France

France today is one of the most modern countries in the world and is a leader among European nations. It plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-7, the G-20, the EU, and other multilateral organizations. France rejoined NATO’s integrated military command structure in 2009, reversing De Gaulle’s 1966 decision to withdraw French forces from NATO. Since 1958, it has constructed a hybrid presidential-parliamentary governing system resistant to the instabilities experienced in earlier, more purely parliamentary administrations. In recent decades, its reconciliation and cooperation with Germany have proved central to the economic integration of Europe, including the introduction of a common currency, the euro, in January 1999. In the early 21st century, five French overseas entities – French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, and Reunion – became French regions and were made part of France proper.

France Tourism Information…

Official Tourism Site
France.fr

Other Sites

About-France.com
JourneyToFrance.com
France-Voyage.com
FranceTourisme.fr
OffBeatFrance.com
FranceThisWay.fr

The Best of France…

Here is a break down of some of the most interesting and visited places. Cities or areas listed will always have more than just one thing see and do. With the popular cities or areas we separately list some of the best known, which should go on everyone’s, must see list when they visit.    

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Chamonix (Aiguille du Midi-Mont-Blanc)

Lyon (Vieux Lyon )

Annecy (Vieille Ville, Lake Annecy)

Bordeaux

 Cité du Vin

Bordeaux Cathedral

Place de la Bourse

Water Mirror

Brittany

St. Malo

Carnac Stones

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté 

Dijon

Hospices de Beaune or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune

Burgundy

Centre-Val de Loire

Châteua de Chambord

Château de Chenonceau

Chartres Cathedral

Château d’Amboise

Château de Villandry

Hauts-de-France

Cathedrale Notre-Dame d’Amiens

Lille

WWI Sites (Meaux, Vimy, Somme, Péronne, Compiègne, Beaumont-Hamel)

Grand Est

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims

Colmar Vielle ville

Champagne Cellars (Épernay, Reims)

Strasbourg (Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg

WWI Sites (Verdun Memorial, Douamont Ossuary)

Île-de-France

Palace of Versailles

Disneyland

Château de Fontainebleau

Château de Chantilly

Parc Walt Disney Studios

MARSEILLE

Vieux Port

Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde

Parc National des Calanques

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Dune of Pilat

Lascaux

The Dordogne

Occitania

Château et Remparts De La Cité De Carcassonne

Pont du Gard

Nîmes

Viaduc de Millau

Normandy

Le Mont-Saint Michel

Bayeaux Tapestry

Honfleur

D-Day Beaches

Pays de la Loir
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azure

Aix-en-Provence

Avignon (Palais des Papes, Pont D’Avignon)

Arles

Verdon Gorge

Paris

Eiffel Tower

Musée Louvre

Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Arc de Triomphe

Musée d’Orsay

Basilica du Sacre Coeur

Champs-Élysées

Luxembourg Gardens

Montmartre

Tuileries Gardens

Catacombs of Paris

Palais Garnier

Saint-Chapelle

Moulin Rouge

Musée de l’Oranerie

Place de la Conorde

Panthéon

Les Invalides

Rodin Musée

Grand Palais

Louis Vuitton Foundation

Montparnasse Tower

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Musé National Picasso-Paris

Canal Saint-Matin

Place des Vosges

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

The Regions of France…

Auvergene-Rhône-Alps

Departments: Ain, Allier, Ardèche ,Cantal ,Drôme ,Haute-Loire ,Haute-Savoie, Isère ,Loire ,Lyon Metropolis ,Puy-De-Dôme ,Rhône ,Savoie
Cities Chambéry, Clermont-Ferrand, Grenoble, Lyon, Saint-Étienne
Towns:
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions:

Bourgogne – Franche – Comté

Departments: Côte-d’Or, Doubs, Haute-Saône ,Jura, Nièvre ,Saône-et-Loire ,Territoire de Belfort ,Yonne
Cities Auxerre, Beaune, Belfort, Besançon, Chalon-sur-Saône, Dijon, Mâcon, Nevers
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions: The Hôtel Dieu in Beaune,

Brittany

Departments: Côtes-d’Armor, Finistère, Ille-et-Vilaine, Morbihan
Cities Brest, Lorient, Quimper, Rennes, Saint-Malo, Vannes
Towns: Concarneau, Fougères, Lanester, Lannion, Saint-Sévigné
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions:

