--- title: "Top 10 Things To Do in France (City Guides) Wimup" description: "Browse Wimup's Top 10 guides across France, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux and more cities, mapped and filmed. When to go, how to get around, and where to start." url: https://wimup.com/country/france type: Country guide updated: 2026-10-06 publisher: Wimup (https://wimup.com) --- # Top 10s across France From **Paris and Lyon** to **Nice, Bordeaux and Strasbourg**, France's cities each distilled to ten things worth your time, mapped and filmed. ## Quick answer First-timers pair **Paris** with two or three days on the **Côte d'Azur** or in **Lyon**; repeat visitors trade up for **Bordeaux, Strasbourg and the villages of Provence**. The best windows are **May to June** and **September**, warm, lighter crowds, and easier to book than the August peak. ## Quick facts - **Best months:** May · Jun · Sep - **Ideal length:** 7–10 days - **Budget per day:** $130–210 - **Language:** French - **Getting around:** TGV & metro - **12** Cities - **13** Regions - **8** Video guides Top-10 travel guides across France. ## 12 French city guides 1. [Paris](https://wimup.com/city/paris.md): Île-de-France, stay 3–4 days 2. [Lyon](https://wimup.com/city/lyon.md): Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, stay 2 days 3. [Nice](https://wimup.com/city/nice.md): Côte d'Azur, stay 2–3 days 4. [Bordeaux](https://wimup.com/city/bordeaux.md): Nouvelle-Aquitaine, stay 2 days 5. [Marseille](https://wimup.com/city/marseille.md): Provence, stay 2 days 6. [Strasbourg](https://wimup.com/city/strasbourg.md): Grand Est, stay 1–2 days 7. [Reims](https://wimup.com/city/reims.md): Grand Est, Day trip 8. [Nantes](https://wimup.com/city/nantes.md): Pays de la Loire, stay 2–3 days 9. [Versailles](https://wimup.com/city/versailles.md): Île-de-France, Day trip 10. [Annecy](https://wimup.com/city/annecy.md): Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, stay 1–2 days 11. [Poitiers](https://wimup.com/city/poitiers.md): Nouvelle-Aquitaine, stay 2–3 days 12. [Colmar](https://wimup.com/city/colmar.md): Grand Est, stay 2 days ## Know before you go - **Population:** 68.6 million - **Area:** 643,801 km² - **Density:** 106.6 / km² - **Capital:** Paris - **Major cities:** Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Nice - **Currency:** Euro (€) - **Language:** French English is common in cities; a few French pleasantries go a long way everywhere else. - **Calling code:** +33 - **Power:** 230V · Type C/E - **Emergency:** 112 - **Visa:** Schengen · 90 days Schengen visa-free short stays for most Western passports. Always confirm for your nationality. - **Tourism board:** Official site - **Getting around:** TGV rail High-speed trains link Paris to Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille and Strasbourg in a few hours each. Book early for the cheapest fares. - **Money:** € Euro Cards work almost everywhere, but keep some cash for bakeries, markets and small village cafés. ## When to visit - **Jan** - **Feb** - **Mar** (good) - **Apr** (best) - **May** (best) - **Jun** (best) - **Jul** (peak) - **Aug** (peak) - **Sep** (best) - **Oct** (good) - **Nov** - **Dec** (good) ## Fun fact France is the most visited country on earth, drawing around 100 million travelers a year. Most never leave Paris, which means the Loire châteaux, the Alps and the Provençal hill towns stay surprisingly uncrowded. ## Stereotypes, sorted out - **Myth:** Parisians are rude **Reality:** Lead with a simple bonjour and the whole exchange changes. Politeness here is a code, not a mood, and following it earns warmth fast. - **Myth:** Everyone wears a beret with a baguette **Reality:** The baguette is real and excellent, with a law protecting how it is made. The beret is mostly for tourists and film sets now. - **Myth:** France is always on strike **Reality:** Strikes happen and can hit transport, but they are announced well ahead. Check the day's news and keep a loose backup plan. - **Myth:** Nobody speaks English **Reality:** In cities and tourist areas plenty do. Open with a few French words and you will be met halfway, often in fluent English. - Say bonjour when you enter a shop or café, and au revoir on the way out. - Lunch runs roughly noon to 2; many kitchens close between