French countryside and budget traveling

I strongly suggest a visit to your local library to get a guidebook or 2 to do some basic research. You can look at Google Flights to get an idea on flight prices. You can look at the Airbnb site to look at rental prices. You can read the threads on the France forum about transportation options and costs. Every major tourist site, like museums, monuments, and chateaux have their own websites that include ticket prices. There is no "best countryside region". They are all different and appeal to different people for different reasons. Hence the need for guidebooks and regional tourism websites that describe each area. I'm afraid that this is a situation where you need to do your own research, based on your needs and budget, and your knowledge of your family preferences.

And yes, May/June is within high season for tourist visits.

Here is some information about France from Rick Steves that will give you a high-level overview of Rick’s favorite/recommended places.

https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france

Also look at gites.com for country houses.
You can further reduce your costs by carefully planning what you want to see and do in Paris and maybe shifting a couple of your days toward the less expensive "countryside" stay(s).
I agree with the advice to do your research and return to the forum with specific questions.

Ruth,
France is a large country with many varied areas. Imagine someone asking you where to go in the US without giving you much info on what they hope to get out of their stay, except that it should be economical. You would have a big variety of answers for them. Please tell us what you want to do outside Paris. And how do you want to get around...car, train, bus? When you think about the French countryside, what picture comes to mind? What do you see yourself doing? That may define and refine what you are seeking and would give us a format to make suggestions. Also, how many people and their ages? That also may be an important consideration in car rental (e.g. do you need two cars or will one suffice?). Ditto train fares. How many people? Ages....moving about with luggage....ease of getting about. Comfort level re stairs, A/C, bed configurations. Any strong feelings or must haves about these subjects?
Please give us more details and we may have more suggestions for you.
Merci!

Ruth, Your question reminds me of a friend who wanted to go see the Italin countryside and had no idea of where/what she wanted. She had an image from the movie "Under the Tuscan Sun" and figured that all of Italy outside the big cities would be like that. I hope you are not channeling a movie here as it sometimes leads to disappointment. (Sometimes not, but we must be realistic.) And Emily in Paris is, to me, a bit...I don't know....overblown, is that is a good word for it.

Answering only your last question ----we have made many trips to western Europe in early June. While it is tourist season, it is not as busy as July and August because most European school children are still attending school in June.

G3rryCee and Cynthia, thank y'all for your recommendations!
I have watched every Rick Steve's video in France and Paris there is, but I want an insider's scoop on neat places in France to visit, things the locals are proud of, like the village clock, or the best wine, or their weekly Farmer's Markets. Things that you really wouldn't find in a guide book. It would be 7 adults + a 12 yr old (who's going for the eclairs). I'm interested in touring wineries, biking around the country and taking life easy. I'm aware that Paris is more fast-paced, so I wanted our country stay to be very relaxed. I'm thinking we'd probably travel by train from Paris to....(not sure yet) and once we're in the town bike around. Should we rent a car instead? I also LOVE the idea of seeing the local shops, not tourist traps, but pottery or bookstores or handmade scarves and family businesses.

And also very old abbies!

And also very old abbies!

Abbies or Abbey?

If it's "abbey," here's the list of active monasteries, convents, and abbeys:

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_abbayes,_monast%C3%A8res_et_couvents_catholiques_en_France.

But seriously, in my opinion, you won't find what you're looking for in a Rick Steves guidebook.

Maybe in old French guides before the internet..

Anyway, you need to refine your search, know what season you want to come to France in, whether you prefer the mountains, countryside, or seaside.

If you are 7 adults plus a child, check out the gites de France. There are more than 250,000 in France at all prices and amenities, and they are mainly in rural areas. Rentals are often for a minimum of 5 days.

Choose your region:

https://www.gites-de-france.com/en

You can even cross-reference your search with the map of the main French vineyards:

https://www.atelierduvin.com/produit/carte-des-vignobles-de-france/

Happy searching!

I have been tempted to write a book on the most cost effective way to travel through rural Europe is a Tour des Campgrounds. A name play on the bike race called Tour de France.

Middle class Europeans take 5 week summer vacations at: campground resorts found all over rural Europe. Why? It’s expensive to stay in city hotels but not in true camping resorts. I spent over a year in Europe across multiple 10 weeks at a time trips. My friends would go to an all inclusive resort in Mexico for 9 days and spend more than the cost of a 10 week tour de campgrounds in Europe !!

