Tours to France — active travel and exquisite architecture
The romance of eternal Paris, the vibrant nightlife of Nice, cathedrals, towers, squares of Lyon – a fairy tale! But tours to France can also be active and even extreme. This includes freeride in Chamonix, the Ultra-Trail trekking marathon in the Alps, and climbing Mont Blanc.
And each such adventure will reveal a wonderful country from a previously unseen side, give you a whole mountain of impressions, and give you a hundred reasons to return. That’s why we encourage you to enjoy an active tour in France, we are ready to organize it and have already developed and tested in practice more than a dozen exciting routes. ExtremeGuide offers original programs of intense sports recreation, designed for a variety of seasons and hobbies – so that you can easily choose “yours” and have an interesting holiday.
During a tour in France, you can combine extreme fun with exploration and excursions. For example:
- visit the village of Argentiere during breaks between classes at the Chamonix ski school, learn about a dozen legends and traditions, get acquainted with the local cuisine;
- explore a dozen passes – Col de Croix, Col du Bonhomme, Fenetre d’Arpette and others – as part of a trekking marathon in the Alps;
- enjoy the beauty of Geneva, returning after conquering Mont Blanc.
You can continue endlessly, especially since there are also Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Nantes and other wonderful cities. Each with its own history and sights. If you wish, you can visit any of them, thus diversifying the program of a mountaineering or ski tour in France.And we, ExtremeGuide, will only meet you halfway, gladly providing you with the opportunity to get to know the country of the Gauls even better. Contact us and we will adjust the route to include those places that are interesting to your group.
History and sights of France
This is one of the traditionally authoritative states of Central Europe – the cultural center of the Old World. Modern people lived on its territory 43 thousand years ago, can you imagine? The Karnak stones in Brittany eloquently testify to this.
If we talk about a later period, about the history of Ancient Europe, then back in 600 BC. The Greeks founded their colony in the region of modern Marseille and called it Massalia. Already by the 3rd century BC. The lion’s share of the country was inhabited by the Celts, who created Gaul on the developed territory. By 278 it was captured by the Romans, who founded Lyon and Grenoble, and by 418 by the Visigoths, who made Toulouse the center of their state. And you will definitely see monuments from that era during your tour in France.
Then came the era of the Franks: the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties ruled until the Early Middle Ages, until 987. The Capetians who replaced them created the kingdom of France, which lasted until 1453. Next – the time of the principalities, with the flourishing of Normandy, Languedoc, and Flanders. Then – New Time, until the Revolution of 1789. In the 16th – 17th centuries, the European state actively colonized Africa, and you will also notice this interweaving of cultures now, even during a ski tour to France, that is, a targeted and active vacation in a specific region.
The era of Napoleon, a long century with three republics, the First and Second World Wars, the modern period – all these milestones succeeded each other, leaving their mark on culture and architecture.
How many attractions does a country with such a rich history have? That’s right, there are thousands of them, it’s impossible to list them all. Therefore, we will focus on those that you can see as part of a ski tour to France. And there are:
- White Valley (Val Blanche) with its 23 km slope;
- the village of Argentiere, showing the life and culture of the local highlanders;
- the town of Courmayeur, the path to which runs through a tunnel under Mont Blanc;
- Geneva can be considered one large and comfortable attraction.
The tour program to France will be perfectly diversified by a visit to the almost Belgian Lille, with its famous beer, or to the almost German Strasbourg, the pearl of Lorraine. Or a tour of Lyon, the European capital of weaving. And a beach holiday on the Cote d’Azur! A great option to relax and recuperate after the assault on Mont Blanc.
Discovering France from a new side: unusual places for tourism
A weekend in Paris is wonderful, but it’s unlikely to surprise anyone. But a trip through the Alps or a visit to Chamonix is a completely different matter. This is a whole adventure that gives you an extreme experience that helps you get to know both the country and yourself better.
As an example, here are a few interesting and even somewhat exotic tour destinations in France:
- granite needles in the Chamonix Valley – will help improve your climbing skills;
- passes around the “roof of Europe” – Col du Brevent, Col les Fours, Col de la Seigne and others – will allow you to train before climbing Mont Blanc;
- Lake Gaillands – gives well-deserved rest and magnificent views of 8 alpine valleys;
- Chamonix ski school is a real paradise for lovers of snowboarding and slalom.
The list could go on for a very long time, but it’s better to see for yourself – going on tour is always exciting in France. Well, we will ensure safe extreme sports – contact ExtremeGuide for professional organization of your adventure.
Climate features: everything a traveler needs to know
Oceanic moods reign in the west of the country, continental ones in the east and center, and Mediterranean ones in the south. It’s hot in summer, 23-25 0C is the norm. In winter there is frequent rain.
The best time for a trekking tour in France is from May to October. Just in time for April, the bulk of the precipitation will fall (up to 1000 mm), and nothing will interfere with exciting hikes. But with the arrival of November, it will already be a little cold to conquer the valleys and passes. But winter is an almost ideal time for skiing and snowboarding, and the most popular season at the famous school of Chamonix. By the way, it’s very cool to celebrate the Christmas and New Year holidays there, with the whole family.
Difficulty, skills and equipment required, cost, duration of travel
Much depends on the type of activity. The same trekking routes will be quite feasible for beginners. A freeride school can both teach from scratch and improve the skills of those who are already firmly on skis or boards. But mountaineering programs are relatively complex and are suitable mainly for masters.
The duration of tours in France can be 4, 8, 10, 12, 13 days – depending on how many points are indicated in the route. Well, the direction of the adventure also plays a role. The cost directly depends on the program, as well as on the composition of the group, the number and nature of additional services.
You will definitely be instructed in advance on the list of special equipment (insurance, ropes, crampons, etc.). In general, for an extreme tour to France you need to prepare:
- two backpacks (trunks) – for things and a climbing backpack;
- sleeping bag and mat;
- a set of warm clothes (jacket, sweatshirt, pants, hat)
- thermal underwear and several pairs of socks;
- two types of shoes – hiking and climbing;
- trekking poles;
- hygiene items, personal first aid kit;
- several pairs of regular underwear;
- sun protection, accessories, cosmetics;
- chargers and power banks for gadgets;
- set of camping utensils.
Even if we have forgotten something now, don’t worry, detailed instructions are provided in each case, before training.
The skills needed for a tour in France also depend on the complexity of the route. If for trekking you just need to be in good physical shape and have no medical contraindications to hiking, then to conquer Mont Blanc you should already be an experienced climber.
Choosing a tour to France: price, how to buy, what to consider
When considering proposals, you need to consider:
- general direction of the program,
- route and its difficulty,
- duration of the trip.
Yes, put your priorities in this order, and it will immediately become easier for you to decide.
Buying any of the tours to France is very simple: open the page with its description and click on the “Book a program now” button at the bottom of the screen. And then select the date, number of days and click on “Book a tour”.
Please note that the prices of many programs are determined individually or start from certain amounts (then the information block indicates what affects the cost).
It’s more convenient to enjoy hiking and ski tours in France with a professional, with ExtremeGuide – contact us, let’s travel in an extreme and exciting way.