Virginia, the America You Savor
Half an hour from Washington, another America begins. Vineyards at the foot of the Blue Ridge, cathedral-like caverns, red-brick towns and Atlantic beaches: Virginia is made for a road trip, and it holds more than one surprise for French travelers.
Skyline Drive offers a scenic journey through Virginia’s mountain landscapes in Shenandoah National Park. · Sonia Deslys
You think you are landing in Washington. In fact, you are touching down in Virginia. Dulles Airport, designed by Eero Saarinen like a wing about to take flight, opens the door to a state too many visitors cross without stopping. A mistake. The slogan “Virginia is for Lovers” is no empty promise: a few days are all it takes to fall for it.
Loudoun, vines and orchards at Dulles's doorstep
The first stop is perhaps the most unexpected: Loudoun, 25 miles (40 km) from the capital and a world away from its bustle. The county calls itself “DC's Wine Country,” and it earns the name. Country roads wind between vineyards, orchards and family farms, with the bluish line of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the horizon.
In Round Hill, the Williams Gap estate stretches over more than 200 acres facing the mountains. Here you can play winemaker for an afternoon at a blending workshop, test tube in hand.
In Bluemont, Great Country Farms opens its fields for pick-your-own strawberries, peaches, apples or pumpkins, depending on the season.
In Aldie, Lark Brewing pours its beers among apple trees and pawpaws, a native tree whose fruit tastes of mango and banana.
In Purcellville, Magnolia at the Mill cooks produce from neighboring farms inside a beautifully restored grain mill.
In the evening, head to Leesburg. Its main street, King Street, known as “Restaurant Row,” is lined with seasonal restaurants, cocktail bars and artisan coffee shops. Stay at Hotel Burg, an intimate address in the heart of wine and hunt country. Before leaving, step inside Dodona Manor, the home of General George C. Marshall: this is where the man behind the plan that helped Europe, and France, after the war once lived.
The Shenandoah, from Skyline Drive to Luray Caverns
Head west. Skyline Drive runs along the crest of the Blue Ridge through Shenandoah National Park. Every overlook reveals a new view of the valley, and in autumn the forests blaze red and gold. Hikers climb to Mary's Rock or Stony Man; everyone else drives with the windows down.
Beneath the mountains, another world awaits. Luray Caverns unfolds chambers as tall as cathedral naves, bristling with stalactites mirrored in still pools. The highlight is the Great Stalacpipe Organ, a one-of-a-kind instrument that draws its notes from the rock formations themselves.
Further north, Winchester, Virginia's “Apple Capital,” celebrates its orchards in bloom every spring. Along the valley, small towns follow one another roughly every 30 miles (50 km), the distance of a day's stagecoach ride. This is the America of diners, drive-ins and scenic back roads.
Lynchburg, in Jefferson's footsteps
At the foot of the Blue Ridge, on the banks of the James River, Lynchburg has kept the elegance of an old trading town. Stay at The Virginian, a 1913 grand hotel restored to its original splendor, whose rooftop overlooks the brick skyline. On Saturday morning, stroll through the city market, open without interruption since 1783.
Nearby, Poplar Forest, the octagonal retreat Thomas Jefferson designed for himself, tells the story of the genius and contradictions of a deeply Francophile Founding Father. As the young nation's envoy in Paris from 1785 to 1789, Jefferson came home enchanted: in Richmond, the Virginia State Capitol he designed is directly modeled on the Maison Carrée in Nîmes.
From the banks of the Potomac to wartime secrets
Back east. At Mount Vernon, George Washington's home overlooks the Potomac, and the falls of Great Falls roar just a few miles away. Alexandria, named one of the top 10 U.S. cities by Travel + Leisure in 2026, lines King Street with more than 200 independent restaurants and boutiques, between colonial houses and a lively waterfront.
More discreetly, Prince William Forest Park hides a secret past: during World War II, the OSS, forerunner of the CIA, trained agents there before sending them to Europe, notably to support the French Resistance. And at the end of the Dulles runways, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center displays the Space Shuttle Discovery and a Concorde in Air France livery. A moving nod to France.
Richmond, Yorktown and the Atlantic
Richmond is full of surprises. It is one of the few cities where you can run whitewater rapids in the shadow of skyscrapers, then enjoy a craft beer at one of its many breweries. Virginia also claims the title of birthplace of American spirits, and its craft distilleries welcome the curious.
Around Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, you travel back to the origins of the United States. It was at Yorktown, in October 1781, that Washington's troops and Rochambeau's French army, backed by Admiral de Grasse's fleet, forced the British to surrender. Lafayette, too, fought in Virginia that year. For a French traveler, it is hard not to be moved.
Finally, the road ends at the ocean, in Virginia Beach, where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic. Since 2025, Atlantic Park has been home to North America's first Wavegarden Cove surf lagoon: catch your first wave, even as a beginner, before enjoying fresh seafood on a terrace.
At the end of the road, one thing is certain: Virginia is not a place you pass through. It is a place you savor.
Practical information
Getting there :
Nonstop flights from Paris-Charles de Gaulle to Washington Dulles. From April 26, 2027, United will also fly daily, year-round, from Toulouse-Blagnac to Dulles.
Entry requirements :
French citizens need an ESTA travel authorization.
Getting around:
From Dulles, Metro's Silver Line reaches Tysons, Arlington and Washington. To explore the countryside, the Shenandoah Valley or the coast, a rental car is essential.
When to go:
Spring for Winchester's orchards in bloom, summer for Virginia Beach, autumn for the colors of Skyline Drive and pumpkin season.
How long :
Allow ten days to two weeks to combine Washington, the countryside and the coast. French visitors stay close to two weeks in Virginia on average.
More information :
Official tourism website: virginia.org.
