Fodor's Essential France
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
France is a gastronomic wonderland, an artistic mecca, and a historical pop-up book. Vineyards blanket the wine regions, cathedrals crown the cities, and sandy beaches fringe the coastline. With all these riches, you may start plotting your next visit before you even return home.
The celebrated city of lights, Paris is one of the must-see cities of Europe for good reason. The tourist attractions alone provide days upon days of entertainment. It’s true, you may wait in line to ascend the Eiffel Tower, but you’ll be surrounded by beguiling views of Champs de Mars and the stately ambiance of the Palais de Chaillot. Once you get to the top, the city of Paris is yours for drinking in.
The museums in Paris are numerous and famed throughout the world, including the Louvre and the M...
Read MoreFrance is a gastronomic wonderland, an artistic mecca, and a historical pop-up book. Vineyards blanket the wine regions, cathedrals crown the cities, and sandy beaches fringe the coastline. With all these riches, you may start plotting your next visit before you even return home.
The celebrated city of lights, Paris is one of the must-see cities of Europe for good reason. The tourist attractions alone provide days upon days of entertainment. It’s true, you may wait in line to ascend the Eiffel Tower, but you’ll be surrounded by beguiling views of Champs de Mars and the stately ambiance of the Palais de Chaillot. Once you get to the top, the city of Paris is yours for drinking in.
The museums in Paris are numerous and famed throughout the world, including the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay. After a trip to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, unwind with a cafe in the enchanting Jardin de Tuileries. The Orsay sits not too far from the banks of the Seine, along which you can pick up a book at the scattered bouquiniste stalls along the river, journey via the Bateau Mouche to Notre Dame Cathedral, and grab a pain au chocolat (or two) in the lively Latin Quarter, humming with colorful markets and student life. From there, should the spirit move you, why not swing by the Sorbonne and take in the Pantheon? Or the Luxembourg Gardens, or the Paris Zoo, or the spooky catacombs, or a high-end shopping spree in the Marais—the possibilities are plentiful.
The 20 arrondisements of Paris each embody a unique sensibility. From the rolling hills of Montmartre topped by the magnificent Sacre Coeur, to the posh Ile Saint Louis lingering in between the right and left bank, the glamour of the Champs Elysees to the quieter, residential spots, hidden beauty is everywhere to discover.
Travel a few hours south of the capital on the high-speed rail to Lyon, the beating heart of French gastronomy. Lyon is the gateway to the Alpine region, and you’ll find it’s both a buzzing metropolis and a charming village stopped in time. After picking up a few souvenirs in the bustling Place Bellecour, ascend the heights of the city with a quick funicular ride for another one of France’s indelible views.
Sample Lyon’s namesake bouchons, corner bistros featuring French-style comfort food. After a day touring breathtaking churches, hip neighborhood like La Croix-Rousse, and wandering the picturesque streets of Vieux Lyon, have a Kir Royale and relax.
While Lyon is great for tasting classic French cuisine and seeing city sights, just a few hours away are snow-capped villages that will take your breath away. If you’re looking for a quaint ski town, France is an ideal destination: escape to a city surrounded by resort options like Grenoble or wake up practically in the powder in Chamonix. Other Alpine retreats to write home about include Annecy, a postcard town with picture-book vistas. While these escapes shimmer in the snow, the spirit of outdoor adventure thrives all year round with plenty of hiking, biking, paddle boating for adventurers of any level.
And then there’s the South of France. These words conjure a timeless myth of easy luxury and captivating beauty. But this region isn’t purely for the glitz and glam of the jetset scene. Provence possesses a wild, natural beauty, and a landscape sprinkled with soaring cypress trees and imbued with a light so special, it drew painters like Van Gogh and Gaugin to reap inspiration. The cuisine of the South is typically less cheese-heavy and more Mediterranean (fear not, there is still plenty of cheese and bread to be found in the regions’ sumptuous open air markets). Olive oil and ratatouille are two Provençal trademarks, as are calissons, small almond candies that are the official sweet of the region’s largest city, Aix-en-Provence.
Travel farther south and behold the incomparable blue of the Mediterranean Sea. When some people think of France, these are the sights that leap to mind: languidly strolling along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, past the Hotel Negresco; gazing upon the impossibly ritzy cars lining the streets leading to the casino in Monte Carlo and the exclusive beach clubs of St. Tropez. Yes, vacationing in the South of France can come with a hefty price tag, but it can also be done on a budget. Savor the socca in the sprawling Place Massena in Nice, pick up some of France’s most delicious gelato at Fenocchio, and sample fresh seafood from Vieux Port in Marseille. Also be sure to take advantage of the less-expensive regional train line offering views that will remain with you for a lifetime.
While the France’s eastern coast might be iconic, the homey, charming southwestern coast has plenty to offer. Southwestern France, closer to Spain and Basque Country, provides plenty of locales that aren’t quite as busy as the tourist hubs. Warm up with a bowl of cassoulet in Toulouse, the “Pink City” (La Ville Rose). Not far from the canals of the Garonne are Biarritz and Bordeaux, sun-soaked cities that bring a sophisticated panache to the region.
In the north, many treasures abound. History buffs flock to the beaches of Normandy, and Brittany is known for its distinctive regional cuisine—it’s where crepes got their start. Castles and chateaux are treasures that inspired fairy tales over the years. In the Loire Valley, the Chateau d’Usse is supposedly Sleeping Beauty’s castle, while the Alsatian town of Colmar is the rumored real-life setting of Beauty and the Beast.
The regions of France are a diverse patchwork. Stay in chic Paris, visit the bucolic countryside, ski in the Alps, kayak in the Calanques, the list goes on and on.
Fodor's Essential France
For over 80 years, Fodor's Travel has been a trusted resource offering expert travel...
Top Destinations
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Paris
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on earth, a truth easily appreciated on a stroll that could yield one stunning vista after another...

Provence
Wander past the canopied café terraces, wizened olive groves, and austere cypresses of Provence and you’ll start to realize you can’t shake off a sense...

The French Riviera
This sprawl of pebble beaches and zillion-dollar houses has always captivated sun lovers and socialites. Today's admirers know not to miss the Côte d'Azur's textbook...

Nice and the Eastern Cote d'Azur
With the Alps and pre-Alps playing bodyguard against inland winds, and the sultry Mediterranean warming the sea breezes, the eastern slice of the Côte d'Azur...

Aix, Marseille, and the Central Coast
When you cross the imaginary border into Provence for the first time, you may experience a niggling sense of déjà vu. The sun-drenched angular red...

Lyon and the Alps
Lyon and the Alps are as alike as chocolate and broccoli. Lyon is fast, congested, and saturated with culture. In the bustling city—often called the...

Toulouse and the Languedoc
Like the most celebrated dish of this area, cassoulet, the southwestern region of France is made up of diverse ingredients. Just as it would be...

The Vaucluse
For many, the Vaucluse is the only true Provence—one vast Cézanne masterpiece, where sun-bleached hills and fields are tapestries of green-and-black grapevines and silver-gray olives...

Brittany
Wherever you wander in Brittany—along jagged coastal cliffs, through cobbled seaport streets, into time-burnished cider pubs—you'll hear the primal pulse of Celtic music. Made up...

Normandy
Normandy—shaped roughly like a jigsaw puzzle piece—sprawls across France’s northwestern corner. Due to its geographic position, this region is blessed with a stunning natural beauty...

Side Trips from Paris
Just what is it that makes the Ile-de-France so attractive, so comfortingly familiar? Is it its proximity to the great city of Paris—or perhaps that...

The Loire Valley
A fairy-tale realm par excellence, the Loire Valley is studded with storybook villages, time-burnished towns, and—bien sûr—the famous châteaux de la Loire. These postcard staples...

The Alpilles, Arles, and the Camargue
...

Burgundy
Producing a rarefied concentration of what many consider the world's greatest wines and harboring a sigh-worthy collection of magnificent Romanesque abbeys, Burgundy hardly needs to...

Alsace-Lorraine
Only the Rhine separates Germany from Alsace-Lorraine, a region that often looks German and even sounds German. But its heart—just to prove how deceptive appearances...

The Western Cote d'Azur
...

Corsica
"The best way to know Corsica," according to Napoléon, "is to be born there." Not everyone has had his luck, so chances are you'll be...

Marseille
Popular myths and a fishy reputation have led Marseille to be unfairly maligned as dirty urban sprawl plagued with impoverished immigrant neighborhoods and slightly louche...

The Basque Country, Gascony, and Hautes-Pyrenees
Several years back, a mayor in the province of Soule welcomed a group of travelers with the following announcements: the Basque Country is the most...

Nice
United with France only since 1860, Nice has its own history and atmosphere, which dates back 230,000 years. It was on Colline du Château (now...

Lyon
The city's setting at the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône is a spectacular riverine landscape overlooked from the heights to the west by...

The Dordogne
Want to smile happily ever after? Linger in a fantasyland full of castles, clifftop châteaux, and storybook villages? Join the club. Since the 1990s the...

Bordeaux and the Wine Country
When travelers arrive here, Bordeaux's countryside enchants them without their quite knowing why: what the French call la douceur de vivre (the sweetness of living)...

Champagne Country
As you head toward Reims, the landscape loosens and undulates, and the hills tantalize with French vineyards that—thanks to la méthode champenoise—produce the world's antidote...

Aix-en-Provence
Longtime rival of edgier, more exotic Marseille, the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence (pronounced "ex") is gracious, cultivated, and made all the more cosmopolitan by the...

Avignon
Of all the monuments in France—cathedrals, châteaux, fortresses—the ancient city of Avignon (pronounced "ah-veen-yonh") is one of the most dramatic. Wrapped in a crenellated wall...

Cannes
Cannes is pampered with the luxurious year-round climate that has made it one of the most popular resorts in Europe. Settled first by the Ligurians...

Arles
If you were obliged to choose just one city to visit in Provence, lovely little Arles would give Avignon and Aix a run for their...

St-Tropez
At first glance, it really doesn't look all that impressive. There's a pretty port with cafés charging €5 for a cup of coffee and a...

Bordeaux
Bordeaux as a whole, rather than any particular points within it, is what you'll want to visit in order to understand why Victor Hugo described...

Dijon
You may never have been to Dijon but you've certainly tasted it. Many of the gastronomic specialties that originated here are known worldwide. They include...

Ajaccio
Considered Corsica’s primary commercial and cultural hub, the largest city and regional capital of Ajaccio is situated on the west coast of the island, approximately...

Versailles
It's hard to tell which is larger at Château de Versailles—the world-famous château that housed Louis XIV and 20,000 of his courtiers, or the mass...

Nancy
For architectural variety, few French locales match this one in the heart of Lorraine, 300 km (190 miles) east of Paris. Medieval ornamentation, 18th-century grandeur...

Strasbourg
Although it’s in the heart of Alsace, 490 km (304 miles) east of Paris, and draws appealingly on Alsatian gemütlichkeit (coziness), Strasbourg is a cosmopolitan...

St-Rémy-de-Provence
There are other towns as pretty as St-Rémy-de-Provence, and others in more dramatic or more picturesque settings. Ruins can be found throughout the south, and...

Nimes
If you have come to the south to seek out Roman treasures, you need look no farther than Nîmes (pronounced neem), for the Arènes and...

Rouen
“O Rouen, art thou then to be my final abode!" was the agonized cry of Joan of Arc as the English dragged her out to...

Biarritz
Biarritz may no longer lay claim to the title "the resort of kings and the king of resorts," but there's no shortage of deluxe hotel...

