France for Newbies

Are you interested in Christmassy/Winter holiday stuff? Colmar and Strasbourg have big Christmas Markets that start the end of November.

If you are flying back out of Paris, I’d be back there a couple of days before your return flight.

Given the weather that time of year, I'd head to the south of France. But not the Cote d'Azur. Provence. Arles is a good central base for day trips to Nimes, Avignon and Aix en Provence. There are fairly frequent trains between Paris and Nimes with a single connection. Get a hotel or apartment with close by parking and rent a car for your day trips. Return to Paris one or 2 days before your trip home. Don't forget to get your IDP before leaving home if renting a car.

I'd second Strasbourg/Colmar/Alsace for the Christmas milieu, and perhaps Lyon for the cuisine.

I agree with the suggestions of the above posts. Following the main train routes is a good idea that time of year. Just do a deep dive on Wikipedia on the places mentioned for a broad view of each one. You can get a lot of leads and maps. Be cautious of driving in higher elevations as the roads may be closed or precarious. Check the weather reports!

If the Christmas markets do interest you, there are also markets in Lille, Metz, and Nancy as well as a host of other large and small cities in France. Having said that, the Strasbourg and Colmar markets are among the best in France. From Colmar, you can also visit the villages of Eguisheim, Kayserberg and Riquewihr, where there are also Christmas markets. Small buses (navettes) run between Colmar and the small villages, so a car isn't necessary.

I second the suggestion of Lyon. If you want to add a third, I'd say Strasbourg if you want the Xmas markets (including a side trip to Freiburg im Breisgau so you can see that the German ones are better) OR Avignon/Arles (which is the better base is an evergreen Forum discussion). This is the only area where you would need/want a car.
Paris-Lyon-Strasbourg makes a lot of sense because there is a direct train from Strasbourg to Charles DeGaulle for your return flight.

We have traveled extensively in France. Some thoughts....

Break up France into areas is a great idea. We found that we could see much of two or three areas in two weeks without overload on driving, packing, etc.

Pick a base town and spend a couple of days or a week there.
Then do day trips.
These were trips primarily in May. So weather not the consideration it would be in December.

Ideas include (forgive spelling here)
Sarlat - visit the prehistoric caves and museums
Amboise - visit the town and surrounding Chateaus
Saint Reme - visit the small hilltop towns that dot that area of Provence. Nime, Arles, LeBeau
Strasbourg - mixture of French and German food, towns.
Paris - You can do Mt San Michele, LeMans, others with day trips by train.

Regarding food, we found that it was only OK in most restaurants. Fixed price meals usually best option. Meat (steak) not as good as US. Lots of internal organs in 'traditional' restaurants. Best is smaller off tourist area places. Especially in Paris. Most usually have small selection for each day. Best to get a reservation and ask what will be specials.

But, food in outdoor markets and in bakeries is usually outstanding. Best bread and cheese in the world in my opinion. Great deli meats, olives. Fruit was so so. We would buy food in outdoor markets, and that would be our lunches.

Most people were very nice, they like Americans. Most in larger towns speak some English. Spouse speaks Spanish, Italian, some French. Combo got us by in the small towns. Google translate app and phone camera allows you to read menus and signs.

Driving is very easy. Roads are excellent, but narrow in some areas. Warning - French are VERY vigilant on speeding, have cameras in many to most smaller towns. Speed change signs come up quickly, so OBEY. Every trip has had 1 or 2 speeding tickets, with rental car fees figure US$100 each.

We had good luck with SIXT rental. Hertz was OK in Germany. I suggest using AmEx card, they have an option for, I believe, $19/trip for full coverage on rental car above the standard coverage. Also get trip med insurance, used AmEx also. Needed it once, and it was easy to get reimbursed.

Have a great trip and enjoy. We love France.

