Five Easy French Countryside Escapes That Pair Perfectly With Paris

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Between hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, reopening the doors to Notre-Dame and marking 80 years since the Normandy landings, 2024 was a banner year for tourism in France. More than 100 million travelers visited the country, spending a record €71 billion ($81 billion)—12% more than in 2023. And the bulk of them, unsurprisingly, spent considerable time in Paris.
There's reason to visit the capital this summer too—from the David Hockney retrospective at the Louis Vuitton Foundation to the Centre Pompidou's final exhibitions before a five-year renovation begins in September. But there are always reasons to tack on a stay outside the city limits, either within the Ile-de-France region that surrounds Paris or slightly farther afield.

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Travel Weekly

6 hours ago

• Travel Weekly

Rediscovering Notre Dame with Finding France

Americans touring Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral for the first time since its reopening in December will find a very different visitor experience than they did before the 2019 fire that destroyed parts of the interior, its roof and, most heartbreakingly, its spire. Before the fire, there were always crowds hanging out in front of the cathedral -- often more people than were actually inside -- meeting friends, taking selfies and enjoying the dramatic backdrop of its facade. Fast-forward to today, and the crowds have grown exponentially and morphed into long lines of people standing outside the entrance waiting to get in. Wait times vary depending on the day of the week and time of day and can range from 15 minutes to more than two hours. Strategies for shortening that time include going first thing in the morning or booking complimentary, timed entry tickets online -- although, fair warning, they book out quickly. Travel advisors looking to spare their clients from the hassle factor and elevate the tour experience into something unforgettable have a new option, via Finding France, a luxury DMC that was recently named a Top Travel Specialist 2025 by Conde Nast Traveler. During my most recent trip to Paris, my husband and I took a two-hour, behind-the-scenes exploration of Notre Dame that not only bypassed the line altogether but was guided by Philippe Giraud, a master sculptor who is fluent in English and played a key role in the restoration. "All visits with [Giraud] are exclusively arranged through Finding France," said Clement Decre, the company's founder and CEO, stressing the proprietary relationship with the sculptor. Philippe Giraud, a master sculptor who played a key role in the restoration of Notre Dame, led the author's private tour of the cathedral. It was arranged by Finding France. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Finding France Expert insights Giraud led us past the crowds and into the cathedral, stopping at key points to point out where fire damage had occurred, how the restoration was accomplished and how some of the areas were not only restored but enhanced with new features. The names of firefighters, for example, are displayed in some areas, as are those of restoration artisans and sculptors. A key attraction is the display of the Crown of Thorns, a venerated relic that is now showcased in a glittering, gilded cedarwood display designed by architect Sylvain Dubuisson. Because these tours are private -- we were the only participants -- we were able to interact with Giraud, ask questions and listen to his fascinating anecdotes about the restoration. For example, we stopped in front of a statue of the Madonna, which was positioned under the destroyed open roof. When the firefighters got inside, Giraud told us, they saw that a simmering ember had landed on the statue's foot. They caught it before the whole statue went up in flames. He also took us through the reliquary, the part of the cathedral that houses relics of saints as well as a purported piece of Christ's cross and a nail from the crucifixion. When the soot was removed from the stained-glass windows, they emerged in vibrant glory. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Finding France Giraud had worked on Notre Dame's spire itself, so as we walked us through the structure he was regularly recognized by the people who tend the cathedral's interior. At one point, he showed us the tools he used for parts of the restoration, and at another he pointed out the dome that, after the ravages of the fire, had been open to the sky, leaving the floor and priceless artifacts covered in soot. The rose windows miraculously escaped fire damage, he said, but they had been so covered in soot that the subsequent cleaning revealed brightly colored stained glass that hadn't looked so vivid in generations. We ended our tour on the bank of the Seine with a direct side view of Notre Dame. From this angle, the enormity of the task of restoring the spire became even more clear, and Giraud made the process come alive with his own personal photos of the work in progress. Our tour costs about $2,285 for one to four participants, although experiences for larger groups are available by request. Participants can opt for a hotel pick-up and drop-off in Paris with a private chauffeur in an air-conditioned vehicle for about an additional $310. The cathedral's famous gargoyles were lovingly restored during the reconstruction. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Finding France Tours from Paris In addition to fully customized, all-inclusive, multiday trips for individual travelers, small groups and incentive travel throughout France, Finding France also offers full- and half-day tours from Paris. The Notre Dame tour can also be part of a multiday program, for example, that includes such distinctive features as a "French Etiquette 101: Crack the Code to French Culture" experience and an "In Your Ancestor's Footsteps in Normandy" option. Other Finding France insider tours include exclusive access to the secret tunnel of the Chateau du Clos Luce in the Loire Valley, where Leonardo da Vinci used to secretly meet the King of France; a behind-the-scenes tour of Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte, the largest privately owned estate in France and just one hour from Paris; and a visit with a Christmas ornament engraver that ends with a chance to create and take home a personalized decoration. Finding France has offices in Paris and Provence, and customizable experiences are available throughout the destination. Rates are net, or with a travel advisor commission built in, Decre said.

