This is the France chapter from Lonely Planet's Mediterranean Europe guidebook.

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

• 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, Versailles, Chartres, Lille, Flanders, the Somme, Calais, Dunkirk, Normandy, Rouen, Bayeux, Mont St-Michel, Brittany, Quimper, St-Malo, Champagne, Reims, Épernay, Alsace, Lorraine, Strasbourg, Nancy, Metz, the Loire Valley, Blois & around, Tours, Amboise, Burgundy, the Rhône Valley, Dijon, Beaune, Lyon, the French Alps, Jura, Chamonix, Annecy, Grenoble, Besançon & around, Parc Naturel Régional Du Haut-Jura, the Dordogne, the Lot, Sarlat-La-Canéda, Les Eyzies-De-Tayac-Sireuil, Cahors, the Atlantic Coast, Nantes, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Languedoc-Roussillon, Carcassonne, Nîmes, Toulouse, Provence, Marseille, Aix-En-Provence, Avignon & around, the French Riviera, Monaco, Nice, Cannes, St-Tropez, Corsica, Bastia, Calvi, Ajaccio, Bonifacio, Understand France, France Today, History, Arts, Environment, the Menu, Survival Guide, Directory, Getting There & Away, and Getting Around.