A 1-Month Solo Trip in France
Oh, France. The beauty that this country is. I absolutely loved traveling through France, learning French for the first time, and watching the landscapes and architecture change from one region to the next. Somehow, even as surroundings changed, there was this same underlying feeling of beauty. It genuinely felt never-endingly magical. And there’s still SO MUCH more to discover.
As a quick overview, I spent about a month traveling through a couple of different regions, sometimes meeting back up with my friend who lives outside Geneva, but often on my own. Also, this trip was also a little experiment for me. Instead of planning everything weeks in advance like I usually do, I wanted to plan as I went. It’s something VERY outside my comfort zone, but I wanted to build trust and confidence in myself that I could navigate situations as they come, without having every little detail figured out beforehand.
I started my month-long backpacking trip in a little French town just outside of Geneva because one of my best friends from home had recently moved there. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to head into the mountains first.
Leg 1: Pralognan la Vanoise, Grenoble, & Briançon
From Geneva, I took a train to Moûtiers and then a bus to Pralognan la Vanoise, an incredibly charming little ski town tucked into the Vanoise Mountains. I immediately loved it. I stayed at a very community-feeling campsite surrounded by these beautiful, dramatic mountains. One thing that stood out to me almost immediately was how kind everyone seemed. While I was setting up my tent in the rain, THREE people from the campsite came over to help without asking. I also loved that almost everyone greeted each other with “bonjour” or “bonsoir” while passing on the trail or around town (the whole TOWN!). It felt so warm and welcoming, and from what I experienced, it seemed especially common in the smaller mountain communities. I just love the sentiment and hope to adopt it more in larger towns and cities 🙂
A little language note: in French, a campsite is called “une camping”, which could be a helpful distinction.
Food Rec: Les Mouch’du Crêperie. It had delicious crepes and coffee, as well as super kind staff.
While I was there, I hiked up to the Refuge du Col de la Vanoise. On Alltrails it was literally called “Pralognan-la-Vanoise – Refuge du Col de la Vanoise”. With the return to Pralognan-la-Vanoise, it was a long hike, with lots of elevation gain, but it was absolutely worth it. To split up the hiking into two days, I think it’s a great idea to spend a night at the Refuge de la Vanoise, but it was fully booked for the night I wanted. Coming all the way back to my campsite took me nearly nine hours total, including a small detour to a higher, GORGEOUS alpine lake that was still frozen over (Lac de la Patinoire).
However, before leaving for France, I knew I wanted to do a multi day trek, and at this point I was really itching for it. I started asking locals or other hikers for recommendations, and one trek kept coming up: the Tour du Queyras, also known as the GR58.
The Queyras is a regional park in southeastern France, just south of the Vanoise and east of Écrins National Park. To get there, I first spent a night in Grenoble.
To be honest, in Grenoble, I stayed in the city’s only hostel, and unfortunately I wouldn’t recommend it. I just thought it was a bit run down and I didn’t find the owner very friendly. I was also there during the heatwave in France, which I know is not the hostel’s fault, but between the heat and the hostel itself, I knew pretty quickly that I was ready to move on to a more elevated region. The next morning, I booked a BlaBlaCar that was going to Briançon, which is a town right in between the Queryas Regional Park and the Écrins National Park.
Speaking of which, I cannot recommend BlaBlaCar enough if you’re traveling around France, or honestly Europe in general. It ended up being one of my favorite ways to get around. My ride from Grenoble to Briançon was only about five euros for roughly two hours of driving. And what a great social interaction stimulator! On buses and trains, I usually spend my time looking out the window, listening to music or a podcast, or simply getting lost in my own thoughts. In a BlaBlaCar, though, conversation somehow feels much more natural.
On this car ride, I spent the drive chatting with the other three French girls. The language barrier definitely made the conversation a little challenging, but I still loved the little moments of connection.
That said, don’t let the social aspect scare you away if you’re more introverted. I had several BlaBlaCar rides during the trip where very little conversation happened at all. People generally seem happy to match whatever level of interaction feels comfortable, which is another reason I ended up loving it so much.
