France is divided into 22 regions, many of which will have familiar names like Brittany, Normandy, Provence, Champagne etc. Each region has a capital and is made up of several departements.
France consists of 100 departements with a prefecture (capital) and a sub prefecture. Departements are made up of subdivisions known as Cantons (rural) and Arrondissements (urban).
Auvergne Quick FactsPopulation: 1,341,000 Departments: Allier (03), Cantal (15), Haute-Loire (43) and Puy-de-Dôme (63) Major Centres: Clermont-Ferrand, Vichy, Aurillac What to see and do: Spa and casino town of Vichy, Chaîne des Puys- chain of extinct volcanoes in the Massif Central What to eat: Cantal and blue vein cheeses, Auvergne sausage, Charolais beef What to drink: Pinot, Gamay, Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Tressailler Events: International Fair Clermont-Ferrand, King of the Birds Renaissance Fair Airport: Lyon, Limoges
Auvergne Official Tourism Site
Auvergne Wikipedia Site
Other Auvergne Sites
Brittany Quick FactsPopulation: 4,365,000 Departments:Côtes-d'Armor (22), Ille-et-Vilaine (36), Morbihan (56) and Finistère (26) Major Centres: Rennes, Brest, Lorient, Quimper, Vannes, Saint Malo What to see and do: Megalithic monuments near CarnacPink Granite CoastAncient port city of St Malo What to eat: Seafood dishes, oysters, crepes, salty butter What to drink: Muscadet (white wine), cider, boutique beers Airport: Rennes, Dinard, Brest
Brittany Official Tourism Site
Brittany Wikipedia Site
Burgundy Quick FactsPopulation: 1,631,000 Departments:Yonne (89), Côte-d'Or (21), Nièvre (58) and Saône-et-Loire (71) Major Centres: Dijon, Auxerre, Mâcon, Nevers and Bourgoin-Jallieou What to see and do: Fontenay Abbey, Cluny Abbey, La Rochepot Castle, The Hospices de Beaune Museum What to eat: What to drink: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon, Blanc, Beaujolais, Chablis Airport: Lyon, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg
Region Official Tourism Site
Wikipedia on Burgundy
Centre Quick FactsPopulation: 2,538,000 Departments:Cher (18), Eure-et-Loir (28), Indre (36), Indre-et-Loire (37), Loir-et-Cher (41) and Loiret (45) Major Centres: Orleans, Tours, Blois, Chartres, Bourges and Chateauroux What to see and do: Chateaux of the Loire, Ancient cities of Orleans, Tours and Bourges Sample Loire Valley wines What to eat: The Loire Valley is one of the most bountiful areas of France. Its produce including meat, fish, poultry, cheeses, fruit and vegetables are among the best available. What to drink: Loire Valley wines - Bourgueil, Chinon, Vouvray, Valençay, Reuilly, Menetou-Salon, Sancerre Airport: Paris, Tours Centre
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Champagne-Ardenne Quick FactsPopulation: 1,334,000 Departments:Ardennes (08), Haute-Marne (52) and Marne (51) Major Centres: Reims, Troyes and Épernay What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport:
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Corsica Quick FactsPopulation: Departments: Major Centres: Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport:
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Ile de France Quick FactsPopulation: 11,694,000 Departments: Essonne (91), Hauts-de-Seine (92), Paris (75), Seine-Saint-Denis (93), Seine-et-Marne (77), Val-de-Marne (94), Val-d'Oise (95) and Yvelines (78) Major Centres: Paris, Versailles What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport: Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly, Paris Beauvais airports
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Limousin Quick FactsPopulation: 727,000 Departments: Corrèze (19), Creuse (23) and Haute-Vienne (87) Major Centres: Limoges, Brive, Tulle What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport: Limoges
Limousin Official Tourism Site
Wikipedia on Limousin
Limousin Resources
Nord-Pas de Calais Quick FactsPopulation: 4,048,000 Departments: Nord (59) and Pas de Calais (62) Major Centres: Lille, Calais, Valenciennes, Lens, Dunkerque, Douai, Cambrai What to see and do: Anzac war memorials in the Somme and Nord, La Coupole History and Remembrance Centre, Lille Flea Market - annual event and one of Europe's largest, Dunkerque Carnival What to eat: What to drink: Local beer (more than 50 varieties), Genever Gin Airport: Lille, Paris
Official tourism site for Nord-Pas de Calais
Wikipedia on Nord-Pas de Calais
Normandy Lower Quick FactsPopulation: 1,453,000 Departments: Calvados (14), Manche (50) and Orne (61) Major Centres: Caen, Cherbourg, Bayeux What to see and do: Normandy D Day Beaches, Bayeux Ttapestry, Mont St Michel, Deauville Film Festivals, Fishing port of Honfleur What to eat: Camembert cheese What to drink: Calvados Airport: Dinard, Rennes
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Normandy Upper Quick FactsPopulation: 1,815,000 Departments: Seine-Maritime and Eure Major Centres: Rouen, Le Havre and Dieppe What to see and do: Rouen Cathedral, Giverny - Claude Monet's house What to eat: What to drink: Airport: Paris
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Picardy Quick FactsPopulation: 1,890,000 Departments: Aisne (02), Oise (60), Somme (80) Major Centres: Amiens, Arras, Douai, Cambrai, and Lens What to see and do: Anzac war memorials in the Somme and Nord, La Coupole History and Remembrance Centre What to eat: What to drink: Local beer (more than 50 varieties), Genever Gin Airport: Lille, Paris
Official tourism site for Picardy
Official tourism site for Nord-Pas de Calais
Official tourism site for the Somme Departement
Wikipedia on Picardie and Nord-Pas de Calais
Poitou-Charentes Quick FactsPopulation: 1,722,000 Departments: Charente (16), Charente-Maritime (17), Deux-Sèvres, (79) and Vienne (86) Major Centres: Poitiers, La Rochelle, Royan, Angouleme and Cognac What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport: La Rochelle, Poitiers
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Quick FactsPopulation: 4,818,000 Departments: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), Alpes-Maritimes (06), Bouches-du-Rhône (13), Hautes-Alpes (05), Var (83) and Vaucluse (84) Major Centres: Marseille, Nice, Toulon, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon and Arles What to see and do: Visit Provencal hill villages, Wine trails around Avignon, Visit the Camargue, Roman sites in Arles What to eat: Daube provençale, rabit, lamb, bouillabaisse, ratatouille, snails, various seafood and vegetable dishes, olive oil What to drink: Pastis, Cotes de Provence (red) Events:Nice Jazz Festival, Avignon Festival, Bull fighting in Arles, Chateau des Baux Medieval Festival, Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer Gypsy Festival Airport: Marseille, Nice, Toulon
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Official Tourism Site
Wikipedia on Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Rhône-Alpes Quick FactsPopulation: Departments: Ain (01), Ardèche (07), Drôme (26), Isère (38), Loire (42), Rhône (69), Savoie (73) and Haute-Savoie (74) Major Centres: Lyon, Sainte Etienne, Grenoble, Valence, Chambery What to see and do: What to eat: What to drink: Airport:
Region Official Tourism Site
Region Wikipedia Site
