"Must See" and "Must Do" in France

Hello, Salut a Tous!

Historical sites, beautiful beaches, charming cities, wineyards to visit, circuits to do by bike, festivals... I don't know.

According to you guys, what is the best of France?

Cheers!!

Well, obviously at least a few days in Paris. From Paris a day trip to Rouen which has mediaeval architecture; to keep up the Joan of Arc connection, maybe even a day trip to Orléans. I would also spend a day or two in St Malo, walking the city walls and enjoying the atmosphere of the very carefully reconstructed old city; a day in La Rochelle on the west coast during the Francofolies music festival. Where else? Well a day or two in Cannes, walking on the beaches looking at the peaches (some of which are a bit over-ripe). Lyon is worth a day or two, staying in the old town and visiting the ruins of the amphitheatre. Heading south again, a day or two in both Toulouse and Montpellier, visiting Narbonne, with its old Roman quarter and Carcasonne, with its reconstructed mediaeval city, in between. There are plenty of other places I haven't been to in France, that I'd like to in future, like Pont du Gard and that village in Provence where the Marquis de Sade's chateau is. I'll leave the field open to other suggestions.

...I've been in France for a long time now and I'm still looking for the place to hang my hat, so to speak...there are so many beautiful places: les gorges du tarn; the vinyards around bergerac/bordeaux/sauterne; the massif centrale; the foothills of the pyrenees; haute savoire; the pays du cathars, and many other places worth looking at and maybe even living in!...I'm still looking, and having fun doing so...happy hunting!!!

There's a comprehensive guide to France on this site: Travellerspoint Guide To France

Hi!

I would suggest trying to find things that are "off-the-beaten-path" so to speak. Some of my best memories of France were of places that were chosen at random from a map!

If you still want more advice... I would definitely visit the city of Colmar, near Strasbourg. It's not too big, maybe 60,000 people, but the "old-city" is absolutely amazing, the people are also genuine and you can get a real feel of Alsacian culture that gets lost in the urbanism of Strasbourg.

The Medieval City in Carcassonne is a great stop, and so is Collioure, on the Catalanian coast.
Hope this helps, and happy travelling!