56 days in France Itinerary

France has been the world's most popular tourist destination for decades, and geographically, it is one of the most diverse countries in Europe. Its cities are holiday hot spots and contain some of the greatest treasures in Europe, its countryside is prosperous and well tended, and it boasts dozens of major tourist attractions, like Paris, the French Riviera, the Atlantic beaches, the winter sport resorts of the French Alps, as well as the castles of the Loire Valley, Brittany, and Normandy. The country is renowned for its gastronomy, particularly wines and cheeses, as well as its history, culture, and fashion industry.

You'll find that the French people are very polite and may react coldly to you if you forget this. You might be surprised as you're greeted by other customers and the proprieter when you walk into a restaurant or a shop. Be sure to take your sightseeing off the beaten path in France. Besides the famous Eiffel Tower and the chic resorts of the Côte d'Azur (French Riviera) you'll find many places to visit in the form of museums filled with fine art, crafts, and archaeological relics, wonderful medieval villages and castles, diverse national parks, and local shopping direct from artisans themselves.

Whether you're touring the Christmas Markets or going skiing during winter, viewing the springtime influx of color in Provence, sunbathing on the Mediterranean coast in the summer, or watching the fall foliage against the backdrop of the châteaux in the Loire Valley, you're sure to find just the right place to be. Spring is a time when the tourist attractions are just starting to expand their hours, but it may still be cold in the mountainous regions and the north. Summer is the busiest time in France with the longest hours for many museums and attractions, but it's often when you will experience the most crowds. Winter in France is filled with winter carnivals, Christmas Markets, and of course, skiing. Fall is a time to celebrate the release of Beaujolais nouveau wine in November, as well as experience Nuit Blanche, a day in October when major attractions, museums, galleries, parks, and swimming pools remain open all night.

Known for its large number of megaliths, which simply means "big rocks," Brittany is famous for its 2,860 km (1,780 mi) of coastline and for its prehistoric menhirs (standing stones) and dolmens (stone tables)--sites that were used for burials and worship. You can see a large variety of seabirds while sightseeing along the ocean, as the region is home to colonies of cormorants, gulls, razorbills, northern gannets, common murres, and Atlantic puffins. The waters of Brittany attract marine animals, including basking sharks, grey seals, leatherback turtles, dolphins, porpoises, jellyfish, crabs, and lobsters. Brittany is widely known for the Breton horse, a local breed of draft horse, and for the Brittany gun dog. The region also has its own breeds of cattle that you can witness at area farms and open-air museums, some of which are on the brink of extinction: the Bretonne pie noir, the Froment du Léon, the Armoricann, and the Nantaise. The region has plenty of places to visit, namely a huge quantity of medieval buildings, including numerous Romanesque and Gothic churches, castles, and the iconic half-timbered houses visible in many villages, towns, and cities.

Discover the Alabaster Coast along the steep Normandy coast with spectacular chalk cliffs, a number of scenic villages, posh seaside holiday resorts, the Channel Islands, and the English Channel. The Channel Islands, although British Crown Dependencies, are considered culturally and historically a part of Normandy. Upper Normandy is predominantly more industrial, while Lower Normandy is predominantly agricultural. The shoreline is famed for the D-Day invasion by Allied troops on June 6, 1944, where you'll find museums and monuments with historical significance to World War II. As you explore the old towns, note the Norman architecture that follows a pattern similar to the English Romanesque architecture following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Typical Norman villages have many half-timbered houses in their old towns and historical vessels in their old ports. One of the most popular things to do along the Alabaster Coast is sampling its local products: The region produces hard apple ciders, Calvados apple brandies, and famous Bénédictine liqueur instead of wine due to its abundance of apple orchards.