Wanderers r Us,
Congrats on getting to France, a wonderful country! Figuring your time...15 days. Day one and day 15 are arrival and departure days. 13 full days left.Give Paris a full 4 days, so 9 days left (or 10 if Paris is only 3 days) Take the TGV to Lyon (about 2 hours), an excellent city for food. See the RS or other guidebook or mine this forum for things to see and do in Lyon and its environs. (Cathedral, Roman history and ruins and artifacts, lots of WWII Resistance history, a fine art museum, and good walking in Vieux Lyon with its traboules). 1/2 day to get there and check in, stay 4 nights. Then to Strasbourg (about 4 hours direct). Stay 4 nights in Strasbourg (or Colmar, just a half-hour by train from Strasbourg). Strassbourg has a beautiful cathedral, canals in the Petite France area, winestubs, Alsatian food, and excellent Christmas markets. Day before flight home a TGV to Paris for last night there (less than 2 hours). That last day, stroll around if weather permits, have a nice dinner. Last day (Day 15) take a fixed price taxi or the RER to the airport for flight home.

Nights 1-5 sleep Paris (Arrival day, then 4 full days Paris)
Nights 6-9 sleep Lyon (3 1/2 days Lyon)
Nights 10-13 sleep Strassbourg (or Colmar) (3 1/2 days Strassbourg)
Night 14 sleep Paris (1/2 day Paris)

Of course you may pick different locations. I would avoid the Dordogne region (Sarlat) in Nove.-Dec. and a car is a must there at any time. Stick with places that don't entail a long or complicated trip to arrive.

Have a wonderful time! Amusez-vous bien!

P.S. If you decide on Strasbourg, I wouldn't rely on going to the airport from Strasbourg on the day of my flight. Too many possibilities for a mess up (train and or track problems, not unheard of). Don't chance it. Get to Paris the day before the flight home. Remember you should get there 3 hours before your flight time. You could luck out.....or not!

Oops! I misspelled Strasbourg often in my first post. Desole!

I would tend to stay in a city, such as Lyon, maybe Strasbourg. You are going to be in France when daylight is minimal, it is often dark at 17h. Very short days make sightseeing rushed, cold temperatures and inclement weather can keep you indoors.

Advice for the second cities is good. Advice for Provence has not taken into consideration that many shops and restaurants close on November 2 and reopen at Easter. Further, the whole Rhône Valley has a very uncomfortable, cold wind called the Mistral that blows out of the Alps and down the valley to the Mediterranean Sea about every three days. This is not a good time to go to Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, and Arles. I was in Avignon with a group for one day last November and we had the Mistral. It reminded me why we chose not to live anywhere near the Rhône Valley.

Some summer tourist areas are totally different in the winter. Stick closer to Paris, but secondary cities if you want some variety. Others would be Lille, Rouen, Strasbourg, Nancy, Dijon, Rennes.

I can't tell you how bad the Mistral wind is in Lyon. But a couple other people who live here in France and post here can give better advice on Lyon than I can, especially one man who lived there for several years.

Wow, thanks everyone for your generous sharing! I'm doing a deep dive into all of the suggestions.
I don't think we will do the Christmas markets due to possible large crowds and harder to find, more expensive lodging. Not sure if that's the case, but one of the reasons we wanted to travel at that time of the year was for a more mellow less crowded trip, if that is even possible.
So maybe Paris, then train to Lyon, explore Lyon a bit and then rent a car to visit smaller villages nearby. Is that a reasonable use of our time and interests? Narrowing down choices is no joke!

Everyone has been so generous with your suggestions! I am taking a deep dive into all the areas suggested.

Are those cities with the big Christmas markets crowded at that time and is lodging more expensive and harder to find? Hoping to avoid massive crowds and looking for a more mellow experience, hence travel in November/December.
I have read about the Mistral and thought maybe that area could be a spring trip instead.

Are those cities with the big Christmas markets crowded at that time and is lodging more expensive and harder to find?

Yes and yes

Keep in mind that in early December, from Dec 5 to 8 in 2026, Lyon hosts the Festival of Lights. It draws massive crowds (over 2 million visitors). While it's certainly a must-see event, you could face the exact same issue you'd want to avoid with the Alsatian Christmas markets: massive crowds and high lodging prices.

Exploring villages in most of rural France in late November or early December can have a certain charm, provided you enjoy rainy, windy, and cold weather with empty streets and sunsets between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. But if you're picturing sunny café terraces and lively village squares you're going to be disappointed. French villages in late November practically shut down. Because of the cold, people stay indoors watching TV or they take their car to go to the supermarket in the nearest large town .

You could also look toward major towns that, with a bit of luck, benefit from a sea-influenced microclimate along the Mediterranean coast.