France tourist attractions: what to visit in France?

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France is the most visited country by tourists in the world and its capital Paris is the most visited city in the world. There are countless tourist attractions in France, the country has historical and archaeological sites unique in the world: ranging from prehistoric sites (Carnac, Vézère), to the remains of the ancient cities of the Roman Empire (Orange, Arles, Nîmes, Autun, l the Pont du Gard aqueduct), the medieval castles (Montségur, Carcassonne, Aigues-Mortes), the Gothic cathedrals (Paris, Amiens, Reims, Chartres, Rouen, Beauvais, Troyes, Laon, Le Mans, Coutances, Bourges), the famous Loire castles.

As regards the natural aspects, France has a multitude of landscapes: ranging from the beaches and fashionable resorts of the Côte d’Azur (Nice, Saint Tropez, Cannes), to the natural beauties of Corsica, the Massif Central and Provence, to the beaches of ‘Atlantic, to the peaks and ski resorts of the Alps and the Pyrenees. Major tourist destinations in France are the important Christian pilgrimage center of Lourdes and the capital Paris, one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world. In the capital, business tourism is accompanied by cultural tourism, some of the most visited sites in France are located here, including the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower, the Museum d’Orsay and the Center Georges Pompidou, while in the surroundings of the capital are the famous Disneyland Paris amusement park and the majestic Palace of Versailles.

UNESCO has inscribed around fifty French sites in the list of world heritage sites, some sites are natural, others mixed natural/cultural, all the others are cultural.

Among the world heritage sites are some of the most important prehistoric sites in France such as the prehistoric sites and painted caves of the Vézère valley (1979), the cave with prehistoric paintings of Pont d’Arc (Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc ) in Ardèche and prehistoric stilt houses in the Alps (2011). Among the monuments of the Roman era are the most beautiful Roman monuments of Provence: the Roman and Romanesque monuments of Arles (1981), the Roman Theater and its surroundings, the Arc de Triomphe of Orange (1981), the Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct of Nimes) (1985).

In addition to Paris and the banks of the Seine (1991), the Palace and Park of Fontainebleau (1981), the Palace and Park of Versailles (1979), the Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire are also part of the UNESCO sites and Chalonnes (2000). The historic center of Avignon belongs to the medieval period: the Papal Palace, the Episcopal Ensemble and the Avignon Bridge (1995), the fortified city of Carcassonne (1997), the Abbey of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe (1983), Provins , city of medieval fairs (2001), the Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay (1981), the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in France (1998), the Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion (1999), Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay (1979), Vézelay, the church and the hill (1979).

Among the famous Gothic cathedrals we find the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, the Abbey of Saint-Remi and the Palace du Tau in Reims (1991), the Cathedral of Chartres (1979), the Cathedral of Amiens (1981), the Cathedral of Bourges (1992). Among the cities we also find  the historic places of Lyon (1998),  Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance in Nancy (1983),  Le Havre, the city rebuilt by Auguste Perret (2005),  Strasbourg – Grande île (1988), Bordeaux Port of the Moon (2007), the bishop city of Albi (Tarn) (2010).

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This article is also available in: Italian