Leisure and relaxation in France

FR

Visiting France is a dream for many foreigners. Its a counrty with an extremely rich past that has gone through many eras which left their mark on the landscape of our cities and countryside. The numerous ornate caves are proof that man was already present and active in some regions thousands of years ago. The middle ages, the renaissance, modern times, the contemporary era are periods that each had their own architectural visible to this day, some of them are even serving as a scene duringe vents such as the arenas of Nîmes !

Historical monuments

Following the damages caused by the WW2, the united nations decided to create the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1945 to protect monuments and exceptional sites.

With its 41 classified sites, France is the 4th in the world after Spain, China and Italy that leads.

First classified sites in France in 1979 were :

• Palace and park of Versailles
• Chartres Cathedral
• Prehistoric sites and decorated caves of the Vézère valley
• Church and hil of Vézelay

Last classified :

· High place of tectonics Chaîne des puys- Limagne fault

• Taputapuātea
• Strasbourg Neustadt

Hillsides, Houses and Champagne cellars

The complete list of classified sites in France

Top historical monuments in France

• La tour Eiffel : Needless to present the emblem of France, this monument, whose construction began in1889 for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, today attracts nearly 7000000 visitors each year.
• Le château de Versailles : Official residence of the kings of France, the palace of Versailles and its gardens are among the most illustious monuments of world heritage and are the most complete achievement of the 17 century french art.
• L’Arc de Triomphe : The construction of the Arc de triomphe was decided by Napoléon I and is dedicated to the armies of the Revolution and the Empire. The unknown soldier is buried on the median in 1921 and the flame of remembrance is rekindled every day at 6.30 pm.
• Mont Saint-Michel : This small islet village attracts the eyes of the whole world by its singularity ! Visit this small island and the Abbey will take you away for a day !
• Château de Chambord : Main residence of François I, this castle is known worldwide for its double helix staircase designed by Leonardo Da Vinci, under the patronage of the king. Visiting this castle is really worth the detour !

If you have already visited these sites and you are interested by visiting others, we advise you the following ones :

• The Chauvet cave
• The Châteaux of the Loire
• Virgin island lighthouse
• Palace of the popes
• The dune of Pyla
• Haut-Koenigsbourg castle
• Vauban Citadels
• Notre Dame de La Garde Church
• Fort Boyard
• The hospices of Beaune
• Arènes de Nîmes
• Clos lucé Castle : Residence of Leonardo da Vinci
• Gard bridge
• Chartres cathedral
• Castle of the Dukes of Brittany
• Cairn de Barnenez
• Alignements of Carnac
• Ideal palace of the postman Cheval

Museums

Museums are not what is missing in France, whether it is about the country’s history, foreign art, contemporary art, science or more atypical like the fairground arts, Edith Piaf, fans and many other curiosities, your visits have never been so…interesting !

• Musée du Louvre : Former main royal residence, you will need several weeks to visit all the alleys of this museum that bring togther collection from all over the world.
• Centre Georges Pompidou : Bastion of the contemporary art ; here the creators of modern art give free rein to their imagination in order to give birth to excpetional works
• Musée des Civilisations de l'Europe et de la Méditerranée (MUCEM) : In front of the mediterranean sea, this museum retraces the history of te mediterranean people, their agricultural techniques, their religions, daily lifestyles…
• Musée Fabre : In the heart of Montpelluer, this huge museum exhibits different paintings by famous painters and sculptors, and there is also a room dedicated to Pierre Soulage.
• Musée des Confluences : On the shores of Rhône, Confluences museum deals with natural history, anthropology, societies and civilisations.
• Mémorial de Caen : For the second world war lovers, this high-tech memorial will make you commemorate the intense moments that the soldiers experienced thanks to virtual scenarios and well thought oui routes.

More museums to discover

• Orsay Museum
• Cluny Museum
• Quai Branly Museum
• Orleans museums of fine arts
• Science and industry museum
• National archeology museum
• Stendhal museum
•  Air and space museum
•  Museum of the Bonaparte residence
•  Unterlinden museum

Events

National parks and natural sites

France has many protected natural areas that are worth visiting during a walk or a hike of several days! The fauna and flora are very present and diverse, which gives them an incomparable richness

National Parks

• Cévennes National Park (Languedoc)
• The Ecrins (Provence-Alpes)
• The Mercantour (Provence)
• The pyrenees (Provence-Alpes)
• The vanoise (Provence-Alpes)
• Port-Cros (Parc côtier, Var, Provence)

Regional Parks

• The Auvergne mountain volcanoes and the high plateaus of Auvergne.
• Brenne regional Park (Pays de la Loire) – lakes and marshes very appreciated by bird watchers.
• The grand causses (Aveyron – Lozère) The south steppe of France
• The Morvan (Bourgogne) – the middle mountain area closest to Paris
• Ballons des Vosges Park (Lorraine-Alsace) – the peaks and spruce forests of the Vosges range

Amusement parks and zoos

Amusement Parks

France has many amusement parks on different themes sush as Disney, antiquity, science, Far west,…so many themes that will delight young and old delight.

• Disneyland Paris + Walt Disney Studios Disneyland Paris + Walt Disney Studios
• Puy du Fou Puy du fou
• Parc Astérix Astérix Park
• Futuroscope Futuroscope
• Le Pal Le Pal
• Nigloland Nigloland
• Walibi Rhône-Alpes Walibi Rhône-Alpes
• OK Corral OK Corral
• Futuroscope Futuroscope

Zoos

In France, you can also go out for a walk in the various zoos and parks defending animal protection and many other species. Here are few of them :

• Parc zoologique de Paris Paris zoological park
• ZooParc de Beauval Beauval zoopark
• La Ferme aux crocodiles The crocodile farm
• Micropolis Micropolis
• Zoo de la Barben Barben zoo
• Nausicaa Nausicaa
• Zoo de la Flèche Spire zoo
• Réserve Africaine de Sigean African reserve of Sigean
• Zoo de Mulhouse Mulhouse zoo

Nightlife

You won’t have a problem going out and having fun in France. At night, the center of big cities comes alive and you can eat in a good restaurant, have a drink in a bar and dance all night !

Here are some addresses to try in big cities :

Paris

Lyon

Marseille

Toulouse

Bordeaux

Montpellier

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