There are 53 UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France, which implies that this lovely nation is a UNESCO fanatic’s heaven.
UNESCO selects properties for his or her cultural, historic, pure, or scientific significance. Forty-four of the UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France are cultural websites, seven are pure, and two are combined. France additionally has 33 websites on UNESCO’s Tentative Checklist.
Falling fourth in line on the record of nations with the best variety of UNESCO World Heritage Websites, behind Italy, China, and Germany, France is dotted with UNESCO-listed wonders all through all its areas.
It’s straightforward to slip not less than one French World Heritage Website onto your agenda. But, devising a bespoke UNESCO itinerary is a real tour de pressure and JayWay Journey could be your greatest good friend on this endeavor.
15 UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France To Go to on Your Subsequent Journey
1. Mont-Saint-Michel & Its Bay
One of many oldest-inscribed UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France can also be probably the most breathtaking. Among the many prettiest locations to go to in France, Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island, Benedictine abbey, and fortified village located a bit beneath a mile off the Normandy coast.
The coexistence of a pure phenomenon, pilgrimage heart, and settlement contributed to the inclusion of Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay on the UNESCO World Heritage Checklist.
The architects behind the Romanesque-Gothic abbey blended science and artwork to handle the distinctive topography of the island. Stones have been laid on prime of an current sanctuary devoted to the Archangel Michael, and staff devoted 600 years to constructing a construction in a position to stand up to the weather.
When the tide is out, the bay stuns with its mudflats. This UNESCO website is particularly enticing throughout spring when the torrents are at their biggest.
Straddling the border between Normandy and Brittany, Mont-Saint-Michel is a well-liked day journey from the seaside resort of Saint-Malo. The village is free to discover. But, the abbey requires an advance ticket to keep away from lengthy traces. However concern not; JayWay Journey will add the very best guided tour of Mont-Saint-Michel to your France itinerary.
Date of inscription: 1979
Area: Normandy
2. Paris, Banks of The Seine
Had the marvels of Paris been added individually, France would see its UNESCO depend edging in the direction of triple figures. As an alternative, the Cultural Heritage Website of Paris, Banks of the Seine, incorporates 531 hectares of riverside landmarks between the Eiffel Tower and the Ile de la Cite.
The world contains the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Place de la Concorde, Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Pont Alexandre III, Champs de Mars, and Resort des Invalides.
The boundary extends to Georges-Eugene Haussmann’s introduction of city squares and broad boulevards. These set the blueprint for city planning in European cities and past.
The Banks of the Seine is an open-air museum testifying to the architectural improvement of Paris, significantly in the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This riverside phase is a pleasure to discover independently or via historian-led strolling excursions.
Date of inscription: 1991
Area: Ile-de-France
3. Champagne Hillsides, Homes & Cellars
Wine has been round for hundreds of years however its bubbly cousin didn’t enter the mainstream till the nineteenth century. The method of fermenting effervescent wine began two centuries earlier and the monk Dom Perignon is attributed with ironing out the preliminary kinks.
Nonetheless, it’s the winemakers that got here after coupled with the chalky highlands of northeast France that take the credit score for Champagne’s success.
The UNESCO-protected Champagne Hillsides, Homes and Cellars encompasses three principal websites: the vineyards of Hautvillers, Ay, and Mareuil-sur-Ay, Saint-Nicaise Hill in Reims, and town of Epernay.
Fort Chabrol and prestigious Champagne homes flanking Avenue de Champagne sit atop a community of chalk cellars deep beneath the streets of Epernay.
Among the best UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France for oenophiles works as a day journey from Paris. Champagne excursions included in your Better of France itinerary usually combine a winery go to and a Champagne home.
Date of inscription: 2015
Area: Grand Est
4. Historic Fortified Metropolis of Carcassonne
The Romans paved the best way for one of the crucial unbelievable medieval UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France. Because it stands at this time, the Historic Fortified Metropolis of Carcassonne exemplifies an impregnable defensive system guarded by 52 towers courting predominantly to the thirteenth century.
Chateau Comtal and the Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus declare the guts of the labyrinthine fortification. The fortress reveals archaeological treasures and chronicles the feats of the double-walled fort whereas the church sports activities one among France’s oldest stained-glass home windows.
