Cities of France alphabetically in French. French cities

10

10th place - Lille

Population: 231 491
Region: Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Square: 34.83 km2

Lille - the capital historical area French Flanders, center of the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, a city with a Flemish accent right on the border with Belgium. For centuries, the reason for the existence of Lille was textile production, which fell into a noticeable decline with the advent of synthetic fabrics on the market. However, the steel northern character of the city did not give up under the onslaught of new times (it was not for nothing that the iron general de Gaulle was born here): today Lille is one of cultural capitals France, an important commercial and trade hub, the center of French students and simply an amazingly beautiful and majestic city, moreover, it is unanimously recognized as the most welcoming to visitors.

9

9th place - Bordeaux

Population: 243 626
Region: Aquitaine
Square: 68 km 2

Bordeaux is the capital of the Gironde department and the entire region of Aquitaine, "little Paris", "Sleeping Beauty" and "port of the Moon" at the same time, according to the romantic epithets of the French. Bordeaux is famous for its long and rich history with an English bias, and as a result - a variety of attractions, beautiful botanical gardens, a cozy atmosphere of universal equality and, of course, a "cheerful component" - the famous Bordeaux wines, recognized as one of the best in the world.

8

8th place - Montpellier

Population: 272 084
Region: Languedoc - Roussillon - South - Pyrenees
Square: 56.88 km2

Montpellier is one of the largest settlements in the south of France, the eighth largest in the whole country, the administrative center of the Languedoc-Roussillon region and the Hérault department. The city is known for its cultural life and annually hosts many festivals (only six national ones). However, its main decoration is considered to be a compact and architecturally homogeneous Old city, full of medieval charm and eternally seething nightlife, in addition - almost completely closed to transport.

7

7th place - Strasbourg

Population: 275 718
Region: Grand Est
Square: 78.26 km2

C Trasbourg is a city in eastern France, the capital of Alsace, a region that borders Germany. Strasbourg was founded by the Romans, who set up a military camp here during the German campaign in 14-16. Argentorat was the name of the settlement at that time. Strasbourg today is a real international fusion: here you can easily hear German speech and refresh yourself with a beer with pretzels in a seemingly canonical French brasserie. Even the name of the city itself sounds quite German, and if you are not savvy in geography, Strasbourg can be easily attributed to a series of other German “burgs”.

6

6th place - Nantes

Population: 292 718
Region: Lands of the Loire
Square: 65.19 km2

Nant is one of the most major cities France. Nantes is the capital of the Loire-Atlantique department and the Pays of the Loire region. The city is located at the mouth of the Loire, the longest river in the country, not far from its confluence with Atlantic Ocean. Nantes was the birthplace of such famous French writers as the writer Jules Verne and the comedian Louis de Funes. The city has preserved several outstanding architectural monuments, and in 2013 Nantes was named the green capital of Europe.

5

5th place - Nice

Population: 342 295
Region:
Square: 71.92 km2

Nizza is a Mediterranean city and port in the south of France, one of the main resorts Cote d'Azur(or the French Riviera). Today Nice is the fifth largest city in France. It has its own airport, the passenger flow of which is in second place after Paris. The mild climate (Mediterranean with moderately warm winters and dry, warm and sunny summers), as well as the fact that Nice is easily accessible, as well as its reputation as a favorite vacation spot of the aristocracy of past centuries, make this city one of the leading resorts in the world.

4

4th place - Toulouse

Population: 458 298
Region: Midi-Pyrenees
Square: 118.3 km2

Tuluza is the fourth most populous city in France and the largest cultural, scientific and industrial center. At the same time, Toulouse, with its beautiful historical center, is one of the brightest and most distinctive cities in the country. Spanish, Basque, Aquitaine, Languedoc, Provencal and French traditions are mixed here in equal proportions. Over the past 20 years, Toulouse has become the main center of aviation and space flight in France. More than 35,000 local residents (out of 400,000) work in the space industry, and Airbus is considered the largest employer in the entire region.

