France · Local picks
100+ Places to Visit in France
Our pick of bistros, bakeries, markets, museums, walks, festivals and stays across France, from the classics to quiet corners. Check opening hours before you go, as many places close on Sunday or Monday and some small restaurants shut for part of August.
Places to Visit in Paris
Arts and Culture
- Musée du Louvre (1st arrondissement)
The world's most visited museum, from the Mona Lisa to Egyptian antiquities. - Musée d'Orsay (7th arrondissement)
Impressionist masterpieces by Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh in a grand old railway station. - Sainte-Chapelle (Île de la Cité)
A royal chapel wrapped in walls of thirteenth century stained glass. - Notre-Dame de Paris (Île de la Cité)
The great Gothic cathedral, reopened after its restoration and luminous inside. - Musée de l'Orangerie (Tuileries Garden)
Monet's vast Water Lilies panels in two calm oval rooms. - Musée de la Vie Romantique (Pigalle)
A small free museum in a painter's house with a garden tea room. - Musée Jacquemart-André (8th arrondissement)
A gilded private mansion full of Italian art, with a lovely café. - Catacombs of Paris (Denfert-Rochereau)
Tunnels lined with the bones of millions of Parisians, eerie and unforgettable.
Things to Do
- Eiffel Tower (Champ de Mars)
The iron icon of Paris, best seen from the top at dusk as the city lights come on. - Seine river cruise at night (Pont Neuf)
Seeing the bridges and monuments lit up from the water is pure Paris romance. - Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur (18th arrondissement)
Village lanes, artists' squares and a sweeping view from the basilica steps. - Canal Saint-Martin (10th arrondissement)
Iron footbridges, locks and a young crowd picnicking along the quays. - Père Lachaise Cemetery (20th arrondissement)
A leafy city of tombs where Chopin, Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison rest.
Nature and Outdoors
- Jardin du Luxembourg (6th arrondissement)
The city's favourite park, with toy sailboats, puppet shows and green chairs. - Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (19th arrondissement)
A hilly park with cliffs, a lake and a temple, loved by locals for picnics. - Coulée verte René-Dumont (12th arrondissement)
An elevated garden walk along an old railway line, long before New York's High Line.
Restaurants
- Bouillon Chartier (Grands Boulevards)
A belle époque dining hall serving classic French dishes fast and cheaply since 1896. - Bouillon Pigalle (Pigalle)
Budget friendly French classics in a buzzing modern canteen. - Le Comptoir du Relais (Saint-Germain)
A tiny, lively bistro for proper French cooking on the Left Bank. - L'As du Fallafel (Le Marais)
The famous falafel pitta of the Rue des Rosiers, worth the queue. - Le Train Bleu (Gare de Lyon)
Dine under gilded ceilings and painted murals inside a railway station. - Chez Gladines (Butte aux Cailles)
Hearty Basque food and huge salads in a friendly village corner of the 13th.
Cafés
- Café de Flore (Saint-Germain)
The classic literary café of Sartre and de Beauvoir, perfect for people watching. - Angelina (Rue de Rivoli)
Famously thick hot chocolate and the Mont Blanc pastry beside the Tuileries. - Du Pain et des Idées (Canal Saint-Martin)
An old bakery famous for its pistachio escargot pastry and rustic bread. - La Grande Mosquée de Paris tea room (5th arrondissement)
Mint tea and pastries in a tiled courtyard under fig trees.
Bars and Nightlife
- Le Syndicat (Strasbourg-Saint-Denis)
Inventive cocktails made only with French spirits in a gritty, fun bar. - Rosa Bonheur (Buttes-Chaumont)
A guinguette in the park with rosé, tapas and dancing on summer evenings. - Le Baron Rouge (Aligre)
A neighbourhood wine bar where locals fill bottles from barrels and eat oysters. - Le Caveau de la Huchette (Latin Quarter)
A medieval cellar swing and jazz club that has kept dancing since the 1940s.
