Explore France

France offers a vast array of great escapes, regions and cities to explore and world-leading visitor attractions. In this section you can find inspiration for everything from a grand day out to a holiday to remember.

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Brown cat and white cat on fallen tree in woods, brown cat is sitting looking up as white cat stretches over the top to pass

See France through the eyes of a cat

American cat lover Teresa Kaufman enjoys countryside walks and has spent 18 years travelling the country with her two cats

Explore rural France with wine themed mini-break

As vignerons across France reap this year’s grape harvest. Samantha David selects some of her favourite wine regions to explore on holiday. There is something for all wine lovers...

French postie’s ideal palace has the X-facteur

A French postman’s stonework story is set to find a new audience, says Samantha David

Gascony garden is French palm paradise

Jane Hanks visits the Palmeraie du Sarthou, where even in November the exotic arbres provide compelling viewing

Secret history of French buildings - November 2018

From Huguenots to Jews, the village of Chambon-sur-Lignon has a centuries-old record of aiding the oppressed, writes Jane Hanks

What lies beneath these French subterranean sites

Away from the prehistoric caves that lure visitors in their droves, France has plenty of lesser-known underground sites to explore. Samantha David selects some of her favourites

Secret history of buildings - September 2018

Mont St Michel has always attracted visitors, from pilgrims to today’s tourists. Jane Hanks traces its buildings’ evolution

Architecture of France: The Grande Lande

The Lande that time forgot

Secret history of buildings - August 2018

A church in a Bourgogne village houses an intriguing clutch of empty stone coffins. Jane Hanks discovers their origins

French roadside history being lost, one sign at a time

Michelin road signs are a familiar part of France, so familiar people are not noticing their disappearance, but numbers are falling and with them goes part of France’s history.

Nantes' elephant off parade as pilots strike

Staff at popular tourist attraction walk out in dispute over pay and conditions

Faces of French victims of Nazi atrocity

Images of 530 victims of Oradour-sur-Glane massacre go on display

Lavender farmers' fury over careless visitors

Thoughtless tourists wreck valuable crops

Photo of the month: July

Every month we will be sharing a photograph of a place in France. This month we take a look at Haut-Koenigsburg in Alsace

Holidaying with the stars

You do not have to go to the moon and back to brush up on your astronomy. Nick Inman gets to grips with the galaxy from the comfort of a Gascon farm

Things looking up for summer French sky viewings

With a glimpse of Venus, a partial solar eclipse and meteor showers, there is lots to see in France this year, says Samantha David

Secret history of French villages: Rocamadour

Miracles and swords bring a million visitors... Jane Hanks is a regular visitor to Rocamadour herself but each time the perched village yields ever more secrets from its rich history

Dry stone huts not used by shepherds, nor Gauls...

Architecture of France... Dry-stone wall huts

Take a gastronomic Tour de France

This July’s Tour de France heads across the top and bottom of France. Jane Hanks tracks their route with her culinary hat on

Bells ring out in Toulouse to mark great victory

First grand tolling of the bells in Pink City since the end of the Second World War to celebrate 800-year-old event

14 entries for 2018's Village préféré des Français

The 14 entries for the seventh annual contest to find Le village préféré des Français have been unveiled - with villages from all 13 metropolitan regions and one from La Réunion vying for the title won last year by Kaysersberg, in Alsace.

Cornish saint to join Brittany’s ‘Easter Island’

Statue is 100th addition to ‘Breton Easter Island’, La Vallée des Saints.