Castles and Châteaux
France has an extraordinary number of castles, from medieval fortresses to elegant Renaissance châteaux. The Loire Valley alone has dozens worth visiting — including Chambord, one of the most recognized in the world, and Chenonceau, built across the river.
In Dordogne, the Château de Beynac sits high above the valley with views that make it easy to understand why it was fought over for centuries.
Further south, the walled city of Carcassonne is one of the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Europe.
We'll recommend the castles and châteaux that match your interests — whether that's grand royal residences like Versailles, lesser-known gems tucked away in the countryside, or a mix of both. At some sites, we can arrange a private guide to give you the full story behind what you're seeing.
Churches, Cathedrals, and Abbeys
You don't have to be religious to appreciate the churches and cathedrals in France — many of them are among the finest examples of Gothic and Romanesque architecture anywhere in Europe.
Reims Cathedral in the Champagne region, where French kings were crowned for centuries, is one of the most impressive.
Amiens Cathedral, in the Somme region, is the largest Gothic cathedral in France.
And Strasbourg Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site that you can see on one of our Alsace tours, is worth the visit for its astronomical clock alone.
Beyond the major cathedrals, we'll point you to beautiful smaller churches in the villages along your route — the kind of places you'd walk right past without a recommendation.
France's abbeys are equally worth your time. Mont-Saint-Michel, rising from its rocky islet off the Normandy coast, is one of the most visited sites in France — we'll tell you how to time your visit to avoid the crowds.
On one of our Provence tours, you'll have to opportunity to visit the Abbaye de Sénanque, surrounded by lavender fields and still home to a working community of monks.
And on our tours of the French Riviera, a short boat trip from Cannes brings you to the Abbaye de Lérins on the island of Saint-Honorat, where you can walk through quiet gardens and vineyards with views across the Mediterranean.
Roman Ruins
France has some of the best-preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy, and for North American and Australian travelers especially, seeing structures that are 2,000 years old can be a real highlight of the trip.
In Provence, the amphitheater in Nîmes is still used for events today. In Arles, the Roman theater and the ancient necropolis of Les Alyscamps are remarkable. The Pont du Gard — a Roman aqueduct spanning the Gardon River — is one of the most photographed sites in southern France, and you can kayak beneath it if you feel like combining history with something more active.
We also know of Roman remains in smaller, off-the-beaten-track villages that most visitors don't know about. If Roman history is something that interests you, we'll help you discover them!
World War Battlefields
If World War history is important to you, we can include battlefield visits as part of your trip — or plan an entire tour around them. The key regions are Normandy (for WWII and the D-Day landing beaches), Verdun and the Argonne (WWI), and the Somme WWI battlefields. We arrange expert private guides at each site, so you'll get far more from the visit than you would on your own. Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery and Memorial is the biggest American military cemetery in Europe, and may be of interest to American travelers.
For travelers with a family connection — a grandfather or great-uncle who fought in France — we can research their regiment's route and build your itinerary around the specific places they were stationed or fought. It's one of the most meaningful types of trip we plan.
See our World War history tour of France or a list of our World War Battlefields tours
Your trip, your interests - and a bit of everything
We understand that not everyone wants a trip focused on a single theme. Many of our travelers prefer a varied itinerary that mixes history with other experiences — a morning at a château followed by an afternoon at a vineyard, or a day exploring Roman ruins followed by a market day in a nearby village.
When you tell us your interests, we'll plan daily itineraries that give you a balance of history, food, scenery, and time to simply enjoy where you are. That way, even on a history-focused trip, no two days feel the same.
We tailor every aspect of your tour to your preferences, with guidance from your unique France Just For You guidebook and our MyFrance smartphone app. And of course, the France Just For You team are always at the end of the phone if you need anything during your trip.
Contact us to start planning your trip