3

3rd place - Lyon

Population: 500 715
Region: Auvergne - Rhone - Alps
Square: 47.87 km2

Lion is one of the largest and most beautiful cities in France. His ancient history and magnificent monuments of culture and architecture, as well as the proximity of the Alps, attracts a large number of tourists, both from Europe and from other places on our planet. In ancient times, Lyon was called Lugdun - Raven Mountain. The documented date for the founding of Lyon is 43 BC. e., and its founder is the Roman senator Lucius Plancus. He brought a Roman detachment into the Gaulish settlement of Lugdunum in order to expand it and create a Roman outpost in its place.

2

2nd place - Marseille

Population: 855 393
Region: Provence - Alpes - Cote d'Azur
Square: 240.62 km2

Marseille is the standard of the Mediterranean port city, as we used to imagine them from adventure books and films. The largest commercial port of the country, a major industrial center and the second most populous city in France; one of the oldest cities in Europe, Marseille is the epicenter of overpowering scents, fresh breeze and romance.

1

1st place - Paris

Population: 2 291 621
Region:Île de France
Square: 105.4 km2

Paris is the capital of France and the largest city in the country in terms of population. Located on the banks of the Seine River in the northern part of the country, in the Île-de-France region. Paris is the main economic and cultural center of France, as well as an important political center of Europe. The headquarters of UNESCO and the International Chamber of Commerce are located here.

Paris grew up on the site of the settlement of Lutetia, founded by the Celtic tribe of the Parisians in the 3rd century BC. e. The settlement was located on the safe Island of the City, surrounded by the waters of the River Seine. At the beginning of the II century BC. e. Lutetia was surrounded by a fortress wall. The basis of the economy of the Celtic settlement was trade: the Seine connected the Mediterranean Sea with the British Isles.

April 26th, 2014 , 12:51 pm

I learned about the town of Po at school, when contour map France instead of minerals decided to pave the route of the Tour de France. In general, in geography I had a "troika" for a long time. I forgot about minerals for a long time, but for some reason the Tarbes-Po section remained in my memory for centuries ...

Tran Street (Rue Tran)

A settlement here was formed approximately in the second half of the 11th - early 12th centuries, and since 1464 the city became the capital of the historical region of Bearn.

Fontaine Street (Rue de la Fontaine)

Now Pau is the second economic center of Aquitaine after Bordeaux. About 80 thousand people live here.

Tran Street (Rue Tran)

In one of the courtyards, a woman was found grabbing a deer by the antlers. This is the goddess of hunting - Diana. Exactly the same sculpture is in the Louvre.

Diana

The city is quite often visited by Swedish tourists. The fact is that the house in which the Napoleonic general Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte (1763-1844) was born, who later became the king of Sweden under the name Karl XIV Johan, has been preserved here. Bernadotte could not even think of such a twist of fate, because. was an ardent revolutionary and wore a tattoo "Death to kings!".

Bernadotte Museum (Musée Bernadotte)

Our guide Marina Zaitseva during the trip showed quite good knowledge of the cities of France, but in Pau, in fact, in addition to the castle, she could only show Bernadotte's house. And as soon as we walked some 50 meters from the museum along the same street, we would see the beautiful neo-Gothic church of Saint-Jacques.

Place Gramont

Po is the only one European city, where the two founders of royal dynasties were born, ruling in three states to this day - Henry IV (Bourbons) and Charles XIV Johan (Bernadots).

Henry IV

Henry IV of Navarre (1553-1610) was born in Pau, in the castle of his maternal grandfather Heinrich d'Albret.

Pau Castle (Chateau de Pau

The main contribution to the construction of the castle was made by Gaston III de Foix ( 1331-91) - the ruler of local lands during the Hundred Years War. His court was widely known for its luxury. Gaston himself had a very good artistic and literary taste. Being a passionate hunter, Gaston wrote a book that was considered one of the best medieval treatises on hunting.