Ramparts overlook the trendy Decrease Metropolis, Aude River, and surrounding vineyards however you’ll need to soak up a view of the stronghold from afar, too. Viewpoints southeast of the citadel grant a exceptional silhouette that pops at sundown.
You’ll want not less than half a day exploring the battlements and streets of Carcassone. Subsequently, it’s greatest so as to add Carcassone to your France itinerary as an in a single day cease. It will permit you sufficient time for a ship trip on one other native UNESCO-inscribed attraction: Le Canal du Midi.
Date of inscription: 1997
Area: Occitania
5. Bordeaux, Port of The Moon
Bordeaux is synonymous with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Nonetheless, there’s rather more to this port metropolis than its vineyards, as made clear by UNESCO designating all the metropolis as a World Heritage Website.
Beginning with the structure, Bordeaux preserves 347 protected buildings. As many of those church buildings, mansions, historic monuments, and plazas have been assembled in the course of the Age of Enlightenment, they’re a golden instance of coherent city planning and an essential a part of the nation’s architectural heritage.
Bordeaux, Port of the Moon, was so named for the distinct form the Garonne River makes because it journeys between town heart and the harbor. This main port put Bordeaux on the map round 300 BC and went on to be a nucleus for the espresso, cocoa, sugar, cotton, and indigo commerce.
Combining the strategic city core, its business prowess, and its means to maneuver with the occasions contributed to Bordeaux incomes heritage standing. As with Paris, the landmarks could also be explored as a part of an unbiased strolling path or within the footsteps of an area information.
Date of inscription: 2007
Area: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
6. Loire Valley Between Sully-sur-Loire & Chalonnes
This enchanting World Heritage Website celebrates the idyllic landscapes and architectural triumphs of rural France. The Loire Valley encompasses the chateaux, agricultural land, and villages between Sully-sur-Loire within the east and Chalonnes within the west.
Centuries-old interactions between the Loire River – France’s longest river – and its bankside settlements contributed to the inscription of this cultural website on the record of UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France.
Initially inscribed as a person landmark, the Renaissance Chateau de Chambord is the spotlight of the so-called Backyard of France. The most important fortress within the Loire Valley is joined by Chateau de Chenonceau, Chateau de Blois, and the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud as notable buildings on this sea of historical vineyards.
Moreover being among the finest UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France for fortress sightseeing, the Loire Valley is awash with dreamy medieval villages. Blois, Chinon, Orleans, Saumur, and Amboise are simply among the riverside townships to discover by boat, bike, or on foot.
As a bonus, the culinary scene within the Loire Valley is second to none, with distinctive cheeses. For all this, the Loire Valley deserves to be added as a cease in your subsequent France trip.
Date of inscription: 2000
Area: Pays de la Loire/Centre-Val de Loire
7. Good, Winter Resort City of The French Riviera
Regardless of being one of many youngest UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France, the evolution of Good because the quintessential seaside resort traces again to the 18th century.
The French Riviera metropolis caught the actual curiosity of rich British holidaymakers looking for a respite from harsh winters. Households would stroll the seafront – later immortalized because the Promenade des Anglais – and elaborate gardens have been planted to intensify the pure magnificence.
Tucked between the foothills of the Alps and the Mediterranean Sea, Good’s delicate local weather was related to well being advantages.
After the aristocrats, got here the artists – Henri Matisse amongst them – and designers desirous to make their mark. Along with its joie de vivre way of life, Good, Winter Resort City of the Riviera, showcases modern architectural traits over the previous three centuries.
The Belle-Epoque Beaux-Arts Museum and Neoclassical Villa Massena flank the promenade whereas Artwork Deco and Baroque facades rub shoulders in Outdated Good.
Because the identify hints, winter is prime time for visiting the sunny Cote d’Azur capital within the south of France. In actuality, it’s equally nice throughout spring and fall and the right base to discover the magic of the French Riviera any time of the 12 months.
Date of inscription: 2021
Area: Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
8. Palace & Park of Versailles
Customized-built for monarchs, the Palace and Park of Versailles is the epitome of a royal residence. Since its completion, numerous replicas have sprung up all through Europe, whereas the gardens have impressed horticulturists.
