This is the France chapter from Lonely Planet's Europe on a Shoestring guidebook.

Few countries provoke such passion as La Belle France. Love it or loathe it, everyone has their own opinion about this Gallic goliath that is well worth exploring.

• gorge on the iconic sights and sophistication of Europe's most hopelessly romantic city, Paris
• maps
• relive the French Renaissance with extraordinary chateaux built by kings and queens in the Loire Valley
• transport
• savour ancient Rome, modern art, markets, lavender and hilltop villages in slow-paced Provence
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Paris, Around Paris, Versailles, Chartres, Flanders, the Somme, Lille, Calais, Normandy, Rouen, Bayeux, Giverny, D-Day Beaches, Mont St-Michel, Brittany, St-Malo, Quimper, Carnac, Loire Valley, Blois, Around Blois, Tours, Amboise, Champagne, Reims, Épernay, Alsace & Lorraine, Strasbourg, Metz, Burgundy & the Rhône Valley, Dijon, Beaune, Lyon, the French Alps, Chamonix, the Dordogne & the Lot, Sarlat-La-Canéda, Atlantic Coast & French Basque Country, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Lourdes, Languedoc-Roussillon, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Nîmes, Provence, Marseille, Les Calanques, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, French Riviera & Monaco, Nice, Cannes, St-Tropez, Monaco, Corsica, Ajaccio, Bonifacio, Bastia, Understand France, History, Arts, Environment, Survival Guide, Directory, Getting There & Away, and Getting Around.