France Travel Guide Best Places to Visit & Things to Do in France
From the Eiffel Tower and Louvre to lavender fields in Provence and the glamorous French Riviera coastline, this France travel guide covers the best places to visit in France, top experiences, and practical tips for planning your trip.
POPULAR TOURIST PLACES IN FRANCE
- Paris
- Nice
- Lyon
- Bordeaux
- Marseille
- Provence
- French Riviera
- Loire Valley
- Strasbourg
- Normandy
WHY VISIT FRANCE
France works as a single trip precisely because no two regions feel alike. Paris carries the country’s icons — the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and a day trip out to Versailles — but it’s only the starting point, and the natural anchor of any Paris travel guide. South along the coast, the French Riviera trades grand boulevards for glamorous beach towns like Nice and Monaco, which is exactly why so many travelers search for a Nice travel guide or a dedicated French Riviera travel guide before booking. Inland, Provence slows everything down with lavender fields, Roman ruins, and hilltop villages like Gordes — territory a good Provence travel guide covers in full. Lyon quietly claims the title of France’s gastronomic capital, Bordeaux anchors the world’s wine culture, and Marseille — the country’s oldest city — offers a rawer, more multicultural energy along the Mediterranean. An excellent high-speed train network (the TGV) ties all of it together, so a well-planned France itinerary 10 days long can move from Parisian museums to Provençal lavender to Riviera beaches without losing a day to transit
Six essential experiences
Eiffel Tower & Central Paris
The Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and a Seine River walk anchor Paris — book major attractions well ahead, as queues run long in peak season. The essential answer to things to do in Paris.
Palace of Versailles
A short day trip from Paris to the royal palace and its vast, immaculate formal gardens — one of France's grandest historic sites.
Provence Lavender Fields
The lavender fields around Valensole and Sault bloom in June and July, best paired with the Roman ruins of Arles and the hilltop village of Gordes.
French Riviera Coastline
Nice's Promenade des Anglais, Monaco's glamorous harbor, and boat trips to Cannes' Lerins Islands make up France's most glamorous stretch of coast — and the top result for things to do in Nice.
Bordeaux Wine Country
The Cité du Vin museum plus tastings in the surrounding Saint-Émilion and Médoc vineyards — essential for anyone visiting the world's wine capital, and the core of things to do in Bordeaux.
Lyon's Old Town & Cuisine
Vieux Lyon's Renaissance architecture and hidden traboule passageways, paired with a meal at a traditional bouchon restaurant, cover the essentials for things to do in Lyon. Further south, Marseille's Vieux-Port and Calanques round out things to do in Marseille for travelers extending past the Riviera.
Practical details
Plan your visit
Best time to visit France
April to June is widely considered the best window — warm weather, blooming countryside, and crowds that haven’t yet hit summer peak. July and August are the busiest and most expensive months nationwide; September to October offers fewer crowds and the Bordeaux wine harvest; November to February is quietest, with the French Alps shifting into ski season.
Getting around
The TGV high-speed rail network connects Paris to Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Nice in a few hours each, making a car unnecessary for a city-focused itinerary. Always validate train tickets before boarding to avoid fines. Within Paris, the Metro is efficient and affordable; regional buses and trains cover Provence’s smaller villages.
Where to stay
Paris rewards staying centrally near the Seine or in Le Marais for walkable access to major sights. On the Riviera, Nice offers the best base for day trips to Monaco, Eze, and Cannes without Saint-Tropez’s premium prices. In Provence, smaller towns like Gordes or Aix-en-Provence make a quieter alternative to Avignon during peak lavender season, when accommodation books up fast.
Continue exploring
From the journal
Latest France guide
A deeper dive into planning your trip — cities, regions and travel tips.
Frequently asked questions
France is best known for the Eiffel Tower and Louvre in Paris, its cuisine and wine regions like Bordeaux, the lavender fields of Provence, and the glamorous French Riviera coastline.
Most international visitors fly into Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport or Nice Côte d’Azur Airport for direct access to the Riviera. France is part of the Schengen Area, and citizens of many countries — including the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK — can enter visa-free for up to 90 days.
Ten days covers Paris, Provence, Lyon, the Riviera, and Bordeaux without feeling rushed. A long weekend suits Paris alone; two to three weeks allows a deeper regional trip including Normandy or the Loire Valley.
April to June or September to October, when the weather is warm and pleasant without the peak summer crowds and prices of July and August.
Paris, the Eiffel Tower, and the French Riviera draw heavy crowds year-round, especially in summer. Regional cities like Lyon and Bordeaux, and villages in the Loire Valley or Normandy, stay far quieter for travelers wanting to go beyond the highlights.