France currently has 44 sites which have been given UNESCO status, and of these, 41 are in mainland France, the remainder are in New Caledonia and Réunion.
There are some impressive places on the list, as you can well imagine, such as Chatres Cathedral, the Palace of Versailles and the fortified city of Carcassone. So why not plan your next trip across the Channel to visit some of these sites, they’ve been given this status for a reason, so you know you’re in for a treat!
Bourges Cathedral (cultural, 1992) Centre-Val de Loire [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Chartres Cathedral (cultural, 1979) Centre-Val de Loire [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi, and Palace of Tau, Reims (cultural, 1991) Grand Est [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape (cultural, 2011) Occitanie [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ Historical centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge (cultural, 1995) Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France (cultural, 1998) Several sites [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ Episcopal City of Albi (cultural, 2010) Occitanie [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt (cultural, 2008) Several sites [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Fortifications of Vauban (cultural, 2011) Occitanie [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion (cultural, 2008) Nouvelle-Aquitaine [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret (cultural, 2005) Normandy [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ Mont Saint-Michel and its Bay (cultural, 1979) Normandy [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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Palace and Park of Fontainebleau (cultural, 1981) Île-de-France [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ Palace and Park of Versailles (cultural, 1979) Île-de-France [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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Paris, Banks of the Seine (cultural, 1991) Île-de-France [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière, and Place d'Alliance in Nancy (cultural, 1983) Grand Est [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ Pont du Gard Aqueduct (cultural, 1985) Occitanie [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs (cultural, 2001) Île-de-France [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Historic site of Lyon (cultural, 1998) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley (cultural, 1979) Nouvelle-Aquitaine [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Strasbourg – From the Grande Île to the Neustadt (cultural, 1988) Grand Est [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange (cultural, 1981) Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
⭐️ The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes (cultural, 2000) Centre-Val de Loire/Pays de la Loire [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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⭐️ Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne (cultural, 1997) Occitanie [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
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Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve (natural, 1983) Corsica [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Pyrénées – Mont Perdu (mixed, 1997) Occitanie [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin (cultural, 2012) Hauts-de-France [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche (cultural, 2014) Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy (cultural, 2015) Bourgogne-Franche-Comté [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars (cultural, 2015) Grand Est [Wikipedia] [UNESCO]
Ben deals with all things design, working on the visual design of our annual guides, Destinations magazine, information leaflets, social media and email campaigns, and much more across the Alan Rogers, Rallies and Worldwide brands. He also produces written content for our blogs alongside our other contributors.
Largely self-taught, Ben studied Fashion Media at a university in London before realising graphic design was his calling and joined the Alan Rogers team in 2016. He is responsible for the design of all our Europe guides since 2018, Destinations magazines since 2020 and the ongoing development of our Worldwide business.
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