Why Paris Isn't My Favorite City in France

If the only exposure that you've ever had to France is through books and movies, then it might seem as if Paris is the only place there. I've been fortunate enough to live in France twice, and almost everyone assumed that I was living in Paris because, based on their knowledge, otherwise what was I even doing there. I'll be honest that before living in France, I knew very little about any other parts of it. I'm now convinced that we need to extend that hype about Paris to the rest of the country.

Visiting Paris is a dream from many people. The French city is as vibrant and interesting as its reputation leads you to believe, and I would never tell anyone that Paris isn't worth visiting. But, Paris isn't the only thing that France has going for it. France may be small, but it is packed with everything that you could ever want to see. An afternoon in Paris is charming, but France is full of other charming cities and towns.

If you are planning a trip to France, you absolutely need to see more of what the country has to offer. You might be thinking that if you only have a couple days to spend in France that it isn't worth it to try to go anywhere except for Paris, but you would be wrong.

There are plenty of reason why you will love visiting places in France besides Paris.

The Crowds

To start with, Paris can be extremely crowded depending on the tine of year that you go. Paris is one of the top visited destinations in the world. Unless you are traveling during the off-season, then everything that you want to see is going to be flooded with other tourists during the exact same thing. Based on multiple visits to Paris, the only time that it felt easy to get around was during April. On a random Tuesday in April, my friends and I were able to walk right up to the kiosk for the Eiffel Tower with zero wait time. Maybe there are other times when this is possible, but I doubt that it happens too often.

Smaller cities and towns will be much less crowded. Sure, there might be crowds during special events, like the Fête des Lumières in Lyon, but for the most part, you won't have to squeeze past crowds on the sidewalks or wait in line for hours to get into museums.

When I visit somewhere, I want to be surrounded by the people who actually live there, not other people who are also traveling as cool as those people may be. There are parts of Paris that aren't touristy, but in general, other places in France have a better tourist to local ratio.

The Cost

You can visit Paris on a tight budget, especially if you time your visit around days when museums are open for free to the public (like on the first Sunday of each month) or if you happen to be under 26 and from the European Union. It isn't easy though.

In most cases, your money will go a lot farther in other areas of the country. You can enjoy less pricey accommodations, food, and experiences outside of Paris. Let's say that you've always wanted to go to a Michelin star restaurant, you'll find that it's more manageable in a small town in France rather than in the middle of Paris.

The Food

Let's just be clear that the food in Paris is spectacular, but every single region in France has culinary specialities. You probably could find a restaurant in Paris that serves a particular regional speciality if you searched hard enough. It is true that some dishes that started off as regional dishes have become national dishes. However, French people themselves prefer to experience regional cuisine in the region that it comes from.

You will get the best food when you order cuisine from the region that you are in. Even items like pastries, cheeses, and wines are regional. I would start listing my favorites right here, but that would just make me sad that I don't currently have access to them. I'm not the kind of person who gets obsessed over food, but I will happily obsess over French food any day.

The Language

If you want to practice speaking French, Paris isn't the best place for you. Once people in Paris hear your accent, they are more likely to switch to English. However, if you don't speak French, that doesn't mean that you have to stick to Paris. In larger cities, you'll most likely be able to communicate with others easily. Despite what you may have heard about France, people aren't rude. As long as you make an effort, even if the person you're trying to speak to doesn't speak English, the two of you will probably be able to get an idea of what the other person is trying to say.

If you took French in high school or college though and want to put all that hard work to use, you will be better off somewhere outside of Paris.

The Culture

Obviously, Paris has lots of history and culture. However, the entire country has such a richness of culture and tradition that it would be a shame to never experience more if you were able to. Even cities that are only an hour or two apart by train are so vastly different.

During our honeymoon, my husband and I went to both Lyon and Marseille. It took roughly three hours on the train, but the difference between the two places almost felt as if we were in a different country. Marseille was much more Mediterranean than Lyon. The way people spoke, the type of food, and the style of architecture was all completely different.

Besides the major cities, there are tiny towns that most people would never think to visit but that are absolutely magical.

Places to Consider Visiting 

(AKA places that I've been before or places that I want to visit next time that I'm in France. We might have just been there last summer, but I'm already looking forward to going back whenever the opportunity arises.)

1. Lyon
2. Grenoble
3. Marseille
4. Annecy
5. Colmar
6. Avignon
7. Rouen
8. Strasbourg
9. Aix-En-Provence
10. Avignon



Even though I spent two years total living in France, I still want to have more time to explore different regions because I feel like I didn't go to enough places while I was there.

I've always secretly loved other parts of France more than Paris, but whenever people came to visit we always went to Paris because after the cost in both time and money, it seemed wrong not to go there. Finally, on our honeymoon, my husband told me that he actually enjoyed our days in other French cities more. It was nice to know that someone else agrees with me.

You should definitely go to Paris if going to Paris is something that you've always dreamed of doing. But, if you want to see France, and you've decided to go to Paris just because it seems like the place to go in order to do that, then I'd urge you to consider visiting other places in France. You'll love what you find there.