Yahoo

8 hours ago

• Yahoo

Why defense and Airbus dominated this year's Paris Air Show

Airbus announced hundreds of orders at the Paris Air Show, while Boeing maintained a low profile. The Air India crash cast a long shadow over the event, with defense taking the spotlight. Airline passenger numbers are above pre-pandemic levels and supply chain constraints are easing. Airbus won the orders game at an unusual Paris Air Show, overshadowed by geopolitical tensions and last Thursday's Air India plane crash. Boeing chose not to announce any orders and kept a low profile. The sense of mourning was palpable inside the company's chalet. All staff wore Air India pin badges to commemorate Flight 171. "This show definitely has a very different tone for us in the Boeing company," said Turbo Sjogren, senior vice-president for government services, as he began its first media briefing on Tuesday. "When you go into our chalet, when you go into our exhibit, you will see not only flowers, but you will see all Boeing employees wearing this," he added, pointing to his pin. "It's been a very tough time for us, and it affects all of our employees." Both CEO Kelly Ortberg and the chief of its commercial airplanes division, Stephanie Pope, canceled their plans to attend the show. Even as Airbus announced order after order, airline and lessor CEOs began signing ceremonies by expressing sympathy for the victims in Ahmedabad. The European planemaker tallied 142 firm commercial aircraft orders, including 25 A350-1000s from Saudi Arabia's new airline, Riyadh Air. Additionally, Vietnam's VietJet signed an agreement to buy 100 A321neos. Embraer also scored big, as regional airline SkyWest ordered 60 E175 jets in a deal the Brazilian firm valued at $3.6 billion. With 2,500 exhibitors from 48 countries, the global nature of aviation was tangible at Le Bourget Airport — where Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St Louis after his historic transatlantic flight in 1927. However, geopolitical tensions bubbled over amid the conflicts in Gaza and between Israel and Iran. Five Israeli defense companies arrived on Monday to find organizers had blocked off their stands overnight with large black walls. The French government had ordered them to remove offensive weapons from their pavilions, but they declined to do so, Israel's ministry of defense said in a statement. "They're saying that they would discuss it with us and see what goes out, but when we came here this morning, it was unilaterally done," Shlomo Toaff, an executive vice president at Rafael, told reporters. Business Insider saw half a dozen police officers gathered by the pavilions on Monday morning, and two officers standing guard throughout the week. French Prime Minister François Bayrou said the decision was made given "extreme tensions" in the region and "France's diplomatic choices, in particular the very great concern about Gaza." Meanwhile, the F-35 appeared to be the most popular aircraft of the flying displays. Nearly everyone on the tarmac stopped, phones pointed skyward, below the deafening roar of the fighter jet that Israel has used to bomb Gaza and Tehran. Compared to past major shows, it was a salient reminder of an increasingly troubled world. Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer also pulled out of the air show at the last minute. In a video message after the airline was named the world's top carrier for the ninth time, he said he flew home from Paris on Monday, "to focus on our operational responsibilities due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East." "It feels incredibly strange not to be there," Al-Meer added. "In over a decade with our airline and airport, I've never missed a Skytrax ceremony." Growing conflicts and President Donald Trump's policies have prompted European countries to increase their defense spending and seek more autonomy over military programs. About 45% of the Paris Air Show was dedicated to defense and security, a "strong increase" from 2023, organisers said. The event is typically far more focused on civil aviation, especially compared to the UK's defense-leaning Farnborough Air Show, with which it alternates each year. While there were reasons for industry figures to feel despondent this week, the sector is starting to move on from recent troubles. At last year's Farnborough show and Paris the year before, the main theme was recovering from the pandemic. Passenger numbers have now eclipsed 2019 levels, and while the supply chain is still struggling, constraints are easing. "There is renewed optimism around the ability to restore capacity," said Chad Stecker of Incora, a supply chain solutions provider for aerospace and defense firms. "We're not out yet, I would say," he told BI. "But there's really a life at this show, a renewed life, and optimism around where we're headed." Read the original article on Business Insider

