29/05/2026
France: It’s a (Quick) Wrap!
It’s no secret that France is the most visited country in the world.
And, like many dreamy teenagers, it positively beckoned me.
That shimmering iconic tower…that sexy intonation…Audrey Hepburn’s influence and of course….the possibility of amour. All this is pretty much why I naively decided to plunge into French, not Spanish, in high school. (A decision I often regret!)
But it certainly wasn’t my first visit to Paris in 2008 that blew me away.
Paris is a splendid city, but my expectations were undoubtedly too high, and it was a bit of a letdown. Also, on that visit to Paris, I stuck to the tourist sites, which were grotesquely crowded and often overrated. But, alas, I was a much different traveler back then anyways….
What actually made me fall for France was our last trip in 2022 when Greg and I visited numerous enchanting medieval villages in the southwest and central regions, particularly in Aveyron.
This five-week rendezvous was a journey that made me fall head over heels with the country, and surprisingly, despite his prior resistance to traveling here, Greg fell for it too.
For this year’s trip, we snagged a housesit in Thonon-les-Bains, a lakeside community on the southern shores of Lac Léman (known in English as Lake Geneva.) It was a drastically different side than the other visits and just continues to prove France’s diversity.
That said, we’ll be back. This was a quick visit and there is a LOT to explore here.
Below is our personal list of stats, money saving tips, and personal upsides and downsides.
Time Spent: 9 nights
Money Spent: $356.63 or $39.62/day* in USD/two people, which breaks down to:
$0 (Accommodation)
$189 (Groceries)
$130 (Transportation)
$20 (General)
$18 (Restaurants)
Our itinerary:
(9) nights, Thonon-les-Bains
Day trips to Yvoire, Annecy, and hikes to Mont Forchat and Chapelle de Hermones
Would we return? To France, absolutement. But probably not to the Lake Geneva area
Best budget saving tips:
-If you’re going to use them, book train travel as far in advance as possible to get saver fares.
-However, in lieu of that, we recommend using Bla Bla Car to save even more, which are plentiful and less expensive. Bla Bla car is a rideshare program where you join a local going from Point A to Point B, and you’re basically paying for a seat in their car
-Housesit for free accommodation! France is absolutely loaded with opportunities through THS* (Use our link below to save 25%)
-Use the Too Good to Go food waste app to purchase discounted groceries (see also below!)
-Shop at Lidl or Aldi supermarkets, both fantastic and cheaper European options
-Grocery shop close to closing times for even better discounts
Our Upsides
-Travel and living in France is easy, organized and comfortable.
-You can pay with contactless cards pretty much everywhere, although we did ride one local bus to Yvoire that required cash.
-Public toilets and fountains are plentiful, and free
-The trail network is outstanding with color-code hiking trails making village to village hiking a fantastic adventure, as well as walking paths
-The undeniable charm of its villages
-The country is the world’s best (in our experience) for artisanal products, display and crafting….everything. From cheese, to wine, to beer, to olives, to honey, to dips to, the list goes on and on. And, these things are available at reasonable prices for the craft.
-The French take over processing seriously and do well at avoiding unnecessary or toxic additives in food, cosmetics and wellness products
-Food waste is illegal in France so there are always great deals on TGTG, and at the supermarkets at the end of the day
-A terrific selection of fruits and vegetables, all which taste amazing
-The people: France gets a bad rap for having rude people. We’ve found that so long as you’re away from incredibly over-touristed areas, this is completely inaccurate. But yes, make sure you’re using appropriate niceties (aka bonjour and merci beaucoup when speaking to them!)
-The grocery prices are a good value. An egg costs $.18, a baguette $.45, a block of quality artisan cheese can be $3, a corked bottle of beer was $3.45 and a delicious bottle of wine for $3-6. This said, it’s very easy to fulfill your vices in this country.
Our Downsides
-France often lacks the solitude in its villages that we enjoy in places like Bulgaria. Even when it’s more off-the-beaten-path, it still feels “busy.”
-It’s common to find French people are often resistant to speaking English, (even when they know it.)
-Although we loved the nearby Alps hiking options, Lake Geneva area wasn’t really for us. It felt a little too…sophisticated.
-If you can’t manage to get train tickets early, they can be very expensive. There are long-term stay and local discounts, however.
If you’ve traveled throughout France, what would you add?
