The regions of France

1. Discover the regions of France

Other areas of France

Areas of France that are not  designated regions

The Dordogne area

The French Riviera

The Camargue

Gascony

The French Alps

The Massif Central

Cathar country

The coasts and seaside of France

► You may also like : Wine regions of France

Since 2016, Metropolitan France has been divided administratively into  13 regions; until 2015, there were 22 regions.
   The reduction has been obtained by merging certain regions together, as can be seen on the map above. Some of the new super-regions combine the names of the old regions, others like Occitanie or Grand Est are new. Meanwhile the old regions that have been merged are likely to keep their identities, though not their institutions,  for some time to come, specially those that like Limousin, Champagne or Alsace, are historic provinces or areas of France.
 There are also five overseas regions. Select any region or area in the list below right, or on the map above, for specific regional information and main tourist attractions.

Administrative regions

    Regions are the top tier  territorial units of France. There are 13 regions in metropolitan France, i.e. continental France plus the island of Corsica. There are also five overseas regions.  Merged regions are linked by colour in the map at the top of the page. For example Midi Pyrenees and Languedoc Roussillon are now combined in a new region called Occitanie.
   Following the 2016 regional reform, there are now nine regions in the north of France, and just three in the south of continental France.     This guide only covers France in Europe, and excludes  French overseas regions such as the Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe.    Each region has its regional council, whose members are elected by universal suffrage. The council is presided over by a regional president, and has a full local administration to go with it.
    Regions have extensive powers in the fields of transport, infrastructure, economic development, tourism and education (provision of lycées), and since these powers were devolved to them from 1981 onwards regions have often worked hard over the years to develop a regional identity.

   Regions are the top tier of a distinctly complex multi-tiered system of local administration, which also includes counties (départements), local areas (communautés de communes, or Intercommunalités) and boroughs (communes).

Historic regions, provinces and other areas :

   Many of today's French regions correspond largely to the provinces of pre-revolutionary France, and share the same name. Others are modern creations including areas from different historic provinces. 
   France also has a number of well-known "areas" which are not administrative regions. These are historic or geographic areas, or simply areas that have an identity in terms of tourism. See the list to the right.

►Going further :

• Discover the main heritage cities of France
• Discover the most rural parts of Rural France
• Discover  wild France - far from the crowds
• Click for a larger regional map of France (physical).

Regional reform:

The regional structure of France changed in 2016 as part of a major overhaul of local government that been on the cards for many years.

2.   The six tourist areas of France

Select a tourist area of France for a general overview: 1 North west France 2. The heart of France 3. North east France 4. Southwest France 5. Upland France 6 Le Midi - Mediterranean France

For tourism purposes, France can alternatively be considered as six tourist areas, each with different  characteristics. Each of the six areas has its own particular appeal and characteristics as a tourist destination, and each has plenty to discover, and plenty to offer. ◄ Select one of the six areas from the list on the left, for a general overview of this particular area of France. For more detailed information, choose the corresponding regions of France as listed above.