Treatment abroad: France 

France is a leading destination for medical tourism, renowned for its expertise in fields such as cosmetic surgery, dermatology, and fertility treatments, offering top-notch healthcare facilities and skilled professionals in a picturesque setting.

France is well known for its exceptional healthcare services. Medical technologies and standards of care are among the most advanced in the world. France will always be one of the first options for anyone seeking first-class medical treatment.

Why consider France for medical tourism?

France is a relaxed country that offers quiet roads, unspoilt countryside and a rich culture and heritage. As a medical tourist you will probably have your treatment in or near a major city but even urban environments in France are delightful. There will be plenty for you to see and do as you recover.

Medical technologies are extremely advanced in France so you can expect top class treatment and the assurance that you are in very safe hands. There are good savings to be made, but it’s not just about financial reward. Choosing to have dental treatment, cosmetic treatment or elective surgery in France means that you are opting for a wealth of medical experience and expertise, backed by a sound economy that provides the latest medical equipment and technology.

Top quality, affordable surgery is available in many excellent centres across France, not just in Paris. Private clinics are clean and welcoming and medical staff are often fluent in other languages, particularly English. With an outstanding healthcare system and some of the most superior surgeons in the world specialising in obesity, orthopaedic, cardiology and general surgery, France is difficult to beat as a medical tourism destination.

Reasons to choose France

Well known for exceptional healthcare services

Medical technologies among the most advanced in the world

Specialists in obesity, orthopaedic, cardiology and general surgery

Paris is the cultural capital of the world

Disneyland Europe close to Paris

Unrivalled transport connections by air, sea and rail

The healthcare system in France

The French healthcare system is one of the best in Europe. It provides treatment for all residents of France, but it not solely state funded. It is supported by insurance schemes that deduct money from people in employment, with separate schemes for the self-employed. It ensures that everyone can get access to treatment under a system of reimbursement. Approximately 20% of all salaries are taken at their source to pay for the health and social security system in France.

The state system controls the French health authorities, which run the hospitals and make decisions about health spending. People who need treatment often have to pay some contribution themselves, and people in France often choose to take out private medical insurance to cover these costs. Hospitals in the state sector accounts for 65% of the healthcare provision the rest are private hospitals and centres that run on the same principles as private hospitals elsewhere in the world. Medical tourists enter the private system as fee-paying patients.

Private hospitals and clinics in France’s major cities have state of the art equipment and anaesthetists and surgeons undergo many years of intensive study and training to practice. Doctors and surgeons tend to work in both the national health system and in private practice. Health professionals in France are very highly trained and private hospitals have excellent facilities.

Changes in legislation have meant that movement within the European Union has allowed more people to travel abroad for medical tourism, and France has become a popular destination.

Medical tourism to France: Travel and accommodation

Getting into France

Paris has two international airports; Roissy-Charles-de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly (ORY). Roissy-Charles-de Gaulle has two main terminals; CDG1 and CDG2 as well as a third smaller terminal; T9 which is for charter flights. All of the terminals are linked by shuttle buses and mini-metro trains and there are train links and buses into the centre of Paris. RATP buses (Roissybus) leave every 15 minutes and deposit the visitor in the very central position of L’Opra within about 45 minutes, costing around €7. The RER train departs from CDG2 and arrives in Chtlet-les-Halles within 30 minutes and Gare du Nord in 35. Alternatively a taxi to the centre of town will cost about €40.

Orly airport (ORY) has two terminals; Orly Sud and Orly Ouest which are walking distance between one another but are also linked by a mini-metro. Orly Ouest is mainly for domestic flights while Orly Sud receives international and charter flights. The RATP Orlybus leaves every 15 minutes or so and takes about 25 minutes to reach Denfert-Rochereau metro station, additionally the Jetbus connects Orly to Villejuif-Louis Aragon metro every 15 minutes. Shuttle buses also link the airport with RER line C at Pont de Rungis, from where you can connect with a train to Gare d’Austerlitz. A taxi from Orly to the centre of Paris will cost around €35.