Nantes
The writer Stendhal remarked of 19th-century Nantes, "I hadn't taken 20 steps before I recognized a great city." Since then, the river that flowed around...

Menton
The most Mediterranean of the French resort towns, Menton rubs shoulders with the Italian border and owes some of its balmy climate to the protective...

Reims
Behind a facade of austerity, Champagne’s largest city remains one of France's richest tourist sites, thanks especially to the fact that it sparkles with some...

Rennes
Rennes (pronounced "wren") is the capital of and traditional gateway to this region. It’s also one of Brittany’s liveliest cities, thanks to the 40,000-odd students...

Grenoble
Capital of the Dauphiné region, Grenoble sits at the confluence of the Isère and Drac rivers and lies within three massifs (mountain ranges): La Chartreuse...

Antibes
Named Antipolis—meaning across from (anti) the city (polis)—by the Greeks, who founded it in the 4th century BC, Antibes flourished under the Romans' aristocratic rule...

Beaune
Beaune is sometimes considered the wine capital of Burgundy because it is at the heart of the region's vineyards, with the Côte de Nuits to...

St-Malo
Thrust out into the sea and bound to the mainland only by tenuous man-made causeways, romantic St-Malo has built a reputation as a breeding ground...

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Crisscrossed with lazy canals and still alive with waterwheels that once drove its silk, wool, and paper mills, this charming valley town retains its gentle...

Bastia
Notably more Italianate than the French-influenced Ajaccio, Bastia is quintessentially Corsican. The Baroque coastal town has a historic center that retains the timeless, salty flavor...

Colmar
Forget that much of Colmar's architecture is modern (because of the destruction wrought by World Wars I and II): its Vieille Ville heart—an atmospheric maze...

Tours
Home to about 150,000 residents, Tours is the region's largest city and its commercial center. Vacationers concerned only with the quaint may be put off...

Bonifacio
The ancient fortress town of Bonifacio occupies a spectacular clifftop aerie above a harbor carved from limestone cliffs. It's 13 km (8 miles) from Sardinia...

Caen
Basically a modern commercial and administrative center with a vibrant student scene, Caen—the capital of Lower Normandy—is very different from the coastal resorts. Atmospheric castles...

St-Raphaël
Right next door to Fréjus, with almost no division between, spreads St-Raphaël, a sprawling resort city with a busy downtown anchored by a casino and...

Troyes
The inhabitants of Troyes would be dismayed if you mistook them for Burgundians. After all, Troyes is the historic capital of the counts of Champagne...

Grasse
Coco Chanel may have first set up shop in Cannes, but when she wanted to create her classic "No. 5" fragrance she headed to Grasse...

Orleans
Surrounded by locales renowned for their beauty, it’s little wonder that Orléans once suffered from an inferiority complex. A century ago ham-fisted urban planners razed...

Calvi
...

Chartres
If Versailles is the climax of French secular architecture, Chartres is its religious apogee. All the descriptive prose and poetry that have been lavished on...

Deauville-Trouville
Divided only by the River Touques, the twin beach towns of Deauville and Trouville are distinctly different in character. The latter, arguably France’s oldest seaside...

Les Baux-de-Provence
When you first search the craggy hilltops for signs of Les Baux-de-Provence (pronounced "boh"), you may not quite be able to distinguish between bedrock and...

Juan-les-Pins
From Old Antibes you can jump on a bus over the hill to Juan-les-Pins, the jazzy younger-sister resort town that, along with Antibes, bracelets the...

Quimper
Quimper (pronounced "cam-pair") owes its strange name to its site at the confluence (kemper in Breton) of the Odet and Steir Rivers. A traditional crowd-puller...

Villefranche-sur-Mer
Nestled discreetly along the deep scoop of harbor between Nice and Cap Ferrat, this pretty watercolor of a fishing port seems surreal, flanked as it...

Nuits-St-Georges
Wine has been made in Nuits-St-Georges since Roman times; its "dry, tonic, and generous qualities" were recommended to Louis XIV for medicinal use. But this...

Pau
The stunning views, mild climate, and elegance of Pau—the historic capital of Béarn, a state annexed to France in 1620—make it a lovely place to...

Cap d'Antibes
For the most part extravagantly idyllic, this fabled 4-mile-long peninsula has been carved up into luxurious estates perched high above the water and shaded by...

Sarlat-la-Canéda
Tucked among hills adorned with corn and wheat, Sarlat is a well-preserved medieval town that has managed to retain some of its true character, despite...

St-Émilion
Suddenly the sun-fired flatlands of Pomerol break into hills and send you tumbling into St-Émilion. This jewel of a town has old buildings of golden...

Corte
Set amid spectacular cliffs and gorges at the confluence of the Tavignano, Restonica, and Orta Rivers, Corte is the spiritual heart and soul of Corsica...

Bandol
Although its name means wine to most of the world, Bandol is also a popular and highly developed seaside resort town. In the 1920s, the...

Gordes
The famous village perché (hilltop village) of Gordes is only a short distance from Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, but you need to wend your way south, east, and...

Mougins
Passing through Mougins, a popular residential community convenient to Cannes, Nice, and the big Sophia-Antipolis business park, you may perceive little more than sleek, upscale...

Les Andelys
Set on a curvacious bend in the Seine, 25 miles from Rouen, historically rich Les Andelys is crowned by the spectacular ruins of King Richard...

Amboise
It is hardly surprising that this hub town is considered a must-see on any Val de Loire itinerary. Crowned by a royal château that’s soaked...

Cherbourg
Perhaps best known for Michel Legrand's haunting theme from the 1960s film musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), Cherbourg-Octeville is no longer...

Lille
Born from the ancient marshes that gave its name (from the Latin "insula" for island), Lille is the 10th largest city in France and sports...

Blaye
The impressive UNESCO-listed Blaye Citadel, built in the 17th century by Louis XIV's star engineer, Sébastien Vauban, is one of the three forts that make...

Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
In the case of picturesque Conflans Sainte-Honorine, set at the confluence of the Oise and Seine Rivers, geography and destiny are inextricably linked. The town's...

Cassis
Surrounded by vineyards, flanked by monumental cliffs, guarded by the ruins of a medieval castle, and nestled around a picture-perfect fishing port, Cassis is the...

Toulon
Toulon is a city of big contrasts: ugly with crowded postwar high-rises, yet surprisingly beautiful with its tree-lined littoral; a place with some frankly unappealing...

Lourdes
The mountain town of Lourdes is arguably the most famous Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, but its origins are decidedly humble and its renown...

Orange
Cradled in northern Provence in the land of Côtes du Rhône vineyards, Orange really isn’t very big, but when compared with the sleepy wine villages...

Annecy
Sparkling Annecy is on crystal clear Lac d'Annecy, surrounded by snow-tipped peaks. Though the canals, flower-decked bridges, and cobbled pedestrian streets are filled with shoppers...

Dinard
The most elegant resort town on this stretch of the Brittany coast, Dinard enjoys a picture-book perch on the Rance Estuary opposite the walled town...

Mont-St-Michel
Mont-St-Michel is the third-most-visited sight in France, after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. This beached mass of granite, rising some 400 feet, was begun...

Aubagne
This easygoing, plane tree-shaded market town (pronounced "oh-bahn-yuh") is proud of its native son, the dramatist, filmmaker, and chronicler of all things Provençal, Marcel Pagnol...

Saumur
You'll find putting up with the locals’ legendary snobisme well worth it once you get a gander at Saumur's centre historique, a camera-ready quarter studded...

Viviers
The lovely pale-stone buildings of Viviers, presided over by a graceful hilltop cathedral, create a dreamlike vision from the vantage point of the river on...

Honfleur
Honfleur, the most picturesque of the Côte Fleurie's seaside towns, is a time-burnished place with a surplus of half-timber houses and cobbled streets that are...

Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
Sitting comfortably under a limestone cliff, Les Eyzies is the doorway to the prehistoric capital of France. Early Homo sapiens (the species to which we...

La Palud-sur-Verdon
Though several towns bill themselves as the gateway to the Gorges du Verdon, this unassuming village stands in its center, on a plateau just north...

Chamonix–Mont-Blanc
Chamonix is the oldest and biggest of the French winter-sports resort towns and was the site of the first Winter Olympics, held in 1924. As...

Moustiers-Ste-Marie
At the edge of all this epic wilderness, it's a bit of a shock to find this jaw-droppingly picture-perfect village tucked into a spectacular cleft...

Mandelieu–La Napoule
La Napoule is the small, old-fashioned port village, Mandelieu the big-fish resort town that devoured it. You can visit Mandelieu for a golf-and-sailing retreat—the town...

St-Jean-de-Luz
Back in 1660, Louis XIV chose this tiny fishing village as the place to marry the Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain. Ever since, travelers have...

Belle-Ile-en-Mer
Covering 84 square km (32 square miles), Belle-Ile is the largest of Brittany's islands; and, as its name implies, it is beautiful. Being less commercialized...

Rocamadour
A medieval village that seems to defy the laws of gravity, Rocamadour surges out of a cliff 1,500 feet above the Alzou River gorge—an awe-inspiring...

Vienne
If you do nothing but head up to this town's famed Roman Theater and look out over the red-tile roofs of the Rhône Valley, you'll...

Vézelay
In the 11th and 12th centuries Vézelay was one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian world. Today the hilltop village is...

Amiens
Although Amiens showcases some pretty brazen postwar reconstruction, epitomized by Auguste Perret's 340-foot Tour Perret (a soaring concrete stump by the train station), the city...

Autun
One of the most richly endowed villes d'art in Burgundy, Autun is a great draw for fans of both Gallo-Roman and Romanesque art. The name...

Cadillac
The remnants of Cadillac's medieval fortifications still surround parts of this picturesque port town, founded in 1280, but the star attraction is the stately Château...

Pont-Aven
This lovely village sits astride the Aven River as it descends from the Montagnes Noires to the sea, turning the town's mills along the way...

Chateauneuf-du-Pape
A patchwork of rolling vineyards, of green-and-black furrows striping the landscape in endless, retreating perspective welcome you to one of France's great wine regions. Once...

Angers
The bustling city of Angers, on the banks of the Maine River just north of the Loire, has a fine Gothic cathedral, a tempting selection...

Fréjus
Turn your back on modern times—the gargantuan, pink, holiday high-rises that crowd the Fréjus-St-Raphaël waterfront—and head uphill to Fréjus-Centre, with its maze of narrow streets...

Giverny
The small village of Giverny (pronounced "jee-vair-knee"), just beyond the Epte River, which marks the boundary of the Ile-de-France, has become a place of pilgrimage...

Vence
If you've visited St-Paul-de-Vence first, Vence will come as something of a relief. Just outside the Old Town, its morning food market, though not extensive...

Aigues-Mortes
Like a tiny illumination in a medieval manuscript, Aigues-Mortes (pronounced ay-guh-mort-uh) is a precise and perfect miniature fortress-town, contained within perfectly symmetrical castellated walls, with...

Fecamp
Founded in the 10th century as a fishing port (the name is a Germanic form of "fish"), Fécamp still relies on the sea for its...

Blois
Perched on a steep hillside overlooking the Loire, the bustling big town of Blois is a convenient base, well served by train and highway. A...

Chantilly
Celebrated for lace, cream, and the most beautiful medieval manuscript in the world—Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry—romantic Chantilly has a host of...

