We understand that travelers will be worried about the risks of traveling while the coronavirus pandemic continues across the globe. We will update this post with the latest information about France regarding travel, safety measures and the benefits of traveling in late 2020 and 2021. 

In June 2020, after lockdown had ended, we hit the road and left our home in the Loire Valley to visit some of our favorite parts of France. We felt very safe at every attraction, B&B and restaurant we visited. People are still being careful about observing the social distancing rules. And apart from seeing a lot of people wearing masks, it really feels quite normal. 

The roads and most popular attractions are very quiet. This means that if you're among the first tourists to return to France after the pandemic, they will be much less busy than usual. You'll therefore be able to enjoy them without the tourist crowds.

Safety measures: hand gel and masks

Although not mandated, wearing a mask is encouraged when you are out of the house, and especially in enclosed spaces such as workplaces and grocery stores. Some places may require wearing a mask to enter, and this is posted at the entrance.

Many people choose to wear the masks all the time; others only when they’re near other people or in a confined space.

If you visit France in 2020 or 2021, we recommend bringing your own masks to France to wear in crowded areas. This will be for your own safety and peace of mind. 

Many grocery stores, shops, gas stations, hotels and B&B accommodations also offer hand gel for you to use when you arrive and leave. We recommend you take advantage of using this hand gel whenever you can. You may also carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you, which you can use when washing your hands with soap and water isn’t an option. 

The Advantages of Visiting France in 2020-2021

The main tourist attractions are much less crowded

This is an advantage in two ways. First in terms of the pandemic, it means that social distancing will be easier to observe because you won’t find the crowds that you normally find at these attractions. 

Second, because there are fewer people, you’ll be able to enjoy a more peaceful and less crowded environment at some of the most popular places, including the Eiffel Tower, Mont St Michel and the French Riviera. 

We recently had the river at the Pont du Gard Roman bridge in Provence completely to ourselves. Normally we would find the river full of canoes at this UNESCO World Heritage site beauty spot.

Before - Pont du Gard during a normal summer:

Tourists and canoes at the Pont du gard roman bridge in provence

Usual summer tourist crowds at the Pont du Gard Roman bridge in Provence (Photo  Lonely Banjo CC-BY SA 4.0)

After - Pont du Gard in June 2020 

Pont du gard roman bridge in provence

FJFY Founder Emilie Thyebaut, with daughters Pauline and Jeanne, at the Pont du Gard in Provence. We had the whole river to ourselves. (Photo© France Just For You)

  

Prices may be lower

We’ve found that some restaurants are offering discounts, special offers, or lowering their prices all round to attract more customers. 

The pandemic has hit the catering and hospitality industry hard. Restaurants and other food venues are now fighting to get back on their feet, offering incentives for people to dine with them. 

The roads are less congested than usual 

We believe driving around France is the nicest way to explore our country and discover all the hidden gems. 

We have been on the road in Provence this month to visit our favorite secret places, B&B accommodations and restaurants. We wanted to get a sense of the situation there following the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic in France. 

We found that roads that would normally be busy at this time of year, especially with tourist buses, are now much quieter (The D71 and D23 routes along the Verdon Gorge, for example). This makes it easier to stop and park at viewpoints along the routes, and faster to get from A to B in general. 

Road trip through Provence

The quiet country road in Valensole, Provence (Photo © France Just For You)

big cities have adapted to a slower pace of life

The long confinement and social distancing measures have forced people (especially Parisians) to adapt to a slower pace of life. On the streets of Paris, you can expect to find more space to walk and fewer locals rushing back and forth. 

Eiffel Tower, Paris

The Eiffel Tower on a summer's evening (Photo: Pixabay)

You can expect an even warmer welcome than usual

At France Just For You, we only work with premium Bed & Breakfasts and boutique hotels where we know the owners personally. We know the hosts will always give our travelers a warm welcome. 

On our recent travels, we found that most local restaurants, bars, and wineries we’re visiting are even more friendly and welcoming than usual, as people are eager to welcome tourists and get back to work.

Bed and Breakfast Provence

Our Bed & Breakfast hosts always give our travelers a very warm welcome 

Are you worried about traveling abroad? Reach out to us. 

We know that you’ll have questions about safety and the latest Covid-19 update, so we warmly invite you to call or email us to talk through any concerns you have. 

France Just For You

Experts in self-drive tours in France

Travelers Reviews

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Pamela
We just returned from a fantastic three weeks in Southwest France. I highly recommend the services of France Just For You, we could never have planned the trip ourselves as well as they did. Laura did the planning and gave us an amazing itinerary, and was available at a moment's notice when we had a plane cancellation on our flight to Bordeaux and …
Kelly
My husband and our friends spent two weeks travelling around Northern France, the Loire Valley and Paris. Emilie provided us with a detailed itinerary that exceeded our expectations. The accommodations were excellent and unique providing us with a variety of B & B's. Her recommendations for tours and sights took into consideration our interests and …
Janis
We are experienced travelers and spent about three weeks traveling the french countryside via Emilie’s arrangements. Her personalized guidebook provided everything we could have asked for and, when some unexpected issues came up, Emilie promptly responded with kind, thoughtful assistance. We spent days with detailed driving tours, truffle hunting …
Jodi
My husband and I have both been to Europe multiple times in our school/college days but not since we've been married- so over 19 years! We finally got it together to plan a return trip together. Since it had been so long we weren't confident in planning it on our own but didn't want to be hearded around like cattle. Anyway, we found Emilie and she …
Gabriele
This trip was such an awesome cultural adventure and we can not say enough about Emilie and France Just for You. This service was outstanding, well planned according to our interests and the B&B's were all wonderful. Each B&B was different but all fantastic in their own way. The suggestions Emilie made all worked amazingly well and so did the …
Kim, Eric & Family
We had a great vacation thanks to you. Your arrangements and attention to detail were unsurpassed. We got to enjoy such a wonderful experience of France because of your little details and suggestions; things we did and saw we would never had been aware of or done if we traveled on our own itinerary or had a canned tour. Thanks so much for all of …

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