5 underrated french cities

 

Hi everyone, 

If you ask most foreign people to quote a city in France, most people will tell you Paris, Lyon or Marseille. But in reality there are so many more places to visit that are so beautiful.

This is the reason why in this top you will find 5underrated cities according to me. I will arange the cities in an alphabetical order to stay neutral and give you the opportunities to make your own opinion.

1. Avignon

Avignon is a beautiful city in the South of France, which used to be the seat of the catholics pope and remain under papal control until 1791, therefore you will find a lot of remains from that era. You will also find the "Palais des Papes", which is on of the left over of the rule of the Popes in the 18th century.

In the city you will find lots of beautiful things to see, among those you have the famous "Pont d'Avignon", of it's real name: Le Pont Saint Benezet. You also have the "Palais des Papes", has spoken previously who took 70 years to be build. You will also find near the "Palais des Papes", the "Musée du Petit Palais", where you will find medieval art. In many old cities in France you will find left overs of the medieval time, such as the french ramparts, the oldest part of the city is within the ramparts actually. You also have the "Basilique Notre Dame des Doms", religious building build in the XII century. And finally on of the other things to see if you just want to walk in the street you will be able to witness the beautiful cobblestones and street art within the city.

2.Bayonne

Bayonne is nice city in west of France, near Biarritz. The city center is the nicest part of it, you will be able to walk on the cobblestones and to see the old building inspired by the styles of the time. Like most french cities, you will find churches and religious building that you have to visit, because they are a major part of the country's history. In this case you have to go whithin the cathedrale, which is worth it. You also have to go by the Arena and the botanical garden, you can take a boat ride on the Coursic, which is the river passing by Bayonne, you will have as well the port which is a nice part of the city.

If you want some museum, you'll have the french beret museum or the museum of the ham in the city. Indeed, you might have hear of the "jambon de Bayonne", which mean Bayonne's Ham.

3. Carcassonne

Carcassonne is a medieval city, meaning that the whole city is surrounding by ramparts. It's a really beautiful city which is totally worth your time. Walking in the city is really going to bring you back to the medieval era, and especially because the tourism of the city is based on that. You will indeed find a lot of activities around the medieval time, shows and exposition. There are also a lots of museum and monuments to see, such as the church or the basilica.

If you wish to leave the city, you can go and visit the many castle surrounding the medieval city. You will find as well vineyards, where you can go and try some of the wine.

4. Menton

Menton is located in the south of France, between Monaco and the Italian border. With this city yo will have access to a place calmer than Nice, Cannes or Monaco, while still enjoying the sun and the beaches of the French Riviera.

Like the other cities on the Riviera Menton is between the sea and the mountain, which makes it easy for you to have beautiful panorama on the litoral. Furthermore due to it's close border to Italy, a part of the italian culture still remain whithin the city, whetheir it's with the italian ice cream or with the people living there. You also have the possibility to go around the city to see the beautiful landscape and have great walk on the mountain and on the villages surronding. You can as well visit the city of Vintimille which is the closest italian city, since it's on the border. 

Once you are in the city you can admire the beauty of the various garden in Menton, such as: 

• The Botanical garden
• "Le Jardin de la Serre"
• "Le Jardin du Palais"

But Menton is also known for it's lemon, which is why if you come in Menton around February you will have the chance to see "la fête des citrons". It's a parade with chariots of lemon in all sorts of shapes, it's a really beautiful thing to see and many people come to Menton to see it.  Here is an example of what you can see during the parade.

5.Nantes

Nantes is located in the north west of France in the region of Bretagne. The city has done many things to make the visit of Nantes very nice for tourist. One of the things put in place to help you make a tour of it is "la ligne verte", meaning the green line, nothing to do with the movie starred by Tom Hanks. It's an itinery helping you to see all the main monument, steps and attractions of the city. There is also a really nice park, called the "jardin des plantes", it's a really nice moment to spend in the city with bits of art spread all over the park.

While you are visiting I strongly encourage you to do "les machines de l'île", it's a bit like a park where all kinds of incredible machines are shown. If you have ever seen the movie Hugo, the spirit of the machine kind of remind me of this time and this spirit. You will be able to see a mechanical elephant walk on the island. It's a really good experience whether for the adult or for the children. 

Thank you for reading, see you soon :)