Gaston III de Foix ( Gaston III Febus)

After that, the castle was rebuilt many times. The main entrance with three arches in the Renaissance style was built in 1859-64.

Pau Castle (Chateau de Pau

Now the castle has been turned into a museum. The cradle of Henry IV from a tortoise shell has been preserved.

Pau Castle (Chateau de Pau

In the XVI century. the Albre family created a magnificent garden around the chateau.

Garden

There is even a fish pond here.

Pond

Then the group went to the castle itself (the entrance costs 7 euros), but we had 1.5-2 hours to see the city. If I have any doubts about the castle of Angers with "Apocalypse", then here we definitely made the right decision.

Pau Castle (Chateau de Pau

Opposite the castle is the building of the former parliament of Navarre, built in 1585. Part of the complex is the tower - this is the remnant of the church of St. Martin, which was destroyed in 1884.

Parliament of Navarre

The Pau city hall is located in the building of the former Saint-Louis theater (1862).

city hall

Instead of old church XV century, a new one with a 77-meter spire was built nearby.

Church of St. Martin (Eglise Saint-Martin)

The first stone was laid in 1863 and the grand opening took place in 1871.

Church of St. Martin (Eglise Saint-Martin)

The neo-gothic style was complemented by Byzantine motifs.

Church of St. Martin (Eglise Saint-Martin)

Some precious items were donated by the Spanish Queen Isabella II during her visit to Pau in 1868.

Church of St. Martin (Eglise Saint-Martin)

Looking at the sign "Pizza Napoli" one recalls the words of the French writer Lamartine: "Like in Naples the most beautiful sea views so in Pau the most beautiful landscape on earth."

Rue Gassion

He said these words about the panorama that opens from Pereneev Boulevard. Now the railway station is located below.

Railway station

The 1800-meter Pyrenees Boulevard was built in 1893-99. following the example of the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, so that visiting aristocratic resort guests could "look at others and show themselves."

Boulevard des Pyrénées

From the boulevard to the lower city, surrounded by palm trees, picturesque paths called Royal paths descend.

I already mentioned the Tour de France. Every year the route of the cycling race changes, but she passed through the Pau as many as 62 times (only Paris and Bordeaux visited more). Pau is the "gateway" to the Pyrenees, one of the most prestigious cycling peaks - the Tourmalet Pass - is located nearby. And on the highway between Tarbes and Pau, a huge monument to the Tour de France was erected.

Royal Paths (Sentiers du Roy)

Part of the streets were fenced with safety rails. The thing is that 5 days before our arrival, the “Grand Prix Po” races were held here, which, like in Monaco, take place right along the streets of the city (since 1933). Now not the highest series compete here, but once the Formula 1 stages were also held (albeit outside the championship calendar).

Avenue Napoleon Bonaparte

The Pau Grand Prix has been won by such legendary racers as Nuvolari, Fangio, Ascari, Clarke, Rindt, Stewart, Montoya, Hamilton...

Turn

Lyokha, as in Monte Carlo, repeated his trick - he jumped out on carriageway to take a picture in the first position. Thus, he got his next pole position.

Avenue Gaston Lacoste

The local basketball team "Pau-Orthez" is one of the three most titled in France. All 9 championships have been won in the last three decades.

Restaurant "Dauphin" (Le Dauphin)

The city stands on the Gave de Po River, which has several tributaries, including the Us.

River Us (Ruisseau de l "Ousse)

The Beaumont Palace in the Belle Epoque style with two unusual bell towers was built in 1900. In 1927, a casino settled here, and during the war, a hospital. Now it is a convention center and a casino.

Beaumont Palace (Palais Beaumont)

The central square of the city is Place Clemenceau, which has recently been reconstructed.

