I’m surprised no one has brought up Flying in France – I found that very helpful. My German is nonexistent but with the autotranslate in my browser it’s more than good enough. Not sure how well it’s kept up to date but it looked good to me – @boscomantico can certainly answer that (PS please do a site for flying in DE and do it in English? 
).
Perhaps @Peter will consider doing the generic “VFR in Europe” webinar that was pitched a while ago? I would love to participate if announced well ahead of time. Won’t be available next Tuesday for the same reason as others have indicated unfortunately. .
Yes I still plan to do this, but have been buried in C programming for the past year or two, trying to finish a new product at work which was started a few years ago by a part-timer and eventually I realised it would take another 10 years to finish 
I have a month or two to go…
You may have seen my old website which contains a lot of detailed trip writeups. Then I have a load of flying videos some of which have the full ATC interaction and some of that is quite amusing The videos are mostly IFR though.
France is not actually at all difficult. It is one of the easiest VFR countries in Europe. Very relaxed ATC, so long as you don’t want to go into mil areas. As I said before, most of the work in “going places” is the stuff you prepare on the ground, and nowadays this can be significant due to bizarre “work avoidance” practices like 24hr / 48hr PN which basically suppress traffic.
Next Tuesday is the Zoom on this topic.
Thanks Tango. Sure, I keep it up to date as best as I can. A lot of continuous work.
While browser-translations work remarkably well these days, I don‘t think my sites get too many views outside the German-speaking community.
I often said it before, there will very likely not be a site about flying in Germany from me, as it wouldn‘t be enough fun for me to create/maintain it, and also not useful enough for me (I keep the other sites for myself as well, to keep me up to speed on everything for my own international travelling purposes).
Besides all the good hints in this topic: Do apply for a BP and/or Total fuel card upfront! It makes life and fuel planning so much easier in France, as paying by cash or credit card is often only possible on manned fuel stations. There are some self-service fuel stations that do accept credit cards though, but they are pretty rare. Even on controlled airports, fuel stations have limited manned opening hours, so you might still need a fuel card for those.
Another remark: Plan carefully how you’ll get away from the airfield to your final destination (e.g. accommodation, sightseeing places etc.), as French GA airfields are often pretty bad connected to the “outside world”. Even taxis are often hard to get, especially on Sundays. And if you get one, be prepared to pay a lot.
And yes, I can only confirm the website from @boscomantico, which is extremely valuable. There you’ll find all possible tips and tricks for your flying adventures in France!
Frans wrote:
French GA airfields are often pretty bad connected to the “outside world”. Even taxis are often hard to get, especially on Sundays. And if you get one, be prepared to pay a lot.
Indeed, that is the main hassle for GA in France, assuming you already sort Total/BP for fuel (and PNR from outside Schengen)
You can operate in airfields without opening restrictions but getting stuck on Sunday in ‘no man’s land’ is a possibility, I almost starved to death once no restaurant, no taxi, no phone internet…
Sorting out ‘ground mobility’ is a must
That is true anywhere. Most European GA airfields are in the middle of nowhere. This is a major reason for the suppressed value of GA here, relative to the US. The main difference for a UK visitor is
In France, speaking French opens most doors. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on whether you are French But pilots flying internationally have grown accustomed to being able to use English. That idea doesn’t work too great where it should work (in the air; French ATC ELP tends to be quite poor, with reasons already much discussed and sometimes leading to fireworks) and it even more doesn’t work elsewhere Start with the avgas pump…
Actually, when looking at typical GA airfields (not big airline airports), and comparing with Germany, UK, and Italy, I would say that of the bunch, France actually has the best public transport links. Surprisingly many French GA airfields do have a bus (or sometimes: train/tram) stop at the airfield or within a couple hundred meteres walk. Just some examples of (GA) airfields where I have successfully used this: Thise, Belfort, Essey, Neuhof, Colmar, Mulhouse, Calais, Cannes, Aix, Annecy, Courbessac, plus probably a few more. Lognes and St. Cyr are a bit further to walk, but those connections are still useful.
But yes, this does not tend to work at all on Sundays, and only “so so” on Saturdays. Even on weekdays, some of the bus lines serving airfields have very limited schedules. So you need to do your homework before you go.
Taxis can be really difficult in France, especially on Sundays and during any sort of lunch break. Even if (thanks to the internet, you have a list of local taxi drivers’ telephone numbers and are fluent in French). The more rural the airfield is, the worse. Also, invariably, most taxi drivers you come across are grumpy and seem annoyed that you give them your business. That’s France. Uber tends to work well enough in areas which are covered.
Nowadays, I usually have my folding bike with me when touring France, and it adds a whole deal of independence and flexibility, plus it keeps me moving.
For longer stays and bigger distances, ouicar and getaround also work well, much better than traditional care hire companies.
Peter wrote:
In France, speaking French opens most doors. Whether this is a good thing or not depends on whether you are French
Well there are two scenarios,
Scenario 1, is specific to GA flying, you are coming out of nowhere and you land in empty place, the easy fix is to 1/ have Total/BP cards and learn how to use them and 2/ have folding bike or scooter (or walk and pre-arrange taxi, car rental or bus timing)
Scenario 2, nothing to do with GA flying, every tourist have this struggle, challenge, adventure…I don’t think it has an easy fix, except going to big hotels, big airports, big restaurants…
I would say to the OP: search « VFR in france » in Youtube, watch a few videos, plan a first trip to English speaking fields (ATC or AFIS) and launch.
Those rural french fields, no matter how much I and others love them, might not look very interesting for a first trip to France (in terms of sightseeing).
Plan something like LFAT then Reims/Troyes/Colmar/Pontoise (Uber to Paris)/Rouen and enjoy a lovely city visit. Use calais for the return trip for a change and that’s it.
Peter_G organizes trip to France occasionaly, that anyone can join IIRC.
Most European GA airfields are in the middle of nowhere
One occasion where I’ll rush to Europe’s defence, because this is equally true in the US. Except in the US, you can be 100% sure there will be no public transport and even taxis are scarce outside major cities. Sometimes there is an Enterprise nearby who will drop off at the airport, or come and get you. But if not, you need a folding bike.
