| You are totally spoilt for choice when choosing a | | | | and was a familiar watering hole for writers such as |
| cultural city break in France! The country is home to | | | | Zola and Hemingway, and Paul Cezanne, the |
| some of the most wonderful cultural attractions | | | | Impressionist painter. |
| imaginable, and around 80 million tourists visit France | | | | Some worthwhile sights include the Cathedral of the |
| annually. For the tourist, France has everything you | | | | Holy Saviour, which was built on a former Roman |
| could ever wish for, and more! | | | | site, and has mix of all architecture styles from many |
| We have compiled a brief guide to the top city | | | | eras. La Musee Granet features work by local artists |
| locations for a taste of Gallic culture, so please read | | | | and is an interesting place to check out. |
| on for more.... | | | | Why not take a day trip to the largest port city in |
| Paris - Being the capital city of France, and attracting | | | | France, Marseilles from Aix en Provence, just 25 km |
| millions of visitors each year, you will probably think | | | | away or the charming town of Arles, home of |
| Paris is a hard city to get around. Not true; it has a | | | | Roman ruins and once home to Vincent Van Gogh. |
| city centre that is easily navigated, and the whole of | | | | Le Havre France's 2nd port city after Marseille, Le |
| the capital is connected via an excellent public | | | | Havre's origins can be traced back to 1517, and is |
| transport network called the Metro. | | | | located on the edge of the Seine River. The city |
| The City Of Lights is built on the River Seine and has | | | | suffered greatly during the Second World War and |
| been a tourist hot spot for generations - people flock | | | | was subsequently rebuilt over a 20 year period. Le |
| to see the wonderful ambiance, the stunning | | | | Havre is vibrant, and has many attractions including |
| architecture, and the magnificent museums that are | | | | the Oscar Niemeyer Arts Centre and the Malraux |
| dotted around this wonderful city. | | | | Fine Art Gallery, which is home to prossibly the best |
| One way to sample the way of life in Paris is to stroll | | | | impressionist art collections in France after Paris. |
| around the streets that are lined with cafe bars and | | | | A short drive from Le Havre will take you to |
| restaurants. The many sights of the city include the | | | | Honfleur Harbour which is a 16th century fishing |
| Eiffel Tower, The Louvre Museum and L'Arc de | | | | village, and home to some wonderful French artists |
| Triomphe. In total, the city has around 80 museums | | | | from times past, including Claude Monet and Gustave |
| and 200 art galleries, plus outstanding architecture | | | | Courbet. |
| from all the main periods in a long, varied and | | | | Rouen - The capital of Normandy to the north west |
| sometimes violent Parisian history. | | | | of France, and hosts one of the most important |
| Some of the must-sees in Paris include Musee du | | | | harbours in France, which sees the arrival of cruisers |
| Louvre, the Georges Pompidou Centre of Arts and | | | | on a regular basis. It is a prominent town in |
| Culture, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee d'Orsay, | | | | commerce and industry, and has a wonderful |
| Avenue des Champs-Elysees, and Versailles Palace. | | | | historical past. |
| Strasbourg - This city has elements of both French | | | | Both Joan of Arc and William The Conqueror died in |
| and German culture, being situated on the border | | | | Rouen. Joan of Arc was burned here in 1431 during |
| between the two countries. It is home to the | | | | the Hundred Years War. Not far from where she |
| European Parliament and is a perfect place to spend | | | | was cremated at the stake is the Church Jeanne |
| a cultural break. | | | | d'Arc, which is home to some marvellous stained |
| Some of the main attractions in the city include the | | | | glass. |
| wonderful Gothic Cathedral, made out of sandstone | | | | The Gothic Notre Dame Cathedral, which was |
| and having a fine astronomical clock, and once was | | | | famously painted by Monet, is a must visit attraction. |
| the tallest building in the world! Outside in the | | | | La Musee des Beaux Arts features some local art |
| courtyard of the Cathedral is the place where the | | | | and history. The city is well known for its attractive |
| wonderful Christmas Market is. | | | | antique shops. The centre of Rouen is at La Rue |
| La Petite France is the most alluring place of all in | | | | Gros Horloge, and there are plenty of markets in the |
