Flights from Santiago de Compostela to France from 47USD*

Travel to France from Santiago de Compostela

Between 90 minutes and just over 2 hours: that is the flight time from Santiago de Compostela to the 7 French cities Vueling flies to direct, namely Paris, Nice, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nantes and Strasbourg.

Nantes and Bordeaux, on a mild, damp Atlantic side, will feel close to Galicia. Paris and the north, the French Riviera, and Lyon and Alsace each show you a very different side of France, so the airport you pick shapes the rest of the trip.

What documents you need to travel to France

As France and Spain are both in the European Union and the Schengen Area, Spanish and other EU citizens only need a valid national ID card (the DNI, for Spaniards) or passport, with no visa or extra paperwork.

On Schengen flights you must show the physical DNI: the digital version is only valid on flights within Spain, and it is not accepted on flights to France. Check the expiry date before booking, because you cannot board with an expired document, not even one that ran out the day before. Each child on the trip needs their own, too. If you have a different nationality, the travel documents page sets out what applies to you.

What to know when you land in France

Airport to city centre. Paris is the one that needs planning: its airports are a long way out, and the trip by train or bus takes around an hour, so check this before you book accommodation. Nice is the opposite, with the airport right by the Promenade and the tram reaching the centre in a few minutes. In Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux and Nantes, a shuttle or direct tram runs from the terminal.

The TGV. This is what turns 7 gateways into a whole country. Paris and Lyon are 2 hours apart, and Marseille or Bordeaux are a little over 3 hours from the capital. Stations sit right in the city centres, so flying into one city and home from another works better than doubling back.

Mealtimes. Lunch runs from 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner from 19:30, with many kitchens closing after 22:00. Plenty of shops shut at midday too, especially outside the big cities.

Climate by region. The Atlantic side, from Nantes to Bordeaux, is mild and damp, not unlike Galicia. Paris and Strasbourg have colder winters, with lows close to 0°C, while the Mediterranean south gets long, dry summers and an almost constant mistral.

The currency is the euro, and France uses type C and E plugs, at 230V. French is the official language, and English gets you by in tourist areas.

What to do in France

Paris and the north

Paris packs the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower into an area you can cover on foot, with Le Marais, Montmartre and Belleville as neighbourhoods to get lost in. Versailles is around 40 minutes away on the RER, and the Loire châteaux a couple of hours away.

The French Riviera and Provence

In Nice you land right by the sea, in a city whose old town shows a strong Italian influence, and the coastal train reaches Cannes, Antibes and Monaco in a matter of minutes. Marseille is the gateway to Provence: the Calanques National Park, Aix-en-Provence and Avignon, with its Palace of the Popes.

Lyon and the east

Lyon is a recognised gastronomic capital, with its bouchons and the Renaissance quarter of Vieux-Lyon, a World Heritage Site. Further east, Strasbourg opens up Alsace, with Petite France, the Gothic cathedral and the Christmas markets in December.

The Atlantic coast

Bordeaux has a historic centre listed as a World Heritage Site, with the Médoc and Saint-Émilion vineyards less than an hour away and the Dune du Pilat on the coast. Nantes opens up Brittany and the Loire Valley, on a stretch of Atlantic that has a lot in common with the Galician coast.

Luggage for your flight to France

What you can pack depends on the fare you book. The simplest fare includes a personal item that fits under the seat in front, and from there you can add cabin or checked luggage.

For a weekend in any of the 7 cities, a cabin bag is usually enough. If your plan strings several cities together by train, sorting out your luggage when you book saves you carrying too much between stations. Check the current conditions in Vueling’s luggage policy.