Tourism in France directly contributed 79.8 billion euros togross domestic product (GDP) in 2013, 30% of which comes from international visitors and 70% from domestic tourism spending. The total contribution of travel and tourism represents 9.7% of GDP and supports 2.9 million jobs (10.9% of employment) in the country.[1] Tourism contributes significantly to thebalance of payments.
France was visited by 100 million foreigntourists in 2023, making itthe most visited country in the world.[2]
France has 45 sites inscribed in theUNESCO's World Heritage List and features cities or sites of high cultural interest (Paris being the foremost, but alsoLoire Valley,Toulouse,Strasbourg,Bordeaux,Lyon andothers), beaches and seaside resorts,ski resorts, as well as rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and tranquility (green tourism). Small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage (such asCollonges-la-Rouge,Locronan, orMontsoreau) are promoted through the associationLes Plus Beaux Villages de France (literally "The Most Beautiful Villages of France"). The "Remarkable Gardens" label is a list of the over two hundred gardens classified by theMinistry of Culture. This label is intended to protect and promote remarkable gardens and parks.
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Most tourists arriving to France in 2018 came from the following countries or territories:[7]
| Rank | Country or territory | Number of tourists |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United Kingdom | 13,000,000 |
| 2 |  Germany | 12,300,000 |
| 3 |  Belgium | 11,600,000 |
| 4 |  Italy | 7,000,000 |
| 5 |  Switzerland | 6,800,000 |
| 6 |  Spain | 6,700,000 |
| 7 |  Netherlands | 4,700,000 |
| 8 |  United States | 4,500,000 |
| Total | 89,300,000 | |
In 2019, tourists from the following countries spent the most nights in France:[8]
| Rank | Country/Continent/Territory | Number of nights |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Kingdom | 19,800,000 |
| 2 | Germany | 18,200,000 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 17,900,000 |
| 4 | Belgium | 13,400,000 |
| 5 |  United States | 10,100,000 |
| 6 | Spain | 8,300,000 |
| 7 | Italy | 7,100,000 |
| 8 | Switzerland | 6,100,000 |
| 9 | Oceania | 5,300,000 |
| 10 |  China | 3,600,000 |
| 12 | Central America &South America | 3,400,000 |
| 13 | Middle East &Far East | 3,100,000 |
| 13 | Africa | 2,300,000 |
| 14 | Scandinavia | 1,900,000 |
| 15 |  Japan | 1,600,000 |
| # | Total | 136,800,000 |
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Paris, thecapital city of France, is the third most visited city in the world.[9]
It has some of the world's largest and renowned museums, including theLouvre, which is themost visited art museum in the world, but also theMusée d'Orsay which, like the nearbyMusée de l'Orangerie, is mostly devoted toimpressionism, andCentre Georges Pompidou, dedicated toContemporary art.
Paris hosts some of the world's most recognizablelandmarks such as theEiffel Tower, which is the most-visited paid monument in the world,[10] theArc de Triomphe, thecathedral of Notre-Dame, or theSacré-Cœur onMontmartre. TheCité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, located inParc de la Villette, is the biggestscience museum inEurope.[11] Near Paris are located thePalace of Versailles, the former palace of the Kings of France, now a museum, and the medieval village ofProvins. Both attractions are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
With more than 10 million tourists a year, theFrench Riviera (French:Côte d'Azur), in Southeastern France, is the second leading tourist destination in the country, after theParisian region.[12]
According to the Côte d'Azur Economic Development Agency, it benefits from 300 days of sunshine per year, 115 kilometres (71 mi) of coastline and beaches, 18 golf courses and 3,000 restaurants.[13] Each year theCôte d'Azur hosts 50% of the world'ssuperyacht fleet, with 90% of all superyachts visiting the region's coast at least once in their lifetime.[14]
Main cities on the French Riviera includeNice,Antibes andCannes;Cap Ferrat is also a popular destination. Cannes hosts the annualCannes Film Festival. Tourists often visitPort-Cros National Park, east ofToulon, as well as the city-state ofMonaco, famous for itsMonte Carlo Casino, near the Italian border.
