France Travel Guide
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247 passport nationalities researched for entry into France.
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Guide
France touches eight other countries and territories by land, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, and Andorra. Seven of those sit inside the Schengen Area, meaning no routine passport check when you cross. Andorra is the exception, wedged between France and Spain but never part of Schengen at all, a detail almost nobody expects until it matters.
Also worth knowing before you go: France brought back internal Schengen border checks in November 2024, and they are still running, extended through at least November 1, 2026, officially over security and migration concerns. Fixed checkpoints have not reappeared everywhere, but French authorities can and do run spot document checks on routes that are supposed to be check free.
Border crossings
- The six open Schengen borders: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain
In normal Schengen terms these borders barely exist for travelers, no stop, no stamp, no line. France's reinstated checks complicate that slightly, a spot check is possible on any of them, so keep a passport or national ID card within reach even for a quick trip across.
- Andorra, sitting outside Schengen entirely
Crossing into Andorra from France feels informal, and mostly it is. But it is a genuine exit from Schengen. Travel on a single entry Schengen visa and a day trip to Andorra can leave you unable to get back into France or Spain afterward, that is not a technicality, it happens to people who simply did not know to check first.
- Monaco
France effectively runs Monaco's external border, so there is no real formality crossing between the two, closer to driving between French regions than crossing an international line.
Transit routes
- Down the TGV spine to the coast
Gare de Lyon is where this starts. Paris to Lyon is under two hours, on to Marseille adds about another hour, and if you keep going toward Nice the train slows for the coastal stretch, though you are still there in under six hours total.
- Ouigo, if you do not need the frills
Same high speed network, the same Paris to Lyon, Marseille, Nice, and Bordeaux routes, run under SNCF's budget brand for less money and fewer amenities. A fine option if the destination matters more than the ride there.
- Getting out of France by rail
Eurostar to London takes about two and a half hours, and you clear UK border control before boarding, not after you land. Thalys style services cover Brussels, Amsterdam, and Cologne, a reasonable alternative to flying if France is one stop on a larger European trip.
Entry point notes
- EES at the airport, since April 2026
Most non EU travelers now get fingerprinted and photographed the first time they enter Schengen, since the EU's Entry Exit System went fully live on April 10, 2026. In France that happens at Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Nantes. Charles de Gaulle in particular has seen longer queues since the rollout, so build in extra time there.
- Crossing by land usually skips it
EES only triggers at the actual external edge of Schengen, wherever a traveler first arrives from outside it. Drive in from Germany, Switzerland, Italy, or Spain and you will not hit a new registration, since that already happened somewhere else. It is not a reason to travel without documents though, especially with France's own checks back in place.