If you are coming from the UK, either because you live there or because you have arrived on an international flight into London, you also have the option of train travel via the Eurostar or ferry travel, or hiring a car and coming through the Channel Tunnel. You can take a passenger ferry to France with one of the major ferry companies such asP&Owho covers Dover and Calais, Portsmouth and Le Havre, (P&O North Sea Ferries sail from Hull to Zeebrugge in Belgium and then visitors can drive into France),Brittany Ferriesfrom Portsmouth to St Malo, Portsmouth to Caen and Plymouth to Roscoff,Condor Ferriesfrom Poole to St Malo,DFDS Seawaysfrom Newhaven to Dieppe, or a 45 minute sea cat withHoverspeed from Dover to Calais and from Newhaven to Dieppe.

Travelling within France

The trains in France are superb and the French State Railway (Socit Nationale des Chemins de Fer, SNCF) runs an excellent national network, from the ber speedy ‘Trains Grande Vitesse’ (TGV) to overnight sleepers you can count on fast, reliable and punctual services. Paris has six major train stations with departures to various destinations around the country. There is a TGV station at CDG airport, with inter city train links to major cities such as Lille, Bordeaux and Lyon. ‘Grandes Lignes’ are the long distance trains and ‘Banlieue’ the suburban trains.

Getting about Paris on public transport is easy and inexpensive with an excellent underground train system, the Metro, and an extensive bus network. RATP (the Paris Transport company incorporating trains, bus and metro) has 14 metro lines, referred to by number and terminus names and the RER is a series of commuter trains. Walking and cycling are also favoured as you can get a real feel for the city’s ambience. Taxi ranks are located throughout the city.

Car hire is available from the airports and the roads are good, though driving in Paris itself can be a bit hair-raising! The motorways in France are very modern and mostly run with a toll system (autoroutes page) but you can save money on these fees by opting to travel on some of the smaller but still very efficient roads within the country, such as the RN (route nationale) and D (dpartementale) roads. Driving is on the right and the French Highways Association has helpful information, tips and advice, see Federation of French motorway and toll facility companies.

In terms of hotel accommodation Paris is the third least expensive city after Budapest and Frankfurt with particularly good value two star accommodation from about €110 for a double room. However expect to pay around €180 for a room in a three star hotel and around €450 for a four star luxury hotel.

About France

France is divided into 15 regions and there are many beautiful towns and provinces to discover. Brittany for example is a popular family holiday location, the French Alps a skiing hot spot, Provence a painter’s delight and the Cte D’Azur one of the most glamorous seaside destinations in Europe.

Major cities outside of Paris include Lyon, which is located in east central France on the banks of the Rhne and the Sane, and is surrounded by mountains with nature reserves and one of France’s oldest wine regions.

For many, the main attractions of France are the capital city, Paris, and its theme park Disneyland Europe. Paris, known as the city of light, boasts countless tourist sites, from the famous Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysees, to the Louvre, home of the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, amongst countless other treasures. No trip to the city would be complete without a boat trip on the Seine or a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral, the fictional home of Victor Hugo’s famous hunchback.

Just outside of Paris, the historic palace of Versailles is a must on any tour, demonstrating the enviable levels of opulence that led to the revolutionary uprising that culminated in the storming of the Bastille in 1789.

Disneyland Paris, often referred to as Eurodisney, brings all the magic and fun of the American theme parks much closer to home, including heart stopping rides and memorable parades. Walt Disney Studios Park, situated alongside the original theme park, doubles the entertainment and excitement.

The climate in France is varied. Paris and the north of France tend to get very cold winters and hot summers. There are humid and oceanic climates in the west from Bayonne to Lille, a lovely Mediterranean climate in the south of France and harsh winters and hot summers in Alsace, Lorraine, Rhone and the mountainous areas.

Of course, there is much to enjoy in France away from the major tourist centres of Paris and the Riviera, and the laid back lifestyle of the central regions, made famous by novels such as A Year in Provence, can make a welcome break from the hectic pace of modern life. Relaxed villages and vineyards seem to stretch endlessly into the distance in this idyllic region.

Young or old, thrill seeking or chilled out, France is bound to have something to offer to make your break.