France has it all - enviable beauty, refined architecture, cultural sophistication, and infectious romance. Every little corner of the country is worth visiting regardless of season, and deciding on a compact itinerary given all those unmatchable attractions can really give you a hard time.
Following some research into the preferences and opinions posted by users of various social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as own resources and reviews by the most popular travel sites, Open Travel has compiled a list of top 25 things to see or do on your France Vacations. We are sure it will convince you of the country's uniqueness and help you to plan your trip. France is not just a recommendable destination, but a definite must on the list of both an amateur tourist and a conscientious traveler.
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Photo by edwin.11
As befits the most visited museum in the world, even the main entrance to the Louvre is a work of art. But don't linger for too long marveling at the glassy pyramid. Inside await the riches of world's most exquisite artistic legacy, from Egyptian mummies and Code of Hammurabi to Venus de Milo and...
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Location: Le Mont-Saint-Michel, France
Photo by LucaLu
Where the forces of nature meet the artistry of medieval architecture and Brittany melts with Normandy, there rises one of the first sites to obtain UNESCO World Heritage listing. Atop a rocky tidal island sits the legendary abbey - a symbol of the French national identity and heroic resistance t...
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Photo by piglicker
Built to mark the centennial celebration of the French Revolution, it lays claim to being the most visited paid monument in the world. On a gloomy morning you may not even find it attractive - a mere pile of welded metal. Yet standing on its top observation deck on a cloudless afternoon and gazin...
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Photo by ahisgett
All we know about the creator of Chartres is that by outlining some entirely new principles he inspired all distinguished architects for years to follow. The soaring spires, the glowing 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, and the porches elaborately adorned with detail-faithful sculptur...
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Location: Versailles, France
Photo by Panoramas
Having access to grand pieces of fine art on a daily basis must be entirely rewarding, but living in one is a totally different affair. Louis XIV certainly knew what he was doing when he moved to the court of Versailles in 1682. Today the gilded royal apartments, the breathtaking Hall of Mirrors...
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Location: Département de Maine-et-Loire, France
Photo by Panoramas
The twisting Loire cuts through the landscape of rolling hills and rocky protrusions to provide a soothing spectacle of nature, and set stage for a stupefying fit of architecture. This fabulous land of vineyards and blooming flowers has both river banks dotted with more than a thousand of unbelie...
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Photo by gillesklein
If the Louvre is the most splendid museum in France, then the Musee d'Orsay is right behind. Housed in the former railway station on the left bank of the Seine, it holds mainly paintings and sculptures by French artists, all of great merit and stunning sensitivity to detail. And much as the entir...
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Photo by Chi King
A runner-up in Europe, after Chartres, in terms of bedazzling sculpted ornamentation, the former coronation site is an outstanding blend of royal history and architectural artistry. The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Rheims displays the perfect synthesis of Gothic elements distinguished by remarkable...
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Photo by Wolfgang Staudt
By far the best preserved Roman amphitheater in the world, the arena has been dominating the city of Nîmes for nearly 2,000 years, bearing a testament to the genius of Roman engineers. It is down to the enviable degree of perfection they achieved that we can today enjoy numerous contemporary eve...
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Photo by Serge Melki
Victor Hugo's novel and the hugely touching characterization of the hunchback, Quasimodo, has served the cathedral's popularity well, but no attention seeking was necessary at all. No measure was spared in conceiving of a church that would reflect the capital's prestige, and the result proved to...
RATE ITMore about Notre Dame Cathedral (Cathedrale de Notre Dame de Paris)
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Photo by David G...
Evidently under the spell of the ancient Roman architecture, Napoleon I commissioned Jean Chalgrin to design a triumphal arch dedicated to the glory of the imperial armies. The world's largest monument of this kind, today it links old and new Paris, forming a backdrop for the precious urban ensem...
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Photo by Jaz8085
Centre George Pompidou perfectly epitomizes all those cases when the very building competes for supremacy with its contents. Named after a former President of France and completed between 1971 and 1977, the center is truly a weird construction. Representing hi-tech architecture, it's a skeleton o...
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Moulin Rouge
Photo by stevehdc
Toulouse-Lautrec adored Moulin Rouge, and he certainly had good reasons to do so. Located in the vicinity of Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of Pigalle, the cabaret was a hotbed of brash entertainment, and the lithe, long-legged dancers had a special appeal to the crippled painter. Tod...