I stayed in Briançon for a few days at another campsite and really enjoyed my time there. I did a canyoning trip, went on a few hikes, and also spent some time catching up on a research poster I was working on and an online class I was taking.
Food Rec: GoGo Café & Resto. I ended up visiting this café three different times because I liked it so much. The staff was warm and amazing and the food options were limited but delicious.
Campsite/Accommodation Rec: Camping des 5 Vallées. The facilities were very clean, and the tent spaces themselves were shaded by trees, which made everything feel a little more private than some of the other campgrounds I stayed at in France. It was about a fifteen minute walk to a grocery store to a boulangerie and one could easily take a bus to the center of town.
The canyoning itself was something completely new and a lot of fun (and there’s so many options in Briançon, so if you are willing and able, I encourage trying this out!); However, I also loved it because it was yet another casual opportunity to meet new people. I love traveling alone, but I am also increasingly realizing how much I value social connection. I think it’s a wonderful thing to enjoy both and not feel pressured to stick to one way of travel or the other 😁. Group activities can naturally bring strangers together in a beautiful, stress-free way, and the canyoning really reminded me how much I enjoy those kinds of interactions.
Leg 2: The GR58
After a few days in Briançon, I took a BlaBlaCar to Arvieux and officially began the Tour du Queyras (GR58), a 130 km Hut-to-hut trek. Honestly, this was probably my favorite experience in France. There is something incredibly special about spending day after day in the mountains, and I get into all the details in this blog post: (link).
Leg 3: Annecy & Lyon
Alors, after completing the Tour du Queyras, my friend and I met up in Annecy for the weekend.
Wow… I absolutely loved Annecy.
Part of that was probably because it was hot and sunny, but I also think Annecy just has such an enjoyable atmosphere. The lake is stunning, and one of my favorite things about it is that you can swim almost anywhere along the shore. There are little beaches, grassy areas to relax, and a walking, running, and biking path that follows much of the lake. It feels like the entire city comes outside to enjoy it.
One afternoon, my friend and I rented the city’s electric bikes and rode around much of the lake. The first thirty minutes are free, there are stations all over the city, and it makes exploring really easy and so much fun. Highly recommend!
Annecy’s old town was just as lovely. Yes, it’s very touristy, but it’s touristy for a reason. The canals, colorful buildings, and little streets make it feel SO magical.
We also spent a lot of time in the Jardins de l’Europe, one of Annecy’s main parks. On Sunday evening there was a line dancing event going on with an accordion player, which I mean come on. I just absolutely adored it. So many people were dancing, and so of course my friend and I had to join in. And the rest of the evenings in Annecy? Wow. So many people gathered along the lake to watch the sunset, friends sat together on the grass, families walked along the paths… It may sound basic but it seriously brought me so much joy.
We also watched a World Cup match one evening 😁, spent a night out together, and of course enjoyed some great food. I also tried tartiflette for the first time, which I thought was delicious.
We stayed at a campsite (Camping le Verger) on the quieter western side of the lake, and I would happily stay there again. It was only a short walk to the water, where there was a paddleboard rental shop, but without nearly as many people as the main beaches. There was also a small grocery store and a little boulangerie in the nearby village where I kept getting some quiche.
After my friend left, I moved to a little glamping tent I had found on Booking.com closer to the mountains, near Col de la Forclaz. I LOVED this place! It was incredibly peaceful, felt very private, and the host was so accommodating. I could watch the sun set over the lake every evening, and I had the view entirely to myself. I did a hike nearby that my host had recommended (hike: Col d’Aulp and to La Tournette), spent a lot of time reading outside (started reading the Overstory here and wow I fell in love with this book), journaled a lot, and simply enjoyed the quiet.
From there, I headed to Lyon to meet back up with my friend for the weekend. Lyon ended up being another city I really enjoyed. It was very hot while we were there, but still manageable.