Work on repurposing King Louis XIII’s searching lodge started on the bequest of his successor, Louis XIV. The baton was then handed to Louis XV and Louis XVI respectively to proceed the visible catalogue of French design.
Other than the magnificent interiors and landscaped gardens stuffed with topiary and water options, the Palace of Versailles was a hub for efficiency arts, scientific dialogues, ceremonies, and state affairs.
Positioned 11 miles southwest of the capital, the property is one among JayWay’s must-do day journeys from Paris. Marie Antoinette’s non-public chambers, the Corridor of Mirrors, the Coronation Room, and the Gallery of Nice Battles are simply among the 2,300 rooms at what was briefly the de facto capital of France.
Date of inscription: 1979
Area: Ile-de-France
9. Strasbourg, Grande-Ile & Neustadt
The border metropolis of Strasbourg predates Bordeaux and Good as the primary occasion the place a complete city space obtained World Heritage credentials. That’s not simply France, however globally. Strasbourg, Grande-Ile, and Neustadt check with the historic heart, the German Quarter, and an island bounded by waterways.
There’s nowhere in France like Strasbourg. The historic area of Alsace was torn between French and German rulership following the siege of 1870 earlier than the nations reached an settlement, and Strasbourg grew to become the official seat of the European Parliament as an indication of unity.
Structured across the Gothic and Romanesque-inspired cathedral, Grande-Ile is the touristic coronary heart of Strasbourg, the place you’ll encounter half-timbered buildings strung with blooms and the quaint streets of Petite France. Idle into Neustadt, and also you’re in imperial Germany.
What UNESCO forgot to say is the meals. Simply as town synthesizes the Rhineland Renaissance and basic French structure, Alsatian delicacies melds each nations. Strasbourg’s winstubs usually dish up German dishes with a French twist alongside wines of Alsace.
An itinerary that mixes France and Germany is one of the simplest ways to understand this distinctive mix of cultures.
Date of inscription: 1988
Area: Grand Est
10. Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
Constructed within the 1st century AD to facilitate the water provide for town of Nimes, Pont du Gard is among the world’s best-preserved Roman aqueducts.
Standing nearly 50 meters excessive and constructed on three ranges, Pont du Gard earned its place on UNESCO’s record of World Heritage Websites for being not solely an engineering marvel of its time but additionally a masterpiece of artwork. For a similar causes, Pont du Gard has been attracting vacationers and intellectuals for hundreds of years.
Pont du Gard is a mere 30-minute drive from Avignon, one of many prettiest cities to make use of as a base within the enchanting area of Provence.
Date of inscription: 1985
Area: Occitania
11. Vezelay, Church & Hill
One of many oldest UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France, Vezelay, Church and Hill refers to a Romanesque monastic church that grew to become an essential place of pilgrimage. The Ninth-century abbey grew into a well-liked vacation spot for spirituality within the twelfth century when the church was consecrated to Mary Magdalene.
Pilgrims making their manner alongside the routes of Santiago de Compostela in Spain would go Vezelay, stopping to worship on the website housing relics belonging to Mary Magdalene. The basilica is the head of Burgundian Romanesque artwork with adorned archways and a porch depicting the Mission of The Apostles.
Generally known as the Everlasting Hill, the mound on which the abbey rests is seen from the city heart and surrounding pastures that haven’t modified because the Center Ages. It bridges the hole between the Burgundy and Loire Valley areas of France.
Vezelay lies a bit over two hours and a half from Paris and a three-hour drive from Lyon or Amboise and it may be organized as a day journey from any of the three.
Date of inscription: 1979
Area: Burgundy
12. Funerary & Reminiscence Websites of The First World Struggle
Probably the most not too long ago inscribed World Heritage Website in France is among the most poignant. The Funerary and Reminiscence Websites of the First World Struggle incorporate 139 graves and memorials on the Western Entrance.
This 400-mile stretch alongside the French border staged main and extended offensives amounting to the lack of as much as 5 million troopers. These embody the 1915 Battle of Ypres and the 1916 Battle of the Somme, the latter of which noticed over a million casualties.