A large part of Provence, withMarseille as its leading city, was designed as the 2013European Capital of Culture. Numerous famous natural sites can be found in the region, as theGorges du Verdon, theCamargue, theCalanques National Park and the typical landscape ofLuberon. Provence hosts dozens of renowned historical sites like thePont du Gard, theArles' Roman Monuments or thePalais des Papes inAvignon. Several smaller cities also attracts a lot of tourists, likeAix-en-Provence,La Ciotat orCassis, on theMediterranean Sea coastline.
Another major destination are theChâteaux (castles) of the Loire Valley. TheFrench Revolution saw a number of the great French châteaux destroyed and many ransacked, their treasures stolen. The overnight impoverishment of many of the deposednobility, usually after one of its members lost his or her head to theguillotine, saw many châteaux demolished.
DuringWorld War I andWorld War II, some chateaux were commandeered as military headquarters. Some of these continued to be used this way after the end of the Second World War.
ThisWorld Heritage Site is noteworthy for the quality of its architectural heritage, in its historic towns such asAmboise,Angers,Blois,Chinon,Orléans, andSaumur, but in particular for its castles, such as the Châteaux d'Amboise, deChambord, d'Ussé, deVillandry, deChenonceau and deMontsoreau, which illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of theFrench Renaissance.
The French Alps are the portions of theAlpsmountain range that stand withinFrance, located in theRhône-Alpes andProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as theMont Blanc massif, are shared withSwitzerland andItaly.
More than 20 skiing resorts make it a popular destination among Europeans in the winter.
Corsica is the fourth largest island in theMediterranean Sea afterSicily,Sardinia andCyprus. It is a popular attraction for tourists with both cultural aspects (with its main citiesAjaccio andBastia and smaller towns likePorto-Vecchio andSartène) and geographical features (Parc naturel régional de Corse).
TheCalanques de Piana andScandola Nature Reserve are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The island is 183 kilometres (114 miles) long at longest, 83 kilometres (52 miles) wide at widest, has 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) of coastline, more than 200 beaches, and is very mountainous, withMonte Cinto as the highest peak at 2,706 metres (8,878 feet) and around 120 other summits of more than 2,000 metres (6,600 feet).
Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain. Forests make up 20% of the island.
France has many cities of cultural interest, some of them are classified as "Town of Art and History" by theFrench Ministry of Culture. All major cities in France are worth seeing since they all have cultural and historic attributes.
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Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (English: "The most beautiful villages of France") is an independent association, created in 1982, that aims to promote small and picturesque French villages of quality heritage. As of 2008, 152 villages in France have been labelled as the "Plus Beaux Villages de France".
There are a few criteria before entering the association: the population of the village must not exceed 2,000 inhabitants, there must be at least two protected areas (picturesque or legendary sites, or sites of scientific, artistic or historic interest), and the decision to apply must be taken by the municipal council.
France attracts many religious pilgrims along theWay of St. James, or toLourdes, a town in theHautes-Pyrénées that hosts a few million visitors a year.[15] TheTaizé Community has become one of the world's most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Over 100,000 young people from around the world make pilgrimages to Taizé each year for prayer, Bible study, sharing, and communal work.
Disneyland Paris is France's and Europe's most popular theme park, with 15,405,000 combined visitors to the resort'sDisneyland Park andWalt Disney Studios Park in 2009.[16] In 2019, the park attracted over 9.7 million visitors, more than the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, or the Palace of Versailles.[17] The historical theme parkPuy du Fou in Vendée is the second most visited park of France.[18] Other popular theme parks are theFuturoscope ofPoitiers,Vulcania inAuvergne-Rhône-Alpes and theParc Astérix nearParis.
The most popular tourist sites include (visitors per year):[19]
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