Android Authority

9 hours ago

• Android Authority

3 tips I use every time I travel to avoid exorbitant roaming fees

Ryan Haines / Android Authority I still remember when my husband got slapped with an exorbitant €70 extra fee on his €10 basic mobile plan because he mistakenly went online for a few minutes during a layover in Turkey. Since then, avoiding roaming fees has been our personal crusade, especially since we like travelling and our basic local data plans have ridiculously expensive fees when we step outside of Europe. Over the years, I've put together a three-prong strategy to avoid paying for roaming fees, and while these work very well for me when traveling out of France, they should also apply to you, no matter where you come from. If you're in the US, my colleague Andrew Grush has specifically added a section at the end to help you make better decisions about using roaming plans versus eSIMs. Just buy a good travel eSIM Rita El Khoury / Android Authority The best way of avoiding roaming fees is to have a local SIM, but that's not always the most practical solution. This is why I've been singing the praises of eSIMs — or electronic SIMs — for four years now, and I'll keep on doing that. Instead of spending hours researching the best prepaid operators and SIM plans in the country (or countries) I'm traveling to, finding a store that sells them near my airport or hotel, going there in person and waiting to buy a physical SIM while often providing ID documents, and then waiting for it to activate or figuring out how to do it in a bunch of foreign language messages or apps, I just buy a digital eSIM. The benefit of travel eSIMs is immense. For starters, research is quick: I usually go to aggregators like Mobimatter, eSIMdb, or SimSurf to find the best plan for my trip in terms of days and gigabytes of data. I often gravitate towards Airalo for short stays or multi-country stops, Holafly when I need unlimited data to do some real work, and a few other carriers like GlobaleSIM or eSIMgo in different contexts. But if the provider or operator with the best offer is unknown to me, I'll do a quick search to see what people say about their service and decide accordingly. When I find the one I want, I buy the eSIM, install it on my phone in a few minutes, and activate it. All of this is done in about half an hour tops, from the comfort of my couch and before even leaving my home country. An eSIM is almost as cheap as buying a local SIM and almost as convenient as using a roaming plan on your current SIM. That ensures I'm ready the moment my train drives into a new country or my plane lands in a foreign airport. My new eSIM usually goes online in less than a few minutes, letting me coordinate Uber pickups, research my public transport routes, or simply tell my loved ones I've landed safely over WhatsApp or Google Messages. There's no beating the simplicity, efficiency, and convenience of buying an eSIM versus getting a local SIM to avoid roaming. People used to accept the burn of roaming fees because it was more convenient than figuring out the entire process of buying a local SIM, but with eSIMs, this whole ordeal is distilled to a few simple steps. The convenience excuse is moot. The only thing to remember is that many eSIMs are data-only, so they won't let you make phone calls. If you want to be able to call restaurants for reservations or your Airbnb host to coordinate logistics, then you should make sure that the eSIM you buy allows phone calls, too. Luckily, though, most businesses nowadays offer email or instant messaging alternatives to phone calls, and I've never really felt the need to have a calling eSIM with me in the dozens of countries I've been to in recent years. That's why I just stick to cheaper, data-only eSIMs, but your needs might be different. Turn off roaming on my main SIM before traveling The one mistake I often made and that cost me extra when I first started traveling and using eSIMs was that I forgot to turn off roaming on my primary SIM at the right time. See, Android doesn't let you turn off roaming if you're disconnected from the network or the SIM is disabled. My mistake was that I always switched into Airplane mode on my Pixel before going on a plane, only to discover when I landed that I couldn't disable roaming on my primary SIM without going online with it for a few seconds to enable the SIM menu. In some cases (eSIM not fully set up yet as the default data provider or when using a physical travel SIM I had bought years ago), this raked up dozens of Euros as my phone would roam during those short seconds while apps caught up and thus syphon several expensive megabytes of data in a split second. Sometimes you can get away with it, but it's always safer to disable roaming on your home SIM before you travel. The other option would be to keep my primary SIM deactivated for the entirety of the trip, thus risking missing critical incoming calls or messages. SIMs menu greyed out in Airplane mode SIM settings inaccessible when SIM is inactive Roaming option shows up when SIM is active To avoid all this, I started following these steps religiously on every trip: I go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > pick my primary SIM and then disable Roaming, all