Place Clemenceau (Place Clemenceau)

In Po, the temperature exceeded +30. Perhaps it was our hottest city of the tour. Well, in the afternoon we went to Lourdes ...

France is the largest state Western Europe. On its territory there are many large and small cities. The main administrative-territorial unit is the departments, the number of which varies from 77 thousand people to 2.5 million people. So which cities in France are the largest and most famous?

by the most famous city France and its capital is Paris. Paris is the administrative center of the Île-de-France region. Located in northern France on the Seine River. It is in this city that the largest population is 2.5 million people. This city is the main cultural and economic center of France, and also plays a big role in modern politics. Here are the headquarters of UNESCO and the International Chamber of Commerce. There are many attractions in Paris that attract people from all over the world - the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Bourbon Palace, the Pantheon.

Rice. 1. Paris.

Marseille - second Big City in France. It is the center of the Bouches-du-Rhone department. The population of the city is almost 860 thousand people. It has a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot dry summers.

Marseille is located at a similar latitude to the city of Sochi. Therefore, these two cities have a similar climate.

Marseille is one of the largest ports in Europe and the de facto capital of the Côte d'Azur. It was founded 2500 years ago as a port city and became part of France only in the 15th century. The city has a very developed transport system: highways, railways with modern high-speed trains, airport available public transport. Among the sights, it is worth highlighting the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, the opera, the school of dance and ballet.

Rice. 2. Marseille.

Lyon

This city is the third largest city in terms of population after Paris and Marseille. The population is more than 500 thousand people. The city is located in the southeast of France, 392 km. from Paris. Unlike Marseille, a continental climate dominates here with dry, windy winters and sunny, hot summers. The city is located at the confluence of two rivers - the Rhone and the Saone.

Arrival, information about the city and accommodation in Pau

Pau airport, north of the city, is small compared to its neighbors in Tarbes-Lourdes and Biarritz, so do not count on international flights - only a few flights go to Paris. The city is located on the Pyrenean highway (autoroute Pyreneene) A-64 and on the main railway from east to west, stopping at Bayonne and Biarritz in the west and Lourdes, Tarbes and Toulouse in the east, as well as in Bordeaux and in Paris.

The train station is south of the centre, by the river: SNCF buses leave from here, and private buses from various outlying terminals from Gachet Street near Place Clemenceau. Buses run south to the Osso Valley (Vallee d`Ossau) and Oloron-Saint-Marie (Oloron-Ste-Marie), stopping by the Aspa Valley on the way.

The free funicular will take you from railway station on the boulevard of the Pyrenees(boulevard des Pyrenees), opposite the Place Royale, at the far end of which is the tourist office. For information about hikes and mountaineering expeditions, try to get in the local CAF (Club Alpinists de France; Club Alpin Francais; 5 rue Rene Fournets) or in the Pyrenean Library (Librairie des Pyrenees: 14 rue St-Louis), where there are many different books about the mountains. In the center is the Internet cafe CyberSeventys (7 rue Gambetta).

If you are looking for a welcoming, clean, quiet and inexpensive hotel, check out Hotel le Matisse (17 rue Mathieu-Lalanne, opposite the Museum of Fine Arts). Close to the center is the Hotel Central (15 rue Leon-Daran). Comfortable two-star ensuite rooms are offered by Postillon (10 Cours Camou, behind place Verdun), built around a patio.

All cities and resorts in France for travel. List of the most famous regions, regions, cities and resorts of France: population, codes, distances, best descriptions and reviews of tourists.

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Yes, France begins with Paris - but by no means ends with it. As soon as an inquisitive traveler gets out of the city, all the treasures of the Île-de-France region will be at his disposal: this is the predecessor of Versailles, the elegant Vaux-le-Vicomte, as if descended from the pages of Dumas' novels, and the Renaissance castle of Fontainebleau surrounded by the famous forest, and, finally , the brilliant Versailles itself, which everyone who has ever heard of France knows about.

