France Travel Guide
France features a number of cities of high cultural interest, Paris being the foremost, but also Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon... and many more, there are also beaches and seaside resorts scattered along the French Riviera, ski resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquillity.
France is a country located in Western Europe. France has been the world's most popular tourist destination for over twenty years and it is geographically one of the most diverse countries in Europe. The country's landscapes vary from the snow–covered peaks of the Alps and the Pyrenees, to lush river valleys, dense forests and huge stretches of farmland and vineyards. Its cities contain some of the greatest treasures in Europe, its countryside is prosperous and well tended and it boasts dozens of major tourist attractions, like Paris, the French Riviera, the Atlantic beaches, the winter sport resorts of the French Alps, the castles of the Loire Valley, Brittany and Normandy. The country is renowned for its gastronomy (particularly wines and cheeses), history, culture and fashion.
Things to do
You haven't seen the best of France if you haven't experienced its amazing countryside, dotted with wonderful medieval villages and castles. There are great examples in any part of the country, and some 156 small towns have been identified as the most beautiful villages in France.
Thinking of France, you might imagine the iconic Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe or the famous smile of Mona Lisa. You might think of drinking coffee in the lively Paris cafs where great intellectuals lingered in past times, or of eating croissants in a local bistro of a sleepy but gorgeous village in the countryside. Probably, images of splendid chteaux will spring to your mind, of lavender fields or perhaps of vineyards as far as the eye can see. Or perhaps, you'd envisage the chic resorts of the Cote D'Azur. And you wouldn't be wrong. However, they are only the top of the iceberg when it comes to France's many sights and attractions.
France, and especially Paris, has some of the world's largest and renowned museums, including the Louvre, which is the most visited art museum in the world, but also the Muse d'Orsay, mostly devoted to impressionism, and Beaubourg, dedicated to Contemporary art. The grandeur and fame of the Muse du Louvre in Paris can hardly be matched by any other museum in the world. It boasts a fabulous collection of art from antiquity to the 19th century and is home of the Mona Lisa and many other renowned works.
The Muse d'Orsay is another world class museum, located in an old railway station and houses the national collection of art works from the 1848 to 1914 period. Its excellent collection includes some of the best French Impressionist, post–Impressionist and Art Nouveau works, including Degas' ballerinas and Monet's waterlillies.
Things to do in France include:
- Go to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
- Stroll along some grand Parisian Boulevards
- Climb Montmartre Hill in Paris
- See some art in the Louvre, or see the art in the Orsay Museum, in a former train station
- See the modern architecture in the business district of La Defense
- See the Science Museum in Villette Park
- Stroll an old train viaduct on the Promenade Plantee in Paris
- See the stunning, but crowded, Versailles Palace
- Ride the TGV, one of the fastest trains in the world, from Paris to Lyon
- See the "D–Day beaches" of Normandy
- Cross the beach at low tide and then climb to the top of Mont Saint Michel
- Explore Chartres Cathedral
- See the quaintness of the Alsace
- Sunbathe on the beaches of the French Riviera
