Lonely Planet France (Full Color Country Travel Guide)

“France seduces travelers with its unfalteringly familiar culture woven around its café terraces, village-square markets and lace-curtained bistros with their plat du jour chalked on the board.” – Nicola Williams, Lonely Planet writer

Our Promise

You can trust our travel information because Lonely Planet authors visit the places we write about, each and every edition. We never accept freebies for positive coverage, and you can rely on us to tell it like we see it.

Inside This Book…

10 months of research in France
13 authors
137 maps
Thousands of calories consumed
Inspirational photos
Clear, easy-to-use maps
Pull-out city map
3D plans of iconic sights
Comprehensive planning tools
Special features

Customer Reviews:

You're going to LOVE FRANCE!

By Richard R. Carlton - September 25, 2004

I've made >20 visits to France all together. Here are my reviews of the best guides....to meet you r exact needs.....I hope these are helpful and that you have a great visit! I always gauge the quality of my visit by how much I remember a year later......this review is designed to help you get the guide that will be sure YOU remember your trip many years into the future. Travel Safe and enjoy yourself to the max!

Lonely Planet

Lonely Planet has City and Out To Eat Guides. They are all about the experience so they focus on doing, being, getting there, and this means they have the best detailed information, including both inexpensive and really spectacular restaurants and hotels, out-of-the-way places, weird things to see and do, the list is endless.

Frommer's

These are time tested guides that pride themselves on being updated annually. Although I think the guides below provide information that is in more depth or more concise... read more

I cannot say enough positve comments about this guide

By A Customer - August 17, 1997

Lonely Planet's "France: Travel Survival Kit" was essential to the success of our 21 day journey in France. My boyfriend and I did know where we were headed or what we wanted to do. Using this well organized, percise guide we found ourselves hikeing cliffs in Brittany and wondering backroads in Cote D'Azur.We were new to the country and traveling by train. The first 160 pages of the guide were packed with all the many essentials of travel -- trains, monetary system, telephone cards -- the little things that make a huge difference. Who wants to spend the first few hours in France trying to figure out how the phones works?We wanted to see France, not a heap of tourist attraction wizzing by us. Everywhere we went, this guide showed us the not so traveled places. Even in busy Paris, with help from our trusty guide, we visited flea markets and neighborhoods where tourists don't often venture. These were the places that gave us the real flavor of France. I... read more

Excellent Transportation Info

By E. Hanneman "SonoranReader" - August 12, 2005

If you're traveling to different regions and cities within France via train, bus, or plane, I'd definitely recommend this book. It offers very useful getting-to and getting-away options. For instance, if you want to travel between Normandy and Etretat, it requires a rather complex series of transfers using buses and possibly some trains - there is no direct train route (as I assumed before reading up on it in this book). This book alerts you to issues and offers alternative solutions. (Benefit: avoid unexpected, time-consuming problems and enjoy your trip more).

Lonely Planet Guides are not pretty, but they are useful when traveling around a country. I usually leave them back in the hotel room for consultation as needed. I've also carried photo copies of portions of them when I've been certain that's all I'd need. I would not be as likely to carry one if I was sure I was only going to stay in one city. They make it easy to take a sidetrip on the spur of the moment... read more