1.     Petrol stations machines do not accept cash and with cards a pre-approved amount is blocked 

If you are driving in France it is good to know that petrol stations ONLY accept cards (no cash). Also when using a DEBIT card we have found out that they take a pre-approved amount which is usually between €100 to €150. This can take several days to be reversed back into your account and for the actual amount of fuel you purchased to be deducted. Finding petrol stations with a real cashier is not an option especially during the holiday season. We tried using a CREDIT and the above still happened. The Revolut card most of the time was declined. Like in most places in Europe different fuel stations have different prices so shop around when possible.

2.     Christmas Season – Restaurants, Museums and major attractions are CLOSED

If travelling to France during the Christmas period, especially to small towns, be aware that most of the museums, major attractions and restaurants shall be closed. The most difficult part of this trip was to figure out were to eat in the evenings. Try to always book in advance when you can.

3.     Parking is free during the low season

Parking spaces are indicated with white lines. Almost all spaces on streets, except in the smallest towns and villages, are payant (metered for pay). However one good thing about travelling in the low season, mainly during the winter, is that in most cases the parking is free. There were only few instances were we had to pay (always using card and not cash), and prices ranged from €2 to €3 per 4/5 hours. Always make sure that once the payment is done via the machine that you will find on the street you place the ticket visible on the dashboard. In big cities you can either park on the outskirts or opt for multi-story car parks. Simply take a ticket on arrival and pay before you exit. 

4.     If you encounter a car accident while driving switch on the hazard lights  

Unfortunately, during one of the drives we came across a really bad accident involving two cars. Immediately we were noticing that every vehicle was switching on the hazard lights. We than learnt that in France the hazard lights are used when slowing down because of an obstruction or when you suddenly must brake. This is done until the vehicle behind does the same and then you can cancel yours.

5.     Communicate in French when trying to book or get some information online 

It’s a well known fact that the French people are very proud of their language or maybe because some of them don’t know how to speak English well but when trying to communicate via email or via social media in English we were not getting any replies. It is here that google translate became my best friend. I stopped sending anything in English and switched to French. Miraculously almost everyone was now replying to our queries. With regards to the booking of restaurants it is always better to call rather than sending an email, but there again, if you don’t speak French you need to be lucky and have someone answering your call in English!

6.     When dining out ask for tap water, it’s free!

Luckily, there's a way to get water for free in any French restaurant. Ask for a "carafe d'eau", this is the tap water and completely free. Regulations in France say that food prices in restaurants must include tap water, bread, cutlery, salt and pepper (any condiment that is reasonably expected according to customs).

7.     Tipping in France is included in the service

Whether you're at a local café or a Michelin-starred restaurant, 15% is automatically included by law for service in French restaurants so the staff does not expect you to leave any tips at the end of the meal. Unlike in some other countries we visited, we were never asked for tips and when we did leave it was always because we really wanted to and because we were very pleased with the service offered. 

8.     The people were very friendly and helpful 

Once we arrived in France we were really surprised with how nice the French people were. Customer service was top notch everywhere and we also made a couple of friends along the way. French people love their language and appreciate when you try to speak to them in French, even a simple ‘Bonjour’ or ‘Merci’ will be appreciated. When a tourist speaks to them in French it makes them much kinder and helpful.

9.     The French food is superb but please avoid pizza 

Almost everywhere we eat the food was excellent, the French food is an art and everything is prepared with great passion and dedication. When we are abroad, we try to taste the local food and love to try new things, however being Mediterranean we also crave for pizza on some days hence we decided to try it from two different places while in France but it was a big flop in both instances. My advice here is to either try and find the best pizzeria in France or just avoid eating it altogether, there is so much more to eat that pizza can be easily forgotten for a few days! A good thing about French restaurants is that during the day (and some of them even in the evenings) they offer a set menu which is usually a 3 course meal with prices ranging from €20 to €25.

10.  Remember the South of France can be visited any time in the year

This is the second time visiting the south of France and it never disappoints. The first time we visited it was the region of Provence including Cannes, Monaco and French riviera. In this part of France the weather stays pleasant all year round; in December it was just perfect, not to hot and not to cold. You will have that Mediterranean vacation every time of the year and in the low season, although to be honest we really missed sitting down for that cappuccino in an elegant cafeteria (as most of the shops were closed for the holidays) it was still perfect as we were completely alone wondering the small villages and the narrow alleys of the towns in France. 

Disclaimer: The above tips may not apply to major cities such as Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice, Nantes, Montpellier, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Lille. Our 10-day road trip covered the L'occitane, The Perigord Region and The Dordogne Valley. 

For those who wish to do the same road trip as we did you may obtain the 10-day itinerary from this link: https://payhip.com/b/VkMr4.

The highlights of this trip can also be found on my IG account: Girl_vs_Globe_86.