7 Best Cities To Visit In France In 2018

France is a great country to go and visit, but if you have never had any French travel experience outside of Paris you may not know where you should be traveling to. This is when you should know more about the best cities to visit in France in 2018. By knowing about these cities, which I do plan on covering in depth in the future it will be very easy for you to make the plans on where you are going to go out to and know that these cities will have something that you can do and enjoy. Now, what is even better is these cities are going to be spread all over the country, which will make it quite a bit easier for you to locate a city in a region you want to travel to and then you have a chance to experience a different part of France as well. No matter what, the most important piece of information you can get is the chance to explore and have a great holiday in France.

7. Strasbourg

This is a city that has a lot of history and some of it comes from turmoil, but others come from the fact that it has been a historic city that still has an impact on the history of the world and discovery. The city serves as the formal seat of the European Parliment and the cathedral that is inside of the city limits is definitely one of those places that will be a stunning place you are going to have to visit. In fact, you will most likely see the cathedral when we are talking about the attractions in Strasbourg later on. What else is really cool to visit is the former palace that is not a museum in the Palais Rohan Strasbourg.

Now, if you want to go to a place that is very well located to get to all over Europe, then you will like Strasbourg as well. This city is a short distance from Switzerland and Germany. In fact, when you are in the city you will find that you have a blend over with a lot of the cultures and appearances of the places. These will come in various forms from the food to the architecture. No matter what, you will find it is only a short distance from one place to the other so this could allow you to base yourself in Strasbourg and still get to see quite a few major attractions in all of these countries quickly and easily.

6. Caen

Caen is a city that has a lot of history that you are going to really love. The city has been involved in a lot of the action during World War II. This city is actually the focal point for the destination the Allied Commanders had hoped to reach on the first day. However, what you will find is the city definitely recalls this history as they have a beautiful museum that is going to recount that time period. However, the museum is going to go a step further and will actually start to talk about the Cold War as well as this impact this region as well because of the port and the fact the city is located so close to the English Channel.

Some of the main focal points you will find here is going to be the religious aspect of the area. One of those places is going to be the home of cloistered communities in the Abbey of Sainte-Trinite. The other place you will want to check out is the Abbey of Saint-Etienne which is another beautiful place that is amazing. If you do not really care for the religious aspect of the region then you may want to check out the ruins of the Norman castle and that is Chateau de  Caen, which is now a museum.

5. Toulouse

I guess you could say that Toulouse is the Strasbourg of the Western side of France. This is a beautiful city that is going to have an architecture blend more of that of Spain than what you may consider the traditional French architecture. This already will give you a good idea as to where the place is located and make it easier for you to know if the place is going to be one that you want to explore or not. What is great about this location is it is more in the Southwest region of France and this means the climate is more settled than what you would find on the areas that are going to cover the region by the Channel. If you are from America you could think of this as comparing the weather in Florida to that of Maine.

The city itself does not have a ton of major draws that you would see if you were in Paris, but it is a city that I find quite amazing. It does have a lot of trails and since the city is bisected by the Garonne River it allows you the chance to walk along the river in France and know you are seeing something you could have easily overlooked if you were not paying attention to the beauty around you.

4. Lourdes

While you are in Toulouse you may want to take a trip on down to Lourdes. Lourdes is more of a small town that has managed to land a very important shrine in the Catholic church. This town and the spring water is said to have healing powers that you would never be able to imagine. However, what is really amazing is the type of healing that has happened to people who have been to Lourdes. These are people who had been certified as disabled with some type of condition when they went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, but when they came out of the area they were seen as being perfectly fit and actually cured from all the ailments they had been suffering from.

What else is nice is if you are not wanting to go to the beautiful Shrine, you will have a chance to explore the beautiful Pyrenees mountains that are in the area.  These mountains are not the largest in Europe nor are they going to have the towering summits of Asia, but they are a place that has managed to get some of the best attractions without all the crowds. So this makes it a great place to visit because you will have a chance to go out and see these beautiful mountains up close.

3. Marseille

When you are in France and you want to go down to the Mediterranean then you will want to make sure you book a room to stay at and visit Marseille. This is a beautiful city that is on the coast and it is one of those most important cities when it comes to trade for France, but also immigration as well for several centuries. This place has managed to get the best look to it because of the beautiful beaches and the amazing waters that are present. What is even better because of the location you will see quite a bit of history and you will even have a chance to go out and visit Italy if you want to because it is very close to Italy.

A great place to go when you are here is the old port. This is an area that has quite a bit of history to it, which is a great thing. However, what you will find as impressive here as well is the great views you will be able to get when you are visiting the area or even if you want to have a great meal when you are in Marseille. All of these combined will definitely make it possible for you to have a great vacation and know you are seeing something you will not be able to see in most of the other areas.

2. Orleans

If you have heard of Joan of Arc then you have probably heard of Orleans before. This is the city that was under siege by the English and the King of France thought all hope was lost. Then the little girl would come to the rescue to free the city from the siege that was going on to it but also to make it a city that would start to prosper again once it was freed from the oppression of being under siege. What this means is you can only imagine the amount of history that you will be able to see when you are visiting this beautiful city.

Speaking of history that is present in the city you will want to make sure you check out a couple of the most beautiful places in the city. One of which has quite a bit of history and the building to back it up and that is the Orleans Cathedral. The other one is going to be the place that will showcase the history that Joan of Arc has in place and that is the Maison de Jeanne d’Arc. I know these are the two main attractions that everyone is going to fall in love with, but also the food is world class and for some people may rival Paris on how good it is.

1. Paris

Paris is the city of lights and it is very easy to see why this city has made it to the tops of our list. I will warn you, if you are not a liker of large crowds or tourist cities then you may want to consider some of the other places that we mentioned above. However, if you do not mind the crowds then you will not be disappointed in Paris as this city is definitely one that will have something for you to do and enjoy. You just have to make sure you are aware of the beauty of the city and how it can overcome the crowds.

I would say that some of the attractions you would want to see are the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, but also some of the parks. Yes, you read that right the parks are what I would consider being some of the main attractions in this city. The parks allow you to sit down and interact with the people of the city, not the tourist trap people, but the real people. Not to mention quite a few of the parks are going to have statues or fountains that are some of the most famous in the world or have been designed by famous sculptors.

How To Pick The Cities To Visit In France

As you can tell, I gave you a wide variety of cities that I feel are the best ones for you go out and see. Each of these cities will have something unique for you to do and have a great trip. The key thing to consider is these are the cities that I feel are the 7 best cities to visit in France in 2018 and that alone will give you some advice, but it really depends on what you are looking for and what you want to do. If you want to have a great trip and enjoy the beach, head South. If you want access to the Black Forest of Germany quickly and easily then you can hit up a different city like Strasbourg, but if you want to enjoy the normal tourist areas then you will want to check out Paris. No matter what, when you are going through the French travel plans you will want to consider one of these cities here.