services. - Tipping is light. Service is included, so just round up when it was good. - Dress a notch up. Smart-casual goes a long way in restaurants and churches. - Sundays are quiet. Many shops close, so plan markets and museums instead. - Bread sits on the table, not the plate, and you tear it rather than bite it. ## Famous French faces - **Napoléon Bonaparte**: Emperor and military strategist - **Charles de Gaulle**: Wartime leader and founding president of the Fifth Republic - **Marie Curie**: Two-time Nobel laureate in physics and chemistry - **Claude Monet**: Founder of Impressionism - **Victor Hugo**: Author of Les Misérables and Notre-Dame - **Coco Chanel**: Designer who reshaped modern fashion - **Zinedine Zidane**: World Cup winner and Real Madrid manager - **Édith Piaf**: The voice of Paris - **Emmanuel Macron**: President of France since 2017 - **Jacques Chirac**: President and longtime mayor of Paris - **François Mitterrand**: France's longest-serving president - **Louis XIV**: The Sun King who built Versailles - **Marie Antoinette**: France's last queen before the Revolution - **Georges Clemenceau**: The prime minister who led France through WWI - **Kylian Mbappé**: World Cup winning forward - **Thierry Henry**: Arsenal and France goal-scoring great - **Michel Platini**: Three-time Ballon d'Or midfielder - **Tony Parker**: NBA champion point guard - **Alain Prost**: Four-time Formula 1 world champion - **Teddy Riner**: Ten-time judo world champion - **Marie-José Pérec**: Triple Olympic sprint champion - **Pierre-Auguste Renoir**: Master of Impressionist light and figures - **Paul Cézanne**: The bridge to modern art - **Edgar Degas**: Painter of dancers and movement - **Henri Matisse**: Leader of the Fauves and master of color - **Auguste Rodin**: Sculptor of The Thinker - **Édouard Manet**: Father of modern painting - **Marcel Duchamp**: Conceptual art provocateur - **Catherine Deneuve**: Screen legend of French cinema - **Brigitte Bardot**: Actor and 1960s style icon - **Alain Delon**: Star of French New Wave classics - **Jean-Paul Belmondo**: The face of the New Wave - **Marion Cotillard**: Oscar-winning actor - **Gérard Depardieu**: Prolific star of French film - **Juliette Binoche**: Award-winning international actor - **Omar Sy**: Star of Intouchables and Lupin - **Serge Gainsbourg**: Provocative icon of French chanson - **Charles Aznavour**: France's beloved global crooner - **Johnny Hallyday**: The French Elvis of rock and roll - **Claude Debussy**: Composer who pioneered Impressionist music - **Maurice Ravel**: Composer of Boléro - **Jean-Michel Jarre**: Pioneer of electronic music - **David Guetta**: Global electronic and pop producer - **Louis Pasteur**: Pioneer of vaccination and pasteurization - **Antoine Lavoisier**: Father of modern chemistry - **Blaise Pascal**: Mathematician, physicist and philosopher - **René Descartes**: Father of modern philosophy - **Pierre Curie**: Nobel physicist, pioneer of radioactivity - **Henri Poincaré**: Mathematician and father of topology - **André-Marie Ampère**: Founder of electromagnetism - **Paul Bocuse**: The chef who defined modern French cooking - **Auguste Escoffier**: Codifier of French haute cuisine - **Alain Ducasse**: Multi-Michelin-star global chef - **Joël Robuchon**: Most Michelin-starred chef in history - **Anne-Sophie Pic**: France's leading three-star chef - **Guy Savoy**: Acclaimed Parisian three-star chef - **Marie-Antoine Carême**: The founder of grande cuisine - **Pierre Hermé**: The pastry chef of macaron fame ## Must-try French food - **Croissant & pain au chocolat**: The benchmark French breakfast. - **Steak frites**: Bistro steak and fries. - **Soupe à l'oignon**: Onion broth and Gruyère. - **Coq au vin**: Chicken braised in red wine. - **Boeuf bourguignon**: Burgundy beef stew in red wine. - **Ratatouille**: Stewed summer vegetables in olive oil. - **Crêpes & galettes**: Sweet crêpes or savoury galettes. - **Macarons**: Almond-meringue jewels. - **Cassoulet**: Slow-cooked white beans, duck and sausage. - **Confit de canard**: Duck leg cooked in its own fat. - **Foie gras**: The South West's rich delicacy. - **Magret de canard**: Seared duck breast, served pink. - **Garbure**: Hearty cabbage, bean and duck soup. - **Piperade**: Basque peppers, tomato