"Paris is a tiny part of France. Visit the rest!" France by Beausoleil

France Travel Guide: 58,102 reviews and 157,472 photos

My watercolor of Chateau Carrouges in Normandy

Normandy is more than D-Day Beaches . . .

Update: So many people try to visit France in a week or two. Our first trip was a month and we saw a lot but had many reasons to return over the years. I did a Travelogue below of a 30-day trip to France (our first trip) that covers Paris, the Loire Valley, Languedoc, Provence, the Alps, Burgundy and Paris. We tried to spend 3-days in each place but obviously it didn't work out perfectly. If you're planning an exploration trip, you might enjoy the Travelogue below. Bonne chance!

So many folks visit the D-Day Beaches in Normandy and don't discover the other treasures there. You can visit beautiful chateaus, lovely rural countryside, delightful soft sand beaches, resort towns, tiny villages, cheese factories with tastings and even more fun . . . cider and calvados tastings. There are historic sites including marvelous old ruined abbeys near new working abbeys. There is Monet's Garden and house in Giverny, windmills . . . the list goes on.

Plan a week or two and really get to know Normandy.

Burgundy is more than an excellent wine!

My watercolor of two ladies shopping in Beaune

We visited Burgundy on our very first trip to France many years ago and we keep returning because there is so much to see and experience. You start with the wines but you come back because of the friendly people, the spectacular scenery and the incredible diversity. There are marvelous chateaus, churches, quaint villages, rivers and, of course, the Burgundy Canal. Drive an hour from Beaune and you are in Burgundian farm country with rolling hills, charming small towns and excellent restaurants. Bibracte, with a great Celtic museum and an archeological dig, is in Burgundy and so is Guedelon where they are building a chateau using only 13th century tools and materials . . . do a search on VT; you'll be glad you did!

And then there is Provence . . .

My watercolor of Tourrettes-sur-Loup in Provence

Provence is more than the Riviera. As a matter of fact, Provence is more enjoyable away from the Riviera. This region of France is called Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur and includes not only the famous (and rocky) Riviera, but the beautiful areas inland and extends up into the stunningly beautiful Alps. One of the loveliest French National Parks is in Provence, the Mercantour, north of Nice but in another world. There are waterfalls, amazing views, clear lakes and all sorts of wildlife and wildflowers.

Also in Provence are perched villages like Eze, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, Gourdon and St. Paul de Vence. There are larger towns like Grasse, French perfume center and surrounded by fields of lavender. You will visit Abbeys, fabulous art museums, wineries, ruined villages and villages that appear not to have changed for hundreds of years. The roads are lined with trees and there are beautiful sand beaches and wildlife refuges along the Mediterranean.

You could spend a lifetime and not see it all so why not plan a couple weeks and really explore?

Pros and Cons

Pros:Incredible diversity of scenery and attractions
Cons:The largest country in Europe can't be seen on a two-week vacation.
In a nutshell:The people of France are incredibly helpful and very proud of their beautiful country.

Intro Updated Jul 21, 2011
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Comments (15)

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LeslieofTodd Mar 31, 2013 at 11:44 PM

Your France pages continue to seduce me and I am realizing that my scant 18 days is not near enough time to even scratch the surface of this amazing country. I will have to make my new focus in life to 1) Travel more in general and 2) Get to France as many times as I can. Like Sarah, your watercolors have charmed me, and they must be wonderful to look at when you are longing for another "French Fix". Thank you for sharing your wealth of information! Leslie
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  LeslieofTodd Apr 2, 2013 at 8:50 AM
  
  It was gwened's pages that got me onto Vannes. I have dropped him several notes about it and he has been extremely helpful to me with his "on the scene" info. I wonder if it would be appropriate to ask if we might get together for a cup of coffee with any other VTers who might be in Vannes at the same time.
  
  Thanks for sharing more about you. I did not realize you are a musician. I adore music but don't have any real talent in that area. I enjoy experimenting with sound and have a small collection of simple percussion type instruments and other "noisemakers"--bells, penny whistles, triangles, castanets, bongos and a conga drum, thumb piano... Just fun stuff so I can join in when friend are playing.
  
  My first France experience is fast approaching and I must get busy--I don't like leaving thing until the last minute. I may have some last minute questions for you if you wouldn't mind.
  
  Have a great day!
  Leslie
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  Beausoleil Apr 2, 2013 at 9:02 AM
  
  Do try to meet gwened. He travels a lot but if he's home, I'm sure he'd be delighted. There is a place on the VT Home Page for meetings. When you have your date set, set up a meeting and see if you can get several people to meet in Vannes. That would be fun.
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toonsarah Sep 23, 2012 at 6:07 AM

I love your watercolours - such a personal memento of your visits to France! It's one of my favourite countries, though I haven't seen nearly as much of it as you evidently have. I like the way you have arranged the page by regions of France, and you have so many suggestions for each. We have never been to the Dordogne and that is the one that tempts me most from your descriptions :-)
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  Beausoleil Sep 23, 2012 at 12:35 PM
  
  Hi. Thank you for your kind comments. We do love the Dordogne. However, we love most of France. There is so much variety that you can find something to please nearly anyone. I hope you get there soon; I suspect you'd love it. Very friendly, very beautiful and less expensive than some other parts of the country.
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wise23girl Aug 21, 2012 at 3:26 PM

T think the new system has just kicked in....We loved Saint-Malo and visited MSM (for Lauren) from there....I think I have a rating?from you...but it is stuck! LOL
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wise23girl Jul 9, 2012 at 3:28 PM

That is a useful tip about the villages. The three I love so far are Bayeau, Honfleur, and Saint-Malo.
My granddaughter is with me just now in Amsterdam and she is an artist...I will show her your water colours
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  Beausoleil Aug 21, 2012 at 3:19 PM
  
  We have a granddaughter who loves to paint too. I've seen your granddaughter's paintings and they are wonderful. You must be so proud of her.
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anilpradhanshillong May 10, 2012 at 9:53 PM

What a grand 30-days' trip it must have been! Wonderful!
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Yaqui Jan 4, 2012 at 8:25 PM

The Loire chateaus is gorgeous and so are your watercolor paintings. Beautiful! Nice page!
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Trekki Jul 31, 2011 at 12:27 PM

Wow, Sally, your France page is marvellous!! Your transport tips are worth a ton of gold and now I know where Dee has the idea of buy back a pink licence plate car :-) Plus Beau is equal to borghi piu belli I assume? And I love your watercolours!
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Maryimelda May 15, 2011 at 8:32 PM

This is a wonderful overview of France, Sally. As always enlightening and interesting. Thanks.
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alza Aug 3, 2010 at 9:12 PM

Bonjour Beausoleil! I like your tip about GPS and maps. I also love maps because they let me explore the unknown... a point beyond is always tempting. :)
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ranger49 May 31, 2010 at 3:21 PM

What a good crop of new and informative Tips you have added here! Looking forward to your Dordogne pages now:)