Play Market

Today, this alluring beach resort still seduces visitors with its picturesque port (Vieux Port) and quaint historic town center (La Ponche), luxuriant Mediterranean scenery, and pristine sandy beaches. Tourists can hike the Sentier du Littoral, a seaside trail with superb views of the scenery.

Avignon also has an outstanding museum of fine arts (the Musée du Petit Palais), noteworthy medieval churches, and lively festivals throughout the year.

As in most towns of Provence, the ambience is slow paced and relaxing. Local residents have perfected the art de vivre, with leisurely meals and strolls along graceful tree-lined streets.

One of the highlights of the Côte d'Azur, the town of Nice deserves special mention because of its atmospheric old town and amazing art collections: the Matisse Museum, Chagall Museum, Fine Arts Museum, and Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

The sunny weather, mesmerizing deep-blue sea, and leafy palm trees give the French Riviera a dreamy quality. It is no wonder British aristocrats began vacationing here in the 19th century. By the early 20th century, artists followed suit to capture the sublime scenery on canvas. As a result, the Côte d'Azur is filled with art museums displaying the works of Renoir, Matisse, Chagall, Picasso, and other painters who were captivated by the local landscapes.

Brittany is a beautiful historic region on the northeastern coast of France. A rugged coastline, quaint fishing villages, and weathered seaports characterize this region, which is steeped in ancient traditions and famous for its costumed religious festivals.

With its turreted towers and crenellated ramparts, Carcassonne seems straight out of a fairy-tale scene. This well-preserved (and renovated) fortified city offers a total immersion into the world of the Middle Ages.

Some of the prettiest villages in France are tucked away in the green, rolling hills of Alsace, where the Vosges Mountains border the Rhine River of Germany. These picturesque Alsatian villages feature pastel-painted, half-timbered houses clustered around small parish churches. Cheerful flowering balconies and pedestrian cobblestone streets add to the appeal.

The awesome spectacle of Mont Blanc in the French Alps is an unforgettable sight. The highest mountain peak in Europe, Mont Blanc soars to 4,810 meters. Thanks to its elevation, Mont Blanc ("White Mountain") is always blanketed in snow.

Provence invites visitors to escape into a dreamy bucolic landscape of olive groves, sun-drenched rolling hills, and deep purple lavender fields, with little villages nestled in the valleys and perched on rocky outcrops. The vibrant scenery has enchanted many famous artists, including Cézanne, Matisse, Chagall, and Picasso.

The Chartres Cathedral is renowned for its marvelous stained-glass windows, most dating to the 12th and 13th centuries. Covering 2,500 square meters, the brilliant stained-glass windows allow colorful light to filter into the vast nave, creating an ethereal effect. The intricately detailed windows reveal the incredible craftsmanship in depicting biblical stories.