France: Before You Go Guide (Printable + iPad)

France is easy to love, but 2026 changed a lot for visitors: the Louvre and Versailles now charge non-Europeans more, Paris has scrapped paper metro tickets, the EU's new fingerprint border system is live, strikes can cancel a travel day, and cities restrict older cars with Crit'Air stickers.

This 22-page printable guide puts everything you should know before a trip to France in one place, in short, plain-English points with real prices, researched fresh in September 2026 with links to the official sites so you can double-check anything.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• Entry and paperwork (Schengen, the new EES border system, ETIAS status, Eurostar)
• Money: cards, ATMs, tipping, cash limits, tax-free shopping
• Trains and strikes: TGV, Ouigo, railcards, luggage rules, what to do on a strike day
• Paris: airports, the new metro tickets, passes, taxis
• Phone and internet
• Etiquette
• Food and ordering
• Weather and when to go
• Health and emergencies
• Pickpockets and scams
• Accommodation tips (including Paris tourist tax rates)
• Book ahead: sights and tickets (Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Versailles, Orsay, Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, Mont-Saint-Michel and more)
• Choosing where to go
• Driving, Crit'Air stickers and day trips
• Sample daily budgets
• What things cost: 20 prices, from espresso to museum tickets and trains
• A month-by-month calendar: weather, crowds, festivals and what to watch out for
• A pre-trip countdown checklist, from 3 to 6 months out to travel day
• A tick-box packing checklist (33 items)
• A first-day checklist for arrival day
• 20 useful French phrases with easy pronunciation
• Emergency numbers
• Two editions: a printable PDF and an iPad edition with a tappable contents page

PERFECT FOR

• First-time visitors to France
• Anyone who wants the practical details in one place
• Travellers who like to arrive prepared
• A thoughtful gift for someone with a France trip booked

PAIRS WELL WITH

Our France Travel Guide (the best things to do, by region) for what to see once you're there.

DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

You'll receive 2 PDFs. No physical item will be shipped.

• Print edition (22 pages): US Letter, prints fine on A4
• iPad edition (32 pages): tappable contents, room to write

This guide is general travel information, not legal, medical or immigration advice. Entry rules depend on your nationality: always confirm with the official sites before you travel.

PLEASE NOTE

Rules and prices were checked in September 2026 and are subject to change: admissions, fares, menus, hotel rates and taxes can change without notice. Please confirm important details with the official sites before you travel. Photos are illustrative. Researched and written with the help of AI tools.

Made by Global Trip Insight. For personal use only.