France is a country that is filled with epic places to visit and memories to make that’ll last with you throughout your life span. Known by many as being a country leading the fashion market of the world, France impresses on aspects that go beyond Fashion – be it scenic beauty of the country, the people, the culture, the history and the food – France has so much to offer to a visiting tourist.

We give you 5 must visit destinations this summer in France – to truly make your trip to this country worthwhile and ensuring you don’t miss out on a must-visit place.

With more than 45 million visitors in an year, Paris is, without doubt the most popular town in France . The “city of love” or “city of fashion” is prominent for its lights, as well as its Iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc De Triomphe or de Champs Elysees, define the scenic beauty of Paris. However, if the historian in you wants to get in touch with the history of Paris, museum like Louvre or Orsay is just the place to be.

 

However, the list of places to visit in France doesn’t restrict to Parisonly: we give you 5 places that you must visit this summer to truly sync-in the feeling of the beautiful history and culture of France and all it has on offer.

But, before we begin our list of top 5 destinations you must visit this summer in France, you first need to decide on which mode of transport to opt for and we must recommend you taking a ride in a TGV (Train A Grand Vitesse – high speed train in English). Very convenient, there are various TGV lines, covering the country from North to South, and from East to West.  The speed of the train can be noted from the fact that it covers Paris (North) to Marseille (South) in about 5 hours. New lines keep opening, such as a direct Paris Bordeaux, opening this summer.

If you’re in London but want to grasp the beauty of France as well, you can opt for Eurostar – the high speed railway service that connects London St Pancras to Paris Gare Du Nord in just 2H15M.

Let’s now getting started with our Top 5 Destinations in France this summer:

 

• Basque Country : Stretching 100 miles from France to Bilbao, Spain – is located the beautiful land of Basque Country – famous for it’s beautiful beaches and marvelous architecture. The pyrenees mountains above the Atlantic are a true inside into the scenic beauty of the country.

While in Basque country, one can travel to beautiful cities in :-

• Biarritz : a luxurious sea-side destination known for Hotel du Palais & casino culture.
• Bayonne : economic capital of Adour Basin, it is known for it’s famous events like Fetes De Bayonne, collection of museums and terrific architecture.
• St jean De Luz : fishing port of Basque coast, it is known for it’s sandy bay and typical French architecture. The summit of Larun is 10.5 KM to the east of the town.

 

• Lyon : the capital of Rhone department in Rhone-Alpes region, Lyon is located in the East-Central part of France. With a rich history associated to this city, it has prolonged been one of traveler’s must visit cities in France. Being the 3^rd largest city of the country, Lyon is known for it’s districts that have ample amount of cultural treasures for one to embark upon. Presquile located in the heart of the city is the buzzing place with cafes and restaurants with Croix-Rousse filled with hidden passageways – this town is a must visit for a lover of France and it’s small yet beautiful towns.

Lyon is significantly famous for it’s Festival of Lights, a way for France to show gratitude to Mary, mother of Jesus. It happens of December 8^th of every year. The city has been voted as Europe’s Leading City Break Destination in 2016 by World Travel Awards. The Unesco World Heritage calls it the capital of gastronomy.

Musee des Confluences– opened in 2014, it is a science and anthropology center. The state of the art science center is believed to be a great futuristic building for tourists to come and visit while in the beautiful city of Lyon. One can also opt to visit the beautiful Parc de la teted’or– a large urban park with approx. 290 acres in size. The park has a small zoo, sports facilities, miniature train and so much more – making it a perfect day-out for a family.

While in Lyon and tired after a tiring day of exploring this beautiful city, you can opt to stay at a luxury resort like Cour des Loges, which is located within a few blocks of several top restaurants and bars. It is in walking distance from Parc de la Tête d’Or and Musée des Beaux-Arts.

Lake Annecy – A high end summer and winter destination, it’s the third largest lake in France, known also as Europe’s cleanest lake due to following of strict measures laid down by authorities to make it environment friendly since 1960’s. One can opt for boat rides and cruises to sink in the true feeling of being at Europe’s most cleanest lake. In case you’re someone who’d rather be alone and enjoy this moment- you can opt to cycle around the lake in the cycle path, which reaches Albertville. While in Lake Annecy, one can opt to stay in royal hotels like Imperial Palace & les Tresoms.

• Bordeaux : Located half an hour inland of Atlantic ocean, the Bordeaux town is built on the River Garonne. The major part of the city has on offer great architecture, world-class shopping complexes and arts museums. The city center of the town is filled with medieval churches and beautiful old bridges like the Ponte De Pierre. The vineyards of the city are also quite popular as the city also has some beautiful small villages on the outskirts – that can be visited to get a sense of how a good wine is actually made.
• Chaleau La Dominiquea family owned contemporary winery, it is rated by many as the top winery of Bordeaux. It has recently opened a roof-top restaurant named La Rouge. The bustling energy of locals coming here and enjoying wine with cheese is a sight to behold and a lunch to cherish yourself.
• Cheval Blanc, owned by Bernard Arnault, the property has seen very minor change since the 1871 and continues to be one of the finest wineries in the world – it is regarded as an institution for wineries across the globe. Wines here range from 400 to 2000 EUROS.
• French Riviera (Cote d’Azur) : The city is located on the French coast of the Mediterranean sea and gets hordes of international tourists every year for the rich lifestyle that the town has on offer. This very town is famous for it’s long association with Hollywood as it is the center for the annual Cannes film festival. The city however has beautiful little delights in villages nearby like Eze and the perfumeries of Grasse.
• Antibes, which is a few miles south of Cagnes Sur Mer is one of the most happening places in French Riviera. With a feel of Cagnes being an old but truly historic town with it’s 48 beaches & marina –this city also beholds a terrific attraction for museum lovers as one can find the Picasso Museum here.
• Monte Carlo : beholds prominence for being regarded as the casino capital of Riviera, this city has the highest per capita GDP in the world. The lovers of shopping will find this place to be an epic ride as there are plenty of world’s renowned luxury and clothing brands to shop from here.
• Nice : one of the most popular cities of French Riviera and it’s biggest resort. Nice has a beautiful beach located right in front of Promenade des Anglais. The lovers of Museums and history can visit Mattise and Changall Museum. The city is a nightlife hotspot and offers plenty of luxurious hotels to stay in.

As you can gather from the suggestions we lay down for wonderful places to visit in France this summer, taking your itinerary beyond the usual favorite city of Paris and France has so much more to offer the world of tourism apart from just the beauty of Paris.

Some more cities one can opt to visit while in France are : –

• Marseille (France’s 2^nd largest city, known as the port city).
• Toulouse (home to the oldest literary society in the world, des Jeux Floraux and Galerie du Chateau d’eau, world’s first photography museum).
• Carcassonne – named in UNESCO’s world heritage site, La Cite in Carcassone is a walled city on the hill that is located by the Aude River.

It therefore is crucial to create an itinerary before visiting the city of France – which as you must have gathered from this blog post is not a country restricted just to the beauty of Eiffel Tower and it’s capital city in Paris. France has rich history, gastronomy, fashion, museums and breath-taking sceneries for the tourist in you to capture. Hop on and take the next flight to France to enjoy the wonderful country this summer.

How to reach Paris from India?

• Via AirIndia’s non-stop flight to Paris, France – the total travelling time duration is 9H10M.
• JetAirways from Mumbai has a non-stop flight to Paris – with travelling time of 9H35M.