Roavina

Country guide

France

A photograph of France
Photograph · Pierre Blaché · CC0

France is 18 regions and 632,702 km2, and five of those regions are overseas - French Guiana in South America, the French West Indies, islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans. Metropolitan France alone runs from the Rhine to the Atlantic and from the Mediterranean to the North Sea, so a week here is a choice rather than a circuit. Of the 69.1 million people estimated in 2026, more than 13 million are in the Paris metropolitan area, which is why the capital tends to win the first visit. The corners - Alpine, Atlantic, Mediterranean - are further from one another than the map's familiarity suggests.

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information
Language spoken
French
French is the language of the Republic under Article 2 of the Constitution
Dialling code
+33
The country code for metropolitan France
Currency
Euro (€, EUR)
France has used the euro as its official currency since 2002
Emergency number
112
One number across the country; 15 reaches an ambulance directly
Plug type
Type E · 220 V
Round-pin sockets use a projecting earth pin
Tap water
Safe to drink
The health ministry says tap water may be consumed safely unless local authorities issue specific advice

Planning a visit

  1. January: seasonal closure recorded
  2. February: seasonal closure recorded
  3. March: seasonal closure recorded
  4. April: seasonal closure recorded
  5. May: seasonal closure recorded
  6. June: seasonal closure recorded
  7. July: seasonal closure recorded
  8. August: seasonal closure recorded
  9. September: no seasonality data recorded — this month
  10. October: seasonal closure recorded
  11. November: seasonal closure recorded
  12. December: seasonal closure recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

Filter the list

8 places match
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Category

Historic monuments 1 Museums 6 Places of worship 0 Nature sites 0 Viewpoints 0 Food and drink 0 Markets and shopping 0 Entertainment 0 Nightlife 0 Family attractions 0 Art and culture 1 Activities 0

Typical visit duration

Up to 1 hour 123 1 to 2 hours 54 Half a day or more 8

Interests

History 7 Art 1 Museums 7 Nature 0 Sea and beach 0 Viewpoints 0
  1. Louvre Museum Louvre Museum
    01 3 hours

    Louvre Museum

    Musée du Louvre

    The Louvre is the most-visited art museum on earth and it was a fortress before it was anything else.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Paris
  2. Musée d'Orsay Musée d'Orsay
    02 3 hours

    Musée d'Orsay

    The Musée d'Orsay is a railway station that outlived its trains. The Gare d'Orsay was built between 1898 and 1900 on the Left Bank for the Exposition Universelle, by Lucien Magne, Émile Bénard and Victor Laloux, in full Beaux-Arts dress.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Paris
  3. Les Invalides Les Invalides
    03 2 hr 30 min

    Les Invalides

    Hôtel des Invalides

    Les Invalides was built to house disabled soldiers and ended up housing Napoleon. Louis XIV ordered it on 24 November 1670; Libéral Bruant and Jules Hardouin-Mansart designed it, and it was completed in 1706.

    • Must see
    • Historic monument
    • Paris
  4. Philharmonie de Paris Philharmonie de Paris
    04 2 hr 30 min

    Philharmonie de Paris

    The Philharmonie de Paris is a concert hall clad in a swirl of aluminium panels shaped like birds in flight, built to give the city's main orchestra a home purpose-built for symphonic sound.

    • Must see
    • Art and culture venue
    • Paris
  5. Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine
    05 2 hr 30 min

    Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine

    Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine is a museum of French architecture and heritage in the east wing of the Palais de Chaillot at Trocadéro, opened in its current form in 2007.

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Paris
  6. Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie
    06 2 hr 30 min

    Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie

    Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie sits inside Parc de la Villette in the north-east of Paris and opened in 1986 inside the shell of a large, unfinished cattle-market building from the 1960s that was repurposed for the museum rather…

    • Must see
    • Museum
    • Paris
  7. Musée de l'Armée Musée de l'Armée
    07 2 hr 30 min

    Musée de l'Armée

    The Musee de l'Armee is France's national army museum, occupying wings of the Hotel des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement, the complex Louis XIV built in the 1670s as a hospital and retirement home for wounded soldiers.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Paris
  8. Musée de l'Homme Musée de l'Homme
    08 2 hr 30 min

    Musée de l'Homme

    The Musee de l'Homme is France's national anthropology museum, and it studies one subject only: what makes a human being, told through evolution, biological diversity and culture rather than through any single region or period.

    • Notable
    • Museum
    • Paris

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to France be?

Ten to fourteen days supports four or five days in Paris plus one coherent regional direction, such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, or Marseille. Avoid routing every extension back through Paris, because even fast TGV journeys leave local connection time at each end.

What entry documents are needed for France?

France applies Schengen entry rules, but the required passport validity or visa still depends on nationality and route. France-Visas is the official place to verify the exact requirement before booking and again before entering from outside Schengen.

What is the best way to travel around France?

TGV trains join France's largest cities, while TER services handle regional links and many rural areas still favour a car. Long-distance reservations may be mandatory, and each city retains its own urban ticket system rather than accepting one national visitor card.

When is a practical time to visit France?

April to June and September to October suit the Paris-plus-region route described here. Alpine access, Mediterranean heat, Atlantic weather, and rural seasonal services differ enough that the selected second region should determine the final dates.

What money and payment basics apply in France?

France uses the euro (EUR). Bank cards are common, yet a small euro reserve remains useful for markets or local machines; confirm any terminal conversion choice before accepting it because this page does not record changing fees.

What practical safety details should I save for France?

For urgent help anywhere in France, call 112; medical emergencies also use 15 and police matters 17. The electrical standard is 230 V with Type C and E plugs. This dataset has no recorded national tap-water finding, so consult the municipality or lodging for the specific stop.