France is the worlds most visited country, receiving 82 million foreign tourists annually, many heading for the south coast, the Alps or Paris
France offers mountain ranges, coastlines such as in Brittany or along the Mediterranean Sea, cities with a rich cultural heritage, châteaux like Versailles, and vineyards.
In Paris visitors can enjoy famous attractions such as the Louvre, the largest national museum of France and the most visited museum in the world, the Eiffel Tower, built from 1887 to 1889 and is now a global icon of France and is one of the most recognizable structures in the world. At the time of completion, it was the world's tallest tower. Another famous attraction is the Notre Dame de Paris, the world famous cathedral and one of the first Gothic cathedrals. Children are drawn to Paris to visit Disneyland Paris.
In the eastern parts of France there are skiing resorts in the Alps, popular both in summer and in winter as a destination for sightseeing and sports. Winter sports (Alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, tobogganing, snowshoeing, ski tours) can be practised in most regions from December to April. In summer, the Alps are popular with hikers, mountain bikers, paragliders, mountaineers, while many alpine lakes attract swimmers, sailors and surfers.
Notable French cities are Avignon with the Popes' palace, Arles, Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Saint-Benoît-du-Sault on the Loire River, Toulouse on the Garonne, Strasbourg on the border with Germany, and the beautiful city of Nantes.
