Old Lyon - or Lyons
Other
"bests" pages on
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This is a guide to the
best French travel destinations and sights,
the
French towns and cities that have most to offer in the way of culture,
sights and sites .
In order to establish a "top fifty" of the "best places to see in
France", we have taken into account a number of criteria, notably urban
environment and cityscape, museums, historic monuments and other
attractions, accessibility, and things to see and do in the immediate
vicinity. Yet like any "best of", the classification is by nature
subjective,
an opinion of the
reviewers. Every traveller will have his or her own best places in
France, depending on what they have actually seen, and what they are
interested in.
In choosing our top fifty best
cities, About-France.com has not taken into account criteria such as
hotels, restaurants, and shopping, as these are part of the fabric of
any city.
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France's
ten biggest cities,
ranked in "must see" order
Rank
|
City
|
Star
rating
|
Strengths
and/or
weaknesses
|
1
|
Paris
|
*****
|
Paris
is in a category of its own, and in any competition for "best cities in
France", it has to be top. There is just so much to see and do in
Paris; world class museums, monuments and other attractions. From the
Eiffel Tower to the Louvre or Disneyland, Paris has it all, and lying
at the hub of France's national and international communications
networks, it is by far the most accessible of French cities.
|
2
|
Nice
|
**** |
Located
on the French Riviera between rugged hills and the azure waters of the
Mediterranean, the city of Nice has a great deal to offer the visitor,
from its beaches and its renowned flower market, to its old
town,
its several art galleries
and its
old port. The long sweep of the Baie des Anges is a magnificent beach,
bordered by the Promenade des Anglais - named after the first tourists
who, in the late 18th century, began to transform a sleepy fishing port
into the Mediterranean's premier resort. The area round Nice is
breathtaking, and Nice
airport is well served by international carriers.
|
3
|
Strasbourg |
*** |
Today
seat of the European parliament, Strasbourg is one of the great
historic cities of Europe. The old city, with its magnificent gothic
cathedral, narrow streets, half-timbered houses and canals, is one of
the finest old city centres in France. Strasbourg is accessible by TGV
from Paris, and easily accessible from Germany and Benelux.
Click
here for our hand-picked selection of hotels in the
centre of Strasbourg.
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4
|
Bordeaux |
*** |
This
great old port city, on the banks of Gironde estuary in southwest
France, has a large old centre, much of it dating from the
17th
to 19th centuries with some fine monuments. and a good art gallery. The
18th century theatre is the finest theatre of its period in France. The
area round Bordeaux is famous for its vineyards.
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5
|
Lyon
|
*** |
Lyon
has an historic centre, between the rivers Saône and Rhône. The Place
Bellecour is a fine urban piazza. To the west of the Rhone the old
quarter of Fourvière rises steeply up from the quais of the Saône. The
urban ensemble, which is a UNESCO world heritage site, is
attractive and historic but not breathtaking. Lyon is particularly
famous for its many good restaurants.
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6
|
Toulouse |
*** |
The
"pink city" has an attractive and quite distinctive old centre with a
distinct Mediterranean flavour. Worth visiting are the magnificent St
Sernin basilica, the Jacobins church and cloisters, and the Place du
Capitole, a very fine city square. Beside the city centre is the Canal
du Midi, the oldest canal in Europe and a UNESCO world heritage site.
Toulouse also has a popular aerospace museum. |
7
|
Marseille |
** |
This
ancient Mediterranean port has a vibrant city centre, with its main
thoroughfare La Canebière. Worth seeing are the city's cathedrals and
the mediaeval St. Laurent church. The old port area is very attractive,
and boat trips can be taken to the historic fortress on the Ile d'If,
lying in the middle of the bay. |
8
|
Lille
|
** |
The
old city centre of Lille is famous for its Flemish squares and
belfries. See also the 17th century Citadel, and the Lille art gallery,
reputed to be the second best in France after the Louvre. There is also
a good modern art gallery. The Lille zoo is a popular place with locals
and tourists alike.
|
9
|
Nantes
|
* |
The
old city centre has narrow pedestrian streets, with an almost Parisian
feel. The city's two main monuments are the St. Pierre cathedral and
the Chateau of the Dukes of Brittany. Boat trips can be taken up the
Erdre river, flanked by a succession of old mansion houses.
|
10
|
Toulon
|
* |
A
naval port city with an industrial heritage, Toulon has an attractive
old quarter near the old port; but it is the city's beautiful Provençal
hinterland and the fine coast to the east and the west that are
generally more visited than the city itself.
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Favourite smaller
cities in France :
While France's big cities have plenty to
offer, for many visitors the
best places to see in France are the smaller cities, places that are
not necessarily on the main tourist routes. More French, less
cosmopolitan, all of these smaller regional centres are very much worth
the visit.
(In red bold
type: cities that are or contain UNESCO world heritage sites)
Star rating
|
Towns
and cities
|
***
|
Aix-en-Provence,
Annecy, Avignon,
Besançon,
Colmar, Cannes, Metz, Nancy,
Nimes, St. Malo, Tours |
| ** |
Albi,
Angers, Arles,
Chambéry, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, La Rochelle, Montpellier,
Poitiers, Limoges, Orleans, Pau, Rennes, Reims,
Rouen, Troyes, |
| * |
Angoulême,
Arras, Beauvais, Biarritz, Blois, Chartres,
Laon, Le Mans, Narbonne, Rodez, Quimper, Vichy |
Other
best places to visit in France
Apart
from its cities and towns, with their museums, historic monuments and
other attractions, France has a huge selection of places worth
visiting, including châteaux, remarkable landscapes, coasts, forests
and countless beautiful villages. While there are a number of villages
that proudly promote themselves as one of the "most beautiful villages
in France", this is just the tip of the iceberg, a label that
villages can apply for ... at a price. For many smaller villages, the
cost is too great, consequently there are plenty of very beautiful
villages in France that are just waiting to be discovered, often by
accident, by passing travellers.
For more ideas
on places to visit in each region, check out the tourist attractions
section on each of the regional pages in the guide to the regions of France.
In the end, it is up to you, the traveller, to
decide for yourself what are the best places in France.
The
best museums & art galleries in France
Best free tourist
attractions in France
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© About-France.com 2010-2011
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