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About France

France is a country in Western Europe. With a size of 674,843 square kilometers (260,558 sq miles), France is the biggest country in Continental Europe. It shares a border with many other European countries including with Belgium and Luxeumbourg to the northeast, Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy to the southeast, and Spain to the southwest. In addition, the tiny principality of Monaco forms an enclave to the south of France while Andorra is a small independent country between France and Spain. Across the English Channel lies the British Isles to the northwest.

The 2010 estimate places the population of France at around 65.4 million. It is the fifth largest economy in the world by nominal Gross Domestic Product, and the 8th largest by Purchasing Power Parity. The capital of France is Paris. This city of 2.2 million is located in a metropolitan area of 11.7 million people. It is both the largest city within one of the most populated metropolitan areas in Europe.

In addition to mainland France, which is called Metropolitan France, the country also count a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and Antarctica. The forms of government in these territories range from overseas department to overseas collectivity.

France is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. It has much to offer in terms of sights and is particularly famous for its cuisine, history, fashion and culture. In this Travel Guide to France, I want to provide you with a description of every major tourist destination and sight that the country has to offer. You will find these listed on the right column. When I complete describing each destination, I will place a link to this page, so check back often as the information is added regularly.

France Travel Information

  • Official Name: France
  • Capital: Paris (2,208,900)
  • Population of France: 60,656,000
  • Currency: Euro
  • Languages spoken: French
  • Religions: Roman Catholic (85%), Muslim, Protestant, others
  • Size: 547,030 sq km (204,134 sq miles)
  • Continent: Europe
  • How to find accommodation: France Hotels

    In planning your trip to France, it is prudent to check the price of hotel rooms from different hotel booking websites before placing your reservations. You will discover that different booking sites offer vastly different rates for the same rooms. To get the best value for your money, use our free France Hotel Search Engine to view and compare room rates from different hotel booking sites. It helps you in making an informed decision that can save you a lot of money

    You can also use the search console below. Just key in the dates of your trip, and the engine will generate a list of hotels with the best prices, as plucked from the different Online Hotel Booking websites.

    Find a hotel

    When to visit France

    The best time is spring, around May. If you are going to France for skiing, then it's winter that is best in the French Alps and the Pyrenees.

    What to wear in France

    Lightweight clothing for summer and waterproof gear for the mountains. Warm clothing required in winter, including along the Mediterranean coasts.

    How to get to France

    The following are the airports serving Paris:

  • Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) is located 23km (14 miles) to the northeast of Paris. It is the biggest airport in France and a major travel hub for Europe. It also consists of many terminals, and can be confusing. Allow ample time to find your way around, especially if you need to transit. CDG is the homebase for national carrier Air France, which uses Terminal 2 along with its SkyTeam Alliance partners Dutch KLM, AeroMexico, Alitalia, US Continental, NorthWest, Delta Airlines and Korean Air. Trains connecting CDG to Paris runs every 15 minutes, costs €8.50 and makes the journey to the Châtelet-Les Halles station in 40 minutes. There is a high-speed TGV train station within the airport that provides connection to Lille and Brussels to the north, and Rennes and Nantes to the south, bypassing Paris.
  • Orly International Airport (ORY) is the older airport serving Paris. It is used by Air France for domestic flights, as well as other international carriers for European destinations. Orly is forty minutes from Paris on OrlyBus from the Métro Denfert-Rochereau station, and the fare is €6.
  • Aéroport de Paris Beauvais Tillé (BVA) is another airport serving Paris. This small regional airport is used by low cost carriers including Ryanair.

    France Entry Requirements

    Nationals of US, Australia, Canada, Britain and other EU countries do not need a visa for entering France.

    How to get around around in France

    By flight The following airlines provide domestic flights within France:
  • Air France
  • Airlinair
  • Air Corsica
  • Twin Jet
  • easyJet
  • Hex'Air
  • Air Austral


  • How to explore France by Train Trains are a great way to explore France. The national railway company is called SNCF, which stands for Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français. The Voyages SNCF website shows you the schedules and allows you to book interregional trains. For regional trains, go to Ter-SNCF website.

    How to make sense of the currency of France

    France uses the Euro, €. Banknotes are in denominations of €500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 while coins are in denominations of 1 cent, 2 cents, 5 cents, 10 cents, 20 cents, 50 cents, €1 and €2. Banking hours are from 9:00am to 12:00 noon and 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

    At time of writing (Oct 2007), USD1.00 = EUR0.71 For the latest exchange go to the Oanda Currency Converter.

