France

It was meant to be dismantled after twenty years and survived because it turned out to be useful as a radio mast. To fit the whole tower in a photograph you need Trocadéro across the river or the lawn of the Champ de Mars, and it sparkles for a few minutes on the hour each evening. Book ahead if you want the summit.

Far too large for one day, so pick two or three wings and go in with a plan. The Mona Lisa is permanently several rows deep — lower your expectations there and note that the sculpture and ancient Near East galleries are almost empty. It opens late on certain evenings, which are the quietest hours.

An abbey on a rock that becomes an island at high tide and joins the sand flats at low. The tidal range is among the largest in Europe, so the scene changes completely — check the timetable before you go. Around four hours from Paris by train and bus, which is why many people stay a night.

An hour from central Paris on the suburban train. The gardens dwarf the palace, so plenty of visitors hire a bike or a small electric car, and the fountains run to music only on set days. Check the closing day before you commit to a date.

Peak runs from late June to mid-July, and once it is harvested the fields are bare — miss the window and there is nothing to see. The Valensole plateau and the approach to Sénanque abbey are the classic views, and public transport is thin enough that you need a car. Early morning gives better light and fewer people.

No climbing required: the Aiguille du Midi cable car from Chamonix lifts you to a viewing platform near 3,800 m in one go. The altitude arrives fast enough to leave you breathless, and it is below freezing up there in midsummer — bring a coat. About an hour by bus from Geneva airport.

It lost its roof and spire to fire in 2019 and has reopened after restoration. Which parts are accessible and how you book changes as work continues, so check the official notice before visiting. The island it stands on is where the city itself began.

Not one castle but a series of them along the river, which is why people give it several days. Chambord is famous for sheer scale, Chenonceau for spanning the river like a bridge. Basing yourself in Tours and moving by car or bicycle is the usual approach.

Built two thousand years ago to carry water, with stone laid dry and no mortar in the arches. Looking up from the riverbank is the best angle, and people swim beneath it in summer. Thirty to forty minutes by car from Avignon or Nîmes.

The palace from the fourteenth century when the papacy sat here rather than in Rome, still ringed by its walls. The bridge from the song stops halfway across the river, and that is how it actually is. The theatre festival fills the city each July.

An entire town enclosed by two rings of wall with more than fifty towers. The inside is busy by day but quiet early and late, and it is striking when floodlit at night. About an hour by train from Toulouse.

French kings were crowned here, and some of the stained glass was made by a twentieth-century painter. It sits in the middle of champagne country, so cellar visits pair naturally with it. Forty-five minutes from Paris by high-speed train — an easy day.

The arrondissements spiral outward in numbered order, so the number alone tells you roughly where you are. The metro is dense but the stops are close together and walking often wins, and the museums alone justify four days. Pickpocketing around the sights is common — mind your bag.

Nice, Cannes and Monaco are linked by local trains along the shore, which makes moving around easy. The beaches are pebble, so water shoes help, and all of Europe turns up in summer. It is five or six hours from Paris by train, so many people fly.

Widely treated as the centre of French cooking, with small bouchons concentrated in the old town. Roman remains and Renaissance streets sit where two rivers meet, and covered passages called traboules still cut between the buildings. Two hours from Paris by fast train.

The whole centre is World Heritage and the riverside has been rebuilt for walking. Day tours run out to Saint-Émilion and the other wine villages, and the Atlantic beaches are an hour away. Two hours from Paris by fast train.

Having changed hands repeatedly, its architecture and food draw from both sides. The canal-ringed Petite France quarter is the signature, and its December Christmas market is among the best known in Europe. Just under two hours from Paris.

Normandy has the D-Day beaches and cemeteries; Brittany has Celtic culture and a rougher coast. Mont-Saint-Michel sits near the boundary, so the two combine well. Trains reach the main towns, but moving between coastal villages wants a car.

Good temperatures without full summer crowds, which makes it the most recommended window. The Paris parks and the Loire gardens are at their best. May has a cluster of public holidays, so check museum closures.

The south is hot and dry and the beaches are at capacity. In August locals take their own holidays and small Paris restaurants and shops close for weeks — check before you build a day around one. Lavender ends in mid-July.

Harvest season, so Bordeaux and Burgundy are at their liveliest. Cooler weather and thinner crowds make it excellent for city walking. The south stays warm into October.

Paris is grey with short days but works fine for a museum trip, and Christmas markets appear in December. The Alps are in ski season and priced accordingly. The southern coast is quiet, with many places shut.

Inside Schengen you cross borders without checks, and your allowed short stay is counted across the whole area, not per country. A European travel authorisation for visa-free visitors is being introduced in stages — check whether it applies before you fly. The UK is outside Schengen and separate.

The same seat costs very different amounts depending on when you book, so buying early is the most reliable saving. Seats are reserved, so a ticket means a seat. Paris has several terminals — check which one your train leaves from.

The Paris museum pass covers many sites over a set number of days and pays off at two or three visits a day. Some places still require a timed booking even with the pass. Many close on Mondays or Tuesdays, so the order of your days matters.

Saying "bonjour" as you walk into a shop or restaurant is basic courtesy, and skipping it reads as rude. A short goodbye on the way out is expected too. Greeting first and then asking whether English is possible goes far better than opening in English.

112 reaches everything, and you can dial police 17, ambulance 15 or fire 18 directly if you need to. Reporting a theft usually means going to a police station in person. Keep a separate copy of your passport.

Restaurant bills include service, so a tip is not obligatory. Leaving the change or a couple of euros when you were happy is the normal gesture. There is no need to apply American percentages.