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Where to Go in France | |
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Your travel time is precious. Here are France's top destinations to help you plan the perfect itinerary, and maps of France's Régions & Départements.
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Best months for a trip to France, best itineraries, top destinations—here's everything you need to know. Click here for maps of the régions and départements of France. ParisYour trip to Paris starts with knowing the best times to go and how to plan your time there and your budget. Here's how to go from the airport to your hotel, how to find your way around Paris, and all about Paris transportation. You can stay either in a good hotel or an apartment/flat—even if you're only staying for a few days. More... What to see and do: besides the top sights, there are wonderful churches, parks, museums, and plenty of activities for children. Dining in Paris is a special treat, of course, so here are tips on how to find the best restaurants, bistrots, and Paris cafés, and how to assemble a French picnic. Excursions from ParisYou can use Paris as a base for day-trips and excursions to nearby destinations such as Versailles, Chartres, and Giverny, and even to more distant sites such as the châteaux of the Loire, Normandy's D-Day beaches, and Mont St-Michel. Châteaux of the Loire ValleyYou must see the castles (châteaux) in the Loire Valley, whether you spend a day, an overnight or a week there. Here's a list of the best châteaux, and how to visit a château. Groups of neighboring châteaux make it easy to see several châteaux in a short time, and excellent public transportation makes it possible even without your own car. Sound & Light shows at some châteaux bring the age of greatness to life. More... NormandyFamous as the place where Allied armies came ashore on D-Day (1944) in the largest amphibious military campaign in history, Normandy is also a region of charming towns and villages, excellent cuisine and deep history. You can visit Bayeux and the famous Bayeux Tapestry; Caen, a good base for visits to the D-Day Beaches; the port of Cherbourg; posh seaside resorts of Deauville & Trouville; medieval Honfleur and Rouen; and captivating Mont St-Michel. BrittanyNorthwestern France is more remote and wilder than some other regions—and less visited—and therein likes the charm of Bretagne. More... Champagne & Northern FranceGo sample the most exciting wines in the world right where they're grown and made in Reims, Épernay, or even Château-Thierry. You can do it in a day from Paris, or spend more time for a deeper look (and sip). More... Northern France, from Calais through Amiens, Albert, Saint-Quentin and Château-Thierry to Alsace and Strasbourg, has fine wines, natural beauty, varied cuisine, and the sobering history of ferocious battles during World Wars I and II. More... BurgundySynonymous with wine for over 2000 years, the Burgundy region (Bourgogne) 300 km (186 miles) southeast of Paris is rich in natural beauty, deep artistic history, excellent regional cuisine, and vineyards, vineyards, vineyards. More... Côte d'Azur (French Riviera)Warmth, sun, beaches, beautiful nature and beautiful people (well, some of them at least): Nice, the 3rd-largest city in France; Cannes and its famed film festival; Antibes, full of yachts; and Monaco, with lots of ways to part with your money. More... ProvenceAbundant sunshine, olive orchards, vineyards, splendid Roman monuments, the Mistral winds, wonderful cuisine—Provence is the land of the troubadours. You'll want to visit Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Avignon, La Camargue, Marseille, Nîmes, Orange and... More... Dordogne/PérigordFrance's most beautiful region? The Dordogne River valley region of Périgord is dotted with small châteaux and medieval towns such as Bergerac, Beynac, Cahors, Domme, Les Eyzies, Périgueux, Rocamadour and Sarlat—and the pre-historic caves of Lascaux—but it is its overall beauty and charm that attracts us. And then there's the foie gras and cuisses de canard. More... Bordeaux & GirondeNo winemaking region is more famous, but the beautiful city of Bordeaux in the Gironde is worth a visit in its own right, as well as being a base for explorations of the Médoc, its vineyards and châteaux; Saint-Émilion; and the beach resort town of Arcachon. Lyon & Rhône-AlpsSecond-largest conurbation in France, Lyon is noted for its rivers, its medieval quarter, and of course its cuisine. The French Alps boast dozens of ski and outdoor activity resorts around Mont Blanc, graceful old spa resorts, medieval cities and More... Languedoc-RousillonThis region in southern France has many delights, prime of which is the visually striking city of Carcassonne, with its medieval hilltop fortress town. More... Midi-PyrenéesThe historic-yet-high-tech city of Toulouse, the graceful 19th-century mountain resort of Pau, the engineering marvel of the Canal du Midi, and of course the religious pilgrimage town of Lourdes, goal of six million pilgrims annually, are highlights of this temperate region in southwestern France. More... Poitou-CharentesThe Poitou-Charentes région on the Atlantic coast of France north of Aquitaine, 163 km (101 miles) north of Bordeaux (map), is noted for its history, its seaside resorts, and cognac, that most French of brandies. More...
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Above, Basilique
du Sacré-Coeur,
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