Toulouse
Ebullient Toulouse is the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées and the fourth-largest city in France. Just 100 km (60 miles) from the border with Spain, Toulouse...

The D-Day Beaches
History set its sights along the coasts of Normandy at 6:30 am on June 6, 1944, as the 135,000 men and 20,000 vehicles of the...

Fontainebleau
Like Chambord in the Loire Valley or Compiègne to the north, Fontainebleau was a favorite spot for royal hunting parties long before the construction of...

Bayonne
Located at the confluence of the Adour and Nive Rivers, Bayonne was a Roman castrum (fort) in the 4th century and an English colony from...

Îles d'Hyères
Strung across the Bay of Hyères and spanning some 32 km (20 miles) is an archipelago of islands reminiscent of a set for a pirate...

St-Germain-en-Laye
Encircled by forest and perched behind Le Nôtre's Grande Terrace overlooking the Seine, this idyllic town has lost little of its original cachet—despite the invasion...

Bergerac
Yes, this is the Bergerac of Cyrano de Bergerac fame—but not exactly. The real satirist and playwright Cyrano (1619–55), who inspired Edmond Rostand's long-nose swashbuckler...

Bayeux
Bayeux makes a fine starting point for excursions to nearby World War II sites. Despite being close to scenes of such destruction, Bayeux itself was...

Bourg sur Gironde
Built on a rocky promontory where the Dordogne River splits off from the mighty Garonne, this picturesque town's narrow alleyways and ancient buildings—all hewn from...

Chinon
Chinon—the birthplace of author François Rabelais (1494–1553)—is dominated by a 12th-century castle, perched imposingly above the River Vienne. But its leading photo op is the...

The Camargue
A land of haunting natural beauty, the Camargue was one of the forgotten areas of France only a few decades ago. Today, thousands of visitors...

St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
One of the most exclusive addresses in the world, the peninsula of Cap Ferrat is moored by the luxuriously sited pleasure port of St-Jean; from...

Vaison-la-Romaine
In a river valley green with orchards of almonds and apricots, this ancient town thrives as a modern market center. The Provençal market on Tuesday...

St-Paul
The medieval village of St-Paul-de-Vence can be seen from afar, standing out like its companion, Vence, against the skyline. In the Middle Ages St-Paul-de-Vence was...

Obernai
Many visitors begin their trip down the Route du Vin at Obernai, a thriving, colorful Renaissance market town named for the patron saint of Alsace...

Sare
The much-prized and picturesque village of Sare, described by author Pierre Loti in his Ramuntxo as a virtually autonomous Eden, is built around a large...

Étretat
Midway along Normandy's Alabaster Coast, Étretat might not at first seem worthy of a detour. However, its end-of-the-world location, its spectacular stone formations famously immortalized...

Méribel
No building can be taller than the surrounding trees in this mountainside village, so Méribel feels tucked away in the forest. All the architecture must...

Megève
The smartest of the Mont Blanc stations, idyllic Alpine Megève is not only a major ski resort but also a chic winter watering hole that...

Perpignan
Salvador Dalí once called Perpignan's train station "the center of the world." That may not be true, but the city certainly is the capital hub...

Cancale
Nothing says Brittany like seafood and nothing says seafood like this fishing village, one of the most picturesque in the region. Renowned for its offshore...

Ménerbes
This picturesque fortified town isn’t designated one of the "plus beaux villages du France" for nothing. Perched high on a rocky precipice, Ménerbes’s narrow streets...

Rambouillet
Haughty Rambouillet, once favored by kings and dukes, is now home to affluent gentry and, occasionally, the French president...

Dinan
During the frequent wars that devastated other cities in the Middle Ages, the merchants who ruled Dinan got rich selling stuff to whichever camp had...

Ribeauville
The beautiful half-timber town of Ribeauvillé, surrounded by rolling vineyards and three imposing châteaux, produces some of the best wines in Alsace. (The Trimbach family...

Val Thorens
Skiing is this bustling resort town's raison d'être, so it's no surprise that lifts and gondolas fan out in every direction and that many of...

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
Like the natural attraction for which it is named, this village has welled up and spilled over as a Niagara Falls–type tourist center; the rustic...

Valence
...

Beauvais
Beauvais and its neighbor Amiens have been rivals since the 13th century, when they locked horns over who could build the bigger cathedral. Beauvais lost—gloriously...

Épernay
Although Reims loudly proclaims itself to be the last word in Champagne production, Épernay—on the south bank of the Marne—is really the center of the...

Périgueux
For anyone tired of bucolic delights, even a short visit to the region’s capital can provide a restorative urban fix. Since Périgueux is the commercial...

Cahors
Just an hour north of Toulouse (southwestern France's main city), Cahors makes a fine base for exploring the Lot River valley. Less touristy and populated...

Porticcio
Between the sea and mountain, this upscale resort town a short scenic drive from the capital benefits from unforgettable views and a palette of nautical...

Haut-de-Cagnes
Could this be the most beautiful village in southern France? Part-time residents Renoir, Soutine, Modigliani, and Simone de Beauvoir are a few who thought so...

Vannes
Scene of the declaration of unity between France and Brittany in 1532, Vannes is one of the few towns in the region to have been...

Bourg-en-Bresse
Cheerful, flower-festooned Bourg-en-Bresse is esteemed among gastronomes for its chickens—the striking-looking poulet de Bresse, with plump white bodies, bright blue feet, and red combs (adding...

Chambord
The "Versailles" of the 16th century and the largest of the Loire châteaux, the Château de Chambord is the kind of place William Randolph Hearst...

Le Havre
Considering it was bombarded 146 times during World War II, you might think there’d be little left to see in Le Havre—France's second-largest port (after...

Èze
Medieval and magnificent, towering like an eagle's nest above the coast and crowned with ramparts and the ruins of a medieval château, Èze (pronounced "ehz")...

Montpellier
The vibrant capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Montpellier (pronounced "monh-pell-yay") has been a center of commerce and learning since the Middle Ages, when it was...

La Baule
La Baule is a popular resort town that once rivaled Biarritz. Today it leans toward the tacky rather than the sophisticated, but you still can’t...

Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
A refreshing break from the worldly grandeur of châteaux, the small village of Fontevraud is crowned with the largest abbey in France—a magnificent complex of...

Chablis
The pretty village of Chablis is poised amid the hillside vineyards that produce its famous white wine on the banks of the River Serein and...

Cluny
The village of Cluny is legendary for its medieval abbey, once the center of a vast Christian empire. Although most of the complex was destroyed...

Pauillac
Pauillac lays claim to three of the five Bordeaux grands crus—Lafite Rothschild, Latour, and Mouton Rothschild. It's said that Pauillac wines are textbook Bordeaux in...

St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a fortified town on the Nive River, got its name from its position at the foot (pied) of the mountain pass (port) of Roncevaux...

Sens
Pretty Sens enjoys a "four-leaf" ranking as a ville fleurie, or floral city—and you’ll understand why when you see the Moulin à Tan (a gorgeous...

Eugénie-les-Bains
Empress Eugénie popularized the region's thermal baths at the end of the 19th century, and in return the villagers named this town after her. Then...

Auxerre
Auxerre is an evocative, architecturally interesting town with a trio of imposing churches perched above the Yonne River and an ample supply of antique houses...

Senlis
Senlis is an exceptionally well-preserved medieval town with a crooked maze of streets dominated by the svelte, soaring spire of its Gothic cathedral. For a...

Compiegne
This bustling town of some 40,000 people sits at the northern limit of the Forêt de Compiègne (Compiègne Forest). The former royal hunting lodge here...

Beynac-et-Cazenac
One of the most picturesque sights in the Dordogne is the medieval castle that sits atop the wonderfully restored town of Beynac...

Porto Vecchio
With a compact Old Town of cobblestone streets lined with charming buildings, a modern marina teeming with yachts, and white-sand beaches lapped by turquoise water...

Sélestat
Sélestat, midway between Strasbourg and Colmar, is a lively, historic town with a Romanesque church and a library of medieval manuscripts (the latter of which...

Monpazier
Built in ocher-color stone by English king Edward I in 1284 to protect the southern flank of his French possessions, Monpazier, on the tiny Dropt...

Vitre
There's still a feel of the Middle Ages about the formidable castle, tightly packed half-timber houses, remaining ramparts, and dark alleyways of Vitré (pronounced "vee-tray")...

Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris is probably not what you've traveled to France for. But if you have a child in tow, the promise of a day with...

Biot
Rising above a stretch of commercial-industrial quarters along the coast from Antibes, the village perché of Biot (pronounced "Bee-otte") sits neatly on a hilltop,and, as...

Azay-le-Rideau
A largish town surrounding a sylvan dell on the banks of the River Indre, pleasant Azay-le-Rideau is famed for its white-wall Renaissance pleasure palace, called...

Laon
Thanks to its awe-inducing hilltop site and the forest of towers sprouting from its ancient cathedral, lofty Laon basks in the title of the "Crowned...

Roussillon
A rich vein of ocher runs through the earth of Roussillon, occasionally breaking the surface in Technicolor displays of russet, deep rose, garnet, and flaming...

Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
Just across the Rhône from Avignon, this medieval town glowers at its powerful neighbor to the east. In the 14th century, Villeneuve benefited enormously from...

Courchevel
The gondolas here are covered with ads for Chanel—your first clue that Courchevel caters to an upscale clientele. The gently curving streets are lined with...

Ainhoa
The Basque village of Ainhoa, officially selected by the national tourist ministry as one of the prettiest in France, is a showcase for the Labourd...

Tournon-Sur-Rhone
Located on the banks of the Rhone, Tournon-Sur-Rhône has a long history that stretches back to 817, when written mention of the town "Turnone" was...

Beaujolais Wine Route
Not all Beaujolais wine is promoted as vin nouveau (new wine), despite the highly successful marketing campaign that has made Beaujolais Nouveau synonymous with French...

Beaulieu-sur-Mer
With its back pressed hard against the cliffs of the corniche and sheltered between the peninsulas of Cap Ferrat and Cap Roux, this once-grand resort...

Châlons-en-Champagne
The administrative capital of the Marne and the Champagne region is famous for its Blanc de Blancs vineyards. The town center, crisscrossed with canals and...

Carnac
At the north end of Quiberon Bay, Carnac is known for its expansive beaches and its ancient stone monuments: "standing stones," called menhirs, that were...

Gavarnie
Geologists point to the natural wonder that is the Cirque de Gavarnie as one of the world's most formidable examples of the effects of glacial...

Auvers-sur-Oise
The tranquil Oise River valley retains much of the charm that attracted Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Camille Corot, Charles-François Daubigny, and Berthe Morisot to Auvers-sur-Oise...

Val d'Isère
Men's downhill racing was held in Val d'Isère during the 1992 Winter Olympics, and since then it's been a must-see for skiers wanting to challenge...

Saulieu
Saulieu's reputation belies its size: it's renowned for good food (Rabelais, that roly-poly 16th-century man of letters, extolled its gargantuan hospitality) and for Christmas trees...

Albi
Toulouse-Lautrec's native Albi is a busy, beautifully preserved provincial market town. In its heyday Albi was a major center for the Cathars, members of a...

Soissons
Although this was a major city in medieval times, the ravages of the French Revolution and World War I left little of it intact. Nowadays...

Margaux
Margaux is home to the eponymous appellation that landed more châteaux in the original wine classification of 1855 than any other in Bordeaux. The appellation...

Forcalquier
As a local center of lavender production, this small town has a lively Monday morning market—and an organic market on Thursday—with many lavender-based products. A...