Shopping and Markets
- Marché d'Aligre (12th arrondissement)
A noisy, cheap food market with a covered hall and a small flea market. - Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen (Saint-Ouen)
The world's biggest antiques and flea market, a whole weekend world. - Galeries Lafayette Haussmann (9th arrondissement)
A department store with a stained glass dome and a free rooftop view. - Shakespeare and Company (Latin Quarter)
A legendary English bookshop facing Notre-Dame.
Events
- Fête de la Musique (Citywide)
Free music on every street corner on the longest day of the year, 21 June. - Bastille Day fireworks (Champ de Mars)
Military parade on the Champs-Élysées and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower on 14 July. - Nuit Blanche (Citywide)
An all night arts festival in early October with installations across the city.
Stays
- Hôtel des Grands Boulevards (2nd arrondissement)
A stylish boutique hotel with a rooftop bar in a central, lively area. - Generator Paris (10th arrondissement)
A modern hostel with private rooms and a rooftop terrace near Canal Saint-Martin.
Places to Visit in Versailles
Arts and Culture
- Palace of Versailles (Versailles)
The Hall of Mirrors, royal apartments and vast gardens of Louis XIV.
Nature and Outdoors
- Gardens of Versailles (Versailles)
Fountains, groves and boating on the Grand Canal, with musical fountain shows in summer.
Places to Visit in Giverny
Nature and Outdoors
- Claude Monet's House and Gardens (Giverny)
The painter's water lily pond and flower garden, glorious from April to October.
Places to Visit in Nice
Things to Do
- Promenade des Anglais (Seafront)
The seven kilometre seafront promenade lined with blue chairs and palm trees. - Colline du Château (Old Town)
A hilltop park with a waterfall and the best view over the Baie des Anges. - Saint-Paul de Vence (Saint-Paul de Vence)
A walled hill village of galleries, with the Fondation Maeght nearby.
Shopping and Markets
- Cours Saleya market (Vieux Nice)
Flowers, fruit and socca stalls every morning except Monday's antiques day.
Restaurants
- Chez Pipo (Port)
Crisp, peppery socca chickpea pancake straight from a wood oven. - Lou Pilha Leva (Vieux Nice)
Cheap Niçoise street food like pissaladière and stuffed vegetables eaten outdoors. - La Merenda (Vieux Nice)
A tiny, much loved restaurant for authentic Niçoise cooking.
Arts and Culture
- Musée Matisse (Cimiez)
Matisse's works in a red Genoese villa among olive trees. - Musée Marc Chagall (Cimiez)
Chagall's luminous biblical paintings in a museum he helped design.
Cafés
- Fenocchio (Place Rossetti)
Gelato in dozens of flavours, including lavender, olive and tomato basil.
Events
- Nice Carnival (Place Masséna)
Two weeks of parades and flower battles every February.
Stays
- Hôtel Le Negresco (Promenade des Anglais)
A belle époque landmark with a pink dome and art filled corridors.
Nature and Outdoors
- Coco Beach (Mont Boron)
Rocky swimming coves east of the port, loved by locals. - Villefranche-sur-Mer (Villefranche)
A pastel harbour town with a sandy beach a short train ride from Nice.
Places to Visit in Èze
Things to Do
- Èze village (Èze)
A medieval eagle's nest village with a cactus garden high above the sea.
Nature and Outdoors
- Nietzsche Path (Èze-sur-Mer)
A steep hiking trail from the sea up to Èze village through pine and rock.
Places to Visit in Antibes
Shopping and Markets
- Marché Provençal d'Antibes (Old Antibes)
A covered morning market of olives, cheese and Provençal produce.
Arts and Culture
- Musée Picasso Antibes (Château Grimaldi)
Picasso's works in a seafront castle where he painted in 1946.
Places to Visit in Avignon
Arts and Culture
- Palais des Papes (Old Avignon)
The vast Gothic palace where the popes lived in the fourteenth century. - Collection Lambert (Old Avignon)
Contemporary art in two elegant town houses.