before turning on Airplane mode or disconnecting. This ensures that even if I mistakenly turn on my main SIM later, it won't use roaming data. And if I choose to turn it on to keep access to my incoming phone calls and messages, then there's still no risk of incurring exorbitant fees due to app and data updates. Use a VPN on hotel and public Wi-Fi Data, whether on a travel-friendly eSIM or a local plan, is often not as cheap as Wi-Fi. When traveling, I often go for 5GB or 10GB plans that are enough for Google Maps directions and searches, messaging, browsing, and various app usage for the duration of my trip. But that's sometimes not enough if I need to do some work, stream a football game, or back up my Google Photos. For a few years, I avoided doing any of that on public Wi-Fi networks, then I decided that it was time to adopt the VPN life. I still don't connect to too many public networks at cafés, airports, and hotels during my trips, but when I do, it's always with a VPN to keep my data encrypted and as private as possible. This ensures that other users or admins on the same public network can't snoop in on me, track my browsing, or access my personal data. Since I'm often touting a Google Pixel, I activate the built-in and free VPN by Google. It's a no-fuss solution for my needs, especially since I only need a temporary VPN for my trip. On other phones, I mostly resort to ProtonVPN, which is also free. If you need a more powerful VPN that gives you faster speeds and lets you choose the country you're tunneling through to stream your Netflix or sports as if you're still in the same country, there are plenty of good VPN choices between NordVPN, SurfShark, ExpressVPN, and others. (If your home router allows it, you may also be able to set up a VPN for free that tunnels you directly to your home network. Synology, Ubiquiti, ASUS, TP-Link, and other brands offer this on their routers.) Just pick the VPN you want, and know that you can connect to any free Wi-Fi network nearby with more ease of mind. No need to roam to keep your security, and no need to buy a super big and expensive eSIM plan to make sure you can do your most data-heavy activities on it. I call this a win-win and the best balance between convenience and security. The best roaming-friendly plans in the US: When to use and when to avoid them Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority Most of Rita's tips above definitely still apply to the US. For instance, services like Airalo can be an excellent choice for those already using one of the big three providers and seeking supplemental coverage while traveling abroad. In my experience, using eSIM is the most convenient way to access these plans as well. However, the US market also offers some great prepaid plans that can cover your travel needs without additional costs. While most prepaid plans are designed to replace your main carrier, what if you're simply looking for a temporary solution during your travels? It honestly depends on your intended length of stay abroad and whether you'll be visiting a single country or multiple destinations. For short, single-destination trips, travel eSIM services such as Airalo or Holafly are likely your most cost-effective option. For example, a brief trip of a few weeks to Japan costs around $18 for 10GB of data valid for 30 days. A service like Google Fi would cost you significantly more. If your travel plans include extended stays or visits to multiple countries, Google Fi becomes a valuable alternative. Its Flexible plan is $20 per month plus $10 per gigabyte of data used. While this can accumulate quickly, Google Fi conveniently and instantly works in over 200 countries. So, if you're embarking on a long, multi-country business trip, Google Fi's ease of use may justify the higher cost. For frequent travelers, whether for business or leisure, another appealing option is switching permanently to prepaid. Prepaid plans often offer more affordable services and, in some cases, match or exceed the international travel perks provided by major carriers. Here are two standout recommendations: For shorter trips, Visible is an excellent choice . The Visible Plus plan costs just $30 per month and includes one free Global Pass travel day each month, which can accumulate up to 12 days. For an extra $10 per month, the Plus Pro plan adds an additional Global Pass travel day per month. . The Visible Plus plan costs just $30 per month and includes one free Global Pass travel day each month, which can accumulate up to 12 days. For an extra $10 per month, the Plus Pro plan adds an additional Global Pass travel day per month. For longer stays, Google Fi is unmatched. Although the Unlimited Premium plan is pricier at $65 per month, it mirrors the features of major carriers and surpasses them by providing 50GB of high-speed data per month in over 200 destinations. Moreover, with multiple lines, the price per line can decrease to as low as $40. While Visible and Google Fi are two of the best prepaid carriers when it comes to international features, you'll find that even providers like US Mobile and Mint provide at least some level of international access in 2025. For even more options, be sure to check out our guide to the best phone service providers in the US.