"Historical France" France by windsorgirl

France Travel Guide: 68,504 reviews and 147,929 photos

I only had a brief stay in France this trip. I was visiting a friend in The Netherlands and we made a road trip along the north coast through Belgium and France. In France, we visited Le Treport, Dieppe, Rouen, Honfleur, Omaha Beach and Mont Saint-Michel.

Church Door, Normandy

In addition to the stunning coastal scenery, I enjoyed the quaint villages and towns with their cobbled streets, colourful window boxes and ornate churches.

me in the Loire Valley, 1987

I also visited France in 1987 as part of my 4 month/13 country backpacking adventure. This time I spent about 3 weeks here and saw Paris, Chartres, The Loire Valley, La Rochelle, Carcassonne, Montpellier, The Cote d'Azur and Chamonix before continuing on to Switzerland.

My favourite part of this visit was the Loire Valley, and Carcassonne.

My least favourite part was trying to communicate to the locals. Having studied french for 10 yrs in Canada, I thought I would be able to get by. And many of the locals, knowing I was Canadian also expected me to speak french. However, I quickly learned that getting an A in verb conjugation did not help me with my pronunciation and I may as well have been speaking english. In fact one telephone operator thought I was speaking english. So my advice is to practice your oral skills before you travel to France and forget the grammar.

Last visit to France: Jul 2000
Intro Updated Oct 28, 2003
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Reviews (21)

Castles and Fortresses Favorites (4)

There are many picturesque castles and fortresses to be seen throughout France. Coming from a young country, I always... more travel advice

Trains are the way to go Transportation (1)

When I travelled in Europe I carried a 2 month Eurail card. And, believe me I certainly got my money's worth. It is... more travel advice

Monaco Things to Do (12)

OK, first of all, I know that Monaco is not part of France, however, while you are touring the French Riviera, you can't... more travel advice

The Cote D'Azur Things to Do (12)

If you like warm weather and beaches, then you will like the Cote D'Azur. It is very easy to travel back and forth along... more travel advice

Tourist Traps (1)
Mont Saint-Michel in July
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Comments (12)

32garfield Mar 23, 2010 at 8:23 AM Report Abuse

I've heard that they have pickpockets in Mont Saint Michel. Is that true?
Toshioohsako Apr 13, 2008 at 11:51 AM Report Abuse

Nice photo of Honfleur. It was my favorite village in Normandy and I often visited from paris when I was living there. Your photo is a good renascence of my visit. Have a good day.
mvtouring Mar 9, 2008 at 11:15 PM Report Abuse

Those white cliffs do look very imposing ;-)
Herkbert May 3, 2007 at 7:11 PM Report Abuse

Beautiful pictures and tips. We're heading to France in September and I can't wait. Thanks for sharing.. Tom
sue_stone Aug 22, 2006 at 7:43 AM Report Abuse

Isn't France a beautiful country! Sounds like we have visited many of the same places : )
Jasen71 Nov 24, 2005 at 1:28 PM Report Abuse

Really nice and charming photos and tips on France.. Cheers Jasen
rwlittle Dec 19, 2004 at 1:02 PM Report Abuse

France is our favourite vacation spot...on our last trip, we really enjoyed our stay in Carcassonne, just like you did! Thanks for the great photos and tips. Happy holidays!
JourneyOf1 Sep 30, 2004 at 11:32 AM Report Abuse

Whenever considering a trip I'd never thought of visiting France, perhaps I should rethink. Your page is quite nice showing France well>>>>Yvette
LoriPori Sep 1, 2004 at 1:11 PM Report Abuse

Hello Kathy: Your France pictures brings a smile to my face and reminds me what a beautiful country France really is. My favourites are Honfleur, Mont St. Michel and Carcassonne. Thanks. Hugs. Lori.
dsantosh May 25, 2004 at 10:02 PM Report Abuse

Fantastic phtographs.