Douarnenez
Douarnenez is a quaint old fishing town with quayside paths and zigzagging narrow streets. Boats come in from the Atlantic to unload their catches of...

Épinal
On the Moselle River at the feet of the Vosges, Épinal, a printing center since 1735, is famous throughout France for boldly colored prints, popular...

Lorient
France’s most exotically named town was founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1666 as a base for the Compagnie des Indes, which sent ships from here...

Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer
The principal town within the confines of the Parc Régional de Camargue, Stes-Maries became a pilgrimage town due to its fascinating history. Provençal legend has...

Trébeurden
Trébeurden is one of the highlights of the Côtes d'Armor. A pleasant fishing village that’s popular with summer vacationers, it offers access to the rosy...

Bonnieux
The most impressive of the Luberon’s hilltop villages, Bonnieux (pronounced "bun-yuh") rises out of the arid hills in a jumble of honey-color cubes that change...

Concarneau
Concarneau may be an industrial town known for sardine packaging, but its 17th-century Vauban-designed Ville Close ranks among the most picturesque sites in Brittany...

Fayence
The most touristy of all the hill towns in the Haut Var backcountry (all of which are called Pays de Fayence), Fayence is easiest to...

Valbonne
This fiercely Provençal hill town has been adopted by the British and a smorgasbord of other nationalities, who work either at the nearby technology park...

Lascaux
Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Lascaux is one of the world's great galleries of Paleolithic art, a mysterious remnant that scientists still...

St-Paul-de-Vence
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Arromanches-les-Bains
...

Riquewihr
With its unique once-upon-a-timeliness, Riquewihr is the Wine Road's pièce de résistance and a living museum of old Alsace's quaint architecture. Its steep main street...

Clos de Vougeot
The reason to come to Vougeot is to see its grange viticole (wine-making barn) surrounded by its famous vineyard—a symbolic spot for all Burgundy aficionados...

Brantôme
When the reclusive monks of the abbey of Brantôme decided the inhabitants of the village were getting too inquisitive, they dug a canal between themselves...

St-Cirq-Lapopie
Poised on the edge of a cliff 330 feet up, sublime St-Cirq (pronounced "san-seer") looks as though it could slide right into the Lot River...

Prades
It may be easy to bypass Prades en route to the region's high peaks, but to do so would mean missing out on this authentic...

Chaumont-sur-Loire
Once belonging to Catherine de' Medici, this dramatic hilltop château combines Gothic fortifications with Renaissance style. After touring the stunning interior, be sure to explore...

Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
A manifesto for French 17th-century splendor, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was built between 1656 and 1661 by finance minister Nicolas Fouquet. The construction program was...

Céret
The "Barbizon of Cubism," Céret achieved immortality when leading artists found the small Catalan town irresistible at the beginning of the 20th century. Here in...

Beaumes-de-Venise
Just west of the great mass of Mont Ventoux, surrounded by farmland and vineyards, is Beaumes-de-Venise, where streets of shuttered bourgeois homes slope steeply into...

Pont du Gard
No other ancient Roman sight in Provence rivals the Pont du Gard, a mighty, three-tiered aqueduct midway between Nîmes and Avignon—the highest bridge the Romans...

Apt
Actively ugly from a distance, with a rash of modern apartment blocks and industrial buildings, Apt doesn’t attract the tourism it deserves. Its central Vieille...

Granville
Proud locals like to call Granville the "Monaco of the North" for its seawater therapy center and casino, but gambling aside, Granville still has a...

Lacoste
Like Ménerbes, gentrified hilltop Lacoste owes its fame to an infamous literary resident...

Lourmarin
The highly gentrified village of Lourmarin lies low-slung in the hollow of the Luberon’s south face, a sprawl of manicured green. Albert Camus loved this...

Mont Ventoux
The tallest mountain in the region, Mont Ventoux has a majestic presence that dominates the sweeping vistas and landscapes of northwestern Provence. The mountain’s limestone...

St-Lo
St-Lô, perched dramatically on a rocky spur above the Vire Valley, was a key communications center that suffered so badly in World War II it...

Seguret
Nestled into the sharp rake of a rocky hillside and crowned with a ruined medieval castle, Séguret is a picture-book hill village that is only...

Sault
Though at the hub of no fewer than six main roads, Sault remains an utterly isolated market town floating on a stony hilltop in a...

Chambéry
As for centuries—when it was the crossroads for merchants from Germany, Italy, and the Middle East—elegant old Chambéry remains the region's shopping hub. Townspeople congregate...

Maintenon
The beautiful Château de Maintenon was the home of Louis XIV's unacknowledged second wife. Its splendid Le Nôtre–designed gardens and graceful aqueduct are as pretty...

Hautefort
The reason to come to Hautefort is its castle, which presents a forbiddingly arrogant face to the world...

Vallauris
This ancient village in the low hills above the coast, dominated by a blocky Renaissance château, owes its four-square street plan to a form of...

Domme
Stunning views aside, the clifftop village of Domme offers a hefty dose of history. Some of its fortified walls and doors, dating back to 1280...

Roquebrune–Cap-Martin
Amid the frenzy of overbuilding that defines this last gasp of the coast before Italy, two twinned havens have survived, each in its own way:...

Chenonceaux
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Ramatuelle
A typical hilltop whorl of red-clay roofs and dense inner streets topped with arches and lined with arcades, this ancient market town was destroyed in...

Seillans
Voted one of "France's most beautiful villages" with its ruined château and ramparts, fountains, flowers, and sunny maze of steeply raked cobblestone streets that suddenly...

Usse-Rigny
The Loire Valley is blessed with an abundance of eye-popping châteaux, but the fairest of them all is here. The Château d'Ussé, inspiration for Charles...

La Colle sur Loup
This little town 3 km (1½ miles) southwest from St-Paul-de-Vence has been largely overlooked by tourists, and undeservedly so. What it lacks in sweeping views...

Villandry
The Château de Villandry is one of the best examples of Renaissance-era garden design in France...

Carcassonne
Poised atop a hill overlooking lush green countryside and the Aude River, Carcassonne’s fortified upper town, known as La Cité, looks lifted from the pages...

Vernon
The Vieille Ville of Vernon, on the Seine, has a medieval church, which Monet painted from across the river, and several fine timber-frame houses (the...

Barbizon
On the western edge of the 62,000-acre Forest of Fontainebleau, the village of Barbizon retains its time-stained allure despite the intrusion of art galleries, souvenir...

Pontoise
A pleasant old town on the banks of the Oise, Pontoise is famous for its link with the Impressionists...

Cheverny
Though not always included on the list of the upper-echelon Loire Valley superstars, the Château de Cheverny is a rare and beautiful example of early-17th-century...

Cliousclat
...

Sache
A crook in the road, a Gothic church, the centuries-old Auberge du XIIe Siècle, an Alexander Calder stabile (the great American sculptor created a modern...

Auray
The ancient town of Auray grew up along the banks of the Loch River and is best admired from the Promenade du Loch overlooking the...

L'Isle-Adam
Despite its actual proximity, this exclusive residential enclave feels far removed from Paris. The town has a sandy beach along one stretch of the River...

Collioure
The fishing village where famed painters Henri Matisse, André Derain, and the Fauvists committed chromatic mayhem in the early 20th century, Collioure is still the...

Pigna
The village of Pigna is dedicated to bringing back traditional Corsican music and crafts. Here you can listen to folk songs in cafés, visit workshops...

Cordes-sur-Ciel
A must-stop for many travelers, the picture-book hilltop town of Cordes-sur-Ciel appears to hover in midair when mists steal up from the Cérou Valley below...

Combourg
The pretty lakeside village of Combourg is dominated by Château de Combourg, the boyhood home of Romantic writer Viscount René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848)...

Montlouis-sur-Loire
Montlouis—like Vouvray, its sister town on the north side of the Loire—is noted for white wines, and you can learn all about the vintages produced...

Meung-sur-Loire
This tiny, sleepy village's maze of medieval streets and charming half-timbered houses have a literary past. Described by Alexandre Dumas in The Three Musketeers, this...

Pierrefonds
Dominating the attractive lakeside village of Pierrefonds, a former spa resort, is its immense ersatz medieval castle...

Ste-Mère Église
Sainte-Mère's symbolic importance as the first French village to be liberated from the Nazis is commemorated by the Borne 0 (Zero) outside the town hall—a...

Le Barroux
Of all the marvelous hilltop villages stretching across the South of France, this tiny ziggurat of a town has a special charm. Le Barroux has...

Domremy-la-Pucelle
Joan of Arc was born in a cottage here in either 1411 or 1412. You can see her birthplace, as well as the church where...

Pas de Roland
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Tarascon
Tarascon's claim to fame is the mythical Tarasque, a monster said to emerge from the Rhône to gobble up children and cattle. Luckily, Saint Martha...

Buoux
To really get into backcountry Luberon, crawl along serpentine single-lane roads below Apt, past orchards and lavender fields. Deeply ensconced in the countryside, the tiny...

Ste-Maxime
You may be put off by its heavily built-up waterfront, bristling with parking garage–style apartments and hotels, and its position directly on the waterfront highway...

Montbard
Attractions in this modest town on the banks of the Brenne River include an Ursuline convent that’s been converted into a Musée des Beaux-Arts and...

Gassin
Classified as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages en France (the most beautiful villages in France), this hilltop town gives you spectacular panoramic views over...

Vernet-les-Bains
Many notables—including English writer Rudyard Kipling—have come to take the cure at this long-established spa town, which is dwarfed by imposing Mont Canigou...

Paimpol
Paimpol is one of the liveliest fishing ports in the area and a good base for exploring the pink-granite rocks that have made this part...

Cauterets
Cauterets—which derives from the word for hot springs in the local bigourdan dialect—is a spa resort town set high in the Pyrénées. It has been...

Andlau
This small, yet important, wine town in the Andlau River valley is surrounded by the Vosges mountains. Its historic center has several noteworthy houses dating...

Monbazillac
The hilltop village of Monbazillac provides spectacular views of the sweet-wine–producing vineyards tumbling toward the Dordogne River...

Pérouges
With its medieval houses and narrow cobbled streets surrounded by ramparts, wonderfully preserved Pérouges is only 200 yards across. Handweavers first brought it prosperity; but...

Château de Sully
This magnificent château is landmarked by four lantern-topped corner towers that loom over a romantic moat filled with the waters of the River Drée. Birthplace...

Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a slightly dreary western suburb of Paris, but the memory of Napoléon and Joséphine still haunts its neoclassical château...

La Roque-Gageac
Across the Dordogne from Domme, in the direction of Beynac, one of the best-restored villages in the valley is huddled romantically beneath a cliff. Crafts...

Saignon
Set on the Plateau de Claparédes and draped just below the crest of an arid hillside covered with olive groves, lavender, and stone farms, Saignon...

Thoiry
Thoiry is most famous for its 16th-century château, with beautiful gardens, a wild-animal preserve, and a gastronomy museum. The village makes an excellent day trip...

L'Épine
Legend has it that in the Middle Ages some shepherds herding their flock down from pasture found a statue of the Virgin in a burning...

Courances
Set within one of the most lavish water gardens in Europe, the Château de Courances is a byword for beauty and style...

Biron
Dominated by the graceful Château de Biron, this time-burnished town offers a glimpse of life in the past lane...

Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry is best known as the birthplace of the French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95). Built along the Marne River beneath the ruins of...

