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France Guides
34 destinations · 286 guides
French Weekender covers city breaks in France beyond Paris: what to do, the old towns, markets and museums, when to go and how to plan the days.
Each city has its own guides plus attraction and neighbourhood pages.
Destinations in France
LilleLille fits neatly into a weekend: a walkable centre of Flemish gables, a grand square…LyonLyon rewards a plan built around its quarters: Roman theatres and a basilica on Fourvière…MarseilleMarseille works best planned by quarter: the Vieux-Port as your hinge, Le Panier on the…StrasbourgStrasbourg fits neatly into a weekend if you plan by quarter rather than by checklist.AnnecyAnnecy packs a canal-threaded old town, an island palace and a mountain-ringed lake into…ColmarColmar rewards planning rather than winging it: a compact old town, canals along the Quai…AvignonAvignon packs its best sights into a compact walled centre: the Palais des Papes, the…CarcassonneCarcassonne is two places in one: the walled Cité on its hill and the flat Bastide…Aix-en-ProvenceAix-en-Provence rewards a slow, walkable day: shaded squares in the old town, the art in…AjaccioAjaccio squeezes Napoleon's birthplace, a Genoese citadel, a morning market and a pastel…AmboiseAmboise packs a royal château, Leonardo da Vinci's last home and a walkable old town into…AngersAngers packs a royal fortress, the world's largest medieval tapestry cycle and a walkable…AntibesAntibes packs a walled old town, a superyacht marina, a Picasso museum and genuinely…ArlesArles packs Roman monuments, Van Gogh's old haunts and a Frank Gehry art campus into a…BastiaBastia packs a Genoese citadel, a working old port and a plane-tree square into a few…BeauneBeaune is a compact Burgundy town you can cross on foot, built around the Hôtel-Dieu and…BloisBlois packs a royal château, a magician's museum, half-timbered lanes and a river…CalviCalvi packs a citadel, a working harbour and a five-kilometre beach into one walkable bay.CannesCannes is a compact seaside town, not a city of blockbuster sights, and one full day on…ChartresChartres packs a UNESCO cathedral, a two-level old town along the Eure, a free summer…Clermont-FerrandClermont-Ferrand packs a black-stone old town, a volcano on the skyline and a rack…DijonDijon packs a ducal palace, a free fine arts museum, a covered market and a mustard shop…FontainebleauFontainebleau packs a royal palace, 130 hectares of free gardens, a 22,000-hectare forest…GrenobleGrenoble packs a mountain fortress, a walkable Old Town and several free museums into a…MentonMenton packs a stepped old town, a working port, two Cocteau museums and a handful of…MetzMetz fits a weekend comfortably: a Gothic cathedral, a compact old town, a medieval gate…MontpellierMontpellier rewards two days of walking: Place de la Comédie, the Écusson lanes, the…NancyNancy fits neatly into a weekend: a UNESCO-listed square, a strong Art Nouveau streak, a…OrléansOrléans fits into a weekend: a Gothic cathedral, the Joan of Arc story, a strong fine…PerpignanPerpignan packs a Gothic palace, a red-brick gate, a cloister cemetery and a Catalan food…ReimsReims fits neatly into two nights: a coronation cathedral, a Roman arch, a cryptoportique…Saint-TropezSaint-Tropez packs a working port, a tangle of old fishing lanes, a hilltop citadel and a…TroyesTroyes packs a medieval old town, France's first stained glass centre and a lively…VersaillesThe Palace of Versailles is the main event, the gardens and the Estate of Trianon fill…