What to See in France: Cities to Explore on Foot

France is a country shaped by Gauls, Romans, Franks, kingdoms, revolutions and republics. Its landscapes range from Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the Pyrenees, Alps, Jura Mountains and the Massif Central, while its cities preserve an exceptional concentration of architecture, art and history. Neywo has free audio guides for 85 cities in France, covering 5,770 narrated places in total.

What to see and do in France

France is too varied to experience through a single itinerary. Its history is visible in medieval cathedrals, royal palaces, fortified towns, museums and streets shaped by centuries of political and cultural change. These are some of the best cities to visit in France, with Neywo audio guides available in each.

Paris and Versailles

Paris is the country’s largest narrated destination on Neywo, with 1,287 narrated places. Its highlights include Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Sainte-Chapelle, Palais de Chaillot and Porte Saint-Denis. The city is also closely connected to French philosophy, literature, fashion, art and cinema, making it a natural starting point for a France travel guide.

Nearby Versailles has 114 narrated places. The Palace of Versailles is the best-known landmark, while the Salle du Jeu de Paume, Grand Trianon and Musée Lambinet add different perspectives on the royal and cultural history of the town. Both destinations are in Île-de-France.

Lyon, Grenoble and Chamonix

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region brings together major cities and mountain destinations. In Lyon, Neywo covers 414 places, including Lyon Cathedral, the Gadagne museums, the Musée de l’Imprimerie et de la Communication Graphique and the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière. Lyon also reflects France’s regional culinary identity, in which local traditions matter as much as national ones.

Grenoble has 101 narrated places. Its highlights include the Grenoble Archaeological Museum, House of Doctor Gagnon, Musée dauphinois and Museum of the Old Archbishopric.

For a very different setting, Chamonix has 40 narrated places, including Église Saint-Michel de Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, the Alpine Museum of Chamonix and Glaciorium. The town is set in the Alpine landscape, near Mont Blanc, the highest point in Western Europe. Together, these destinations show why France is not a uniform landscape: the Rhône Valley and major urban centres lead toward some of the country’s most dramatic mountains.

Brittany and the Atlantic coast

In Rennes, 104 narrated places include Rennes Cathedral, the Rennes Opera house, the Abbey of Saint-Georges and Église Saint-Germain de Rennes. Saint-Malo has 27 places, among them Saint-Malo Cathedral, Église Saint-Sauveur de Saint-Malo, Église Saint-Ideuc and the church of Sainte-Croix de Saint-Servan.

Further south, Nantes has 281 narrated places. Nantes Cathedral, Château des ducs de Bretagne, Maillé-Brézé and Théâtre Graslin are among its principal sites. In Vannes, Château-Gaillard, Vannes Cathedral, Château de l’Hermine and Vannes et sa femme are part of a 26-place guide. These destinations offer different ways into the history of western France, from religious buildings and theatres to castles and maritime heritage.

The Loire and eastern France

The cities of the Centre-Val de Loire region provide a strong concentration of historic buildings. Blois has 38 narrated places, including Château de Blois, Blois Cathedral and Halle aux Grains. Orléans has 68, with Église Notre-Dame-de-Recouvrance, Église Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier, Église Saint-Euverte and Saint-Aignan d’Orléans among its highlights. Tours has 93 places, including Tours Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Martin, château de Tours and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours.

In eastern France, Strasbourg has 152 narrated places. Its Cathedral of Our Lady, Palais du Rhin, Barrage Vauban and Palais Rohan reveal several layers of the city’s architectural and political history. Reims has 108 places, led by Reims Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Remi, the Ancien Collège des Jésuites de Reims and the Palace of Tau. Nancy has 128 places, including Stanislas Square, Nancy Cathedral, Villa Majorelle and the Church of Saint-François-des-Cordeliers. Colmar, Metz and Troyes add further destinations across Grand Est.

Normandy and the northern coast

Normandy combines historic towns, religious architecture and coastal destinations. Bayeux has 30 narrated places, including Bayeux Cathedral, the Bayeux Tapestry, Manoir de la Caillerie and the Musée-Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie. In Caen, 87 places include the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, the Statue of Louis XIV, Plan de Rome and Castle of Caen.

Mont Saint-Michel is another major destination in the region. Its Neywo guide contains 16 narrated places. Rouen has 121, including Rouen Cathedral, the Maritime, Fluvial and Harbor Museum of Rouen, the Couvent des Pénitents and 95 rue du Gros-Horloge. Honfleur, Fécamp, Deauville and Vernon offer smaller guides, while the northern coast is represented by Calais, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Le Touquet and Wimereux.

The south and Mediterranean France

France’s southern regions bring together Roman remains, religious monuments, historic ports and Mediterranean cities. In Occitania, Toulouse has 258 narrated places, including the Basilica of St. Sernin, Toulouse Cathedral, the Musée des Augustins and the Monastery of the Jacobins. Nîmes has 81, with the Maison Carrée, Cathédrale Notre-Dame et Saint-Castor, Amphitheater of Nîmes and Jules Salles gallery among its principal sites. Carcassonne has 54, led by the Cité de Carcassonne, Carcassonne Cathedral and the Basilica of St. Nazaire and St. Celse.

In Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Avignon has 53 narrated places, including the Palais des Papes, pont Saint-Bénézet, Avignon Cathedral and Collection Lambert. Marseille has 235, with Château d’If, Marseille Cathedral, Musée Grobet-Labadié and La Vieille Charité. Nice has 132 places, including the Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, Abbey of St Pons and Palais Lascaris. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur also includes destinations such as Antibes, Cannes, Menton, Toulon and Villefranche-sur-Mer.

French history, culture and food

France’s political history stretches from Celtic Gaul and Roman rule to the Franks, the Kingdom of France, the French Revolution, Napoleon’s First French Empire and the Fifth Republic, formed in 1958. The Revolution of 1789 produced the Declaration of the Rights of Man, which continues to express the nation’s ideals.

French culture has been shaped by language, philosophy and the arts. French developed from Latin and was standardised during the Renaissance. The Académie Française has served as its official authority since 1635, although its recommendations have no legal force. René Descartes and Blaise Pascal helped shape modern philosophy, while Auguste and Louis Lumière are credited with creating cinema in 1895. Fashion, including modern haute couture, became another important French cultural export.

Cuisine is equally regional. Northern cooking commonly uses butter and cream, while olive oil is more frequent in the south. This contrast is only one example of the variety found across French food traditions.

Explore France with Neywo

Neywo offers 199 walking tours across France, with free audio guides for 85 cities and 5,770 narrated places in total. Narration is available in 11 languages. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. Download Neywo and explore France city by city, from Paris and Lyon to Chamonix, Grenoble and the country’s many regional destinations.