Holiday ideas

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

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France travel ideas

Provence villages

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Our favourite five villages in Provence

Provencal villages

Hotels in France

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Where

Visit France

Pujols

We can help you visit any town, village or region of France...

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A tour of Corsica

Bonifacio

Your Corsica visit: step by step!

Tour Corsica

Aurillac

Close to the scenic Route des Cretes', Aurillac lacks major monuments but is a very pleasant town to explore

Visit Aurillac

How far is that?

Trip planning

Find out how long your journey will take

Driving times & distances

Towns and villages

Travel ideas

Thousands of towns & villages in France

Towns & villages

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Hunawihr

In the heart of the Alsace wine region you should visit Hunawihr, now listed among the 'most beautiful villages in France'

Visit Hunawihr

Regions of France

discover the French regions

Start exploring the regions of France.

French regions

Bourges

Although Bourges is known for its stunning cathedral, it also has a substantial medieval centre and the Palais Jacques-Coeur among its many places of interest

Visit Bourges

It isn't easy to know where to start when you are planning to visit France! We suggest you first select a region, then a department within that region, then an area within that department when deciding where to visit...to get you started, below we mention the main reasons each region attracts visitors

Our travel guides review each region of France, then each regional travel guide has more detailed department travel guides, each in turn with reviews and guides for many of the most popular places to visit throughout France. Start exploring here:

Northern France with Brittany, Normandy & Paris

northern France guide

The north-west is a very popular region of France with visitors, and includes the coastline and islands of Brittany, one of the most visited regons of France. You can also explore the popular family beaches of the Western Loire (Pays-de-la-Loire region) and the unspoiled countryside, gardens and traditional architecture of Normandy

The north-east region includes the popular villages and vineyards and villages of Alsace and the famous champagne producing region of Champagne-Ardenne.

Other regions of northern France include Lorraine (not very visited by tourists in France, as well as Picardy and the coastal area of Nord-Pas-de-Calais whch includes some picturesque resorts and towns

See the Paris travel guide if you are planning a visit to the most famous city in the world!

 
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Central France with the Loire Valley & Burgundy

central France guide

The Burgundy region is best known for its scenery, historic towns and vineyards, while further west the Loire Valley (the Centre region) contains numerous world famous chateaux.

To the east of here are the attractive hills and countryside of the Franche Comte region, while the western coast and Poitou-Charentes includes highlights such as historic La Rochelle and the beaches of the Ile-de-Ré.

In the heart of France, the Limousin region includes some of the least visited but most attractive scenery in the country and you can enjoy the rugged beauty and unspoiled countryside of the Auvergne region, also part of the extensive Massif Central area.

Southern France with Provence and the Dordogne

Provence guide

The south-east attracts more visitors than any other region of France because of the many scenic highlights and extensive Mediterranean coast in Provence and along the Cote d'Azur (French Riviera). The very scenic Rhone Alpes region is to the north of here and Corsica, often referred to as the 'Island of Beauty', is off the coast to the south.

Travelling west from here it is the coast and scenery of Languedoc-Roussillon that attracts many visitors, while the Midi-Pyrenees extends northwards from the Pyrenees mountains along the Spanish border to the villages and gorges around Cahors and Figeac.

In south-west France the Aquitaine region is famous for its Atlantic beaches, 19th century resorts such as Biarritz, and the countryside and villages of the Dordogne department.

 
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Departments, towns and villages

The 22 regions of France are further divided into departments of France and these contain the 35,800 places in France - usually towns and villages.

You can also use our index of places in France to find any place you are looking for when planning your trip.

France This Way group

Please visit our parent site Europe This Way for more travel destinations across Europe (e.g. we have a detailed guide by our Italy expert: Italy This Way)

We are always very pleased to hear suggestions, comments, photos relating to both this site and France in general - please let us know how we can improve!

Food and drink in France

recipes from france

No visit to France would be complete without enjoying some traditional French recipes, and every lover of France knows what an important role food has for the French.

We include the most traditional French recipes such as cassoulet and tarte aux pommes, and lots of others that are less common but equally tasty!

Facts and figures

france flag, symbols, weather and information

See the France info section for loads of facts and figures for anything French, from the history of the baguette to the words of the Marseillaise and how to renovate a property in France, and much more besides.

We also have some great photos of animals you might encounter at wildlife in France.

History of France

history of france

Read about the history of France from prehistory onwards and visit some of the castles in France.

Culture

culture and arts of france

The history and culture of France are closely linked - see France culture which looks at artists, language, architecture, French film directors...