France – Vive la France! (Long live France)

The world’s most popular tourist destination: in 2014 about 84 million visitors visited France.
This country has it all: sights, history, nature, culture, food and wine

Weather and Climate
Best time to visit France is from April to November.

France is popular all year round. The country is so large, that there can be a huge difference, whether you are in the south of France by the Mediterranean Sea, to the west by the Atlantic coast, in the northern part like Alsace, or the southwestern by the Alps.

The southern Mediterranean coast can be visited all year. Here is the driest climate with only a little rain in spring and autumn.
To the east, best time for a visit is from April to September. The same goes for both northern and western France.

In the southeast (the Alps), it’s cold in the wintertime with more snow, the further up you get. In summer, from June to September is the best time for a visit, depending on your likings.
If you are into skiing, this is the region to find the best slopes for some snow-filled fun. Read about the best ski-regions here.

You can visit Paris throughout the year, but it’ll be cold and rainy from November to March. However, Paris has so much, that can be experienced indoors such as museums, theatre and concerts, that you’ll hardly notice any bad weather.

Geography
As the largest country in Western Europe, with its tremendous size of no less than 551,500 km2, France borders to some of the biggest and smallest countries in Europe.

Belgium and Luxembourg in the north, Germany, Switzerland and Italy to the east, Monaco in the southeast corner, Spain and Andorra in the south. This means, you have plenty of opportunities to visit other amazing countries in Europe.

The geography of France is extremely varied due to it’s size and boasts a rough Atlantic coast to the west with a coastline over 1.600 km (1.000 miles). In addition to being a spectacular rocky coast, there are also many beautiful and stunning beaches. Mountainous areas are the Pyrenees and the Alps, where Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain with 4.810 metres (15.780 ft.), extends far into the country and form some spectacular areas with canyons and vertical rocky walls. The lazy and lush river valleys around the Loire, Dordogne of Rhône Rivers are rich on crops and culture. The Mediterranean is immortalised in many movies and range from golden beaches to rocky bays and glittering coastal towns. Finally, let’s not forget Corsica, birth-island of Napoleon, located in the Mediterranean between France and Italy.

5 things France is known for, outside France

• Jules Verne (Writer, 1828-1905)
• Claude Monet (French impressionist painter, 1840-1926)
• Napoleon Bonaparte (French emperor from 1804 to 1815)
• Champagne (Sparkling wine)
• Cointreau (Liqueur brand, founded 1849)

Learn more