FRANCE Magazine names the 200 best experiences in France

Let yourself be inspired by our list of the best experiences that France has to offer

For our 200th issue, we wanted to give readers something really exciting to mark this important milestone. We tossed a few ideas around before I suggested “What about naming the 200 best experiences in France?” As our minds pondered the idea, we quickly began to realise that the challenge would not be finding the 200 experiences, but narrowing them down from more than 1,000 suggestions. There are just so many awe-inspiring, delicious and fun things to do, it is little wonder France is the world’s most visited country.

Having gathered all the suggestions from readers, our writers and other friends of the magazine, the next challenge was to squeeze them into the pages of the magazine. As this is as much a celebration of our 200th issue (and our 25th year) as it is France, we have incorporated the list into the usual format of the magazine – albeit with some slight adaptations (where necessary). We have written, edited, tweaked, fiddled and the result is the definitive list – in no particular order – of the best experiences you can have in France.

For me, it is also a personal milestone as I started on the magazine on the 100th issue, so it has been a pleasure to incorporate some of the marvellous things I have done over those eight years.

Here are the team’s favourites:

1. Cycling on the Ile de Ré

2. Driving around the Gorges du Verdon

3. Walking to the Cirque du Gavarnie

4. Wander around one of the named ‘beautiful villages of France’

5. Cross the Pont du Gard

6. Eat dinner up the Eiffel Tower

7. Watch a stage of the Tour de France

8. Spend hours on a cafe terrace

9. Make perfume in Grasse

10. Walk part of the Santiago de Compostela trail

11. Buy dinner at the local market

12. Drive over the Millau Viaduct

What is your favourite experience? Tell us via Twitter on #France200

To mark our 200th issue we have a brilliant subscription over. Click on the link for more details: www.subscriptionsave.co.uk/200