"The most visited country in the world (and by me)" France by Mikebond

France Travel Guide: 68,600 reviews and 148,186 photos

French hidden pearls

France is the European country I best know, since I have spent my summer holidays with my parents there every year from 1990 to 2004 and again in 2007. French is my favourite "foreign" language (I'm not bilingual yet, maybe one day...) and the only one my parents can speak. That's why we have traveled there so much.
During my 15 and more trips to the fourth largest European country, I have been to a lot of small and unknown locations that even French VTers such as Jean-Louis (JLBG) have never visited or heard of. It is a pity that there are so many hidden treasures in Europe, but also all over the world, that tourists often forget to visit because they are not mentioned in their guide.
So, let's start with small French treasures, divided by region:

Basse-Normandie
Balleroy, a small village with beautiful castle and gardens, known for the balloon exhibitions organized by American politician Michael Forbes;
Cerisy-la-Forêt ("Cerisy wood"), a small village with a medieval abbey;
Colleville-sur-Mer, a village in whose nearby you can visit the American cemetery, one of the largest military cemeteries in France;
Gatteville-le-Phare, a small village with a high lighthouse ("phare");
Port-en-Bessin, a village at Omaha Beach, one of the places from where the liberation of Europe started on June 6th 1944 (D-day).

Bretagne
Guerlesquin, a village near Morlaix where you can see a wonderful musical market on Mondays;
Guimiliau, the village with the most populated calvaire in whole Bretagne;
Plestin-les-Grèves, a village that is not worth visiting itself, but where I had the chance to attend a great folkloric evening of Breton dances;
Plouégat-Guérand, a tiny village where we had rented a beautiful house;
Saint-Jean-du-Doigt, another village near Morlaix with an interesting enclos paroissial, though not as great as that of Guimiliau;
Saint-Thégonnec, with its tragically famous enclos paroissial.

Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Ambleteuse, on the Côte d'Opale;
Beussent, with its famous chocolate factory.

Pros and Cons

Pros:All locations of a minimal importance are set off
Cons:The people are sometimes seen as too nationalist and proud of themselves
In a nutshell:Maybe not the most beautiful European country, but the one local people sell as the most beautiful

Last visit to France: Aug 2004
Intro Updated May 24, 2009
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Reviews (15)

Nord-Pas de Calais: an unknown pearl Things to Do (4)

Nord-Pas de Calais is one of the least known French regions, at least from the touristic point of view. Most people know... more travel advice

map of kisses (http://combiendebises.free.fr) - France

La bise: a trap also for the French Tourist Traps (1)

I have already written a Local custom tip about la bise, the typical French cheek-kiss. However, I think that a better... more travel advice

Basse-Normandie: from the Normans to the... Things to Do (4)

Basse-Normandie is an amazing region of Northern France, full of history, monuments and natural beauties. Its name dates... more travel advice

Pays de la Loire: a region of writers Things to Do (4)

Pays de la Loire is the region on the Atlantic Ocean below Bretagne. I visited it in 2002, when I attended a French... more travel advice

Local Customs (9)
See All General facts about France

Hotels (1)
Rent a house

Comments (8)

hopang Mar 30, 2009 at 5:41 AM Report Abuse

Great introduction on France especially on the local customs. ~ho & pang
littlesam1 Aug 7, 2008 at 2:26 PM Report Abuse

France is my favorite country to visit. I was just here in May and had a wonderful time as usual.
Anjutka Jun 6, 2008 at 12:37 PM Report Abuse

Ma interessante pagina...specialmente dei baci in Francia:-)
alza Sep 3, 2007 at 8:24 AM Report Abuse

good observation on la maudite bise! haha. FrenchCdns come fm the North so we have remnants of it... only family& friends BUT it's a double hug here uuufffa!
Kuznetsov_Sergey Jul 10, 2006 at 1:41 AM Report Abuse

I can appriciate your problem yesterday, Michele! Your first homeland has beaten your second homeland. I advise you to make a tip: France - VICE-CHAMPION!
Hexepatty Jun 17, 2006 at 1:52 PM Report Abuse

I like France, despite die leute... ; )
JLBG Nov 5, 2005 at 12:55 PM Report Abuse

L'Alsacien, le Catalan et le Basque sont aussi très vivants en France. L'Occitan un peu moins. Qui a dit 'la France est divisée en 50 millions de Français' ? Excellent topo sur la bise :-)))
zlatiq Jul 29, 2005 at 6:11 AM Report Abuse

u speak breton?