France Attractions

So you're going to France for your next vacation. You have picked a location, organised your travel, and booked your accommodation. That is the easy part of the "where" and the "how." The trickiest part of planning and enjoying your holiday comes next when you need to tackle the "what" issue. That is what are you going to see and what are you going to do. Please do not even think the word "everything".

Tourists often mistakenly schedule every hour of every day in advance to ensure they see every French chateau, abbey and vineyard. If this is your inclination our advice is don't go. You will be as stressed as if you never left work so you might as well stay there and earn more money.

If you go with a to-do list of "famous sights," you will come home with a lot of beautiful pictures but with no real emotional connection to where you have been. You will look photos of various chateaux and not be able to distinguish which one was which. Your holiday will be one chateau blur. You'll have spent your entire time hurtling from one famous chateau or abbey or rather than soaking up the significance of that chateau, abbey you toured in a nanosecond.

Please do not be a speed tourist forever intent and acting possessed determined to get yet another tick in a box on their must see list. Never see more than two chateaux in a day and do not do more than three days of your vacation (ideally spaced out) chateaux hopping.

You probably selected France as your destination in order to escape the hurried pace of your normal live. So what you need to do is to slow down a bit and enjoy life at another pace. This way you can return home feeling rested and rejuvenated. Remember you are on holiday and you are not trying to set any records. Leisurely drink in the scenery and the culture and sample some of the acclaimed local wine whilst enjoying a picnic.

If you are renting a chateau or a villa, set aside some time to just hang out there and relax. Often you see groups of families who rent a chateau or a villa together busy traipsing all over the countryside ticking all of the boxes on someone's overly optimised list of must see sites and must do activities. Some poor person got the task and wanted to make sure no one could later complain that they missed something.

Always remember most people travel to France for the experience that is unique and totally different from their everyday American English, or Antipodean existence. Find yourself a little cafe, bistro, or a pub. Sit down. Order something. Listen to the locals chatting. Talk to a stranger even if it is in Franglais. Smell that freshly baked bread. Savour that glass of wine. Relax you are on holiday. And if you miss something important - no problem. It is the perfect excuse to come back again for another relaxing holiday another time.

When it comes to tourist destinations, France is among the top countries in the world, a position it has enjoyed for years, stretching back really into centuries. The combination of arts, history, natural beauty, and climate make France one of the most interesting places in the world. Add to that the country’s reputation as a place for great romance (including the most romantic city in the world in Paris) and the security most developed countries of the Western world enjoy, and it is easy to see why tourists flock to the country every year. As you might guess, there is a lot to do throughout France, but here is a list of the five things that seem to be on every tourist’s agenda.

Cities: The big pull in terms of French tourism is the unique and ancient culture that can be found in the cities around the country. Paris is of course preeminent among the cities of France. As the capital, it is home to rich storehouses of information about France and the French people, from ancient to current times. All of the cities of France have a certain degree of romance about them, but it is Paris where lovers worldwide dream of going together. Paris has seen many important architectural designs commemorating great developments in the Western world, including the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Other cities around France that are popular with tourists include Nice, Orleans, and Avignon.

Museums: Paris is also home to one of the most important buildings in the art world in the Louvre museum. This museum is one of the largest centers of art display in the world, and houses pieces famous the world over such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. The national Museum of Natural History is also located in Paris. For military history buffs, the museums of the army and navy include some of the most important pieces in the development of the western world, including the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Wine Tours: France, of course, is well known for its production of some of the world’s finest wines and champagnes. It should come as no surprise in this age where wine tasting and collecting has become a hugely popular hobby that the wineries and vineyards of France have experienced a growth in terms of popularity among tourists. Thus, the countryside has become as much of an integral part of France’s tourist economy as the cities have always been. There are vineyards located all over France, with some of the most popular located in the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine.

Skiing: Skiing became a big draw for tourists in France when the government began to promote the activity in the French Alps in the 1960s. Since then, the skiing along one of the most famous mountain ranges in the worlds has extended so much that the country can boast some of the world’s longest ski trails.

The Beach: The French Riviera stretches along the southern border of the country where it borders the Mediterranean Sea. The whole area is known for its luxurious beaches and its mild weather in both winter and summer. One of the most popular sites here includes Menton, which holds an annual festival celebrating the citrus fruits which grow in the area.