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Location: Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, France
Photo by ti lapin tom
Backdropped by the monumental wall of Mt Blanc, the Chamonix valley is a year-round paradise not only for enthusiasts of outdoor sports, but for anyone who appreciates a speck of history wrapped in heart-melting vistas. Lifts transport visitors into the heart of the massif, endless trails unveil...
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Photo by http2007
The news spread fast that Our Lady of Lourdes had appeared to Bernadette Soubirous several times, and a tranquil market town nested in the foothills of the Pyrenees turned into a major pilgrimage destination, which today is believed to have the second greatest number of hotels in France after Par...
RATE ITMore about Pèlerinage de Lourdes (The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes)
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Pont du Gard
Location: Languedoc-Roussillon, France
Photo by zak mc
2000 years ago over 1000 people spent 5 strenuous years constructing the Pont du Gard - a spectacular compilation of stones weighing up to 6 tons. Constructed entirely without the use of mortar, which makes it even more impressive, it was part of a nearly 50 km aqueduct designed to carry water th...
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Lascaux II
Photo by JackVersloot
A little oak forest south of Montignac, France. Four boys are desperately trying to rescue their dog trapped in a cave, the depth of which it's hard to tell. As they lower one another into the darkness, little do they realize that the trusty companion has lead them to make a groundbreaking discov...
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Location: Carcassonne, France
Photo by Wy@rt
To be precise, there are two Carcassonnes: the famous walled City (Cité) and the adjacent town spreading at its foot (ville basse). A visit to the fortified settlement is a true step back in time. Its narrow cobblestoned streets, medieval buildings, and little squares filled with atmospheric res...
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Photo by http2007
Orange is an ordinary town devoid of that touristy luster you expect to find in a place of this significance. Agricultural in its heart, the modest setting doubles the aesthetic impact of the ancient heritage it unveils to visitors. Orange is home to one of the most complete and best preserved Ro...
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10 June 1944, in retaliation for the sabotage attacks by the French Resistance, the idyllic village of Oradour-sur-Glane was razed to the ground and 642 innocent residents massacred by Waffen-SS soldiers. A new settlement was built post-war but the ruins of the martyred village have been preserve...
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Stretching from Marlenheim to Thann, winding through endless terraced vineyards and flower-decked adorable villages, passing medieval castles and myriad free degustation spots, Alsace's Wine Route cannot be missed on any account. The region may be in less spotlight than Bordeaux or Burgundy, but...
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Location: Marne-la-Vallée, France
Photo by samlavi
A paradise for kids and an opportunity for adults to be kids again, Disneyland Resort Paris is the second one to open outside the United States. As you enter the "Happiest Place on Earth, you are immediately possessed with the magic you so happily yielded to years ago. Scream, chant your favorite...
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Location: Champagne-Ardenne, France
Photo by Tavallai
Celebrated around the world for the sparkling wines, the Champagne region has more highlights than just the fizzy beverage. It's a picturesque oasis of tranquility, pristine beauty, and fine historical heritage sprawled over five wine producing districts with the commercial centers in the towns o...
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Location: Saint-Tropez, France
Photo by jezpahjoy
Famous for Brigitte Bardot and the clumsy gendarme, this sparkling pearl of Cote d'Azur is able to cast a spell on everyone from history buffs to cinema aficionados. But it is beach bums, including the red carpet crème de la crème, that will have the time of their life in St Tropez. With the c...
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Location: La Rochelle, France
Photo by zemoko
La Rochelle is an ocean packed into just two floors. From the dancing jellyfish and dazzling Mediterranean coral to zooming shoals of piranhas and the king of the depths - the shark, the riches contained in all those tanks are so well displayed that visitors gaze at the species as if hypnotized...
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Stumble
i believe tha le cote d'azur is a place one should never miss
And that's France, my favourite country!
Very useful information and fabulous pictures
excellent post
wow france is sooo awesome! i really wanna go there!
Excellent post, but "Le Pont du Gard" is not located in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur but in Languedoc-Roussillon.
Thank you, Will. Our users' watchfulness can only make us better and better. We're sorry about the mistake and promise to be even more careful
Regards,
Open Travel
this really help