Abbaye de Montmajour
Once the spiritual center of the region and a major 12th-century pilgrimage site (it contained a small relic of the true cross), the haunting ruins...

Vaucouleurs
Above the modest main street in the market town of Vaucouleurs, you can see ruins of Robert de Baudricourt's medieval castle and the Porte de...

Tanlay
Built along the banks of the Canal de Bourgogne, Tanlay is a sleepy village that’s best known for the Renaissance-style château that sits slap-bang in...

Gigondas
The prettiest of all the Mont Ventoux Côtes-du-Rhône wine villages, Gigondas is little more than a cluster of stone houses stacked gracefully up a hillside...

Fontvieille
The village of Fontvieille (pronounced "fohn-vyay-uh"), set among the limestone hills, is best known as the home of 19th-century writer Alphonse Daudet...

Dampierre
The unspoiled village of Dampierre is adorned with one of the most elegant family seats in the Ile-de-France...

Salses
Salses has a history of sieges. History relates that Hannibal stormed through the town with his elephants on his way to the Alps in 218...

Theoule-sur-Mer
Tucked into a tiny bay on the Golfe de Napoule, Théoule seems far removed from the major resorts around it. A sliver of beach, a...

Ancy-le-Franc
It may be strange to find a textbook example of the Italian Renaissance in Ancy-le-Franc, but in mid-16th-century France the court had taken up this...

Haut-Koenigsbourg
One of the most popular spots in Alsace is the romantic, crag-top castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg, originally built as a fortress in the 12th century...

Ste-Anne-la-Palud
One of the biggest draws on the Breton events calendar is the celebration of a religious festival known as a village pardon, replete with banners...

Grimaud
Once a formidable Grimaldi fiefdom and home to a massive Romanesque château, the hill-village of Grimaud is merely charming today, though the romantic castle ruins...

Villars-les-Dombes
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Béziers
Béziers—centerpiece of the Canal du Midi and the Languedoc's capital du vin (crowds flock in for tastings during the October wine harvest festival)—owes its reputation...

Langeais
Sometimes unjustly overlooked, the Château de Langeais—a castle in the true sense of the word—will particularly delight those who dream of knights in shining armor...

Narbonne
In Roman times, bustling, industrial Narbonne was the second-largest town in Gaul (after Lyon) and an important port, though today little remains of its Roman...

Dambach-la-Ville
Dambach-la-Ville—the largest wine-producing village along the Alsace Wine Road—is protected by ramparts and three imposing 13th-century gateways. It's particularly rich in high-roof, half-timber houses from...

Port-Grimaud
Although much of the coast has been targeted with new construction of extraordinary ugliness, this modern architect's version of a Provençal fishing village works. A...

Vacqueyras
Smaller and more picturesque than Beaumes, with stone houses scattered along its gentle slopes, Vacqueyras gives its name to a robust, tannic red wine worthy...

Corps
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Vaux-le-Vicomte
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Abbaye de Fontenay
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Barr
Surrounded by vineyards that harvest some of the finest vintages of Sylvaner and Gewürztraminer wines, Barr is a thriving, semi-industrial town that has some charming...

La Scala di Santa Regina
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Montfort-L'Amaury
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Centuri
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The Historic Heart
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Morosaglia
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Art Nouveau Nancy
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Lama
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L'Ile Rousse
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Albertville
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Évian-les-Bains
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Dreux
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Rochecorbon
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Murato
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Maisons-Laffitte
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Breteuil
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Nonza
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The Historic Center
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Ste-Lucie-de-Tallano
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Cateri
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San Martino di Lota
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Thonon-les-Bains
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Patrimonio
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Chateau de Chenonceaux
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Grande Chartreuse
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Provins
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Beaugency
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Ars-sur-Formans
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Piedicroce
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Filitosa
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Bourg-St-Maurice
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Serrieres
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Poissy
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Calenzana
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Annonay
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Privas
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Moret-sur-Loing
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Asco and Haut-Asco
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Medan
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Saverne
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Meaux
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Montelimar
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Marly-le-Roi
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Ota
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Porto and Calanches di Piana (Calanques de Piana)
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Aleria
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Aix-les-Bains
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Sauveterre-de-Bearn
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Houdan
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L'Arbresle
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Ermenonville
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Hauterives
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St-Florent
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Quenza
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Sartene
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Mont-Ste-Odile
Rising 2,500 feet, Mont-Ste-Odile has been an important religious and military site for 3,000 years...

Crillon-le-Brave
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Marmoutier
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La Porta
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Erbalunga
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Paris
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities on earth, a truth easily appreciated on a stroll that could yield one stunning vista after another...

Marseille
Popular myths and a fishy reputation have led Marseille to be unfairly maligned as dirty urban sprawl plagued with impoverished immigrant neighborhoods and slightly louche...

Nice
United with France only since 1860, Nice has its own history and atmosphere, which dates back 230,000 years. It was on Colline du Château (now...

Lyon
The city's setting at the confluence of the Saône and the Rhône is a spectacular riverine landscape overlooked from the heights to the west by...

Aix-en-Provence
Longtime rival of edgier, more exotic Marseille, the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence (pronounced "ex") is gracious, cultivated, and made all the more cosmopolitan by the...

Avignon
Of all the monuments in France—cathedrals, châteaux, fortresses—the ancient city of Avignon (pronounced "ah-veen-yonh") is one of the most dramatic. Wrapped in a crenellated wall...

Cannes
Cannes is pampered with the luxurious year-round climate that has made it one of the most popular resorts in Europe. Settled first by the Ligurians...

Arles
If you were obliged to choose just one city to visit in Provence, lovely little Arles would give Avignon and Aix a run for their...

St-Tropez
At first glance, it really doesn't look all that impressive. There's a pretty port with cafés charging €5 for a cup of coffee and a...

Bordeaux
Bordeaux as a whole, rather than any particular points within it, is what you'll want to visit in order to understand why Victor Hugo described...

Dijon
You may never have been to Dijon but you've certainly tasted it. Many of the gastronomic specialties that originated here are known worldwide. They include...

Ajaccio
Considered Corsica’s primary commercial and cultural hub, the largest city and regional capital of Ajaccio is situated on the west coast of the island, approximately...

Strasbourg
Although it’s in the heart of Alsace, 490 km (304 miles) east of Paris, and draws appealingly on Alsatian gemütlichkeit (coziness), Strasbourg is a cosmopolitan...

Nancy
For architectural variety, few French locales match this one in the heart of Lorraine, 300 km (190 miles) east of Paris. Medieval ornamentation, 18th-century grandeur...

Versailles
It's hard to tell which is larger at Château de Versailles—the world-famous château that housed Louis XIV and 20,000 of his courtiers, or the mass...

St-Rémy-de-Provence
There are other towns as pretty as St-Rémy-de-Provence, and others in more dramatic or more picturesque settings. Ruins can be found throughout the south, and...

Nimes
If you have come to the south to seek out Roman treasures, you need look no farther than Nîmes (pronounced neem), for the Arènes and...

Rouen
“O Rouen, art thou then to be my final abode!" was the agonized cry of Joan of Arc as the English dragged her out to...

Biarritz
Biarritz may no longer lay claim to the title "the resort of kings and the king of resorts," but there's no shortage of deluxe hotel...

Menton
The most Mediterranean of the French resort towns, Menton rubs shoulders with the Italian border and owes some of its balmy climate to the protective...

Nantes
The writer Stendhal remarked of 19th-century Nantes, "I hadn't taken 20 steps before I recognized a great city." Since then, the river that flowed around...

Reims
Behind a facade of austerity, Champagne’s largest city remains one of France's richest tourist sites, thanks especially to the fact that it sparkles with some...

Rennes
Rennes (pronounced "wren") is the capital of and traditional gateway to this region. It’s also one of Brittany’s liveliest cities, thanks to the 40,000-odd students...

Grenoble
Capital of the Dauphiné region, Grenoble sits at the confluence of the Isère and Drac rivers and lies within three massifs (mountain ranges): La Chartreuse...

Antibes
Named Antipolis—meaning across from (anti) the city (polis)—by the Greeks, who founded it in the 4th century BC, Antibes flourished under the Romans' aristocratic rule...

Beaune
Beaune is sometimes considered the wine capital of Burgundy because it is at the heart of the region's vineyards, with the Côte de Nuits to...

St-Malo
Thrust out into the sea and bound to the mainland only by tenuous man-made causeways, romantic St-Malo has built a reputation as a breeding ground...

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
Crisscrossed with lazy canals and still alive with waterwheels that once drove its silk, wool, and paper mills, this charming valley town retains its gentle...

Bastia
Notably more Italianate than the French-influenced Ajaccio, Bastia is quintessentially Corsican. The Baroque coastal town has a historic center that retains the timeless, salty flavor...

Colmar
Forget that much of Colmar's architecture is modern (because of the destruction wrought by World Wars I and II): its Vieille Ville heart—an atmospheric maze...

Tours
Home to about 150,000 residents, Tours is the region's largest city and its commercial center. Vacationers concerned only with the quaint may be put off...

Bonifacio
The ancient fortress town of Bonifacio occupies a spectacular clifftop aerie above a harbor carved from limestone cliffs. It's 13 km (8 miles) from Sardinia...

Caen
Basically a modern commercial and administrative center with a vibrant student scene, Caen—the capital of Lower Normandy—is very different from the coastal resorts. Atmospheric castles...

St-Raphaël
Right next door to Fréjus, with almost no division between, spreads St-Raphaël, a sprawling resort city with a busy downtown anchored by a casino and...

Orleans
Surrounded by locales renowned for their beauty, it’s little wonder that Orléans once suffered from an inferiority complex. A century ago ham-fisted urban planners razed...

Grasse
Coco Chanel may have first set up shop in Cannes, but when she wanted to create her classic "No. 5" fragrance she headed to Grasse...

Troyes
The inhabitants of Troyes would be dismayed if you mistook them for Burgundians. After all, Troyes is the historic capital of the counts of Champagne...

Calvi
...

Chartres
If Versailles is the climax of French secular architecture, Chartres is its religious apogee. All the descriptive prose and poetry that have been lavished on...

Les Baux-de-Provence
When you first search the craggy hilltops for signs of Les Baux-de-Provence (pronounced "boh"), you may not quite be able to distinguish between bedrock and...

Deauville-Trouville
Divided only by the River Touques, the twin beach towns of Deauville and Trouville are distinctly different in character. The latter, arguably France’s oldest seaside...

St-Émilion
Suddenly the sun-fired flatlands of Pomerol break into hills and send you tumbling into St-Émilion. This jewel of a town has old buildings of golden...

Corte
Set amid spectacular cliffs and gorges at the confluence of the Tavignano, Restonica, and Orta Rivers, Corte is the spiritual heart and soul of Corsica...

Sarlat-la-Canéda
Tucked among hills adorned with corn and wheat, Sarlat is a well-preserved medieval town that has managed to retain some of its true character, despite...

Juan-les-Pins
From Old Antibes you can jump on a bus over the hill to Juan-les-Pins, the jazzy younger-sister resort town that, along with Antibes, bracelets the...

Nuits-St-Georges
Wine has been made in Nuits-St-Georges since Roman times; its "dry, tonic, and generous qualities" were recommended to Louis XIV for medicinal use. But this...

Quimper
Quimper (pronounced "cam-pair") owes its strange name to its site at the confluence (kemper in Breton) of the Odet and Steir Rivers. A traditional crowd-puller...

Pau
The stunning views, mild climate, and elegance of Pau—the historic capital of Béarn, a state annexed to France in 1620—make it a lovely place to...

