What are the five top things a tourist should do or see in France?

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glenjulio

Sorry, I give you a top 10:
1. Paris
2. A real French restaurant with, in addition to typical french meals, bread, wine and pastry. I'd do it in Lyon
3. Loire Valley: castles + wineyards
4. Normandy: D-day sites + Mont St Michel + countryside + typical lovely small cities by the sea
5. Britany: to have the Celtic experience (landscapes + food + sea + villages + music)
6. Provence + Riviera (the Mediterranean France): villages, sea, landscapes, food, pÃ©tanque, pastis, casinos, sunbathing
7. Alps: especially near the Mont Blanc, outstanding landscapes, sports, food
8. Dordogne (= PÃ©rigord) for countryside and south western food (my favourite)
9. Auvergne: volcanos of La ChaÃ®ne des Puys and the thermal ressorts
10. Eastern France (Alsace + Vosges + Bourgogne): architecture, atmosphere, food (again)

Mouchie

First thing first, have a great meal follow by a delicious cake.

Now as visits go, here are a few very interesting spots :

Provence : beautiful, especially in June when the flowers bloom and the herbs fill the air everywhere you go
Paris of course, you know why
Monte Carlo and surrounded little villages, you can even go to one of the biggest markets in Italy, about 30 minutes from Monte Carlo. And those markets are fun !
The Alps
The Loire Valley, if you're into castles, there must be 100 all along the Loire river, centuries old too

But I can name 100 different things to do or see, it really depends on what you like to do on vacation. But whatever you decide, forget the north of France and Alsace. It's always Grey or raining, and there's nothing to see

Well, I hope you'll like my country, I love yours

Bon voyage

Rillifane

It rather a silly question to be frank. I assume you mean Paris since that is what most first time visitors mean and if it isn't then change your plans and go to Paris.

You'd have to have been born under a rock not to know names like the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame, the Louvre Museum and the Musee D'Orsay.

Of the hundreds, maybe thousands, of things to see and do in Paris the idea that anyone can make a meaningful choice of five is absurd.

You should go get a good guide book and spend some time figuring out what interests you. Do you care about art? There are 35,000 major works in the Louvre alone. Architecture? There are hundreds of architecturally significant buildings in Paris.You can see historic sights from Roman Baths to the French resistance HQ during the Nazi occupation.

Neither Paris nor any other great city should be just a checklist of things to say you saw or monuments to have your picture taken in front of. People who do that sort of thing might as well stay home and get a nice coffee table book with lots of big pictures.

Now having delivered that diatribe here's some advice.

Find a nice cafe close to your hotel, preferably one that doesn't advertise that it has English menus. Hang out there. Get to know the waiters. Become a regular.

Wander around side streets looking for little restaurants that don't seem to have any tourists in them. Order things that are a complete mystery to you.

Put your map and your guidbook in your back pocket and just wander around. Get lost. Figure out how to get back to your hotel.

Buy a bottle of wine. Walk up to a bunch of old guys playing boules (a game like bocchi or lawn bowling) in the park. Watch very politely and offer them a drink if they pay you any attention. Accept their invitation to teach you how to play.

Walk along the Seine in the moonlight, turn your face to heaven and thank God you have seen one of the most beautiful and entrancing places made by the hand of man.

.

soho

I agree that it depends on what your interests are, but if you are looking for a "top 5" list as a guideline, here goes (in no particular order)

In France:
1 Paris (obviously)
2 Chateau-hopping in the Loire Valley
3 Wine-tasting - Bordeaux or Cote d'Or
4 Small villages - Research ones that fit your itinerary, they're everywhere
5 Normandy beaches/Mont St Michel (they're not that close, though)
6 Versailles

In Paris:
* Louvre: it's very big, so stick to a wing, or even better, go to a smaller museum. The Louvre will be *crowded* in June.
* Eiffel Tower: go to the top, it's worth it
* Notre Dame
* Montmartre/Sacre Coeur
* Arc de Triomphe
* Jardin du Luxembourg or Jardin des Plantes

There's too much in France to enjoy in one trip! As it's your first trip, I understand you wanting to catch the highlights. But if you are not wedded to seeing the sights, I recommend you cut in half your list of sights to see, and wander the streets, visiting small parks and cafes... *outside* of the tourist areas. By doing so, you'll appreciate French culture and people much more so and I suspect you'll have a more enjoyable time, too.

MRS.torressanz

in paris has to be tour eiffel of course,
arc de triomph,
notre damn is a hige tourist place but i thought it boring,
the museums are a must..the louvre..musee griven is awesome..its a wax museum..and they have zidane in there and others such as celine dion and jackie chan..
mont st. michel...its beautiful..
saint malo..the little city is worth visiting..
and of course don't forget to visit the alps..mount blanc

Baiocchi

Wooo 5 things, that's hard to say. I'm French and I would recomment those spots :

1. Paris
2. Mont St-Michel (Normandy)
3. The Riviera
4. Gorges du Verdon (Provence)
5. Alsace (Eastern France)

U_S_S_Enterprise

I am in agreement with Rillifane`s answer.

I have done the same (didn`t have a map or guidebook) and wandered around.
If you get lost, look for the Eifell Tower (landmark) or La Tour Montparnasse (big black tower) both of which are visible.

I had the luck to be staying in the Meridien hotel in Montparnasse, and walked from there. Took the subway, and just enjoyed the scenery.

One tip - try to learn some french words in advance.
People enjoy the fact you are trying to speak their language and are generally more helpful if you make the effort. (not only in france, but almost everywhere).

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