France & Benelux

France

This is an exploration of Metropolitan France, i.e., European portion; please see France for an exploration of its five overseas regions/departments, five overseas collectivities, one overseas territory, and two places with special status.

Region/French name (if different) in travel priority order:

Eiffel Tower, Paris (Photo: parisperfect.com)
Eiffel Tower, Paris (Photo: parisperfect.com)

1. Île-de-France

      • Paris (national capital and regional capital)
      • Palace of Versailles
      • Basilica of Saint-Denis

Mont Saint-Michel (Photo: plaidshirtdiaries.com)
Mont Saint-Michel (Photo: plaidshirtdiaries.com)
WWII cemetery and Normandy beach (Photo: allanlynch.wordpress.com)
WWII cemetery and Normandy beach (Photo: allanlynch.wordpress.com)
Bayeux Tapestry (Photo: pennypierce.wordpress.com)
Bayeux Tapestry (Photo: pennypierce.wordpress.com)

2. Normandy

Normandie

      • Rouen (regional capital)
      • Mont Saint-Michel
      • Étretat
      • D-Day Beaches
      • Giverny
      • Bayeux Tapestry

Château de Chenonceau (Photo: theinternationalvegetarian.com)
Château de Chenonceau (Photo: theinternationalvegetarian.com)

3. Centre-Val de Loire

      • Orléans (regional capital)
      • Château de Chambord
      • Château de Chenonceau

Gorges du Verdon
Gorges du Verdon (Photo: about-france.com)
Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon
Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon (Photo: alamandastravels.com)
Arles Amphitheatre (Photo: andreacuminatto.com)
Arles Amphitheatre (Photo: andreacuminatto.com)
Le Café La Nuit, Place du Forum, Arles
Le Café La Nuit, Place du Forum, Arles (Photo: fineartamerica.com)
Lavender field, Provence (Photo: agronomag.com)
Lavender field, Provence (Photo: agronomag.com)

4. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

      • Marseille (national second city and regional capital)
      • French Riviera
      • Côte d’Azur
      • Nice – Promenade des Anglais
      • Avignon – Papal Palace and Pont Saint-Bénézet
      • Arles – Roman and Romanesque Monuments
      • Gorge du Verdon

Monaco
Monaco (Photo: www.iexplore.com)

Monaco

Principauté de Monaco

      • Monaco (national capital)

5. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

      • Lyon (regional capital)
      • French Alps – Mont-Blanc (shared with Italy)
      • Chamonix
      • Le Puy-en-Velay

Carcassonne
Carcassonne (Photo: ejlienonleave.wordpress.com)
Arènes de Nîmes
Arènes de Nîmes (Photo: bienvenueenprovence.fr
Le Viaduc de Millau
Le Viaduc de Millau (Photo: vanessafrance.wordpress.com)
Pont du Gard
Pont du Gard (Photo: globalfieldtrip.com)

6. Occitania

Occitanie

      • Toulouse (regional capital)
      • Carcassonne
      • Nîmes
      • Millau Bridge
      • Pont du Gard
      • Albi

Carnac Stones (Photo: elixirofknowledge.com)
Carnac Stones (Photo: elixirofknowledge.com)

7. Brittany

Bretagne

      • Rennes (regional capital)
      • Carnac stones

La Roque Gageac, Dordogne River
La Roque Gageac, Dordogne River (Photo: Jebulon wikimedia user)

8. New Aquitaine

Nouvelle-Aquitaine

      • Bordeaux (regional capital)
      • Prehistoric Cave Paintings in Lascaux
      • Dordogne

Hospices de Beaune
Hospices de Beaune (Photo: michaelevansphotographerblog.com)

9. Burgundy-Franche-Comté

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

      • Dijon (regional capital)
      • Beaune
      • Cluny Abbey

Colmar
Colmar (Photo: www.tourisme-alsace.com)

10. Grand-Est

      • Strasbourg (regional capital)
      • Colmar
      • Reims Cathedral

11. Pays de la Loire

      • Nantes (regional capital)

12. Hauts-de-France

      • Lille (regional capital)

13. Corsica

Corse

      • Ajaccio (regional capital)
      • Bonifacio

Netherlands

Nederland

Amsterdam (Photo: dutchwannabe.com)
Amsterdam (Photo: dutchwannabe.com)
      • Amsterdam (official national capital)
      • The Hague (national seat of government)
      • Rotterdam (second city)
      • Windmills of Kinderdijk

Note: European portion; please see Netherlands for an exploration of its three other constituent countries and three special municipalities in the Caribbean.


Belgium

Kingdom of Belgium

1. Brussels

      • Brussels (national capital)
Rozenhoedkaai (Rosary Quay), Bruges
Rozenhoedkaai (Rosary Quay), Bruges (Photo: www.alexgaliano.com)

2. Flanders

      • Antwerp (national second city)
      • Bruges
Dinant
Dinant (Photo: travelwithkally.blogspot.com)

3. Wallonia

      • Dinant

Luxembourg

Lëtzebuerg

Luxembourg
Luxembourg (Photo: www.cedefop.europa.eu)
      • Luxembourg (national capital)