Among the many UNESCO-protected tributes stands the Thiepval Memorial, devoted to 72,000 casualties. You may go to it on a day journey from Paris because the drive takes a bit over two hours.
The Douaumont Ossuary incorporates the bones of an extra 130,000 unidentified troopers misplaced on the Battle of Verdun. The Ossuary will also be visited from Luxembourg because it’s solely a one and a half hour’s drive from the monument to the tiny nation’s capital, Luxembourg Metropolis.
This Transnational World Heritage website in Belgium and France commemorates the lives misplaced and symbolizes peace.
Date of inscription: 2023
Area: Hauts-de-France/Grand Est/Ile-de-France
13. Cordouan Lighthouse
The Cordouan Lighthouse rises precariously on the level the place the Gironde spills into the Atlantic.
Its foundations have been laid by Louis de Foix in 1584 who plucked inspiration from Roman mausoleums and Renaissance palaces. The grandiose design was to satisfy Henri III’s calls for for kingly dwelling quarters; an residence was put in on the second flooring and a chapel above.
Joseph Teulere transformed the lighthouse in the direction of the tip of the 18th century. Reacting to suggestions from sailors, he elevated the tower’s peak to spice up visibility with out disturbing the monumental elaborations.
On the similar time, the so-called Versailles of the Seas debuted a groundbreaking rotating lens created by Augustin Fresnel that reworked maritime security.
Not solely is the Cordouan Lighthouse one of the crucial lovely UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France, it serves a goal. The tower has been in steady use since its first lighting and operates as a standard lighthouse with a resident keeper. The lighthouse could also be visited by boat from Bordeaux.
Date of inscription: 2021
Area: Nouvelle-Aquitaine
14. Vichy, one among The Nice Spa Cities of Europe
Marking the geographical heart of France, Vichy is one element of a transnational serial property. Eleven cities in seven European nations bear witness to the event of spa tradition on the continent.
Balneology dates far again to antiquity. Nonetheless, from the 18th century onwards, the movement of “taking the remedy” was established as a way of utilizing thermal waters to are likely to illnesses whereas partaking in spare time activities in elegant environment.
These actions may embody the humanities, dancing, restorative strolling, and even playing, as confirmed by Vichy’s on line casino.
The springs flowing via Vichy spout from the dormant volcanoes of Auvergne within the Massif Central. This space kinds one among France’s pure UNESCO World Heritage Websites – the Chaine des Puys Tectonic Enviornment.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a daily at Vichy whose affect established the city as a modern Belle Epoque wellness vacation spot. Six springs stud Vichy, probably the most well-known being Supply Celestine the place you possibly can fill your bottle with naturally glowing mineral waters.
Vichy is a two-hour drive from Lyon. As such, it’s a reasonably straightforward day journey from the latter.
Date of inscription: 2021
Area: Burgundy
15. Gastronomic Meal of The French
Rounding off with a wildcard, the Gastronomic Meal of The French is an integral a part of fashionable tradition. Actually, France was the primary nation to be singled out for its gastronomy on UNESCO’s Checklist of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
French delicacies is up there with the chateaux as a raison d’etre amongst vacationers. The Gastronomic Meal of The French outlines an expertise the place not less than 4 of seven programs are consumed between an aperitif and a digestif. Particular consideration is paid to balancing the flavors and wine is paired appropriately.
Above all, UNESCO’s designation highlights the importance of French eating rituals. Households collect on the desk to have fun essential occasions however the act of sharing meals – and passing down conventional recipes – is an element and parcel of the approach to life. So there you’ve got it: ordering dessert is one genuine solution to immerse your self within the tradition of France.
Date of inscription: 2010
Go to The Greatest UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France With JayWay
At JayWay Journey, there’s nothing we love greater than to craft bespoke, themed itineraries tailor-made to your wants, preferences, and dream locations. If you happen to’re visiting France quickly, our skilled journey planners are the very best folks to provide you with a personalized itinerary throughout a number of of the UNESCO World Heritage Websites in France featured on this article. All it’s a must to do is attain out to us along with your dates, and we’ll take it from there.
Born and raised in Athens, Maria’s obsessed with journey and storytelling, a mix that makes her best for her function as our content material supervisor.
