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Facts About France
France Vacations
One of the facts about France is that it is endowed with a great variety of stunningly beautiful scenery, climate, regional culture, great food and wine, and there are spectacular tourist attractions in France.
The country has lush agricultural lands, vineyards, rolling prairies, magnificent mountain ranges, rugged seal cliffs, steppe-like plateaux, six National Parks, 43 regional parks, over 2000 miles of beaches and seashores and at least 32 world heritage sites. These facts about France make it an amazing place for your France vacations.
Home to beautiful countryside, vineyards, great food and wine, history, antiquity, architecture, cathedrals, museums and monuments, France vacations manage to provide unique holiday adventures for any visitor.
Even its cities and towns are diverse and offer a myriad of attractions and culinary experiences with colourful street markets, old ports and historic sections, narrow lanes, cobblestone streets and pathways, picturesque buildings, art, museums and charming hotels.
Map of France
Paris, France is not only the capital and the City of Light, is one of the world’s great cities, one of the most favourite tourist attractions in France and a famous destination of travelers worldwide.
Although the city is massive, it is easy to get around the compact city center and all areas of Paris either on foot or with the highly efficient Paris Metro public transportation system.
The Paris Metro itself is one of the many exciting tourist attractions in France. There is no doubt one of the main facts about France is that Paris is rich with culture and gastronomy, museums and galleries, shopping and entertainment, with practically an endless amount of things to do on your France vacations.
Interesting Facts About France:
France has 4 sea fronts – the North Sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.
- The largest beach in Europe is at La Baule in the Loire-Atlantique department.
- Highest sand dune in Europe is Dune de Pilat – 150 m (492 feet) in the Gironde département of Aquitaine.
- One of the favourite winter facts about France is that the highest mountain in Western Europe is Mont Blanc in the Savoy Alps, 4807 meters (15,771 feet).
- The highest inhabited village in France is Saint-Véran in the Hautes-Alpes region (2200 m – 7218 feet).
- Skiable area is equipped with 4200 ski lifts and 13000 km (8,078 miles) of downhill ski pistes.
- 6000 species of plant life with 200 being specific to France.
- 15 million hectares of forest.
- Another one of the interesting facts about France which will not surprise you is that it has around 35,000 boulangeries (bakeries).
- Nature lovers be sure to include visits to a national or regional park in your France vacations.
Because of varied landscape of France, each park provides a different experience. It is no wonder there are so many beautiful tourist attractions in France.
Facts about France Parks
Here are 6 National Parks to include in your France Vacations:
- Cévennes national park (Languedoc)
- Les Ecrins (Provence – Alps)
- Le Mercantour (Provence)
- Les Pyrénées (Hautes Pyrénées)
- La Vanoise (Provence)
- Port-Cros (Var, Provence)
The Most Popular Regional Parks for Tourist Attractions in France are:
- Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne (the Auvergne volcanoes)
- Le Parc régional naturel des Grands Causses (Aveyron – Lozère)
- Parc Naturel Regional du Morvan – Monts du Morvan (Burgundy)
- Parc Naturel des Ballons des Vosges (Lorraine – Alsace)
Most Visited Sites and Tourist Attractions in France
- Aquaboulevard Water Park (Paris)
- Arc de Triomphe
- Carcassonne
- Cathedral of Reims (gothic architecture)
- Chapel of the Miraculous Medal (Paris)
- Château d’Amboise (Loire Valley) – make sure to include a tour to the beautiful Loire Valley in your France vacations
- Château de Chambord (Loire Valley)
- Château de Chenonceau (Loire Valley)
- Château de Versailles and its Gardens
- Eurodisney (Disneyland Paris – Marne la Vallée) Domaine National de Saint-Cloud (national park) is another spectacular tourist attractions in France
- Ecomusée d’Alsace (near Colmar – France’s largest open-air museum)
- Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is the most famous of all the tourist attractions in France
- Étretat Cliffs and Seaside Resorts – Normandy
- Fontainebleau Forest and Castle Futuroscope in Poitiers
- Georges-Pompidou Centre Gordes (village in Luberon)
- Great Dune of Pilat (largest sand dune in Europe located in 60 km from Bordeaux)
- Île de Ré (Isle of Rhé – an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle)
- Island of Oléron
- La Rochelle ( old town & harbor Atlantic coast)
- La Villette (science exhibition park)
- Les Baux-de-Provence (villages)
- Marineland (Antibes)
- Mer de Glace & Montenvers (rack-and-pinion railway – Chamonix-Mont-Blanc)
- be sure to include Mont-Saint-Michel in one of your France Vacations
- Monte Carlo – the Rock of Monaco
- Musée du Louvre or Louvre Museum is one of the greatest tourist attractions in France
- Musée d’Orsay (Paris)
- Musée Picasso
- Notre-Dame de Chartres Cathedral
- Notre-Dame-de-Fourvière Basilica
- Notre Dame-de-la-Garde Basilica
- Notre-Dame de Lourdes
- Notre Dame de Paris Parc Astérix (amusement park in Plailly)
- Parc Borély (botanical gardens in Marseille)
- Parc National des Pyrénées (national park)
- Père-Lachaise Cemetery Pont du Gard (aqueduct in southern France)
- Puy du Fou (historical theme park)
- Riquewihr (village in Alsace)
- Sacré-Cœur Basilica (Paris) one of the facts of France is that the Right Bank of the Seine River is well known for the hill of Montmartre Paris, dominated by the Sacré Coeur basilica.