    UNESCO World Heritage Sites in France

    1. Chartres Cathedral
    2. Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
    3. Palace and Park of Versailles
    4. Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley
    5. Vézelay, Church and Hill
    6. Amiens Cathedral
    7. Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
    8. Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
    9. Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
    10. Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange
    11. From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the production of open-pan salt
    12. Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe
    13. Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve
    14. Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance in Nancy
    15. Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
    16. Strasbourg - Grande Île
    17. Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims
    18. Paris, Banks of the Seine
    19. Bourges Cathedral
    20. Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
    21. Canal du Midi
    22. Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne
    23. Pyrénées - Mont Perdu
    24. Historic Site of Lyons
    25. Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
    26. Belfries of Belgium and France
    27. Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion
    28. The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes
    29. Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs
    30. Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret
    31. Bordeaux, Port of the Moon
    32. Fortifications of Vauban
    33. Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems



    Places of Interest in France

    What to see in Paris & Ile de France

    Sights along the Seine in Paris

  • Champs de Mars
  • Conciergerie
  • Dôme Church
  • Eiffel Tower
  • Jardin des Tuileries
  • Grand Palais
  • Ile de la Cité
  • Ile St-Louis
  • Maison de Radio France
  • Musée de l'Orangerie
  • Musée d'Orsay
  • Musée du Louvre
  • Palais de Chaillot
  • Palais de Tokyo
  • Passerelle des Arts
  • Passerelle Solférino
  • Petit Palais
  • Petit Pont
  • Pont Alexandre III
  • Pont au Change
  • Pont Bir-Hakeim
  • Pont d'Arcole
  • Pont de la Concorde
  • Pont de l'Alma
  • Pont de Sully
  • Pont du Carrousel
  • Pont Iéna
  • Pont Louis Philippe
  • Pont Marie
  • Pont Neuf
  • Pont Notre Dame
  • Pont Royale
  • Statue of Liberty
  • Sights in the Ile de la Cité, Marais and Beaubourg

  • Conciergerie
  • Crypte Archéologique
  • Forum des Halles
  • Hôtel de Lamoignon
  • Hôtel de Sens
  • Hôtel de Soubise
  • Hôtel de Ville
  • Maison de Victor Hugo
  • Marchél aux Fleurs et Oiseaux
  • Musée Carnavalet
  • Musée Cognacq-Jay
  • Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
  • Musée Notre-Dame
  • Musée Picasso
  • Notre-Dame
  • Palais de Justice
  • Place de la Bastille
  • Place des Vosges
  • Point Zero
  • Pompidou Centre
  • Sainte-Chapelle
  • Square Jean XXIII
  • St-Gervais-St-Protais
  • The Marais
  • Sights around Jardin des Tuileries and the Opéra

  • Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
  • Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume
  • Grévin
  • Jardin des Tuileries
  • La Madeleine
  • Les Passages
  • Musée de l'Opéra
  • Musée de l'Orangerie
  • Musée des Arts D&eacture;coratifs
  • Musée du Louvre
  • Opéra National de Paris Garnier
  • Palais Royal
  • Place de la Concorde
  • Place de l'Opéra
  • Place Vendôme
  • St-Roch
  • Sights around the Champ-Elysées and Invalides

  • Arc de Triomphe
  • Avenue des Champs-Elysées
  • Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine
  • Dôme Church
  • Ecole Militaire
  • Eiffel Tower
  • Grand Palais
  • Hôtel des Invalides
  • Jardins du Trocadéro
  • Les Egouts
  • Musée Dapper
  • Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris
  • Musée du Quai Branly
  • Musée Galliera
  • Musée l'Armée
  • Musée Maillol
  • Musée National des Arts Asiatiques Guimet
  • Musée Rodin
  • Palais de Chaillot
  • Palais de l'Elysée
  • Petit Palais
  • Pont Alexandre III
  • Sainte-Clotilde
  • St-Louis-des-Invalides
  • UNESCO
  • Sights on the Left Bank of the Seine

  • Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts
  • Fontaine de l'Observatoire
  • La Sorbonne
  • Latin Quarter
  • Luxembourg Quarter
  • Musée de Cluny
  • Musée d'Orsay
  • Musée Eugène Delacroix
  • Palais du Luxembourg
  • Panthéon
  • Rue de l'Odéon
  • Quai Voltaire
  • St-Etienne-du-Mont
  • St-Germain-des-Prés
  • St-Julien-le-Pauvre
  • St-Séverin
  • St-Sulpice
  • Val-de-Grâce
  • Sights in the vicinity of Paris

  • Bercy
  • Bibliothèque Nationale de France
  • Bois de Boulogne
  • Canal St-Martin
  • Catacombes
  • Château de Vincennes
  • Cimetière de Montmartre
  • Cimetière du Montparnasse
  • Cimetière du Père Lachaise
  • Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
  • Cité Nationale de l'Historie de l'Immigration
  • Fondation Le Corbusier
  • Institut du Monde Arabe
  • Jardin des Plantes
  • La Défense
  • Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen
  • Montmartre
  • Montparnasse
  • Mosquée de Paris
  • Moulin Rouge
  • Musée du Cristal de Baccarat
  • Musée Gustave Moreau
  • Musée Marmonttan-Claude Monet
  • Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle
  • Parc André Citroën
  • Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
  • Parc Monceau
  • Parc Montsouris
  • Rue la Fontaine
  • Sacré-Cœur
  • St-Alexandre-Nevsky
  • Sights in Ile de France

  • Abbaye de Royaumont
  • Basilique St-Denis
  • Château de Dampierre
  • Château de Fontainebleau
  • Château de Malmaison
  • Château de Rambouillet
  • Château de Sceaux
  • Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
  • Disneyland Resort Paris
  • Musée Nationale de la Renaissance
  • Provins
  • St-Germain-en-Laye
  • Versailles
  • What to see in Northeast France

    Cities and Sights in Le Nord and Picardy

  • Amiens
  • Amiens Cathedral
  • Arras
  • Beauvais
  • Boulogne-sur-Mer
  • Calais
  • Chantilly
  • Château de Pierrefonds
  • Compiègne
  • Dunkerque
  • Flandre Maritime
  • Laon
  • Le Touquet
  • Lille
  • Noyon
  • Parc Astérix
  • Senlis
  • St-Omer
  • Vallée de la Somme
  • Cities and Sights in Champagne

  • Argonne
  • Châlons-en-Champagne
  • Charleville-Mézi`res
  • Chaumont
  • Épernay
  • L'Épine
  • Langres
  • Reims
  • Reims Cathedral
  • Rocroi
  • Sedan
  • Troyes
  • Vallée de la Meuse
  • Cities and Sights of Alsace and Lorraine

  • Betschdorf
  • Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg
  • Colmar
  • Eguisheim
  • Gérardmer
  • Guebwiller
  • Metz
  • Mulhouse
  • Nancy
  • Neuf-Brisach
  • Obernai
  • Ribeauvillé
  • Riquewihr
  • Saverne
  • Sélestat
  • Strasbourg
  • Toul
  • Verdun
  • What to see in Western France

    Cities and Sights in Normandy

  • Avranches
  • Basse-Seine
  • Bayeux
  • Caen
  • Cherbourg
  • Côte d'Albâtre
  • Côte de Nacre
  • Côte Fleurie
  • Cotentin
  • Coutances
  • Dieppe
  • Évreux
  • Giverny
  • Granville
  • Haute-Seine
  • Honfleur
  • Le Havre
  • Mont-St-Michel
  • Parc Naturel Régional de Normandie-Maine
  • Pays d'Auge
  • Suisse Normande
  • Sights in Rouen

  • Cathédrale Notre-Dame
  • Eglise St-Maclou
  • Eglise St-Ouen
  • Musée de la Céramique
  • Musée des Beaux Arts
  • Musée d'Histoire Naturelle
  • Musée Flaubert
  • Musée Le Secq des Tournelles
  • Cities and Sights in Brittany

  • Belle-Île-en-Mer
  • Brest
  • Cancale
  • Carnac
  • Combourg
  • Concarneau
  • Côte de Granit Rose
  • Côte d'Emeraude
  • Dinan
  • Douarnenez
  • Forêt de Paimpont
  • Fougères
  • Golfe du Morbihan
  • Guimiliau
  • Ile de Bréhat
  • Île d'Ouessant
  • Josselin
  • Lampaul-Guimiliau
  • Le Pouldu
  • Locronan
  • Parc Naturel Régional d'Armorique
  • Pays Bigouden
  • Pointe du Raz
  • Pont-Aven
  • Presqu'île de Quiberon
  • Quimper
  • Rennes
  • Roscoff
  • St-Malo
  • St-Thégonnec
  • Tréguier
  • Vannes
  • Vitré
  • Cities and Sights of the Loire Valley

  • Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud
  • Amboise
  • Angers
  • Beaugency
  • Blois
  • Bourges
  • Chartres
  • Chartes Cathedral
  • Château d'Azay-le-Rideau
  • Château de Chambord
  • Château de Chenonceau
  • Château de Langeais
  • Château de Villandry
  • Château d'Ussé
  • Chinon
  • Le Mans
  • Loches
  • Montrésor
  • Montreuil-Bellay
  • Nantes
  • Orléans
  • Saumur
  • St-Benoît-sur-Loire
  • The Loir
  • The Vendée
  • Tours
  • Vendôme
  • Vouvray
  • What to see in Central France and the Alps

    Cities and Sights in Burgundy and Franche-Comté

  • Abbaye de Fontenay
  • Alise-Ste-Reine
  • Arbois
  • Arc-et-Senans
  • Autun
  • Auxerre
  • Avallon
  • Beaune
  • Belfort
  • Besançon
  • Cascades du Hérisson
  • Chablis
  • Champlitte
  • Château d'Ancy-le-Franc
  • Château de Tanlay
  • Châtillon-sur-Seine
  • Cluny
  • Côte d'Or
  • Dijon
  • Dole
  • Franche-Comté
  • Hôtel-Dieu
  • La Puisaye-Forterre
  • Mâcon
  • Morvan
  • Nevers
  • Ornans
  • Paray-le-Monial
  • Ronchamp
  • Saulieu
  • Semur-en-Auxois
  • Sens
  • Tonnerre
  • Tournus
  • Vézelay
  • Cities and Sights of the Massif Central

  • Aubusson
  • Château de la Palice
  • Clermont-Ferrand
  • Collonges-la-Rouge
  • Conques
  • Corniche des Cévennes
  • Gorges du Tarn
  • Grands Causses
  • Issoire
  • La Chaise-Dieu
  • Le Puy-en-Velay
  • Limoges
  • Montluçon
  • Monts Dômes
  • Monts Dore
  • Monts du Cantal
  • Moulins
  • Orcival
  • Rodez
  • Salers
  • St-Nectaire
  • Thiers
  • Turenne
  • Uzerche
  • Vallée du Lot
  • Vichy
  • Cities and Sights of the Rhône Valley and the French Alps

  • Aix-les-Bains
  • Annecy
  • Bourg-en-Bresse
  • Briançon
  • Chambéry
  • Grenoble
  • Grignan
  • Lac Léman
  • Le Bourg d'Oisans
  • Lyon
  • Montélimar
  • Nyons
  • Palais Idéal du Facteur Cheval
  • Pérouges
  • St-Étienne
  • St-Romain-en-Gal
  • The Ardèche
  • The Chartreuse
  • The Dombes
  • The Vercors
  • Tournon-sur-Rhône
  • Valence
  • Vals-les-Bains
  • Vienne
  • What to see in Southwest France

    Cities and Sights in Poitou and Aquitaine

  • Abbaye de Nouaillé-Maupertuis
  • Angles-sur-l'Anglin
  • Angoulême
  • Aubeterre-sur-Dronne
  • Aulnay
  • Bassin d'Arcachon
  • Brouage
  • Charroux
  • Chauvigny
  • Cognac
  • Confolens
  • Dax
  • Futuroscope
  • Île d'Oléron
  • La Côte d'Argent
  • La Rochelle
  • Les Landes
  • Marais Poitevin
  • Melle
  • Mont-de-Marsan
  • Montmorillon
  • Niort
  • Parthenay
  • Pauillac
  • Poitiers
  • Rochefort
  • Royan
  • Saintes
  • St-Émilion
  • St-Savin
  • Talmont-sur-Gironde
  • Thouars
  • Sights in Bordeaux

  • Basilique St-Michel
  • CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain
  • Cathédrale St-André
  • Eglise St-Seurin
  • Grand Théâtre
  • Musée d'Aquitaine
  • Musée des Arts Décoratifs
  • Musée des Beaux-Arts
  • Cities and Sights of Perigord, Quercy and Gascony