Centre – Val de Loire

Departments: Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret
Cities Blois, Bourges, Chinon, Maintenon, Orléans, Tours
Towns: Amboise, Châteauroux, Chartres, Chinon, Dreux, Nogent-le-Rotrou, Vendôme
Villages: Nançay, Saint-Benoît-du-Sault
Others Sights & Attractions: Châteaus: Angers, Amboise, Azay-le-Rideau, Blois, Chambord, Chaumont-sur-Loire, Chenonceau ,Cheverny, Chinon , Langeais , Loches ,Montreuil-Bellay, Montsoreau, Rivau ,Saumur ,Ussé ,Valencay Villandry

Corsica

Departments: Haute-Corse, Corse-du-Sud
Cities Ajaccio, Bastia, Sartene
Towns: Porto-Vecchio
Villages: Aléria, Bonifacio, Calvi, Corte, Propiano, Sartène
Others Sights & Attractions:

Grand Est

Departments: Ardennes, Aube, Bas-Rhin, Haute-Marne, Haut-Rhin, Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Vosges
Cities:  Colmar, Metz, Mulhouse, Nancy, Reims, Strasbourg, Troyes
Towns: Châlons-en-Champagne, Charleville-Mézières, Chaumont, Épernay, Épinal, Forbach, Haguenau, Illkirch-Graffenstaden, Montigny-lès-Metz, Saint-Dizier, Saint-Louis, Sarreguemines, Schiltigheim, Thionville, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions:

Hauts – de – France

Departments: Aisne, Nord, Oise, Pas de Calais, Somme
Cities Amiens, Calais, Dunekrque, Lille, Roubaix, Sanit-Quentian, Tourcoing
Towns: Beauvais, Valenciennes, Villeneuva-d-Ascq
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions:

Île de France

Paris – For detailed information go to our ➾ Paris page.
Departments: Paris, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Seine-et-Marne, Val-de-Marne ,Val-d’Oise ,Yvelines
Other Cities & Towns: Fontainebleau, La Défense, Marne-la-Vallée, Provins, Roissy, Saint-Denis, Versailles
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions: Disneyland Paris, Versailles Château

Normandy

Departments: Calvados, Eure, Manche, Orne, Seine-Maritime
Cities Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Rouen, Saint Helier, St. Peter Port
Towns: Avranches, Bayeux, Deauville, Évreux, Lisieux
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions: Cliffs of Étretat, The Alabaster Coast, Mont-Saint-Michel, D-Day Beaches

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, Corrèze, Creuse, Deux-Sèvres, Dordogne, Gironde, Haute-Vienne, Landes, Lot-et-Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Vienne
Cities: Angoulême, Agen, Bayonne, Bergerac, Bordeaux, Brive-la-Gaillarde, La Rochelle, Limoges, Niort, Périgueux, Poitiers, Pau,
Towns: Dax, Mont-de-Marsan, Villeneuve-sure-Lot
Villages:
Others Sights & Attract: Dune of Pilat

Occitainie

Departments: Ariège, Aude, Aveyron, Gard, Gers, Haute-Garonne, Hautes-Pyrénées, Hérault, Lot, Lozère, Pyrénées-Orientales, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
Cities Béziers, Montauban, Montpelier, Narbonne, Nîmes, Perpignan, Toulouse
Towns: Albi, Carrcassonne
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions: Canal du-Midi, Carcassonne Citadel, Pyrénées mountains

Pays De La Loire

Departments: Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Mayenne, Sarthe, Vendée
Cities Angers, Cholet, La Roche-sur-Yon, Le Mans, Nantes, Saint-Nazzaire
Towns: Laval
Villages:
Others Sights & Attractions:

Provence-Alpes-Cöte d’Azure

Departments: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Hautes-Alpes, Var, Vaucluse
Cities Aix-en-Provence, Antibes, Arles, Aubange, Avignon, Cannes, Draguignan, Fréjus, Grasse, Hyéres, la Seyne-sur-Mer, Le Cannet, Mandelieu-la-Napoule, Manosque, Marseille, Martigues, Mougins, Nice, Salon-de-Provence, Toulon
Towns: Menton, Orange, Saint Rémy-de-Provence, Saint-Tropez, Villeneive-Loubet
Villages: Éze, Gordes, Les Baux-de-Provence, Manosque, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Saint-Paul de Vence
Others Sights & Attractions: Camargue. French Alps, French Riviera, Îles d’Hyères, Luberon, Mercantour National Park, Mont Ventoux, Verdon Gorge, Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild , Parc Calanque Nationale, Château de l’Empéri

France Country Information…