Introduction 

 

Bordering both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, France straddles both northern and southern Europe.  The country has a surface area of 550,000 square kilometers and shares borders with six neighbouring countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.  Its population is more than 60 million.

 

France is a country of contrasts, with extremely varied landscapes and a very rich cultural heritage. It is the world's number one tourist destination, with more than 70 millions visitors a year.

 

Paris, the capital, is the most visited European city, but other destinations throughout the country attract tourists for a wide variety of reasons: beaches in the south and southwest; skiing and hiking in the Alps and the Pyrenees, sailing in the Mediterranean or Atlantic; the castles along the Loire Valley; historic sites in Normandy and in Brittany; its architecture, vineyards and cuisine.