  • Agen
  • Albi
  • Auch
  • Auvillar
  • Bergerac
  • Brantôme
  • Bourdeilles
  • Cahors
  • Castres
  • Condom
  • Cordes
  • Domme
  • Dordogne Valley
  • Gorges de l'Aveyron
  • Gouffre de Padirac
  • Hautefort
  • Larressingle
  • Lascaux II
  • Les Eyzies
  • Moissac
  • Montauban
  • Périgueux
  • Rocamadour
  • Sarlat
  • St-Amand-de-Coly
  • St-Jean-de-Côle
  • Sights in Toulouse

  • Basilique St-Sernin
  • Cité de l'Espace
  • Fondation Bemberg
  • Les Jacobins
  • Cities and Sights in the Pyrenees

  • Aïnhoa
  • Arreau
  • Bayonne
  • Biarritz
  • Foix
  • Forêt d'Iraty
  • Lourdes
  • Luz-St-Sauveur
  • Mirepoix
  • Montségur
  • Oloron-Ste-Marie
  • Orthez
  • Parc National des Pyrénées
  • Pau
  • Sauveterre-de-Béarn
  • St-Bertrand-de-Comminges
  • St-Jean-de-Luz
  • St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
  • St-Lizier
  • Tarbes
  • What to see in the South of France

    Cities and Sights of Languedoc-Roussillon

  • Aigues-Mortes
  • Béziers
  • Carcassonne
  • Cerdagne
  • Céret
  • Collioure
  • Corbières
  • Côte Vermeille
  • Elne
  • Golfe du Lion
  • La Grande-Motte
  • Minerve
  • Montpellier
  • Narbonne
  • Parc Régional du Haut Languedoc
  • Perpignan
  • Pézenas
  • Pont du Gard
  • Prieuré de Serrabone
  • Salses
  • Sète
  • St-Guilhem-le-Désert
  • St-Martin-du-Canigou
  • St-Michel-de-Cuxa
  • Villefranche-de-Conflent
  • Sights in Nîmes

  • Carré d'Art/Musée d'Art Contemporain
  • Jardin de la Fontaine
  • Les Arènes
  • Musée Archéologique
  • Cities and Sights of Provence and the Côte d'Azur

  • Aix-en-Provence
  • Alpes-Maritimes
  • Antibes
  • Arles
  • Avignon
  • Biot
  • Cannes
  • Cagnes-sur-Mer
  • Cap d'Antibes
  • Cap Ferrat
  • Carpentras
  • Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  • Digne-les-Bains
  • Eze
  • Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
  • Fréjus
  • Gordes
  • Gorges du Loup
  • Grasse
  • Hyères
  • Îles d'Hyères
  • Les Baux-de-Provence
  • Luberon
  • Massif des Maures
  • Menton
  • Mont Ventoux
  • Orange
  • Palais des Papes
  • Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
  • St-Paul-de-Vence
  • St-Raphaël
  • St-Rémy-de-Provence
  • St-Tropez
  • Tarascon
  • The Camargue
  • Toulon
  • Vaison-la-Romaine
  • Vallauris
  • Vence
  • Villefranche-sur-Mer
  • Sights in Marseille

  • Abbaye de St-Victor
  • Cathédrale de la Major
  • Château d'If
  • Musée des Beaux-Arts
  • Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde
  • Vielle Charité
  • Sights in Monaco

  • Grand Casino
  • Jardin Exotique
  • Musée des Souvenirs Napoléoniens et Archives Historiques du Palais
  • Musée Océanographique
  • Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, Collection des Poupées Automates
  • Palais Princier
  • Sights in Nice

  • Cathédrale Orthodoxe Russe St-Nicolas
  • Cathédrale Ste-Réparate
  • Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain
  • Musée des Arts Asiatiques
  • Musée des Beaux-Arts
  • Musée Chagall
  • Musée Matisse
  • Palais Lascaris
  • Palais Masséna
  • Cities and Sights of Corsica

  • Ajaccio
  • Bastia
  • Bonifacio
  • Calvi
  • Cap Corse
  • Cargèse
  • Corte
  • Côte Orientale
  • Filitosa
  • Golfe de Porto
  • L'Île Rousse
  • Sartène
  • St-Florent
  • The Castagniccia
  • The Niolo
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