France: UNESCO heritage, national parks and regional diversity

France combines important cultural sites with protected landscapes, regional cuisine and numerous opportunities to experience history and nature along the way. France has 56 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including 47 cultural, 7 natural and 2 mixed sites.

Culture and history

France’s cultural UNESCO heritage includes Mont-Saint-Michel, Versailles, the banks of the Seine in Paris, the Pont du Gard, the Loire Valley and the fortified historic city of Carcassonne. Cultural trips through France also lead to royal châteaux, Gothic cathedrals, Roman remains, villages full of character, museums and contemporary art centres. Medieval towns can be visited in Saint-Malo, Dinan, Provins, Carcassonne, Sarlat-la-Canéda and Riquewihr, among others.

The Centre des Monuments Nationaux manages around one hundred important heritage sites in France. Well-known Parisian monuments include the Arc de Triomphe, the Conciergerie, the Panthéon, the Hôtel de la Marine and the Sainte-Chapelle. Traditions and craftsmanship listed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List include the Breton fest-noz, the gastronomic meal of the French, baguette making, traditional glassmaking, perfume production in Grasse and Alençon lace. French museums support visitor access, among other ways, with free admission on the first Sunday of the month and the Nuit des musées programme.

Nature and activities

France’s natural and mixed UNESCO sites include the Calanques of Porto and the Scandola Nature Reserve, the Chaîne des Puys, the volcanic landscapes of Réunion, the French Southern Lands and Seas, the volcanoes and forests of Martinique, and Pyrénées–Mont Perdu.

Beyond these World Heritage sites, the range of landscapes extends from the Alps and Pyrenees, through the volcanoes of the Auvergne and the Breton and Norman cliffs, to the lagoons of the Camargue. Forests in the Morvan, the Vosges and the Jura add to the landscapes; wetlands include the Brenne, the Brière and the Golfe du Morbihan. France has 11 national parks and 59 regional nature parks distributed throughout the country, combining biodiversity protection with hiking, cycling and wildlife observation.

France’s national parks receive around 9 million visitors each year and cover almost 10 percent of the country’s territory. They provide protected spaces for hiking, swimming, diving, paragliding and winter sports. One special feature is Calanques National Park: it is the only national park in Europe that is simultaneously terrestrial, marine and peri-urban, combining coastal calanques with rich Mediterranean underwater biodiversity. National park programmes may include guided nature walks, wildlife observation, sports, treasure hunts, film screenings, conferences, outdoor performances, exhibitions and cultural workshops.

Mountain refuges in French national parks serve hikers and travellers on the move as overnight accommodation or stopover points.

Flavours and craftsmanship

The gastronomic meal of the French has been on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List since 2010. It follows a ceremonial sequence with at least four courses between the aperitif and digestif. Markets, covered market halls, wine bars, neighbourhood bistros and craft stalls offer tangible ways to experience French food culture. Regional specialities include coq au vin from Burgundy, cassoulet from the south-west and bouillabaisse from the Mediterranean region.

Travelling through France

Ten EuroVelo routes cross France, connecting its main regions with the rest of Europe. In addition, there are more than 20,000 kilometres of cycle paths and greenways linking destinations from the Loire châteaux and Burgundy vineyards to the Alps and Pyrenees.

France has 8,500 kilometres of navigable waterways. Of these, 6,700 kilometres are managed by Voies navigables de France; they form the basis for tourism on canals and rivers. International rail connections make it possible to travel to France from almost 40 destinations in 15 European countries.

Geographical context

In France’s wider regional surroundings are the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bonlieu, the Abbaye de Prebenoit and the Archives départementales de la Creuse. In the vicinity of France are Le Puy Haut and Les Pierres Jaunâtres.

Discover the regions

Aquitaine, Auvergne, Brittany, Burgundy, Nord Pas De Calais, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Alsace

Franche Comte, Corsica, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi Pyrenees, Normandy, Paris

Pays De La Loire, Picardy, Poitou Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Côte D'azur, Rhône-Alpes, Rhone Savoyen, Ile-De-France, Saint Pierre