Things to Do in France

1. Eiffel Tower

Paris

Unmatched skyline views from dizzying iron heights. Sunset views and sparkling light shows every hour await.

Quick facts: A towering iron lattice structure reaches 324 meters at its highest point, providing views that can extend over 60 kilometers on exceptionally clear days. Engineers used approximately 2.5 million rivets and assembled around 18,038 individual metal parts to create the delicate-looking yet strong structure.

Highlights: After sunset, 20,000 sparkling bulbs twinkle for five minutes every hour, turning the silhouette into a glittering beacon that attracts both locals and visitors. Gustave Eiffel maintained a small glass-walled private apartment on the third level where he hosted guests like Thomas Edison. A replica of that space, complete with period furnishings, can still be seen today.

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2. Louvre Museum

Paris

Masterpieces spanning centuries beneath one iconic glass pyramid. Expect intimate encounters with tiny portraits and grand halls.

Quick facts: More than 35,000 works are exhibited across tens of thousands of square meters, so a single visit barely covers it all. A surprising combination of ancient artifacts, European paintings, and decorative arts lets you journey from a pharaoh’s tomb to a 19th-century salon within just a few corridors.

Highlights: A striking glass pyramid by I.M. Pei punctuates a vast palace courtyard, its geometric shape reflecting on wet stone after rain, perfect for cinematic photos. A tiny 77-by-53 centimeter portrait sits behind bulletproof glass, attracting crowds who examine the famously subtle smile up close.

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3. Mont Saint-Michel

Mont-Saint-Michel

Striking tidal island topped by a soaring abbey. Wander medieval streets and watch the sea cover the causeway.

Quick facts: A rocky island topped by a soaring medieval abbey rises dramatically above wide mudflats, changing from a connected peninsula to a sea-bound island as the tides roll in. Visitors can observe one of Europe's largest tidal ranges, sometimes reaching up to 14 meters, as the channel floods the surrounding sands in under an hour.

Highlights: La Mère Poulard, founded by Anne Boutiaut in 1888, still flips its famously airy soufflé omelette in a copper pan right before diners, a theatrical culinary ritual that draws many longtime fans. When the tide surges, a ring of water forms around the mount in less than an hour. Salted spray and circling gulls make the climb to the abbey feel like the conclusion of a seaside performance.

4. Palace of Versailles

Versailles

Climb into royal splendor, where mirror-lined galleries meet endless formal gardens. Expect dazzling chandeliers, synchronized fountains, and palace-scale drama.

Quick facts: A royal complex spans more than 800 hectares of gardens, groves, and ornate parterres, featuring over 400 fountains and tree-lined avenues. More than 2,300 rooms once housed kings, courtiers, and extravagant masked balls that influenced European politics.

Highlights: A sparkling gallery lined with 357 matching mirrors extends about 73 meters, reflecting 17 crystal chandeliers and gilded sculptures into a cathedral of light. Evenings come alive with musical fountain shows where more than 200 water jets synchronize to baroque music, filling the air with splashes and harpsichord notes.

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5. Château de Chambord

Chambord

Bold Renaissance architecture makes it worth the visit. Climb a spiraling staircase and explore a rooftop maze for unforgettable views.

Quick facts: A double-spiral staircase allows two groups to pass without meeting, an ingenious feature often credited to Leonardo da Vinci. Over 400 ornate chimneys and towers create a rooftop forest that changes with every angle and season.

Highlights: An interlaced double helix staircase winds through the building's heart, a choreography of stone where visitors on opposite spirals can climb without crossing paths, a detail linked to Leonardo da Vinci's influence. From the terrace, close-up views of more than 400 sculpted chimneys form a jagged skyline, glowing in golden light at sunset and alive with skylarks in spring.

6. Pont du Gard

Vers-Pont-du-Gard

Discover a breathtaking three-tiered stone bridge towering over crystal river pools. Walk shaded paths, swim in shallow water, and catch stunning sunset reflections.

Quick facts: A massive three-tiered stone aqueduct rises to about 49 meters, a striking landmark that still dominates the river valley. People can stroll on shaded walkways, picnic on limestone terraces, or cool off in shallow pools beneath the arches on hot afternoons.

Highlights: Three stacked rows of arches form a dramatic silhouette that casts mirror-like reflections onto the river at golden hour, ideal for wide-angle photography. Close inspection reveals chisel marks on huge limestone blocks, some weighing several tons, showing precise craftsmanship where stones were fitted without mortar.

7. Omaha Beach

Colleville-sur-Mer

Powerful wartime history meets sweeping coastal views. Walk the beach, read the names, feel the scale.

Quick facts: More than 34,000 Allied troops landed here during the D-Day invasion, facing steep cliffs and fortified obstacles that still dot the sand at low tide. Low tides often reveal rusted anti-landing stakes and concrete tetrapods, creating striking silhouettes against the surf.

Highlights: A clifftop American cemetery displays 9,387 white headstones arranged in precise rows, the afternoon sun turning the marble into a pale grid against green lawns. Local veterans and visiting families often leave small flags and stones on specific graves during D-Day anniversaries and Memorial Day, creating colorful clusters around certain names.

8. Cité de Carcassonne

Carcassonne

Explore a dramatic medieval fortress full of atmosphere. Wander the ramparts, peek from 52 towers, and enjoy the charm of cobbled streets.

Quick facts: You can walk along two concentric stone walls studded with about 52 towers, a silhouette straight out of a storybook. Inside, narrow cobbled lanes lead to a gothic basilica where colored light filters through medieval glass.

Highlights: Restorer Eugène Viollet-le-Duc famously gave the roofs their pointed, polychrome profile during a 19th-century renovation, shaping the fortress silhouette many recognize today. Walk the approximately 3 kilometers of ramparts, count around 52 towers, then pause where lavender-scented air drifts in from the plain and the Pyrenees frame the horizon.

9. Gorges du Verdon

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Spectacular canyon views and electric turquoise water. Paddle, hike or drive beneath sheer 700-meter cliffs for epic photos.

Quick facts: Sheer limestone cliffs drop up to 700 meters, carving a dramatic canyon with a river that shifts from deep cobalt to bright turquoise. Outdoor enthusiasts come here for kayaking, rock climbing, and paragliding while cliffside roads and trails offer breathtaking viewpoints.

Highlights: Hiking the Sentier Martel reveals narrow sections like the Imbut and roughly 15 kilometers of trail threading through echoing walls. Early morning light bathes the limestone in warm honey tones while the turquoise water below gleams like glass, making the canyon feel like a giant natural amphitheater.

10. Aiguille du Midi

Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Ride a dramatic cable car to high-alpine terraces. Glacial panoramas, a glass skybox, and fresh mountain air.

Quick facts: A dizzying cable-car ride ascends to alpine terraces at about 3,842 meters, providing near-vertical views through rocky spires. Wind-sculpted rock, hanging glaciers, and an outdoor glass box make the summit feel like stepping onto a movie set.

Highlights: A glass chamber called "Step into the Void" allows visitors to stand at around 3,842 meters with a sheer drop visible beneath their feet. On clear days the panorama extends across the Mont Blanc massif into Italy and Switzerland, revealing glaciers, jagged ridgelines, and tiny towns far below.

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