The small village of Gordes in Provence, France, has recently been voted the Most Beautiful Small Town in the World, beating rival villages from Japan, USA, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Thailand and Georgia. The village is perched on top of a cliff above the Calavon valley and is one of the most charming Provence towns to visit in 2026. Gordes is located 40 kms east of Avignon and 100km north of Marseille in Southern France. 

If you are wondering what to see and and where to go in the French Riviera, this summer, here are some great tourism ideas. The French Riviera (or the Cote d'Azur as it is referred to France), is in the South East corner of France, running along the Mediterranean coastline. It extends from the Italian border in the East, through to Cassis, Toulon and Hyéres in the West. 

L'Isle sur Sorgue is often regarded as one of the prettiest towns in Provence to visit. Located on the banks of the river Sorgue, L'Isle sur Sorgue was originally a fishing village, situated on an island in the middle of marshland. This historic Provence town also became an important centre for silk, paper, wool, rugs and dyeing. 

I have lived in France for over 17 years and I am always looking for new interesting places to visit in France. If you are planning a trip to France in 2026, then this is a pretty good list of 15 interesting places to visit.

If you are planning a trip to France during 2026 and you are looking for ideas about where to visit in Provence, France, we have compiled a guide to the best hilltop villages and towns to visit in the Provence region of Southern France. 

The South of France has an abundance of good places for wild swimming- be it lakes, cool rivers or rocky waterfalls. There is no need to rent a villa with a pool, just follow our guidelines for the 10 best places to go swimming in South France in 2026, to cool off from that hot sun.   

If I was to rank my favourite things to see in France, outside of Paris of course, then this would be my top twenty tourist sites. I am not saying that this is a complete list, but I think that this is a pretty good list of things to visit if you are in France on holiday in 2026.

If you are looking for some famous places to visit in France during 2026, then here is a list of my 10 personal favourites. France remains the number one tourist destination in the World. I am sure that I have missed off some obvious places to see in France outside of Paris, but I think that this is a pretty good choice of tourist places to visit if you are planning a vacation in France during 2026. 

I was recently asked by a client to provide a list of the best places to visit in France during his month long tour in May 2026. He was already pretty familiar with Paris, but he wanted to explore the rest of the country. This was the list of 20 places in France to visit that I came up with.