My favorite place was probably the Basilica of Notre Dame de Fourvière. Standing on top of the hill overlooking the city was such an amazing view, and the interior of the basilica itself was just gorgeous, with this beautiful teal pigment weaved through the ceiling paintings and wall murals.
I also loved the atmosphere downtown in the evenings. Since the World Cup was still going on, restaurants and bars had televisions set up outside, and people filled the streets watching matches together. It created such a fun energy throughout the city.
One Sunday evening before catching my BlaBlaBus, I walked along the Rhône River by myself. Families were picnicking, friends sat with their feet dangling over the water, musicians were playing, and so many people were simply enjoying a casual evening together. I ended up walking much farther than I had planned because it was just such a pleasant place to spend time.
We stayed at Yasi Hostel and had dinner at a traditional bouchon, which serves classic Lyonnaise food. I tried Lyon salad, and the hostel staff explained that restaurants can’t simply call themselves a “bouchon”. They have to meet certain standards to earn that designation, which I thought was pretty interesting. We ate at Le Bouchon de la Opéra, and I really enjoyed both the food and the cozy atmosphere.
The city’s public transportation was also incredibly easy to use with either Google Maps or Apple Maps, and, because of the heat, we even spent an afternoon at one of the city’s public pools.
Leg 4: Biarritz
After Lyon, I was craving the ocean. And surfing. So off to the Atlantic coast I went.
I took an overnight BlaBlaBus to Bayonne and managed to sleep for almost the entire ride. If you’re someone who can sleep sitting up, I honestly think overnight buses are a fantastic option. Transportation and accommodation in one, and when I woke up, I was already there and ready to start the day.
Although I explored Biarritz several times, I actually stayed just outside the city in Anglet, which I thought was great. I loved the extensive access to long beaches and the discounted lessons and rentals of the surf shop that my hostel partnered with. The hostel itself, Sleeping Spot, was wonderful. The owner was incredibly kind and accommodating, and it was only about a ten minute walk to both the beach and the surf shop. There was also a Carrefour (grocery store) less than a five minute walk away.
When I did go into Biarritz, one of my favorite places was Port des Pêcheurs. I found a quiet spot overlooking the water where hardly anyone else was sitting, and I spent a long time there reading and watching the waves crash. It’s an easy walk from the city center or Grand Plage, and if you continue toward the little fishing port, you’ll find steps leading down to the seawall where you can sit along it. I also loved the Jardin Public, which is in between Boulevard du Prince de Galles and Perspective de la Côte des Basques.
Another evening, I found another quiet spot overlooking the ocean with a view of the Rocher de la Vierge as waves crashed against the cliffs below. I had dramatic soundtrack music playing through my headphones while the sun slowly descended over the Atlantic. It just. felt. incredible. Incroyable, en français.
By coincidence, the Fête de Bayonne was taking place while I was there. It’s one of France’s largest festivals, and for several days the beautiful cobblestone streets of Bayonne fill with people dressed in white and wearing the traditional red scarf. I went with a group from my hostel, and it ended up being one of the highlights of my week. Music was everywhere, from DJs to accordion players to small brass bands. There was an amusement park, people dancing in the streets, and just such a joyful atmosphere. Once again, I loved seeing so many people simply enjoying time together. I’m aware that this is a common theme for me.
After my week in Biarritz, I hopped in a BlablaCar, stopped in Bordeaux for the night and continued my journey back to Geneva the next morning, also in BlablaCar. In that second BlablaCar I really bonded with the girl I sat in the backseat with 🙂 Once again, I am a huge advocate for BlablaCars.
Closing Remarks
I spent my final few days in Ferney Voltaire, where my friend had moved, which is another lovely little French town outside Geneva. A few days later, I flew back to the United States, bringing my six month backpacking trip to an end.
When I look back on my time in France, I can still feel the joy, excitement, and inner peace I felt while I was there. I know I’ll be back.
I hope you enjoyed reading! Safe travels!