Top 10 Places of the World: Top 10 Places of France

France is a romantic paradise. Rendezvous en France makes you forget about your identity, nationality, occupation, ambition and even sex! Do I need to exaggerate things to present you the beauty of the country? Yes. YES. Due to its geometric shape of its territory, it is often referred to as L’Hexagone or The “Hexagon”. This quixotic Hexagon welcomes a staggering number of about 82 million foreign tourists every year and it is ranked as the first tourist destination in the world, followed by Spain and the United States.

I used to brood over the reasons why there are endless of romantic dates take place in France. You wonder about it too, don’t you? The answer is fairly simple; France boasts its dreamy city Paris, golden sandy beaches, fabulous nature and picturesque mountains as well as the remarkable cuisine and great wines. Is that all? No. NO. The foremost factor being the way French live. They have lived the natural “joie de vivre” and “savoir-faire” for centuries in the timeless land of theirs. The first term refers to “joy of life/living” while the second refers to “know how to do” or “to respond appropriately to any situation”.

Soaking yourself in that kind of lifestyle has all the restriction or convention of life gone in no time. The cells of romance in your body become so active that you almost forget what’s your mother’s maiden name, what more to those unwanted feelings that pester you at times? Travel to France is wonderful huh?

The Magic of France

Of course no one would disagree with the statement that France is a mesmerizing country, but that’s not the only word you would hear on the street. France is everything indeed; from the most sought after Paris runway fashion show to the hot chicks and smart guys dating in the high class connoisseur restaurant to the ubiquitous excrement by wild dogs on the pavements, travelers are more often than not stunned by the difference between the reality and what the popular travel guides tell them. The one thing that is absolutely true is about the “joie de vivre” as reflected in the mere 35 working hours a week. When you are about to associate this French spirit with Japanese mind that appreciates even the tiniest thing in the world, the slideshow fromJapan is cut short by the cauldron of French political scandal, sudden urban riot or conflicting corporate politics. Whopah! It’s magic when you find out how French find ways to savor their lives with scrumptious cuisine and first-rate wine amidst everything.

That’s right. France is indeed an enchanted land well-known for its international reputation for fine dining. It’s fairly easy to try French food in France as you find decent restaurants almost at every corner. The thing is you do not want to try just decent food but the superlative ones and thus simply walking in off the street is kind of playing Russian roulette with your stomach. The most practical way to avoid a hit and miss affair is to open your mouth to ask the locals. Try to learn a little French too as most locals are friendly and really appreciate any endeavor you make to speak their language. You might anytime hook up with a hot French girl or manly guy and start the journey of romance in the riverside gourmet restaurant. Apart from fine dining, France is also renowned for its culinary traditions that the people take pride in. They brag about the 365 kinds of cheese and bottle wine that once you open and tuck in, you will definitely ask for more. The savoir-faire is a way of life that as well embraces baguettes (long, thin loaves of bread) that dry out by lunchtime as well as the excellent five course dinner in a gastronome café. Hence, Touring France is synonymous with satisfying your taste buds.

However wild your dream could be, a shopping spree on the fashionable avenues of Paris or winter sport rapture on the dazzling ski slopes of the Alps, a peaceful Atlantic beach weekend on the sun-baked Riviera or a romantic runaway vacation to the fabled castles of the Loire Valley, you can realize it in France. It is where amazing happens, where your dream comes true amidst the royal chateaux and perfectly restored farmhouses, world-renowned landmark and hidden landscapes only few know. You find yourself nestled in art and romance in the shining capital on the River Seine at a time, amazed by the glorious blaze forth at Versailles the other. What else? Savor an authentic French experience by walking the three oldest and most celebrated wine roads in France - Alsace, Burgundy and Champagne. And then, travel south to taste the Roman civilization and the glittering blue Med; indulge yourself in your jet-set pipe dreams in balmy Nice and St-Tropez. Sense the distinct atmosphere from the rest of the country by exploring the delicate concoction of language, music and mythology in Brittany introduced by 5th-century Celtic intruders. Smell embarrassment on the beaches of Normandy and battlegrounds of Verdun and the Somme. Insatiable? Discover the undiscovered France by blazing a trail to the unspoiled and rugged Corsica, or better known by the locals as ‘l’ile de beaute’ (’the island of beauty’). You will be rewarded with the charm of the Mediterranean without needing to jostle with the crowd of tourists. Satisfied? No way. All these are just the tip of that gigantic iceberg the French call culture.