Cap d'Antibes
For the most part extravagantly idyllic, this fabled 4-mile-long peninsula has been carved up into luxurious estates perched high above the water and shaded by...

Gordes
The famous village perché (hilltop village) of Gordes is only a short distance from Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, but you need to wend your way south, east, and...

Bandol
Although its name means wine to most of the world, Bandol is also a popular and highly developed seaside resort town. In the 1920s, the...

Villefranche-sur-Mer
Nestled discreetly along the deep scoop of harbor between Nice and Cap Ferrat, this pretty watercolor of a fishing port seems surreal, flanked as it...

Cherbourg
Perhaps best known for Michel Legrand's haunting theme from the 1960s film musical Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), Cherbourg-Octeville is no longer...

Blaye
The impressive UNESCO-listed Blaye Citadel, built in the 17th century by Louis XIV's star engineer, Sébastien Vauban, is one of the three forts that make...

Mougins
Passing through Mougins, a popular residential community convenient to Cannes, Nice, and the big Sophia-Antipolis business park, you may perceive little more than sleek, upscale...

Conflans-Sainte-Honorine
In the case of picturesque Conflans Sainte-Honorine, set at the confluence of the Oise and Seine Rivers, geography and destiny are inextricably linked. The town's...

Les Andelys
Set on a curvacious bend in the Seine, 25 miles from Rouen, historically rich Les Andelys is crowned by the spectacular ruins of King Richard...

Amboise
It is hardly surprising that this hub town is considered a must-see on any Val de Loire itinerary. Crowned by a royal château that’s soaked...

Lille
Born from the ancient marshes that gave its name (from the Latin "insula" for island), Lille is the 10th largest city in France and sports...

Cassis
Surrounded by vineyards, flanked by monumental cliffs, guarded by the ruins of a medieval castle, and nestled around a picture-perfect fishing port, Cassis is the...

Lourdes
The mountain town of Lourdes is arguably the most famous Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, but its origins are decidedly humble and its renown...

Toulon
Toulon is a city of big contrasts: ugly with crowded postwar high-rises, yet surprisingly beautiful with its tree-lined littoral; a place with some frankly unappealing...

Orange
Cradled in northern Provence in the land of Côtes du Rhône vineyards, Orange really isn’t very big, but when compared with the sleepy wine villages...

Dinard
The most elegant resort town on this stretch of the Brittany coast, Dinard enjoys a picture-book perch on the Rance Estuary opposite the walled town...

Aubagne
This easygoing, plane tree-shaded market town (pronounced "oh-bahn-yuh") is proud of its native son, the dramatist, filmmaker, and chronicler of all things Provençal, Marcel Pagnol...

Mont-St-Michel
Mont-St-Michel is the third-most-visited sight in France, after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. This beached mass of granite, rising some 400 feet, was begun...

Honfleur
Honfleur, the most picturesque of the Côte Fleurie's seaside towns, is a time-burnished place with a surplus of half-timber houses and cobbled streets that are...

Viviers
The lovely pale-stone buildings of Viviers, presided over by a graceful hilltop cathedral, create a dreamlike vision from the vantage point of the river on...

Saumur
You'll find putting up with the locals’ legendary snobisme well worth it once you get a gander at Saumur's centre historique, a camera-ready quarter studded...

Annecy
Sparkling Annecy is on crystal clear Lac d'Annecy, surrounded by snow-tipped peaks. Though the canals, flower-decked bridges, and cobbled pedestrian streets are filled with shoppers...

Chamonix–Mont-Blanc
Chamonix is the oldest and biggest of the French winter-sports resort towns and was the site of the first Winter Olympics, held in 1924. As...

La Palud-sur-Verdon
Though several towns bill themselves as the gateway to the Gorges du Verdon, this unassuming village stands in its center, on a plateau just north...

Moustiers-Ste-Marie
At the edge of all this epic wilderness, it's a bit of a shock to find this jaw-droppingly picture-perfect village tucked into a spectacular cleft...

Mandelieu–La Napoule
La Napoule is the small, old-fashioned port village, Mandelieu the big-fish resort town that devoured it. You can visit Mandelieu for a golf-and-sailing retreat—the town...

Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
Sitting comfortably under a limestone cliff, Les Eyzies is the doorway to the prehistoric capital of France. Early Homo sapiens (the species to which we...

Vienne
If you do nothing but head up to this town's famed Roman Theater and look out over the red-tile roofs of the Rhône Valley, you'll...

Rocamadour
A medieval village that seems to defy the laws of gravity, Rocamadour surges out of a cliff 1,500 feet above the Alzou River gorge—an awe-inspiring...

St-Jean-de-Luz
Back in 1660, Louis XIV chose this tiny fishing village as the place to marry the Infanta Maria Teresa of Spain. Ever since, travelers have...

Giverny
The small village of Giverny (pronounced "jee-vair-knee"), just beyond the Epte River, which marks the boundary of the Ile-de-France, has become a place of pilgrimage...

Angers
The bustling city of Angers, on the banks of the Maine River just north of the Loire, has a fine Gothic cathedral, a tempting selection...

Amiens
Although Amiens showcases some pretty brazen postwar reconstruction, epitomized by Auguste Perret's 340-foot Tour Perret (a soaring concrete stump by the train station), the city...

Blois
Perched on a steep hillside overlooking the Loire, the bustling big town of Blois is a convenient base, well served by train and highway. A...

Aigues-Mortes
Like a tiny illumination in a medieval manuscript, Aigues-Mortes (pronounced ay-guh-mort-uh) is a precise and perfect miniature fortress-town, contained within perfectly symmetrical castellated walls, with...

Pont-Aven
This lovely village sits astride the Aven River as it descends from the Montagnes Noires to the sea, turning the town's mills along the way...

Autun
One of the most richly endowed villes d'art in Burgundy, Autun is a great draw for fans of both Gallo-Roman and Romanesque art. The name...

Fecamp
Founded in the 10th century as a fishing port (the name is a Germanic form of "fish"), Fécamp still relies on the sea for its...

Vézelay
In the 11th and 12th centuries Vézelay was one of the most important places of pilgrimage in the Christian world. Today the hilltop village is...

Cadillac
The remnants of Cadillac's medieval fortifications still surround parts of this picturesque port town, founded in 1280, but the star attraction is the stately Château...

Chateauneuf-du-Pape
A patchwork of rolling vineyards, of green-and-black furrows striping the landscape in endless, retreating perspective welcome you to one of France's great wine regions. Once...

Vence
If you've visited St-Paul-de-Vence first, Vence will come as something of a relief. Just outside the Old Town, its morning food market, though not extensive...

Fréjus
Turn your back on modern times—the gargantuan, pink, holiday high-rises that crowd the Fréjus-St-Raphaël waterfront—and head uphill to Fréjus-Centre, with its maze of narrow streets...

Chinon
Chinon—the birthplace of author François Rabelais (1494–1553)—is dominated by a 12th-century castle, perched imposingly above the River Vienne. But its leading photo op is the...

Bourg sur Gironde
Built on a rocky promontory where the Dordogne River splits off from the mighty Garonne, this picturesque town's narrow alleyways and ancient buildings—all hewn from...

Obernai
Many visitors begin their trip down the Route du Vin at Obernai, a thriving, colorful Renaissance market town named for the patron saint of Alsace...

Toulouse
Ebullient Toulouse is the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées and the fourth-largest city in France. Just 100 km (60 miles) from the border with Spain, Toulouse...

St-Germain-en-Laye
Encircled by forest and perched behind Le Nôtre's Grande Terrace overlooking the Seine, this idyllic town has lost little of its original cachet—despite the invasion...

Fontainebleau
Like Chambord in the Loire Valley or Compiègne to the north, Fontainebleau was a favorite spot for royal hunting parties long before the construction of...

Îles d'Hyères
Strung across the Bay of Hyères and spanning some 32 km (20 miles) is an archipelago of islands reminiscent of a set for a pirate...

Chantilly
Celebrated for lace, cream, and the most beautiful medieval manuscript in the world—Les Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry—romantic Chantilly has a host of...

Bergerac
Yes, this is the Bergerac of Cyrano de Bergerac fame—but not exactly. The real satirist and playwright Cyrano (1619–55), who inspired Edmond Rostand's long-nose swashbuckler...

St-Paul
The medieval village of St-Paul-de-Vence can be seen from afar, standing out like its companion, Vence, against the skyline. In the Middle Ages St-Paul-de-Vence was...

St-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
One of the most exclusive addresses in the world, the peninsula of Cap Ferrat is moored by the luxuriously sited pleasure port of St-Jean; from...

Bayonne
Located at the confluence of the Adour and Nive Rivers, Bayonne was a Roman castrum (fort) in the 4th century and an English colony from...

The Camargue
A land of haunting natural beauty, the Camargue was one of the forgotten areas of France only a few decades ago. Today, thousands of visitors...

Bayeux
Bayeux makes a fine starting point for excursions to nearby World War II sites. Despite being close to scenes of such destruction, Bayeux itself was...

Vaison-la-Romaine
In a river valley green with orchards of almonds and apricots, this ancient town thrives as a modern market center. The Provençal market on Tuesday...

Cancale
Nothing says Brittany like seafood and nothing says seafood like this fishing village, one of the most picturesque in the region. Renowned for its offshore...

Sare
The much-prized and picturesque village of Sare, described by author Pierre Loti in his Ramuntxo as a virtually autonomous Eden, is built around a large...

Perpignan
Salvador Dalí once called Perpignan's train station "the center of the world." That may not be true, but the city certainly is the capital hub...

Rambouillet
Haughty Rambouillet, once favored by kings and dukes, is now home to affluent gentry and, occasionally, the French president...

Ribeauville
The beautiful half-timber town of Ribeauvillé, surrounded by rolling vineyards and three imposing châteaux, produces some of the best wines in Alsace. (The Trimbach family...

Étretat
Midway along Normandy's Alabaster Coast, Étretat might not at first seem worthy of a detour. However, its end-of-the-world location, its spectacular stone formations famously immortalized...

Cahors
Just an hour north of Toulouse (southwestern France's main city), Cahors makes a fine base for exploring the Lot River valley. Less touristy and populated...

Valence
...

Méribel
No building can be taller than the surrounding trees in this mountainside village, so Méribel feels tucked away in the forest. All the architecture must...

Beauvais
Beauvais and its neighbor Amiens have been rivals since the 13th century, when they locked horns over who could build the bigger cathedral. Beauvais lost—gloriously...

Val Thorens
Skiing is this bustling resort town's raison d'être, so it's no surprise that lifts and gondolas fan out in every direction and that many of...

Dinan
During the frequent wars that devastated other cities in the Middle Ages, the merchants who ruled Dinan got rich selling stuff to whichever camp had...

Ménerbes
This picturesque fortified town isn’t designated one of the "plus beaux villages du France" for nothing. Perched high on a rocky precipice, Ménerbes’s narrow streets...

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse
Like the natural attraction for which it is named, this village has welled up and spilled over as a Niagara Falls–type tourist center; the rustic...

Megève
The smartest of the Mont Blanc stations, idyllic Alpine Megève is not only a major ski resort but also a chic winter watering hole that...

Sancerre
You'll recognize this quaint medieval town, hewn from local white sandstone and set on a hilltop overlooking gentle rolling vineyards, by the wine that bears...

Périgueux
For anyone tired of bucolic delights, even a short visit to the region’s capital can provide a restorative urban fix. Since Périgueux is the commercial...