| Strasbourg. You can sample the local delicacies along | | | | city every week to browse for a bargain! |
| here, from gingerbread to sauerkraut! For some | | | | Avignon - The city is located where the Durance and |
| culture, check out Musee d'Art Moderne et | | | | Rhone rivers meet, and is universally known as the |
| Contemporain, where the entrance is on La Petite | | | | City of The Popes, and has UNESCO World Heritage |
| France. The Musee Alsacien features the history and | | | | Status. |
| local traditions of the area. | | | | The city has so many attractions for the visitors, |
| For some theatre productions and opera recitals, | | | | from the famous ramparts to the wonderful Palace |
| check out the famous Strasbourg National Theatre | | | | of The Popes. It is a place that is wonderful to |
| (Theatre National de Strasbourg) and L'Opera National | | | | explore as it is magnificently preserved. The months |
| du Rhin. | | | | of July and August see the Famous Festival of |
| Lyon - Located in south eastern France, the city of | | | | Dance, Music and Theatre take place. |
| Lyon is a wonderful mix of French culture, | | | | The Palace of The Popes is located near La Place du |
| gastronomy and home to some distinct Lyon | | | | Palais, and is a must visit in Avignon. The Avignon |
| architecture. Lyon is city with UNESCO World | | | | Opera House hosts music, dance and theatre |
| Heritage Status and is a perfect place for that | | | | performances and is well worth checking out to see |
| cultural break. | | | | local and emerging talent. |
| The old town is surrounded with architecture from | | | | To learn more about Avignon and its history make a |
| both the Medieval and Renaissance eras. Some of | | | | stop at the Pont Saint Benezet Museum, which is |
| the popular sights include La Croix-Rousse, La Basilica | | | | located in an old chapel near the bridge of Avignon. |
| of Notre-Dame de Fourviere which is a cathedral | | | | Vienne - A must visit for historical interest - it has |
| containing some wonderful designs of stained glass. | | | | over 40 ancient Rome relics, and 4 enthralling |
| The 10th century Cathedral of St-Martin-d'Ainay, | | | | museums. Vienne is located on the banks of the |
| where you can savour the Romanesque Styled | | | | Rhône River, and is located around 25km from Lyon. |
| architecture, from Medieval times. The Opera Nouvel | | | | Saint Etienne - The city is located in the Massif |
| is a place where you can enjoy some fine | | | | Central to the east of the centre of France. It is set |
| productions. You must also check out the wonderful | | | | in picture book countryside, with sparkling lakes, |
| Saint-Jean Cathedral in Lyon. | | | | fertile green valleys and fields. The old parts of the |
| A short drive out of Lyon lies the town of Annecy, | | | | town have some alluring sights, including the old |
| located between Grenoble and Geneva, which is | | | | quarter of Saint Jacques, and half timber built houses. |
| located on the shores of the lake of the same name. | | | | Saint Etienne is home to the Musee d'Art Moderne |
| The town is best known for festival productions, the | | | | which has one of the best collections of Modern Art |
| most well known being the International Festival of | | | | that you will come across. To learn more about the |
| Animated Films, held annually every June. Le Palais de | | | | history of the area, check out the Musee de la Mine, |
| l'Isle, once a jail, and now a history museum is a good | | | | and find out from the exhibitions what it was like to |
| place to learn about local culture. Musee Chateau | | | | work in a mine, and how the miners lived. |
| d'Annecy is the local museum featuring arts and | | | | You should definitely check out Notre Dame Church - |
| crafts from the locality of the Savoy Region. | | | | which dates back to the 18th century. |
| Aix En Provence - The city of Aix En Provence is | | | | Hope that you got some travel ideas for a cultural |
| noted for its fabulous architecture - in particular the | | | | France holiday from our article! Do you agree with |
| Four Dolphins Fountain which dates from the 17th | | | | our choice of locations? Remember that the best |
| century. Take a trip down the wide avenue in the | | | | way to get around France is to travel independently |
| centre of Cours Mirabeau, which shows the dividing | | | | as you see fit by availing of a value for money car |
| between the old and new towns. Along this avenue | | | | hire. To get the best value rates out there, visit our |
| you will find the Deux Garcons, which is the most | | | | France car hire page. |
| famous bar in Aix. This first opened its doors in 1792 | | | | |