How: do a vacation lease on a brand new mid size vehicle from Renault Peugeot or Citroen. Pick up at airport.

I would bring a travel pack on the plane and a very large soft duffel bag with tent, Exped thick sleeping pad, and clothing.

Next go to Decathlon and buy camp table, stove, and chairs. Go to IKEA and buy light and medium thickness comforter, pillows, sheets and pots and pans and some plastic crates to hold your groceries and other stuff

Basically the idea is to buy things that are too expensive to bring on plane. I give it all away at the last campground. Cheaper to just rebuy each trip.4

This is the budget approach.

Another option is to rent a campground mobile home at each campground. For a large family this is a good option.

You can also rent an RV instead of a car. But the daily rental rate is expensive. This might equal cost of hotel rooms in rural Europe

French campsites are amazing. Many have tons of facilities and are located in very beautiful locations. There are accommodation options available ranging from prepitched tents to mobile homes - you don’t need your own tent or equipment.

Google is probably your friend if you’re interested in this option. You will need a car. Yelloh Village is a large company with many sites but there are others.

With 8 people you would need 2 good sized vehicles to accommodate all the luggage and other supplies. I don’t know about France, but I’ve twice had reservations in Switzerland at Camping Jungfrau, but sadly had to cancel them. They have an assortment of lodgings there including a hostel, cabins and mobile homes. Switzerland is not a budget country, but you might find something similar in France.

We haven’t spent time in the French countryside for 10 years so things may be different now. However, we absolutely love the countryside and have spent weeks exploring it on four separate trips. Two trips were made without reservations, and two involved renting houses. A car was necessary with the houses because keeping the cost down required relatively remote homes. But those off the beaten track homes were absolute delights. We had a base from which we could explore interesting small towns and local attractions. We usually ate one meal a day in a restaurant and prepared our food otherwise. Shopping in markets and small groceries was amazing.

You don’t want to spend a lot of time reaching your countryside destination so you might consider Alsace or farther afield, Brittany. The Loire Valley is wonderful, but I’m guessing accommodations are more expensive. One of our favorite areas is the Dordogne, but a car is necessary to really explore, and it is farther from Paris. We rented a house in St Pompont, a tiny village, and found many incredible places to visit during short day trips.

You need to do some homework on areas before you make final plans. I agree with a previous poster that you need to consider other sources than Rick Steves for this type trip. Rick is great, but this trip requires getting on VRBO and AirBnB, etc to find something affordable and with things you find appealing. I wish you well. The French countryside is beautiful and a joy. By the way, we have did Alsace with our then 11 year old, and he had a wonderful time.

Ruth,

One area that meets your wants of wineries, village clocks and markets, abbeys and churches plus a castle and kid interesting sites is Alsace. Great for biking between the picturesque villages.

Base yourself in a village near Colmar and you would have train and bus access to day trips to Strasbourg and even places in Germany and Switzerland.

I spent a week based in Colmar in October 2022. I stayed in town in an apartment I booked through Airbnb.

I suggest you take a look on websites like Airbnb, VRBO and booking.com and the gites. Plug in your requirements for various destinations in France that interest you, like Burgundy, Loire Valley, Alsace, Brittany or wherever. Use the same dates and same criteria for each area. This will give you a good idea of the cost differences between the many possibilities in France.

Thank you jeanm and HappyTraveler66! And everyone else too. I don't think we'll try camping because it's our first time with a big family, but thanks for the recommendations! Are French locals as friendly and chatty as Irish (near Dublin) ones?

Hi Ruth,

I'm an American who has lived in France for over a decade, have lived in three distinct parts of the country for a few years each, and have visited possibly more parts of the country than most French people have.

I might be able to help you, but I'm curious -- from where would your trip be originating? In other words, where are you from? It might help me understand how you might receive the experiences you may have on your trip.

Hi Ruth

You asked about friendliness of the French. They are not like the Irish, but they don’t deserve their reputation for being aloof. Having traveled extensively in France, I have never had a bad experience with a French person. On the contrary, we found them delightful.

However, we speak a bit of French and start every interaction with a few words of French. It is very important to do so. Many French people speak English, I discovered that some are just as insecure with English as I am with French so they may refrain from speaking English, not from being difficult, but from being insecure with our language.

In addition, give each individual a bit of time. You will be richly rewarded. Many French will be eager to chat with a bit of time. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes with their language, and don’t be offended when they correct you. I’ve had wonderful, warm interactions with many French citizens.

