France Travel Guide to Top Tourist Attractions
From Paris' boulevards to Cote d'Azur's seaside resorts, France offers the world's most beautiful scenery. Picture-perfect villages, magnificent cathedrals with towering rooftops, to fairy-tale castles inspire romance. However, the country's contemporary and major monuments, including fast trains services at the same time jolt tourists from the almost intoxicating storybook surroundings into today's 21st century world.
Commence your trip visiting the Eiffel Tower, France's eternal modern emblem. Next, discover world-renowned artistic masterpieces housed at the Louvre Museum. Spend a whole day pretending to be a crowned princess or princess at the fine Palace of Versailles. Make time to enjoy leisurely gourmet meals. Traditional French gastronomy has been listed on the UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Every region in France has both its own unique culture and Cuisine. For example, Brittany's costal region offers the older-world charm of ancient seaports and quaint fishing villages, and the French Alps provides tasty cuisine of Charcuterie and cheese fondue served in comfortable chalets close to ski slopes.
Appreciate the country's magnetic charm and discover the best things you can do and what are the top tourist attractions with this France travel guide.
1) Eiffel Tower. As a massive symbol glorifying Paris, the Eiffel Tower, rising 320 meters into the blue ski, is a very famous landmark deserving a visit. Gustave Eiffel designed this huge structure comprising 8,000 metallic parts but only as a temporary exhibit to be shown in the 1889 World Fair. Though once even detested by critics at the time, the Eiffel Tower still became both a loved and permanent fixture adorning the Paris skyline.
Because of the Eiffel Tower's grace and beauty, it has earned itself the Iron Lady nickname. Tourists are awed by the tower's airy delicateness in spite of its massiveness and the stunning panoramas at every level--three in all.
Visitors could either dine at the first level and delight in the excellent view or on the next level up eat at the Michein-starred Le Jules Verne restaurant. But at the thrilling height of 276 meters, the highest level provides a wonderful outlook over Paris and more. In fact, vistas may extend as much as seventy kilometers, but on a crystal-clear day.
2) Musee du Louvre. Housed in a stately palace which used to be a royal residence, the Louvre Museum now ranks among the best European collections that display the finest art pieces. You'll find several Western Civilization's foremost famous works here such as Mona Lisa, the Wedding Feast of Cana, and Venus de Milo sculpture.
Various kings, living in the Louvre, contributed generously to this collection's treasure chest. Other art pieces got added on account of France's treaties with the Republic of Venice and the Vatican, and the spoils of Napole'on l.
Today, the Louvre Museum displays about 35,000 artworks that include numerous masterpieces. Actually, it's not humanly possible, only in your dreams, to see so much in just one day. It's highly recommended to either use a private guided tour or concentrate on a list of favorite artworks to get a more rewarding experience without feeling overwhelmed.
3) Cha'teau de Versailles. Emblematizing the French monarchy's grandeur before the ancient Re'gime's fall, Cha'teau de Versailles represents France's glorious moment in history, during Louis XIV's reign, when the palace established the standard for princely courts for all Europe.
Louis XIV managed to transform his dad's hunting lodge in 1661 into a full-blown royal palace. To materialize the king's vision, famed architect Louis Le Vau modernized the Cha'teau in a neoclassical fashion of sheer elegance. Later, another architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart built the luxurious Baroque interiors such as the Hall of Mirrors.
The most extraordinary portion in the palace is found in the Hall of Mirrors, precisely where courtiers had to wait to gain an audience with the king. This sensational gallery shines with sunlight entering through the windows and reflecting off 100's of ornamental mirrors, as many dazzling chandeliers and even gilded details cause a greater and more amazing overall impression.
Versailles is famous for Les Jardins, which are formal French gardens that feature decorative pools, many statues, beautiful fountains, and admirably trimmed shrubbery. Renowned landscape designer Andre' Le Notre built the gardens in the 17th century, encompassing no less than eight hundred hectares of exuberant parkland.
Domaine de Trianon which lies beyond the formal gardens, includes Le Hameau de la Reine, Le Grand Trianon Palace, and Le Petit Trianon Cha'teau. Here you'll see Marie-Antonette's fabricated pastoral village that features quaint cottages lying around a lake. Rural architecture inspired these structures to have a rather weathered finish which was deliberately rendered to provide a more rustic appearance.
The French queen's hamlet initially had an operating dairy and farm, serving her children at an educational capacity. In fact, this place was originally designed as a spot for her to escape from the tiresome formality of daily court life, to enjoy short strolls as well as visits with friends. The halmet offers a truly rare glimpse of the French queen's private world.
4) Cote' d'Azur. France's most trendy stretch of coastline, the Cote' d'Azur, extending from Saint-Tropez to Menton close to the Italian border, means "Coast of Blue," which is a suitable name that perfectly describes the Mediterranean's spellbinding cerulean waters.
This glorious seaside destination is recognized as the French Riviera to English speakers, the words ringing of sun-soaked decadence.
During the summer months, the seaside resorts are generally crammed with sunbathers and beach lovers. The famous and rich can be seen here residing in lavish villas and sailing on luxury yachts. Nice, a town, offers stellar art museums and panoramic sea views. Cannes is renowned for its legendary hotels and celebrity film festival.
The best-ranked beaches can be found in Antibes, plus having superb museums and an atmospheric Old Town. Saint-Tropez now offers both private and public beaches together with the feel of a charming fishing village, but Monaco captivates with its unrivaled scenery and personal ambience.
5) Mont Saint-Michel. Towering from a rocky islet nearby the Normandy coast, Mont Saint-Michel is France's foremost striking landmark. The mystical site rises 80 meters over and above the bay, while imposing bastions and defensive walls surround it.
The chief tourist attraction is Abbaya du Mont Saint-Michel, a marvelous medieval architectural work boasting soaring Gothic spires. The Abbey Church's serene beauty scarcely fails to awe new visitors with its well-balanced Romanesque ornate and nave high-vaulted choir.
Constructed in the 11th century, the Abbey Church continues to be a significant Christian pilgrimage destination, nicknamed "The heavenly Jerusalem." Mont Saint-Michel still succeeds to inspire modern-day pilgrims who practice the traditional crossing the bay on foot as they did back in the Middle Ages.