- Saint-Malo Citadel
- Saint-Ouen Flea Market
- Strasbourg Cathedral
Include Unesco World Heritage Sites in Your France Vacations
- Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe
- Amiens Cathedral
- Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
- Belfries of Belgium and France
- Bordeaux, Port of the Moon
- Bourges Cathedral
- Canal du Midi
- Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims
- Chartres Cathedral
- Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
- Fortifications of Vauban
- Facts about France; from the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the production of open-pan salt
- Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana also know as Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve
- Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
- Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne is a stunning and romantic place to include in your France vacations
- Historic Site of Lyons
- Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion
- Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret
- Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
- Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
- Palace and Park of Versailles
- Paris, the banks of the Seine River are some of the most desireable tourist attractions in France
- Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance in Nancy
- Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
- Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley
- Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs
- Pyrénées – Mont Perdu
- Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the “Triumphal Arch” of Orange
- Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
- Strasbourg – Grande île
- The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes
- Vézelay, Church and Hill
Climate and Weather Forecast France
France is influenced by four climate types:
Temperate maritime climate in the west, mid latitude continental climate on the interior, mountain climate on high elevations and Mediterranean climate in the south. Depending on what areas you visit, you can expect to experience a variety of weather forecast France.
The northern part of France, including Île-de-France and Paris, has a temperate climate with warm summers, cold winters and rainfall throughout the year.
The Jura Mountains and the French Alps experience alpine climate and the weather of the French Alps is variable so be prepared to come prepared for a variety of weather forecast France on your mountain vacations.
The western coast, from the Loire to the Pyrenees, is milder and the summer days can get very hot.
Southern France, other facts about France is that areas such as the French Riviera, Provence and Roussillon, has a warm Mediterranean climate with mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers.
In the weather forecast France, you can expect to hear about the mistral, a strong, cold and usually dry regional wind coming from the north, accelerates as it heads south down the Rhone valley, Provence and to the Cote d’Azur.
The mistral is another of the important facts about France. These winds generally occurring during the winter and spring plays an important part in the climate of Provence and often causes sudden storms in the Mediterranean between Corsica and the Balearic Islands.
Map of France – A Guide to the Regions and Departments
France has 26 regions, which are subdivided into 100 départements. The departments are numbered mainly in alphabetical order and this number is used in postal codes and vehicle number plates.
Regional Map of France
Facts About France Regions:
Here is a list of the 26 Regions of France and the 100 Départements to help you with planning your France vacations (not including overseas):
| Île-de-France Paris Northeast France Picardie (Picardy) Aisne Oise Somme Le Nord (Nord-Pas-de-Calais) Nord Pas-de-Calais Champagne-Ardenne Ardennes Aube Marne Haute-Marne Alsace Bas-Rhin Haut-Rhin Lorraine Meurthe-et-Moselle Meuse Moselle Vosges Western France Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy) Eure Seine-Maritime Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy) Calvados Manche Ome Bretagne (Brittany) Côtes-d’Armor Finistère Ille-et-Vilaine Morbihan Pays de la Loire (Loire Valley) Loire-Atlantique Maine-et-Loire Mayenne Sarthe Vendée Central France Bourgogne (Burgundy) Côte-d’Or Nièvre Saône-et-Loire Yonne Centre (Massif Central) Cher Eure-et-Loir Indre Indre-et-Loire Loir-et-Cher Loiret Franche-Comte in Eastern France Doubs Jura Haute-Saône Territoire de Belfort | Rhone-Alpes (Rhone Valley and French Alps) Ain Ardèche Drôme Isère Loire Rhône Savoie Haute-Savoie Southwest France Aquitaine Dordogne Gironde Landes Lot-et-Garonne Pyrénées-Atlantiques Auvergne Allier Cantal Haute-Loire Puy-de-Dôme Limousin Corrèze Creuse Haute-Vienne Midi-Pyrenees (Pyrenees) Ariège Aveyron Haute-Garonne Gers Lot Hautes-Pyrénées Tarn Tarn-et-Garonne Poitou-Charentes (Poitou) Charente Charente-Maritime Deux-Sèvres Vienne South of France Languedoc-Roussillon Aude Gard Hérault Lozère Pyrénées-Orientales Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (Provence and Cote d’Azur) Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 0Hautes-Alpes Alpes-Maritimes Bouches-du-Rhône Var Vaucluse Corse (Corsica) Corse-du-Sud Haute-Corse |