Ruth, I heartily second what HappyTraveler66 just said about the French!

The French can certainly come across as a bit rude to me. I’m quite happy to put it down to ‘cultural differences’ and not take it personally.

Late May-mid-June is high tourist season. Anything after 1 May is. You have a large group, you'll need a large house or multiple hotel rooms. That's going to be your major expense. You can rent a whole house, and it will be less expensive than hotels, but you should still budget 100 euro/day per person.

Figure 50 euro a day, per person, to eat cheap, 100+ euro/day if you use restaurants. You can do it cheaper, I do, but you have to plan to use the supermarkets and make your own meals.

Transportation is another major expense. Rental car costs are just the beginning. Gas is 1.50-2.00/ltr now, who knows where that will be next year. And parking in a city can run 25-50 euro/day. And then there are the tolls on the main roads. You can avoid them, I specifically travel back roads to do so, but it's a lot slower driving, and you may not save much as you still have to buy gas. But I see a lot of towns most tourists have never heard of.

You'll notice everyone asking what you want to see/do. That's because there's so much variety. France is a very big place and everywhere is different. For a really good introduction to the various areas and their differences I recommend you subscribe to "The Great Courses" on Amazon and watch "France Through The Ages". It's what I turn to to plan a lot of my regional trips. What i usually tell people is pick three things you "have" to see, and plan around them. Don't try to jam too much into your two weeks, because you're going to find things you never even thought about.

As for the Eclairs...there are few things in life as good as a French patisserie or boulangerie in the morning. And eclairs are just one option...Someone's world is going to get expanded.

"Many French people speak English...".

I would disagree with that statement. I would agree that many people who work at hotels or restaurants or museums in tourism hot spots speak English. But once one gets outside those comfort zones, into rural France, then stumbling across an English-speaking French person is the definition of good luck to an English speaker. Most people outside of touristic hotspots speak no English at all. They may interject with a word or two that they've retained from consuming British or American culture, such as TV shows or films, but that's about it.

When traveling in rural France, assume nobody you meet will speak English. It's one of the safest bets one can make.

You might find it interesting after Paris to visit some of the regions where the old traditional languages and cultures are prevalent such as in Bretagne (Brittany), Pays Basque (Basque Country) or Béarn around Pau and Haute Pyrénées to name just a few (although i did it use local languages here). Learning about the age old diversity in France and the local history, food and customs has enriched my visit and my understanding of cultures in France.

Ruth,
In June 2023 we rented a large lovely place in the Dordogne region for 10 days. It was part of a chateau property, thoroughly updated and it slept 8 people. We got it through Gites-de-France, a company we have used often, for long and short stays, all over France, and which we highly recommend! We paid $3000.00 (at the going exchange rate back then). There were seven of us, five adults and a 9 and 12 year old. We paid the caretakers $100.00 for cleaning after we left. $300.00 per day for seven people in 4 bedrooms with three baths is a bargain. The propery was gorgeous, the kitchen very up to date, the grounds large and lush. We were 5-10 minutes drive to La Roque Gageac and to Vitrac, about 20 minutes to Sarlat, easy drives to all the places we wanted to visit. It was perfect for our needs and wants. Swimming pool as well.
We had 2 rental cars. When five people left for the drive to Bordeaux to start their homeward journey, the car was tightly packed with people and baggage, but it was tolerable for the 3-3 1/2 drive. Check out gites-de-france. They have been around longer than Air B and B and have a stirling reputation, with which I concur.
Bonne chance!

P.S. I made my reservation for June 2023 in November of 2022, after spending several hours looking for and researching properties. It was time well spent, and if I had needed a place for late June, July or August, I would start earlier, as French families often rent their summer vacation places the year before, especially if they need a bigger place. And some locations are really popular! Also, I needed specific dates because some of the family were limited on their availability for travel. All things to think about, after you decide on where you want to be.

We visited Normandy and Brittany last month. The countryside was beautiful and we enjoyed the cliffs of Brittany and visiting the beaches of Normandy. We did lots of our own cooking and ate lots of picnics. We did most of our shopping at Lidl, a grocery store similar to Aldi. They had pretty good prices.

My boss just came back from two weeks in Brittany. There were six in his party. This is where he stayed:

https://www.fewo-direkt.de/ferienwohnung-ferienhaus/p2164144a

You may be able to find something like this, if not the same place. I can honestly say they had plenty to do right in that area.