Travel To France - Top 10 Best Places

It’s hard to believe that the people who live here go somewhere else for their holidays as any traveler would have to spend years soaking in “joie de vivre” and walk thousand miles to discover the wonder of France. That said, there are gazillion of nice spots here. After going through many rounds of sieving process, below list includes the top 10 best places to travel to.

Paris - the exhilarating “City of Light”, the capital of France.
Provence - city of water, city of art.
Lyon - France’s second city, with a history from Roman times to the Renaissance.
Nice - a major resort on the French Riviera and the gateway to Monaco.
Bordeaux - city of wine, capital of South-West.
Strasbourg - a historic city on the Ill Rhine.
Marseille - big harbor, heart of Provence.
Cannes - host of the annual Cannes Film Festival.
Avignon - well known for its Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes).
Toulouse - city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne.

Outside looking in..

Lille - France’s fourth city, capital of the north of France. Dynamic flemish city with nice architecture.
Nantes - the “Greenest City”, the “Best Place to Live” in Europe.
Bourges - a middle aged city, capital of central France.

3 Reasons Why I Love France

The reasons are as many as the nice tourist destinations in this country. It’s countless! You might think that I’m weird, and yea, here are the three absurd reasons why I love France.

Of course sightseeing is why we travel, but I’m more into feeling different lifestyle by the people from the various points in the atlas. We have Italy people live the “la vita Italiana” in their “boot”, the affluent Japanese young generation “bathing in lukewarm water” inTokyo, Osaka and other big cities, now it’s time to feel the “joie de vivre” French advocate.
France’s nature is Larger than life. The enormity of the Alps perpetually heightens feelings of humanity’s insignificance and nature’s grandeur. Indeed, the mélange of the world-renowned gastronomy (particularly wines and cheeses), history, culture, arts, fashion and dozens of major tourist attractions like Paris and Côte d’Azur (the French Riviera) really taunts human’s insignificance. I would really love to be taunted as “Only when you know how big the world is, you know how small your problems are.”
The French “savoir-faire” is best applied to the art of savoring wines. I am a diehard wine aficionado and knowing that every day in Burgundy is a celebration of world-famous wines, I can’t wait to record sweet memories on bottles labeled Romanee-Conti or Gevrey-Chambertin.

*Oh, one more. Girls dream of having at least one authentic LV bag in their entire life, but I just want to see Louis Vuitton Headquarter in Paris at least once as that’s the origin of that magical thing that drives the girls from all over the world crazy. I love France!

France

France flag

map of France

map of France - attractions

The Eiffel Tower beside the Seine River in Paris is a global icon of France and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. Anyone doesn't know this?

The magnificent Musee du Louvre resting in tranquility, Paris, France

Louvre pyramid glitters in charm

The royal Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley, France, is one of the most recognizable chateaux in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture

Beautiful chalet in a town called Morzine in the French Alps, France

Beautiful chalets in a town called Morzine in the French Alps, France

Matisse's work display in permanent exhibition in Musee d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.

May be this portrait best describe French “joie de vivre”

The Baroque Palace of Versailles is a royal chateau in the Ile-de-France region. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in France.

Pont de Simone de Beauvoir (bridge) in Gare de Lyon area.

Sign of Moulin Rouge at Montmartre, Paris. Moulin Rouge (French for red mill) is a traditional cabaret that reflects French Culture as well as the Bohemian influence on Western Europe.