For over 2 decades, it is known to the world that the best tourist destination is France. This country receives 82 million foreign tourists annually. France draws travelers from around the world because of their exquisite cuisine, classy culture, scenic countryside, and romantic chateaux.
Most people immediately think of Paris whenever France is on the table. While the capital of this country is beautiful and filled with recognizable monuments and neoclassical architecture, you should know that there are plenty of sites that you should see in this country.
You can try the Alsace region’s Germanic culture or the D-Day landing beachesof Normandy. You can also visit Loire Valley to check out the vineyards and castles, or the earthy Celtic culture of Brittany. Moreover, you can stop by French Alps as this is where you can visit the highest peak of Europe – Mont Blanc. In the southern part, you can see French Riviera’s endless charm which includes Saint-Tropez. There are surely a lot of things and sights that you can see when you are in Paris. But in your vacation, it will be better if you already know that places that you should not miss. Luckily, we have prepared the top 6 places that you should visit in France.
1. Paris
This city is the most famous tourist destination of the world attracting over 45 million of visitors annually. This city has a lot of nicknames such as City of Lights, Capital of Fashion, and City of Love. As the capital of France, Paris is known for its fashion, art, gastronomy, and romantic ambiance.
Whilst Paris has 20 districts, which is called arrondisssements, which features their own attractions and distinct character, this city is popular for the iconic landmarks that they have – Eiffel Tower, Versailles Palace, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, and Sacre-Coeur. Moreover, this city is the home of the best museums of the world like Musee d’Orsay and Louvre Museum. What’s more to this city is that they have magnificent gardens like the Luxembourg Gardens.
As the Capital of Fashion, this city is the home of the finest designers in the world. These designers include Lancôme, Yves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior, and L’Oréal. The shopping scene of this city ranges from open-air markets to shopping centers, flea markets and boutiques.
Note that the cheapest and the best way for you to get around Paris is to explore it on foot. Secondly, you can also use their exceptional underground train system called Métro.
2. Dordogne
If you will be spending weeks to months here in Dordogne, you can choose or pick the things that you would love to see. There are surely a lot of things to do and see here. Starting with the picture-postcard chateaus and villages, and also the Chateau de Baynac which is a well-preserved hilltop castle.
Dordogne’s scenery is breathtaking with the Dordogne River that runs through it. You can also see some of France’s excellent prehistoric cave arts in Dordogne.
3. French Riviera
Also called Cote d’ Azur, French Riviera is located on Mediterranean Sea’s French coast. This is the playground of most famous, hordes, and rich tourists. This place is unofficial because it has no official boundaries as it extends from the east of Italian border to Hyères, Cassis, Toulon, or Saint-Tropez in the west.
Even if Riviera is popular for St. Tropez’s glamour, Cannes Film Festival or Monaco, there are still a lot of unpopular destinations that you must see. To name some of these are the hovering villages of Saint-Paul de Vence and Eze, also the perfumeries of Grasse. Riviera has also become the inspiration of many famous artists like Picasso. And because of that, plenty of their masterpieces were displayed in local art galleries and museums.
You can enjoy the mild to warm climate of this region throughout the year despite being on the northerly coast of the entire Mediterranean.
4. Luberon
If you’re planning to mingle with the French society hoi polloi in the southern part of France, the best place for this is in Luberon. This is a haven for most French society and also to the British and American visitors who come here during summer to experience the charming villages. Once you see the fields of lavender, lush forest, colorful house, and farmers markets, you will understand why Luberon became a tourist attraction. An amazing souvenir that you can get from there is a pottery from Oppede le Vieux village since they still maintain their Middle Age ambiance.
5. Mont Saint-Michel
Rising from the core of immense mud flats and a few of the strongest tidal waves of Europe is the rocky island Mont-Saint-Michel. This is located off the northwestern coast of France in Normandy.
This tidal island is a popular tourist destination in France because of the medieval structures that were built as if it were loaded upon one another, the Abbey of Mont Saint-Michel. The devoted monks during 708 AD built this awe-inspiring abbey after the Archangel Michael allegedly visited the Bishop of Avranches.
6. Loire Valley
This place is a famous tourist attraction. Loire Valley is an area that you will see in the middle of France. This region is looked upon for its splendid chateaux, historic villages, picturesque vineyards, and spectacular scenery.
This region stretches around 175 miles along Loire River turning and twisting through some of the loveliest villages of France. One of the villages is Ambiose, the village where the famous Leonardo da Vinci stayed before he died. The rest of the historic villages in this region include Anglers, Tours, Orleans, Saumur, and Chinon. The Blois town is important for its chateau since this is where the aristocrats and French kings often met.
Loire Valley is also called as the “Garden of France” as flowers, vineyard, and fruit orchards are abundant and all were made fertile and lush by the nourishment it receives from the Loiret, Loire, Eure, and Cher rivers. This valley is the home of may wineries which offer wine tastings and tours.