Épernay
Although Reims loudly proclaims itself to be the last word in Champagne production, Épernay—on the south bank of the Marne—is really the center of the...

Bourg-en-Bresse
Cheerful, flower-festooned Bourg-en-Bresse is esteemed among gastronomes for its chickens—the striking-looking poulet de Bresse, with plump white bodies, bright blue feet, and red combs (adding...

Èze
Medieval and magnificent, towering like an eagle's nest above the coast and crowned with ramparts and the ruins of a medieval château, Èze (pronounced "ehz")...

Compiegne
This bustling town of some 40,000 people sits at the northern limit of the Forêt de Compiègne (Compiègne Forest). The former royal hunting lodge here...

Eugénie-les-Bains
Empress Eugénie popularized the region's thermal baths at the end of the 19th century, and in return the villagers named this town after her. Then...

St-Jean-Pied-de-Port
St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a fortified town on the Nive River, got its name from its position at the foot (pied) of the mountain pass (port) of Roncevaux...

Senlis
Senlis is an exceptionally well-preserved medieval town with a crooked maze of streets dominated by the svelte, soaring spire of its Gothic cathedral. For a...

Haut-de-Cagnes
Could this be the most beautiful village in southern France? Part-time residents Renoir, Soutine, Modigliani, and Simone de Beauvoir are a few who thought so...

Beynac-et-Cazenac
One of the most picturesque sights in the Dordogne is the medieval castle that sits atop the wonderfully restored town of Beynac...

Fontevraud-l'Abbaye
A refreshing break from the worldly grandeur of châteaux, the small village of Fontevraud is crowned with the largest abbey in France—a magnificent complex of...

Montpellier
The vibrant capital of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Montpellier (pronounced "monh-pell-yay") has been a center of commerce and learning since the Middle Ages, when it was...

Sens
Pretty Sens enjoys a "four-leaf" ranking as a ville fleurie, or floral city—and you’ll understand why when you see the Moulin à Tan (a gorgeous...

Chambord
The "Versailles" of the 16th century and the largest of the Loire châteaux, the Château de Chambord is the kind of place William Randolph Hearst...

La Baule
La Baule is a popular resort town that once rivaled Biarritz. Today it leans toward the tacky rather than the sophisticated, but you still can’t...

Le Havre
Considering it was bombarded 146 times during World War II, you might think there’d be little left to see in Le Havre—France's second-largest port (after...

Porto Vecchio
With a compact Old Town of cobblestone streets lined with charming buildings, a modern marina teeming with yachts, and white-sand beaches lapped by turquoise water...

Porticcio
Between the sea and mountain, this upscale resort town a short scenic drive from the capital benefits from unforgettable views and a palette of nautical...

Pauillac
Pauillac lays claim to three of the five Bordeaux grands crus—Lafite Rothschild, Latour, and Mouton Rothschild. It's said that Pauillac wines are textbook Bordeaux in...

Chablis
The pretty village of Chablis is poised amid the hillside vineyards that produce its famous white wine on the banks of the River Serein and...

Vannes
Scene of the declaration of unity between France and Brittany in 1532, Vannes is one of the few towns in the region to have been...

Auxerre
Auxerre is an evocative, architecturally interesting town with a trio of imposing churches perched above the Yonne River and an ample supply of antique houses...

Cluny
The village of Cluny is legendary for its medieval abbey, once the center of a vast Christian empire. Although most of the complex was destroyed...

Azay-le-Rideau
A largish town surrounding a sylvan dell on the banks of the River Indre, pleasant Azay-le-Rideau is famed for its white-wall Renaissance pleasure palace, called...

Courchevel
The gondolas here are covered with ads for Chanel—your first clue that Courchevel caters to an upscale clientele. The gently curving streets are lined with...

Soissons
Although this was a major city in medieval times, the ravages of the French Revolution and World War I left little of it intact. Nowadays...

Vitre
There's still a feel of the Middle Ages about the formidable castle, tightly packed half-timber houses, remaining ramparts, and dark alleyways of Vitré (pronounced "vee-tray")...

Val d'Isère
Men's downhill racing was held in Val d'Isère during the 1992 Winter Olympics, and since then it's been a must-see for skiers wanting to challenge...

Beaujolais Wine Route
Not all Beaujolais wine is promoted as vin nouveau (new wine), despite the highly successful marketing campaign that has made Beaujolais Nouveau synonymous with French...

Châlons-en-Champagne
The administrative capital of the Marne and the Champagne region is famous for its Blanc de Blancs vineyards. The town center, crisscrossed with canals and...

Biot
Rising above a stretch of commercial-industrial quarters along the coast from Antibes, the village perché of Biot (pronounced "Bee-otte") sits neatly on a hilltop,and, as...

Beaulieu-sur-Mer
With its back pressed hard against the cliffs of the corniche and sheltered between the peninsulas of Cap Ferrat and Cap Roux, this once-grand resort...

Tournon-Sur-Rhone
Located on the banks of the Rhone, Tournon-Sur-Rhône has a long history that stretches back to 817, when written mention of the town "Turnone" was...

Laon
Thanks to its awe-inducing hilltop site and the forest of towers sprouting from its ancient cathedral, lofty Laon basks in the title of the "Crowned...

Saulieu
Saulieu's reputation belies its size: it's renowned for good food (Rabelais, that roly-poly 16th-century man of letters, extolled its gargantuan hospitality) and for Christmas trees...

Carnac
At the north end of Quiberon Bay, Carnac is known for its expansive beaches and its ancient stone monuments: "standing stones," called menhirs, that were...

Albi
Toulouse-Lautrec's native Albi is a busy, beautifully preserved provincial market town. In its heyday Albi was a major center for the Cathars, members of a...

Roussillon
A rich vein of ocher runs through the earth of Roussillon, occasionally breaking the surface in Technicolor displays of russet, deep rose, garnet, and flaming...

Sélestat
Sélestat, midway between Strasbourg and Colmar, is a lively, historic town with a Romanesque church and a library of medieval manuscripts (the latter of which...

Gavarnie
Geologists point to the natural wonder that is the Cirque de Gavarnie as one of the world's most formidable examples of the effects of glacial...

Auvers-sur-Oise
The tranquil Oise River valley retains much of the charm that attracted Camille Pissarro, Paul Cézanne, Camille Corot, Charles-François Daubigny, and Berthe Morisot to Auvers-sur-Oise...

Ainhoa
The Basque village of Ainhoa, officially selected by the national tourist ministry as one of the prettiest in France, is a showcase for the Labourd...

Monpazier
Built in ocher-color stone by English king Edward I in 1284 to protect the southern flank of his French possessions, Monpazier, on the tiny Dropt...

Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
Just across the Rhône from Avignon, this medieval town glowers at its powerful neighbor to the east. In the 14th century, Villeneuve benefited enormously from...

Prades
It may be easy to bypass Prades en route to the region's high peaks, but to do so would mean missing out on this authentic...

Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer
The principal town within the confines of the Parc Régional de Camargue, Stes-Maries became a pilgrimage town due to its fascinating history. Provençal legend has...

Margaux
Margaux is home to the eponymous appellation that landed more châteaux in the original wine classification of 1855 than any other in Bordeaux. The appellation...

Fayence
The most touristy of all the hill towns in the Haut Var backcountry (all of which are called Pays de Fayence), Fayence is easiest to...

St-Paul-de-Vence
...

Trébeurden
Trébeurden is one of the highlights of the Côtes d'Armor. A pleasant fishing village that’s popular with summer vacationers, it offers access to the rosy...

Valbonne
This fiercely Provençal hill town has been adopted by the British and a smorgasbord of other nationalities, who work either at the nearby technology park...

Lorient
France’s most exotically named town was founded by Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1666 as a base for the Compagnie des Indes, which sent ships from here...

Bonnieux
The most impressive of the Luberon’s hilltop villages, Bonnieux (pronounced "bun-yuh") rises out of the arid hills in a jumble of honey-color cubes that change...

Forcalquier
As a local center of lavender production, this small town has a lively Monday morning market—and an organic market on Thursday—with many lavender-based products. A...

Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte
A manifesto for French 17th-century splendor, the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte was built between 1656 and 1661 by finance minister Nicolas Fouquet. The construction program was...

Tain-l'Hermitage
As you approach Tain-l'Hermitage by car or train, you can't help but notice the steep vine-clad hills on either side of the Rhône sporting enormous...

Clos de Vougeot
The reason to come to Vougeot is to see its grange viticole (wine-making barn) surrounded by its famous vineyard—a symbolic spot for all Burgundy aficionados...

St-Cirq-Lapopie
Poised on the edge of a cliff 330 feet up, sublime St-Cirq (pronounced "san-seer") looks as though it could slide right into the Lot River...

Douarnenez
Douarnenez is a quaint old fishing town with quayside paths and zigzagging narrow streets. Boats come in from the Atlantic to unload their catches of...

Riquewihr
With its unique once-upon-a-timeliness, Riquewihr is the Wine Road's pièce de résistance and a living museum of old Alsace's quaint architecture. Its steep main street...

Lascaux
Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Lascaux is one of the world's great galleries of Paleolithic art, a mysterious remnant that scientists still...

Brantôme
When the reclusive monks of the abbey of Brantôme decided the inhabitants of the village were getting too inquisitive, they dug a canal between themselves...

Arromanches-les-Bains
...

Concarneau
Concarneau may be an industrial town known for sardine packaging, but its 17th-century Vauban-designed Ville Close ranks among the most picturesque sites in Brittany...

Épinal
On the Moselle River at the feet of the Vosges, Épinal, a printing center since 1735, is famous throughout France for boldly colored prints, popular...

Céret
The "Barbizon of Cubism," Céret achieved immortality when leading artists found the small Catalan town irresistible at the beginning of the 20th century. Here in...

Chaumont-sur-Loire
Once belonging to Catherine de' Medici, this dramatic hilltop château combines Gothic fortifications with Renaissance style. After touring the stunning interior, be sure to explore...

Beaumes-de-Venise
Just west of the great mass of Mont Ventoux, surrounded by farmland and vineyards, is Beaumes-de-Venise, where streets of shuttered bourgeois homes slope steeply into...

St-Lo
St-Lô, perched dramatically on a rocky spur above the Vire Valley, was a key communications center that suffered so badly in World War II it...

Pont du Gard
No other ancient Roman sight in Provence rivals the Pont du Gard, a mighty, three-tiered aqueduct midway between Nîmes and Avignon—the highest bridge the Romans...

Hautefort
The reason to come to Hautefort is its castle, which presents a forbiddingly arrogant face to the world...

Sault
Though at the hub of no fewer than six main roads, Sault remains an utterly isolated market town floating on a stony hilltop in a...

Domme
Stunning views aside, the clifftop village of Domme offers a hefty dose of history. Some of its fortified walls and doors, dating back to 1280...

Mont Ventoux
The tallest mountain in the region, Mont Ventoux has a majestic presence that dominates the sweeping vistas and landscapes of northwestern Provence. The mountain’s limestone...

Lourmarin
The highly gentrified village of Lourmarin lies low-slung in the hollow of the Luberon’s south face, a sprawl of manicured green. Albert Camus loved this...

Lacoste
Like Ménerbes, gentrified hilltop Lacoste owes its fame to an infamous literary resident...

Carcassonne
Poised atop a hill overlooking lush green countryside and the Aude River, Carcassonne’s fortified upper town, known as La Cité, looks lifted from the pages...

