France attracts over 80 million tourists annually, making it the most visited country in the world. It has a variety of cultural attractions that draw visitors, including 37 UNESCO World Heritage Sites featuring historic cities like Paris, Strasbourg, and Toulouse. Tourism contributes significantly to France's economy, totaling over €77 billion annually and supporting nearly 3 million jobs. Beyond its cultural attractions, France also offers beaches, ski resorts, rural landscapes, and over 150 small, historic villages to appeal to a wide range of visitors.

1. Andrei Marilena
Neagu Andreea
Grupa 8219

2.  France was visited by 84.7 million foreign tourists in 2013, making it the most
popular tourist destination in the world.[ It is third in income from tourism
due to briefer visits. 20% more tourists spent less than half as much as they did
in the United States.
 France has 37 sites inscribed in UNESCO's World Heritage List and features
cities of high cultural interest (Paris being the foremost, but
also Toulouse, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Lyon, and others), beaches and seaside
resorts, ski resorts, and rural regions that many enjoy for their beauty and
tranquillity (green tourism). Small and picturesque French villages of quality
heritage (such as Collonges-la-Rouge or Locronan) are promoted through the
association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (litt. "The Most Beautiful Villages
of France"). The "Remarkable Gardens" label is a list of the over two hundred
gardens classified by the French Ministry of Culture. This label is intended to
protect and promote remarkable gardens andparks.
 In 2012, travel and tourism directly contributed EUR77.7 billion to French GDP,
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.Tourism contributes significantly to the balance of payments.

3.  Paris, the capital city, is the third most visited city in the
world.Paris has some of the world's largest and renowned
museums, including the Louvre, which is the most visited art
museum in the world, but also the Musée d'Orsay, mostly
devoted to impressionism, and Beaubourg, dedicated
to Contemporary art. Paris hosts some of the world's most
recognizablelandmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, which is the
most-visited paid monument in the world,the Arc de Triomphe,
thecathedral of Notre-Dame or the Sacré-Cœur. The Cité des
Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest science
museum inEurope.Located in Parc de la Villette in Paris, France,
it is at the heart of the Cultural Center of Science, Technology
and Industry (CCSTI), a center promoting science and science
culture. Near Paris is the Palace of Versailles, the former palace
of the kings of France, now a museum.

5.  With more than 10 million tourists a year, the French Riviera (or Côte
d'Azur), in south-eastern France, is the second leading tourist
destination in the country, after the Parisian region.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, 14 ski resorts and 3,000 restaurants.Each year the Côte
d'Azur hosts 50% of the world's superyacht fleet, with 90% of all
superyachts visiting the region's coast at least once in their lifetime.

6.  An other major destination are the Châteaux of the Loire Valley,
this World Heritage Site is noteworthy for the quality of its
architectural heritage, in its historic towns such
as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur,
and Tours, but in particular for its castles (châteaux), such as
the Châteaux d'Amboise, de Chambord, d'Ussé,
de Villandry andChenonceau, which illustrate to an exceptional
degree the ideals of the French Renaissance.

7.  France has many cities of cultural interest, some of them
are classified as "Town of Art and History" by the French
Ministry of Culture.
 Aix-en-Provence
 Amiens and its cathedral
 Annecy with the lake and the mountains (French Alps)
 Avignon with the Popes' palace.
 Arles: Arles has important remains of Roman times, which
have been listed as World Heritage Sites since 1981,
notably its amphitheatre, the The Alyscamps, its
Obelisk and Barbegal aqueduct and mill.
 Bayeux and its Tapestry Museum, housing the tapestry

8.  Bordeaux: Bordeaux is classified "Town of Art and History". The city is home to
362 monuments historiques (only Paris has more in France) with some
buildings dating back to Roman times. Bordeaux has been inscribed
on UNESCO World Heritage List as "an outstanding urban and architectural
ensemble". Bordeaux is home to one of Europe's biggest 18th-century
architectural urban areas, making it a sought-after destination for tourists and
cinema production crews. It stands out as one of the first French cities,
after Nancy, to have entered an era of urbanism and metropolitan big scale
projects, with the team Gabriel father and son, architects for King Louis XV,
under the supervision of two intendants (Governors), first Nicolas-François
Dupré de Saint-Maur then the Marquis (Marquess) de Tourny.
 Cluny with its Abbey and its medieval city
 Carcassonne and its medieval fortress
 Chartres and its cathedral
 Deauville
 Dijon with its cathedral and the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy
 Giverny
 Honfleur
 La Rochelle
 Lille

