by Ted Sherman

Created on: January 03, 2007   Last Updated: June 08, 2009

There are many wonderful places to visit in France. The best way to do it is to map out your own schedule and spend as much or as little time in each one. It is enjoyable to go with a group, trouping along as you follow a guided tour. However, to really enjoy the country, you should immerse yourself in the individual sights, sounds and smells of France.

An other good idea is to learn at least the elements of the French language before you go. While the native people there are very friendly to visitors, when they hear you speaking, or attempting to speak, their language, they happily go even further to make your visit enjoyable.

The best places to visit in France include:

1. You must see and experience Paris, of course. The city is full of world-famous historic sights that cannot be missed. The Eiffel Tower, the Arch of Triumph, the Louvre, Napoleon's Tomb, Notre Dame Cathedral, the University of the Sorbonne, a night-time cruise along the River Seine and many other places welcome visitors. There also are the little sidewalk cafes, the gourmet restaurants, the French people, the exclusive shoppes and vintage taxicabs. When you visit, check in at one of the charming little hotels and stay a week or two or four, or until you become so familiar with Paris, you'll be speaking French like a native. Well, at least like a Berlitz grad.

2. Aix au Provence is a lovely area in the beautiful garden lands of Southern France. It is where Van Gogh and other landscape artists found their inspiration in the forests, fields and quaint little towns. The pace here is slower and more relaxed than in the big city of Paris, and the people even more friendly to tourists, even those who can't say two sentences in French.

3. Nice is a ... well ... nice beach resort town on the Mediterranean coast of Southern France, sort of a combination of Atlantic City and Malibu, with a bit of Coney Island for the kids. The town lights up every year with the famed Cannes Film Festival, when the streets and beaches are full of celebrities, reporters, tourists and bikinis looking for movie careers.

4. Normandy is a beautiful wine and tourist area in Northern France, circled by its beaches just 22 miles from the white cliffs of England's Dover. Americans, It is also a living memorial to World War II British, American and Canadian soldiers, airmen and sailors who fought and died there to liberate France.

5. Monte Carlo isn't exactly in France, although it is totally surrounded by France and the citizens there speak only French. However, it is a sort of Las Vegas by the sea, where visitors can have fun at the gambling tables while mixing with European royalty, illegal gun-runners and some 007s and their ladies.

If you're American, go to France with an open mind. Even if you believe there are bad vibrations between your politicians and French officials, understand the gripe is between governments, not ordinary citizens. Just go, relax and enjoy la belle France!

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