive Airbnbs may mean sleeping on a convertible couch or a futon).

• Noise level--interior and exterior (read reviews!).

• Location vis-a-vis arrival point, public transportation, sightseeing targets and restaurants.

• Price.

Finding a room that's OK on all of the points important to you (and for all the nights you need) can be challenging. Air-conditioning is a very key issue for summer travelers on a budget; it's not found everywhere north of the Alps. I end up in a lot of places that look like tiny dorm rooms, and still I have to trade off location for acceptable price. I have been stuck in food deserts, among other not-great locations. And that is the result when I book at least a day ahead of time in places I assume will not be too problematic.

I am not suggesting you not travel flexibly, just that you may want to adjust your definition of "flexible". With all due respect to other posters, I don't think those who rent cars are in a good position to say how it will go for a user of public transportation. Keep in mind that buying day-of-travel train tickets for multi-hour trips on express trains can be very expensive, further driving up the cost of a trip.

With all due respect to other posters, I don't think those who rent
cars are in a good position to say how it will go for a user of public
transportation. Keep in mind that buying day-of-travel train tickets
for multi-hour trips on express trains can be very expensive, further
driving up the cost of a trip.

And with all due respect I have NEVER rented a car in Europe. I rely on trains to take me where I want to go, occasionally supplemented by a taxi or Uber as the need arises.

Doing a "book as you go" trip really isn't as difficult as all that. I have traveled this way in Europe a good bit (mostly France, but also Italy) and I've never been in a room that was unacceptable and I've never been in a food desert. I'm not saying these things never happen, but keep in mind that France is one of the most visited countries in the world, and as such has a very solid infrastructure for tourists.

Yes, there are plenty of "worst case scenarios" that are possible but that is part of traveling in general (for example, transportation strikes happen, and can upset even the best laid plans.)

Again, this isn't a style of travel for everyone because the key is flexibility (if all the hotels are booked in Nancy, then I'll go on to Metz and call it an adventure.). I've had such fun exploring new cities that weren't even on my radar until I happened to stumble across them this way. But if the thought of that causes you anxiety, then stick to what makes you comfortable.

My comment wasn't referring to your posts, Stella. It's pretty common for folks who do European road trips to mention how easy it is to go on to the next town if they find nothing suitable in the first town they try. It's not such a simple matter if you're on foot and have to return to the train station. When is the next train going in the direction you've decided on?

@ acraven

When I say I "book as I go," I don't mean I literally wait until an hour before I'm ready to check into a hotel to book it (although that HAS happened now and again.) Normally what I do is book accommodations at the next place I'm going before moving on. So if I'm in a hotel at Point A, I'm booking a hotel at Point B and only get the train tix to go there once it's confirmed.

If the town I'm looking at (like the example of Nancy) doesn't have a room, then I'll look at a second option (like Metz) but I still book it before I make my travel arrangements to get there. I might not have made that clear earlier.

I want to thank everyone who's responded here. Never knew about this resource till I bought the guidebook a few days ago.

I love that Rick gives the forum a plug in the guidebooks.

Rick's standard advice used to be just rock into town and rock up to the TI office. That's not really a thing anymore.

Just a resource if you do find yourself looking for lodging at the last minute. A few years ago I was able to download a couple of editions of the Rick Steve Guidebooks from our library app onto my ipad. These provided direct links to the hotel websites and I could quickly check if they had availability. We ended up booking two fabulous places in Italy this way, now this was in October. I think the advantage to this over booking.com is that his hotels are generally in great locations and we are not too picky beyond that. I believe you could do the same purchasing his most recent book too.