Apt
Actively ugly from a distance, with a rash of modern apartment blocks and industrial buildings, Apt doesn’t attract the tourism it deserves. Its central Vieille...

Usse-Rigny
The Loire Valley is blessed with an abundance of eye-popping châteaux, but the fairest of them all is here. The Château d'Ussé, inspiration for Charles...

Granville
Proud locals like to call Granville the "Monaco of the North" for its seawater therapy center and casino, but gambling aside, Granville still has a...

Villandry
The Château de Villandry is one of the best examples of Renaissance-era garden design in France...

Seguret
Nestled into the sharp rake of a rocky hillside and crowned with a ruined medieval castle, Séguret is a picture-book hill village that is only...

Ramatuelle
A typical hilltop whorl of red-clay roofs and dense inner streets topped with arches and lined with arcades, this ancient market town was destroyed in...

Roquebrune–Cap-Martin
Amid the frenzy of overbuilding that defines this last gasp of the coast before Italy, two twinned havens have survived, each in its own way:...

Chenonceaux
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Maintenon
The beautiful Château de Maintenon was the home of Louis XIV's unacknowledged second wife. Its splendid Le Nôtre–designed gardens and graceful aqueduct are as pretty...

Vallauris
This ancient village in the low hills above the coast, dominated by a blocky Renaissance château, owes its four-square street plan to a form of...

Seillans
Voted one of "France's most beautiful villages" with its ruined château and ramparts, fountains, flowers, and sunny maze of steeply raked cobblestone streets that suddenly...

Chambéry
As for centuries—when it was the crossroads for merchants from Germany, Italy, and the Middle East—elegant old Chambéry remains the region's shopping hub. Townspeople congregate...

La Colle sur Loup
This little town 3 km (1½ miles) southwest from St-Paul-de-Vence has been largely overlooked by tourists, and undeservedly so. What it lacks in sweeping views...

Domremy-la-Pucelle
Joan of Arc was born in a cottage here in either 1411 or 1412. You can see her birthplace, as well as the church where...

Pierrefonds
Dominating the attractive lakeside village of Pierrefonds, a former spa resort, is its immense ersatz medieval castle...

Auray
The ancient town of Auray grew up along the banks of the Loch River and is best admired from the Promenade du Loch overlooking the...

Ste-Mère Église
Sainte-Mère's symbolic importance as the first French village to be liberated from the Nazis is commemorated by the Borne 0 (Zero) outside the town hall—a...

Tarascon
Tarascon's claim to fame is the mythical Tarasque, a monster said to emerge from the Rhône to gobble up children and cattle. Luckily, Saint Martha...

Pérouges
With its medieval houses and narrow cobbled streets surrounded by ramparts, wonderfully preserved Pérouges is only 200 yards across. Handweavers first brought it prosperity; but...

L'Isle-Adam
Despite its actual proximity, this exclusive residential enclave feels far removed from Paris. The town has a sandy beach along one stretch of the River...

Le Barroux
Of all the marvelous hilltop villages stretching across the South of France, this tiny ziggurat of a town has a special charm. Le Barroux has...

Pontoise
A pleasant old town on the banks of the Oise, Pontoise is famous for its link with the Impressionists...

Pigna
The village of Pigna is dedicated to bringing back traditional Corsican music and crafts. Here you can listen to folk songs in cafés, visit workshops...

Paimpol
Paimpol is one of the liveliest fishing ports in the area and a good base for exploring the pink-granite rocks that have made this part...

Montbard
Attractions in this modest town on the banks of the Brenne River include an Ursuline convent that’s been converted into a Musée des Beaux-Arts and...

Combourg
The pretty lakeside village of Combourg is dominated by Château de Combourg, the boyhood home of Romantic writer Viscount René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848)...

Buoux
To really get into backcountry Luberon, crawl along serpentine single-lane roads below Apt, past orchards and lavender fields. Deeply ensconced in the countryside, the tiny...

Cliousclat
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Barbizon
On the western edge of the 62,000-acre Forest of Fontainebleau, the village of Barbizon retains its time-stained allure despite the intrusion of art galleries, souvenir...

Vernet-les-Bains
Many notables—including English writer Rudyard Kipling—have come to take the cure at this long-established spa town, which is dwarfed by imposing Mont Canigou...

Gassin
Classified as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages en France (the most beautiful villages in France), this hilltop town gives you spectacular panoramic views over...

Vernon
The Vieille Ville of Vernon, on the Seine, has a medieval church, which Monet painted from across the river, and several fine timber-frame houses (the...

Cheverny
Though not always included on the list of the upper-echelon Loire Valley superstars, the Château de Cheverny is a rare and beautiful example of early-17th-century...

Ste-Maxime
You may be put off by its heavily built-up waterfront, bristling with parking garage–style apartments and hotels, and its position directly on the waterfront highway...

Meung-sur-Loire
This tiny, sleepy village's maze of medieval streets and charming half-timbered houses have a literary past. Described by Alexandre Dumas in The Three Musketeers, this...

Pas de Roland
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Sache
A crook in the road, a Gothic church, the centuries-old Auberge du XIIe Siècle, an Alexander Calder stabile (the great American sculptor created a modern...

Montlouis-sur-Loire
Montlouis—like Vouvray, its sister town on the north side of the Loire—is noted for white wines, and you can learn all about the vintages produced...

Collioure
The fishing village where famed painters Henri Matisse, André Derain, and the Fauvists committed chromatic mayhem in the early 20th century, Collioure is still the...

Cauterets
Cauterets—which derives from the word for hot springs in the local bigourdan dialect—is a spa resort town set high in the Pyrénées. It has been...

Cordes-sur-Ciel
A must-stop for many travelers, the picture-book hilltop town of Cordes-sur-Ciel appears to hover in midair when mists steal up from the Cérou Valley below...

Monbazillac
The hilltop village of Monbazillac provides spectacular views of the sweet-wine–producing vineyards tumbling toward the Dordogne River...

Andlau
This small, yet important, wine town in the Andlau River valley is surrounded by the Vosges mountains. Its historic center has several noteworthy houses dating...

Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a slightly dreary western suburb of Paris, but the memory of Napoléon and Joséphine still haunts its neoclassical château...

Thoiry
Thoiry is most famous for its 16th-century château, with beautiful gardens, a wild-animal preserve, and a gastronomy museum. The village makes an excellent day trip...

Salses
Salses has a history of sieges. History relates that Hannibal stormed through the town with his elephants on his way to the Alps in 218...

Dampierre
The unspoiled village of Dampierre is adorned with one of the most elegant family seats in the Ile-de-France...

Courances
Set within one of the most lavish water gardens in Europe, the Château de Courances is a byword for beauty and style...

Biron
Dominated by the graceful Château de Biron, this time-burnished town offers a glimpse of life in the past lane...

Vaucouleurs
Above the modest main street in the market town of Vaucouleurs, you can see ruins of Robert de Baudricourt's medieval castle and the Porte de...

Grimaud
Once a formidable Grimaldi fiefdom and home to a massive Romanesque château, the hill-village of Grimaud is merely charming today, though the romantic castle ruins...

Saignon
Set on the Plateau de Claparédes and draped just below the crest of an arid hillside covered with olive groves, lavender, and stone farms, Saignon...

Gigondas
The prettiest of all the Mont Ventoux Côtes-du-Rhône wine villages, Gigondas is little more than a cluster of stone houses stacked gracefully up a hillside...

La Roque-Gageac
Across the Dordogne from Domme, in the direction of Beynac, one of the best-restored villages in the valley is huddled romantically beneath a cliff. Crafts...

Tanlay
Built along the banks of the Canal de Bourgogne, Tanlay is a sleepy village that’s best known for the Renaissance-style château that sits slap-bang in...

Narbonne
In Roman times, bustling, industrial Narbonne was the second-largest town in Gaul (after Lyon) and an important port, though today little remains of its Roman...

Ancy-le-Franc
It may be strange to find a textbook example of the Italian Renaissance in Ancy-le-Franc, but in mid-16th-century France the court had taken up this...

Château-Thierry
Château-Thierry is best known as the birthplace of the French fabulist Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95). Built along the Marne River beneath the ruins of...

Abbaye de Montmajour
Once the spiritual center of the region and a major 12th-century pilgrimage site (it contained a small relic of the true cross), the haunting ruins...

Langeais
Sometimes unjustly overlooked, the Château de Langeais—a castle in the true sense of the word—will particularly delight those who dream of knights in shining armor...

Ste-Anne-la-Palud
One of the biggest draws on the Breton events calendar is the celebration of a religious festival known as a village pardon, replete with banners...

Villars-les-Dombes
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L'Épine
Legend has it that in the Middle Ages some shepherds herding their flock down from pasture found a statue of the Virgin in a burning...

Fontvieille
The village of Fontvieille (pronounced "fohn-vyay-uh"), set among the limestone hills, is best known as the home of 19th-century writer Alphonse Daudet...

Dambach-la-Ville
Dambach-la-Ville—the largest wine-producing village along the Alsace Wine Road—is protected by ramparts and three imposing 13th-century gateways. It's particularly rich in high-roof, half-timber houses from...

Port-Grimaud
Although much of the coast has been targeted with new construction of extraordinary ugliness, this modern architect's version of a Provençal fishing village works. A...

Haut-Koenigsbourg
One of the most popular spots in Alsace is the romantic, crag-top castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg, originally built as a fortress in the 12th century...

Theoule-sur-Mer
Tucked into a tiny bay on the Golfe de Napoule, Théoule seems far removed from the major resorts around it. A sliver of beach, a...

Béziers
Béziers—centerpiece of the Canal du Midi and the Languedoc's capital du vin (crowds flock in for tastings during the October wine harvest festival)—owes its reputation...

Calenzana
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Beaugency
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Montelimar
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L'Ile Rousse
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La Scala di Santa Regina
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Hauterives
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Vacqueyras
Smaller and more picturesque than Beaumes, with stone houses scattered along its gentle slopes, Vacqueyras gives its name to a robust, tannic red wine worthy...

Aix-les-Bains
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Albertville
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Annonay
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Ars-sur-Formans
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Bourg-St-Maurice
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Corps
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Grande Chartreuse
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Serrieres
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Dreux
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Morosaglia
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Ste-Lucie-de-Tallano
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L'Arbresle
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Murato
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St-Florent
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Lama
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Sartene
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La Porta
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Erbalunga
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Marly-le-Roi
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Privas
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Filitosa
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Rochecorbon
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Centuri
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Aleria
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Cateri
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Crillon-le-Brave
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Asco and Haut-Asco
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Thonon-les-Bains
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Meaux
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Évian-les-Bains
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Montfort-L'Amaury
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Barr
Surrounded by vineyards that harvest some of the finest vintages of Sylvaner and Gewürztraminer wines, Barr is a thriving, semi-industrial town that has some charming...

Medan
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The Historic Center
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Maisons-Laffitte
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Houdan
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Moret-sur-Loing
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Porto and Calanches di Piana (Calanques de Piana)
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Abbaye de Fontenay
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Piedicroce
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The Historic Heart
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Poissy
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Art Nouveau Nancy
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Saverne
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Patrimonio
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Breteuil
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Provins
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Ota
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Mont-Ste-Odile
Rising 2,500 feet, Mont-Ste-Odile has been an important religious and military site for 3,000 years...

Sauveterre-de-Bearn
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Marmoutier
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Nonza
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San Martino di Lota
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Ermenonville
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Quenza
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Vaux-le-Vicomte
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