Ile-de-France is famous not only for history and architecture: many shopping centers located not in Paris itself, but nearby - so shopping in this region can be both exciting and profitable at the same time. There is no shortage of entertainment for the family either - the only Disneyland in Europe will not leave indifferent neither children nor adults.

To the north of Paris is Disneyland's direct competitor, Parc Asterix. The French themselves prefer to have fun there, while foreigners crowd into Disneyland.

To the west of Ile-de-France, the world-famous castles look into the waters of the Loire: Amboise and Blois, without which the history of France is unthinkable, Chenonceau, for which Diana de Poitiers fought with Catherine de Medici, ancient Orleans and gloomy Chinon, whose fates are closely intertwined with the fate of Joan of Arc, the impeccable Usse, who became the prototype for the Sleeping Beauty castle. And the small but strikingly beautiful Clos Luce, where Leonardo da Vinci lived the last years.

Even further west, where the shores of France are washed by the highest tides in Europe, Mount Saint-Michel rises with the monastery of the same name - a true wonder of the world, a witness of centuries-old asceticism and the struggle of man with harsh nature embodied in stone. To the north of the mountain up to Calais stretches Normandy with its famous fields, cows and apple orchards - as well as the Rouen Cathedral, widely known from the paintings of Monet, the Bayeux tapestry, which tells about the conquest of England by William the Conqueror, and the young, but already very famous museum dedicated to the Allied landings in 1944

South of Mont-Saint-Michel lies mist-shrouded Brittany, with its Celtic roots, mystical legends and hidden dream of independence. The ancient forest of Broceliande, famous in the ballads about King Arthur, the rows of Neolithic menhirs and rocky secluded bays have long attracted poets and romantics from all over the world, and the well-maintained beaches of Quibron and balneological resorts - those who want to relax comfortably and at the same time improve their health.

The southern borders of Brittany are guarded by the ancient Nantes - once the capital of the Duchy of Breton, and now the Loire Country region. The powerful castle remained in memory of the times of Anne of Brittany, the openwork lattices of balconies and plane tree alleys remind of Paris, but the signature “Nantes mixture” of salty air, the cries of seagulls and the bustling port cannot be confused with anything. She is still the same as in the days of Jules Verne - a local native and a great patriot of the city.

Further south, the Gulf of Aquitaine curved in a wide arc. This land has always had a special fate: even in ancient times locals differed in blood and culture from the surrounding Celts, in the early Middle Ages the country was conquered by the Goths, then the Arabs walked through Aquitaine until they were defeated here, in the battle of Poitiers. In the Hundred Years War, this land belonged to England: until now in Bordeaux, the favorite city of Victor Hugo and one of most beautiful cities France, there is something subtly English.

Traces of English influence have also been preserved in Perigord, formerly part of Aquitaine. It is called the “land of a thousand castles”, and this is not an exaggeration - in fact there are 1001 of them! In addition to castles, the area is interesting for the picturesque valley of the Dordogne River, medieval cities Bergerac, Sarlat-la-Caneda and the cave of Cro-Magnon with rock art.

The northern part of historical Aquitaine, the Poitou region, is known to everyone who has ever looked at Fort Boyard - the monastery of the elder Fora is located there. Like the no less famous fortress of La Rochelle - the "heroine" of the novel by Alexandre Dumas. A little further from the ocean are two amusement park world-class: "Puy-du-Fou", mainly dedicated to French history, and "Futuroscope" - a place where the present and the future are intertwined.

Southern Aquitaine is the aristocratic Biarritz, once a favorite resort of the royal family, and now chosen by surfers, its eternal rival Arcachon with luxurious beaches, thalassotherapy centers and famous oysters, red-white-green Basque flags on the streets of freedom-loving Bayonne - “ southern capital» French corsairs.

Cities of France alphabetically in French. French cities

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Lyon

Arrival, information about the city and accommodation in Pau

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