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)

1. Île-de-France

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

Mont Saint-Michel (Photo: plaidshirtdiaries.com)

WWII cemetery and Normandy beach (Photo: allanlynch.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)

3. Centre-Val de Loire

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

Gorges du Verdon (Photo: about-france.com)

Pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon (Photo: alamandastravels.com)

Arles Amphitheatre (Photo: andreacuminatto.com)

Le Café La Nuit, Place du Forum, Arles (Photo: fineartamerica.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

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 (Photo: ejlienonleave.wordpress.com)

Arènes de Nîmes (Photo: bienvenueenprovence.fr

Le Viaduc de Millau (Photo: vanessafrance.wordpress.com)

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)

7. Brittany

Bretagne

- - Rennes (regional capital)
  - Carnac stones

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 (Photo: michaelevansphotographerblog.com)

9. Burgundy-Franche-Comté

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

- - Dijon (regional capital)
  - Beaune
  - Cluny Abbey

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 (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 (Photo: www.alexgaliano.com)

2. Flanders

- - Antwerp (national second city)
  - Bruges

Dinant (Photo: travelwithkally.blogspot.com)

3. Wallonia

- - Dinant

Luxembourg

Lëtzebuerg

- - Luxembourg (national capital)

France & Benelux