and egg. - **Canelé de Bordeaux**: Caramelised custard cakes from Bordeaux. - **Roquefort**: The region's blue sheep cheese. - **Bouillabaisse**: Marseille's saffron fish stew. - **Salade niçoise**: Tuna, egg, olives and beans. - **Socca**: Nice's chickpea pancake. - **Pissaladière**: Onion, anchovy and olive tart. - **Tapenade**: Black olive and caper spread. - **Pan bagnat**: Niçoise salad packed in a bun. - **Pastis**: The anise apéritif of the south. - **Galette de sarrasin**: Savoury buckwheat crêpe. - **Crêpe**: Sweet wheat crêpe, folded. - **Kouign-amann**: Caramelised butter pastry. - **Far breton**: Prune custard flan. - **Huîtres**: Cancale oysters on ice. - **Moules marinière**: Mussels in white wine and shallots. - **Caramel au beurre salé**: Salted butter caramel. - **Cidre brut**: Dry Breton cider. - **Choucroute garnie**: Sauerkraut with sausages and pork. - **Tarte flambée**: Thin tart with cream, onion and bacon. - **Baeckeoffe**: Three-meat and potato casserole. - **Bretzel**: Soft Alsatian pretzel. - **Kougelhopf**: Almond and raisin brioche. - **Munster**: Pungent washed-rind cheese. - **Spätzle**: Soft egg noodles. - **Vin chaud**: Alsace mulled wine. - **Gratin dauphinois**: Creamy sliced-potato gratin. - **Fondue savoyarde**: Melted Alpine cheese pot. - **Raclette**: Melted cheese scraped over potatoes. - **Tartiflette**: Potato, bacon and Reblochon bake. - **Salade lyonnaise**: Frisée, lardons and poached egg. - **Quenelle**: Pike dumpling in creamy sauce. - **Saucisson**: Cured pork sausage of Lyon. - **Moules-frites**: Mussels served with fries. - **Camembert rôti**: Baked Normandy camembert. - **Tarte normande**: Apple and cream tart. - **Carbonnade flamande**: Beef braised in brown ale. - **Welsh**: Cheddar, beer and ham on toast. - **Ficelle picarde**: Ham and mushroom crêpe gratin. - **Teurgoule**: Slow-baked cinnamon rice pudding. - **Calvados**: Normandy apple brandy. - **Croissant**: The benchmark breakfast pastry. - **Jambon-beurre**: The classic ham and butter baguette. - **Croque-monsieur**: Toasted ham and cheese with béchamel. - **Paris-Brest**: Praline choux ring. - **Opéra**: Coffee and chocolate layer cake. - **Champagne**: Reims and Épernay's celebratory sparkling wine. - **Bordeaux**: The South West's structured red wine. - **Bourgogne**: Burgundy's prized Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. - **Cognac**: Charente's aged grape brandy. ## By theme - [Hidden gems in France](https://wimup.com/hidden-gems.md) - [Michelin tables in France](https://wimup.com/michelin-cities.md) - [Loire Valley châteaux](https://wimup.com/world-wonders.md) - [Provence & lavender for two](https://wimup.com/honeymoon.md) - [Ski the French Alps](https://wimup.com/skiing.md) - [Champagne & wine routes](https://wimup.com/themes.md) ## Films - [Paris on Foot](https://wimup.com/watch/paris.md), 5:38:18 ## FAQs ### How many days do you need in France? Plan 7 to 10 days for a first trip: three or four in Paris, then one or two regions by TGV. Two weeks lets you add the south or the Alps without rushing. ### When is the best time to visit France? May, June and September bring warm days, long light and lighter crowds than peak July and August. Spring and early autumn are best for the regions and the coast. ### Is France expensive to visit? Paris is pricey, but the regions are gentler. Budget around $130–210 per person per day mid-range, and noticeably less when you base outside the capital. ### Do you need to speak French? No, but it helps. English is common in cities and tourist areas. Open with bonjour and a few French words and you will be met halfway. ### Should you visit Paris or the regions? Both. Paris earns its days, but France's character lives in Lyon's bouchons, Provence's markets and the Alpine lakes. Pair the capital with at least one region. ## Related countries - [Italy](https://wimup.com/country/italy.md) - [Japan](https://wimup.com/country/japan.md) - [All of Europe →](https://wimup.com/europe) Part of [Europe](https://wimup.com/europe.md) ## Sources - [Tourism board](https://www.france.fr/en?utm_source=wimup.com&utm_medium=referral) - Rankings are Wimup editorial picks. Prices, durations and budgets are editorial estimates, not live quotes; check the official site before you go.