9.  Lyon: its historical centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. In
its designation, UNESCO cited the "exceptional testimony to the continuity of
urban settlement over more than two millennia on a site of great commercial and
strategic significance."The specific regions composing the Historic Site include the
Roman district and Fourvière, the Renaissance district (Vieux Lyon), the silk district
(slopes of Croix-Rousse), and the Presqu'île, which features architecture from the
12th century to modern times.
 Mâcon, well known for its wine and the Rock of Solutre.
 Metz: Metz possesses one of the largest Urban Conservation Area in France and
more than 100 buildings of the city are classified on the Monument
Historique list.Because of its historical and cultural background, Metz benefits
from its designation as "Town of Art and History".The city features noteworthy
buildings such as the Gothic Saint-Stephen Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Pierre-
aux-Nonnains, its Station Palace, or its Opera House, the oldest one working in
France. Metz is home to some world-class venues including the Arsenal Concert
Hall and the Centre Pompidou-Metz Museum, the most visited art venue in France
outside Paris.
 Mulhouse, home of the French Automobile Museum and the French Railway
Museum
 Nancy with the Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance, UNESCO
World Heritage Sites since 1983.
 Nantes with the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany
 Narbonne
 Nice
 Nîmes: Nîmes displays many remains of the Roman Empire including the Maison
Carrée, the Arena of Nîmes and the nearby Pont du Gard.

10.  Orange (city): the city displays many Roman remains, including
the Théâtre Antique and the Triumphal Arch.
 Perpignan with its cathedral and the Palace of the Kings of Majorca
 Rennes
 Rouen with its cathedral, castle and half-timbered houses
 Sens
 Strasbourg: Strasbourg's historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand
Island), was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the
first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre.
 Toulouse: with two UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Canal du
Midi and the largest Romanesque building in the Europe the Saint-
Sernin Basilica. The city historic centre also hosts the 13th-century
gothic monastery Ensemble conventuel des Jacobins (burial place
of Saint Thomas Aquinas) or again the 16th-century bridge Pont Neuf,
Toulouse.
 Vernon
 Versailles

11. Strasbourg, Toulouse, Orange

12.  Les Plus Beaux Villages de France ("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 2 protected areas
(picturesque or legendary sites, or sites of scientific,
artistic or historic interest), and the decision to apply
must be taken by the town council.

13.  In the eastern parts of France there are skiing resorts in the Alps.
 Tourists also travel to see the annual cycle race, the Tour de France.
 France's Mediterranean beaches on the French Riviera, in Languedoc-
Roussillon, or in Corsica, are famous. Away from the mainland tourists
are French Polynesia (especially Tahiti), the Caribbean
islands Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin andSaint Barthélemy.
 The Route Napoléon, the route taken by Napoléon in 1815 upon
his return from exile, leads from Golfe-Juan to Grenoble in south-
eastern France. It is a scenic byway and a popular destination.
 Also popular are the memorials to the battles of the First and Second
World Wars. Memorials to the former include theMemorial to the
Missing of the Somme, while commemorations to the latter include a
D-Day museum at Arromanches, one of the landing sites.
 There are too a lot of great naturals sites, with important flora
collections. For example, the federal Arboretum de Pézaningather one
of the richest forest collection in France, or the Regionals natural Park,
which are dispersed in all the territories.

14.  Disneyland Paris is France's and indeed Europe's most popular
theme park, with 15,405,000 combined visitors to the
resort'sDisneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park in
2009. The historical theme park Puy du Fou in Vendée is the
second most visited park of France.Other popular theme parks
are the Futuroscope of Poitiers and the Parc Astérix.