Things to Do
- Pont d'Avignon (Old Avignon)
The famous half bridge of the song, best seen from the Rocher des Doms. - Pont du Gard (Vers-Pont-du-Gard)
A Roman aqueduct over a river where you can swim beneath the arches in summer. - Arles Roman arena (Arles)
A Roman amphitheatre still used for events, in the town Van Gogh painted. - Roussillon ochre trail (Roussillon)
A short walk through orange and red ochre cliffs beside a pink village.
Shopping and Markets
- Les Halles d'Avignon (Place Pie)
A covered market with a green living wall and stalls of local produce. - L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Sunday market (L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue)
A riverside town of antiques dealers and a big Sunday market.
Events
- Festival d'Avignon (Citywide)
The world's great theatre festival takes over the town every July.
Nature and Outdoors
- Rocher des Doms (Old Avignon)
A clifftop garden with ducks, views over the Rhône and the bridge. - Sénanque Abbey lavender (Gordes)
A Cistercian abbey framed by lavender rows in late June and July. - Gordes village (Gordes)
A golden stone village spilling down a hill in the Luberon.
Stays
- La Mirande (Old Avignon)
An eighteenth century mansion hotel beside the papal palace.
Places to Visit in Marseille
Things to Do
- Notre-Dame de la Garde (Marseille)
The hilltop basilica with the best view of Marseille and the sea. - Le Panier (Vieux Port)
Marseille's oldest quarter of steep lanes, street art and soap shops.
Nature and Outdoors
- Calanques National Park (Marseille)
White cliffs and turquoise coves to hike or reach by boat.
Arts and Culture
- MuCEM (Vieux Port)
A museum of Mediterranean civilisations with a rooftop linked to an old fort.
Places to Visit in Lyon
Things to Do
- Vieux Lyon traboules (Vieux Lyon)
Secret Renaissance passages between streets in the old town. - Croix-Rousse murals and slopes (Croix-Rousse)
The old silk workers' hill of stairways, murals and village cafés. - Ancient Theatres of Fourvière (Fourvière)
Roman theatres that host the Nuits de Fourvière festival each summer.
Arts and Culture
- Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière (Fourvière)
A glittering basilica on the hill with a panorama of the city. - Musée des Confluences (Confluence)
A science and anthropology museum in a futuristic cloud shaped building. - Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (Terreaux)
A great art museum in a former abbey with a quiet cloister garden.
Shopping and Markets
- Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse (Part-Dieu)
The city's temple of food, from oysters to Saint-Marcellin cheese. - Marché Saint-Antoine (Quai Saint-Antoine)
A riverside food market every morning except Monday.
Restaurants
- Daniel et Denise (Saint-Jean)
A classic bouchon for pâté en croûte and quenelles. - Le Bouchon des Filles (Croix-Rousse slopes)
A warm bouchon with a set menu of Lyonnais classics. - Café Comptoir Abel (Ainay)
One of Lyon's oldest bouchons, wood panelled and full of character.
Nature and Outdoors
- Parc de la Tête d'Or (6th arrondissement)
A huge park with a lake, rose gardens and a free zoo.
Events
- Fête des Lumières (Citywide)
Four nights of light shows across the city around 8 December.
Bars and Nightlife
- Péniches on the Rhône (Quai Augagneur)
Moored barges turned into bars and clubs along the river.
Stays
- Cour des Loges (Vieux Lyon)
A hotel in Renaissance buildings around a glass roofed courtyard.
Places to Visit in Tours
Arts and Culture
- Château de Chenonceau (Chenonceaux)
The château that spans the river Cher on graceful arches. - Château de Chambord (Chambord)
The largest Loire château, with a double helix staircase. - Château de Villandry (Villandry)
Famous for its geometric Renaissance vegetable and flower gardens. - Château du Clos Lucé (Amboise)
Leonardo da Vinci's last home, with models of his inventions in the park. - Troglodyte caves of Vouvray (Vouvray)
Wine cellars carved into the limestone cliffs. - Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (Azay-le-Rideau)
A small Renaissance château reflected in its moat.
