Heading to France this fall and you’re counting down the seconds until watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle at midnight as you sip on some rose wine by the Seine?
Paris is every hopeless romantic’s fever dream, and we get it why it would be on your bucket list.
Ask for anything cultural and Paris will deliver, however, if on top of world-class museums, great food, and riverside strolls you’re crossing your fingers for sunny weather, the City of Lights may be less likely to bow to your wishes, at least in the fall.
If nonstop rain and a breezy 60 degrees aren’t your idea of fun––and trust us, the next couple of months are sure to be very wet in our beloved ‘Paname’––you can still visit one of 4 alternative destinations in France that boast milder temperatures, plenty of sunshine, and just between us…
Cheaper prices.
Montpellier
A short 3h29 train ride from Paris, only a few miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea, Montpellier is a bustling medieval-era city famous for its iconic Cathédrale Saint-Pierre, one of the most beautiful Gothic monuments in France, and a largely car-free, postcard-perfect Old Town.
It doesn’t have an Eiffel, but it houses the oldest medical school in Europe, inside a Benedictine monastery dating back 800 years, the Seine has got nothing on the charming Lez riverfront, and unlike Paris, it’s still an average 71.6°F in October.
When it comes to prices, Montpellier is definitely on the cheaper end, too: you can find meals for around $15-17 in local French restaurants, and the average room rate is an acceptable $152, while Paris’ is a whopping $334, based on Budget Your Trip estimates.
For the best brunch spot in town, off a quieter street in the Old Town that tourists are seldomly curious enough to investigate, make sure you stop by Coldrip Food & Coffee: great value for money, delicious avocado toast with perfect poached eggs, and English-speaking staff.
Perpignan
Often dubbed the most Spanish city in France, Perpignan is a 30-minute drive from the border with Catalonia, and it’s somewhere you go for a cultural weekend getaway, especially if you’re keen to beat the Riviera crowds, as tourists are rarely aware it even exists!
Formerly the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Majorca, before it was integrate into France, it is backed by imposing medieval buildings, with the monumental Palace of the Kings of Majorca and the strikingly-red fortress Castillet being two examples.
Other than walking the maze of winding roads that is Old Perpignan under the Languedoc sun (it’s currently a pleasant 73 degrees), you can chill in a city park, browse through antique shops, and indulge in delicious Catalan-inspired food.
If you’re curious about eating snails, don’t leave without trying cargolade, and if seafood’s your thing, make sure hit up L’entrepotes: unlike in the average Parisian bistro, you’ll feel very welcome, and the excellent food at reasonable prices will have you coming back night after night.
Marseille
You can’t get enough of European summer yet and could be doing with an off-season beach escapade? You’ll still be greeted with sunshine, turquoise waters, and a laid-back coastal atmosphere if it’s Marseille where you’re headed instead, France’s second-largest city.
A metropolis lining the Mediterranean, it is famous for its hilly Panier district, where narrow, pedestrianized alleys are lined by pastel-colored buildings, Italy-style, coastal fortifications, and scenic corniche, an oceanfront walk visiting hidden coves and sandy beaches.
Marseille is one of a handful of seaside locations sunseekers are taking refuge in France this season, due to the pleasant daytime temperatures, reaching as high as 75.2°F, less rain, and inexpensiveness: for the average tourist, daily expenses total $163, against $257 in Paris.
You can even cruise aboard a two-masted sailing yacht into the neighboring calanques––inlets of crystal-clear water flanked by towering limestone cliffs––from only $85.95, including a buffet lunch, organic white wine, and plenty of time for swimming.
Nîmes
A sun-drenched inland city of Provence that feels more like a small town compared to the buzzing capital, though it’s still home to over 150,000 residents, Nîmes is one of France’s oldest and most culturally-significant cities (it’s just unfathomable how so very few Americans have caught wind of it).
Its historic center is littered with ancient monuments, from a beautiful Roman arena––yep, like the Colosseum, except all elliptic sides are intact––to a public garden that’s among Europe’s first, housing ornate fountains and a ruined, 2,000-year-old Temple of Diana.
Maison Carrée, in the very center of town, is said to be the best-preserved Roman temple of Antiquity, alongside the Pantheon in Rome, and just outside Nîmes, tourists can visit the UNESCO-listed Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct spanning a crystal-clear river.
Similarly to other destinations on this list, the weather in Nîmes is just as pleasant in the off-season, reaching daily highs of 73.4°F, and moderately-breezy lows of 57.2°F overnight (you know the drill, summery shorts in the daytime, a light jacket once night falls).
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