Browse things to do in France

 

France is a country located in Western Europe. Clockwise from the north, France borders Belgium and Luxembourg to the northeast, Germany and Switzerland to the east, Italy to the south-east and Spain to the south-west, across the Pyrenees mountain range (the small country of Andorra lies in between the two countries). The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south of France, with the Principality of Monaco forming a small enclave. To the west, France has a long Atlantic Ocean coastline, while to the north lies the English Channel, across which lies the last of France's neighbours, England (part of the United Kingdom). France is the world's most popular tourist destination (78 million in 2006) boasting dozens of major tourist attractions, like Paris, Côte d'Azur (the French Riviera), the Atlantic beaches, the winter sport resorts of the Alps, the Castles of Loire Valley, Brittany, Normandy: Mont Saint Michel. The country is renowned for its gastronomy (particularly wines and cheeses), history, culture and fashion.

 

Regions

Ile de France The region surrounding the French capital, Paris.

 

Northern France (Nord-Pas de Calais, Picardie, and Haute-Normandie) A region where the world wars have left many scars.

 

Northeast France (Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne and Franche-Comté) A region where wider European culture (and especially Germanic culture) has merged with the French, giving to interesting results.

 

Central France (Centre-Val de Loire, Poitou-Charentes, Burgundy, Limousin, and Auvergne) A largely agricultural and vinicultural region, featuring river valleys, chateaux and historic towns.

 

Southwestern France (Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees) A region of sea and wine, with nice beaches over the Atlantic Ocean and young high mountains close to Spain.

 

Southeastern France (Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the Mediterranean island of Corsica) The primary tourist region of the country outside of Paris, with a warm climate and azure sea, contrasting with the mountainous French Alps.

 

The world-famous Loire Valley - best known for its wines and chateaux - extends across two regions in west and central France.

 

Corsica is a large French island located to the south-east of mainland France in the west Mediterranean Sea (close to Nice on one side and Livorno, Italy).

 

Each region is divided into a number of Departments. Each Department is allocated a 2 digit number. This number forms the first 2 digits of the 5 digit French postcode.

 

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