Things to Do
- Château Royal d'Amboise (Amboise)
A royal castle above the Loire where Leonardo is buried. - Place Plumereau (Old Tours)
A square of half timbered houses filled with café terraces.
Shopping and Markets
- Les Halles de Tours (Tours)
A covered market for rillettes, goat cheese and local wine.
Nature and Outdoors
- Loire à Vélo (Loire Valley)
A flat, signposted cycle route between châteaux and vineyards.
Bars and Nightlife
- Guinguette de Tours sur Loire (Riverside)
A summer open air bar with music and dancing by the river.
Places to Visit in Bordeaux
Arts and Culture
- La Cité du Vin (Bacalan)
A museum of wine cultures in a curving building on the river. - Bassins des Lumières (Bacalan)
Immersive digital art shows in a former submarine base.
Things to Do
- Miroir d'Eau (Place de la Bourse)
The world's largest reflecting pool, magical at dusk. - Saint-Émilion (Saint-Émilion)
A medieval wine village with an underground church. - Darwin Ecosystème (Bastide)
A converted military barracks of skateparks, organic food and street art.
Shopping and Markets
- Marché des Capucins (Capucins)
A market for oysters and white wine on a Sunday morning. - Rue Sainte-Catherine (Centre)
One of Europe's longest pedestrian shopping streets.
Nature and Outdoors
- Dune du Pilat (Arcachon Bay)
Europe's tallest sand dune, overlooking the ocean and pine forest.
Restaurants
- La Tupina (Saint-Michel)
A rustic restaurant cooking southwestern food over an open fire.
Cafés
- Canelés at Baillardran (Bordeaux)
Little caramelised rum cakes, the city's signature sweet.
Bars and Nightlife
- Le Bar à Vin (Bordeaux)
The wine council's bar for tasting Bordeaux by the glass.
Places to Visit in Mont-Saint-Michel
Things to Do
- Mont-Saint-Michel (Normandy)
A tidal island abbey rising from the bay, among Europe's great sights.
Places to Visit in Normandy
Arts and Culture
- Normandy American Cemetery (Colleville-sur-Mer)
A moving memorial above Omaha Beach to the D-Day landings.
Places to Visit in Strasbourg
Events
- Strasbourg Christmas Market (Strasbourg)
One of Europe's oldest Christmas markets, every Advent.
Things to Do
- Petite France (Strasbourg)
Canals and half timbered houses in Strasbourg's old tanners' quarter.
More to Explore
We are still checking these with fresh sources, so confirm opening times before you go.
- Centre Pompidou (Beaubourg, Paris)
Modern art in an inside out building; check reopening dates after its long renovation. - Hôtel Particulier Montmartre (18th arrondissement, Paris)
A hidden mansion of suites behind a garden gate on the hill. - Le Shapko (Vieux Nice, Nice)
A cosy bar with live jazz and blues most nights. - Restaurant L'Agape (Place des Corps Saints, Avignon)
Refined Provençal cooking with a terrace on a lively square. - Café in Place Pie (Place Pie, Avignon)
Sit with locals on the square after a market morning. - Utopia Manutention bar (Rue des Escaliers Sainte-Anne, Avignon)
An arthouse cinema café in a quiet corner below the palace. - Boulangerie du Palais (Vieux Lyon, Lyon)
A local bakery known for its pink praline brioche. - Away Hostel and Coffee Shop (Guillotière, Lyon)
A friendly hostel with a good café in a lively area. - Château de la Bourdaisière (Montlouis-sur-Loire, Tours)
Sleep in a château famous for its tomato gardens. - Mama Shelter Bordeaux (Centre, Bordeaux)
A playful design hotel with a rooftop.