Market towns, grand museums and vineyards for every taste.
France has variety on a large scale. Paris has the Louvre, Notre-Dame and café-lined boulevards, while the Loire Valley is famous for its châteaux and Provence for lavender fields and hilltop villages. Mont-Saint-Michel rises from the tidal flats of Normandy, Chamonix sits beneath Mont Blanc, and the Côte d'Azur and the Dordogne each have their own distinct character.
Food and wine shape the days, from morning boulangeries and weekly markets to long lunches and regional wines in Bordeaux and Burgundy. High-speed TGV trains link the main cities, and a car is best for the countryside. May, June and September are ideal; July and August are busy, especially on the coast, and winter suits Paris and the Alpine ski resorts.
Best time to visit France
May, June, September.
Places to visit in France
Paris: The benchmark city break: the Louvre and Musée d'Orsay, café terraces, the Seine and neighbourhoods made for walking.
Provence: Lavender fields, hilltop villages and market towns in the south of France, with Roman ruins and rosé to match.
Mont-Saint-Michel: A granite islet crowned by a Gothic abbey, cut off by some of the biggest tides in Europe.
Versailles: Louis XIV's vast palace and formal gardens, a short train ride from central Paris.
Nice: The capital of the Côte d'Azur, with a seafront promenade, a pastel old town and Riviera villages close by.
Lyon: France's gastronomic heart, with Renaissance lanes, traboules and the bouchons that define Lyonnais cooking.
Bordeaux: An elegant 18th-century port city on the Garonne, and the gateway to Saint-Émilion and the Médoc vineyards.
Loire Valley: The garden of France, lined with Renaissance châteaux like Chambord and Chenonceau and good for cycling.
Chamonix: A mountain town at the foot of Mont Blanc, with cable cars, glaciers and classic alpine skiing and hiking.
Marseille: A gritty, sunlit port city with a historic harbour, bouillabaisse and the limestone calanques on its doorstep.
Strasbourg: The capital of Alsace, blending French and German culture with canals, a soaring cathedral and famous Christmas markets.
Normandy D-Day Beaches: The beaches of the 1944 Allied landings, with cemeteries, museums and cliffs that tell the story of D-Day.
Corsica: A rugged Mediterranean island of granite mountains, clear coves and hill villages, and the birthplace of Napoleon.
Carcassonne: A restored medieval walled city with 52 towers and double ramparts, rising above the vineyards of Languedoc.
Annecy: An alpine town of canals and flower-hung balconies on the shore of one of Europe's cleanest lakes.
Dordogne: A green valley of cliff-side villages, prehistoric cave art and castles above a winding river.
Biarritz: A stylish Basque seaside town with surf beaches, grand villas and pintxos bars nearby in San Sebastián.
Avignon: The medieval home of the popes, with a colossal Gothic palace, a half-bridge and a famous summer theatre festival.
Essentials
Currency: Euro (EUR)
Language: French; English common in tourist areas
Plugs: Type C / E, 230 V
Driving: Right side
Time zone: UTC+1
Tipping: Service is included; round up or leave a few euros
Getting around: TGV trains link cities quickly; a car helps in the countryside
Entry: Check the official rules for your passport before booking