The TGV from the Gare de Lyon pulls out of the station at the 300 km/h, and the Paris that was everything, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the café, the baguette, becomes the Paris that was the starting point. France is the largest country in the western Europe (the 551,695 km², the hexagone, the six-sided country that stretches from the Channel to the Mediterranean, from the Atlantic to the Alps), and the best places to visit around the France are the regions that the Parisians escape to at the weekends: the Normandy (the D-Day beaches, the Mont-Saint-Michel, the cider, and the Camembert), the Loire Valley (the châteaux, the Chenonceau, the Chambord, the wine, and the most beautiful river in the France), the Provence (the lavender, the hill towns, the rosé, and the light that drew the Cézanne and the Van Gogh), and the Alsace (the Strasbourg, the Colmar, the half-timbered houses, the Riesling, and the best Christmas market in Europe). Here is your guide to the best places beyond the Paris.

Beyond Paris, The Best Places in France

• The Loire Valley, the châteaux and the river: The Loire Valley, the 280 km of the river from the Sully-sur-Loire to the Chalonnes, the UNESCO World heritage site, and the châteaux, the 300 of them, the Renaissance, the turrets, the formal gardens, is the most beautiful region in the France. The essential châteaux: the Chenonceau (the “Château des Dames,” the château built across the River Cher on the arches of the bridge, the most beautiful château in the world, the gallery, the gardens, the kitchens, and the best day out in the Loire. ~€17, and the essential strategy: the early morning, the 9am opening, and the château before the coaches), the Chambord (the largest, the 440 rooms, the double-helix staircase, the Leonardo da Vinci design, the roof, the chimneys, the towers, the most beautiful roof in the France, and the best château for the children. ~€16), and the Cheverny (the most elegant, the 17th-century, the furniture, the gardens, the kennels, the 100 hunting hounds, and the château that inspired the Hergé’s Marlinspike Hall in the Tintin. ~€14). The essential town: the Amboise (the château, the Leonardo da Vinci tomb in the chapel, the Royal Château of the Amboise, and the best view of the Loire. ~€14, and the Clos Lucé, the house of the Leonardo da Vinci’s last years, the models of the inventions, the gardens, and the best museum in the Loire. ~€18). The essential wine: the Chinon, the Bourgueil, the Saumur-Champigny, the reds of the Loire, the Cabernet Franc, the light, the raspberry, and the best value in the French wine. The tasting at the Caves Painctes (the 12th-century caves in the Chinon, the wine, the €5 for the tasting). More France →
• Normandy, the coast, the cheese, and the Bayeux Tapestry: The Normandy is the region of the French coastline that is the most beautiful and the most important: the D-Day beaches (the Omaha, the Utah, the Juno, the 6th of June 1944, the American Cemetery at the Colleville-sur-Mer, the 9,388 white crosses, the most moving site in the France. Free, and the essential 2 hours), the Mont-Saint-Michel (the abbey, the island, the 1,000 years of the history, the most beautiful building in the Normandy, the climb to the top, the view of the bay, and the best visit in the north of the France. ~€13, and the essential strategy: the early morning, the 9.30am opening, and the shuttle bus from the car park), the Bayeux Tapestry (the 70-metre embroidery, the 1066, the William the Conqueror, the Battle of the Hastings, the most important object in the British history, in the France. ~€12), and the food, the Camembert, the Pont-l’Évêque, the Livarot, the cheeses of the Normandy, the cider, the Calvados, and the best meal in the region at the Auberge de la Mère Poulard (the omelette, the soufflé, the Mont-Saint-Michel, and the most famous restaurant in the Normandy. ~€30 for the omelette, the price is the experience, not the food)
• Provence and the Alsace: See the Provence in the French Riviera guide (post #795) and the Cassis guide (post #856). The Alsace: the border of the France and the Germany, the half-timbered houses, the canals, the Riesling, and the best Christmas market in Europe (the Strasbourg, the Christkindelsmärik, the 1570, the 300 stalls, and the best month of the year in the Alsace. The November–December). The essential village: the Colmar (the Little Venice, the canals, the pastel houses, the Unterlinden Museum, the Isenheim Altarpiece, the Matthias Grünewald, the most important painting in the Alsace. ~€13)