Tourist Places to Visit in France

Montpellier France is the capital of Languedoc Roussillon and is located in the Herault department. It is a gorgeous city that heralds a cosmopolitan feeling and has a cosy ambiance that has been created by the cafe culture of the city. Lots of lovely cafes and restaurants where you can take a leisurely lunch and watch the world go by.

If you want to see the many sites that Montpellier has to offer, a good way to do it is to take the 'petite train' that runs around the city on a pretty frequent basis. You could walk of course but if you are going to do that, I would suggest you do that before lunch rather than after. There is nothing like a full belly of fine French food and a glass of vino for taking the wind out of your sales, so for an after lunch trip around town the train becomes a very attractive option.

One or two of the must see places are the:

• Arc de Triomphe


• Place Royale du Peyrou


• Opera Comedie

Rennes le Chateau in the South of France has in its time been rated alongside the Bermuda Triangle for its score on mystery and intrigue, and yes there are still a lot of rumours and conspiracy theory's that persist today. These have been helped along by the tentative links to the Da Vinci Code book and film. I have read and watched the book and the film and I am pretty sure that Rennes le Chateau was not mentioned. But there is no doubt that much of the history examined and invented by Dan Brown referenced the period in history that relates to Rennes le Chateau.

When you visit today, what you will find is a very quaint church, a museum, at who's entrance you will find a glass plate over one of the many tunnels that were dug trying to find a way into Sauniere's gold, and some fabulous views through the foothills of the Pyrenees. Much of the fuss relating to the treasure that Berenger Sauniere was supposed to have hidden there came about as a result of a very elaborate hoax, and it has since been proved that documents that were supposed to reveal the whereabouts of some royal treasure, possibly Rennes le Chateau, were in fact false. Still you shouldn't let a few facts stand in the way of a good story, should you. Dan Brown didn't when he wrote the Da Vinci Code and it didn't do him any harm.

La Cite - Carcassonne is probably one of my favorite places to visit in France. Not only is it a magnificent example of a medieval walled castle, it is still a living and working town and community. Admittedly its primary function these days is to cater for the tourist industry, well there are 3 million visitors a year to entertain, but that said it is much more interesting than a pile of rubble with no life.

OK so the restoration work makes parts of La Cite look a little bit too new, but give it another 500 years and who will care. I know I won't, firstly because I don't now, and secondly because I don't believe in reincarnation. It can't be that bad anyway because it is registered as a world heritage site as is the Canal Du Midi another famous piece of engineering that runs through Carcassonne.

Collioure France is one of many seaside treats you can find on the Mediterranean coastline in the South of France. There are many more, but this one really is a bit special. It was once the residence of one of the more famous artists that you may know called Picasso. He wasn't the only one either, there were plenty of others and they were all there for one reason and that was to make the most of the clarity of the light in the region so that they could capture the most vivid of colours that you will find anywhere in the world.

The art theme persists to this day and as you wander the quaint little streets you will find endless art studios and shops peddling all sorts of paintings and artwork. Once you have had your fill of those you can make your way down to the sea front and you will find the cafes and restaurants that are almost sitting on the small pebble beach. This is a place where you just have to eat seafood or fish of some sort, to do anything else would be just criminal and actually a tad rude.

There are some historic buildings to look at, plus regular boat trips going along the coast, perhaps you could just snooze lunch away by lying on the beach or maybe you can do all three. Be wary of visiting in July and August however, this place is a firm favorite of everyone, and even some French know about it, don't know how they found out. So getting into the town and parked will prove to be a little difficult, not impossible if that is your only chance to get there, but make sure you take some patience with you if you decide to risk it at that time of year.

Toulouse France is a city not to be missed if you are looking for places to visit in the South of France. Also known as the 'Ville Rose' because of its pink architecture, it really is a lovely city. It also plays host to one of the most famous food halls of France, the Victor Hugo Foodmarket, which believe it or not is the ground floor of a multistory car park. Don't let that fool you though, the products and food on offer there are second to none, from the famous Toulouse sausage to the freshest fish of the day. You have to get up early to get to the market, because it is pretty much closed by noon, but if you are a food connoisseur it is well worth the effort.

Once you have done the food market there is plenty more to see and do, historic buildings, shopping centers, a boat trip on the Garonne and up the Canal du Midi, get a bus out to the Airbus factory for one of their guided tours or you can go have a look at the Cite d"Espace. Actually much more than anyone could comfortably do in a day.