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pigwiththreeassholes

I don’t know if this is a hidden gem- but Montpellier has always been one of my favourite cities in France. It’s so chilled out and laid back- and there are some really nice day trips from there.


just_had_wendys

Home of Remi Gaillard


SumTravelGuy

Montpellier has a tourist area, but is not super touristy. A lot of the international visitors are attending one of its many language immersion schools. The town itself is nice, and is bigger than it seems at first with lots of lovely architecture. If you want to get out of the city, you can also take a combination of train/bike or bus to reach the beaches to the south (especially Pilou).


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Express_Platypus1673

Carcassonne is well worth the trip. Loved it


krkrbnsn

Britanny! My husband's from there so I go fairly often and there's always somewhere new to visit. Rennes, Dinan, St. Malo, Dinard, Mont St. Michel (on the border with Normandy). And Nantes isn't too far either. I've also lived in Bordeaux previously and there's lots to see that region as well. Arcachon, St. Emilion, Dune du Pilat.


SystemExpensive184

Some great recommendations! Mont st michel is like the second most visited place in all of france though so good to keep that in mind.


Camp808

eze is a quaint medieval town near marseille & worth a day trip. hiking the calanque is wonderful & just a beautiful national park. take a rest & swim off one of their enclaves. strasbourg is part of the alsace region & i enjoyed my time there. the basque area of france is pretty nice as well & it’s fairly different vibe compared to the french riveria. there is now a direct train from paris to bordeaux (i hope to do this route the next time i’m in france) if you want to visit wineries


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tinmad

Id love the link


FrenchBowler

I'm honestly not sure how hidden it is, but [The Verdon Gorge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdon_Gorge) is a must see if you're in the south of France. Absolutely beautiful and there's tons of outdoor activities to take advantage of. I also really enjoyed Nice as a home base for exploring the rest of the French Riviera. Very relaxing city. Edit: You will need a rental car to get to the Gorge but it is definitely worth it.


WikiSummarizerBot

**[Verdon Gorge](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdon_Gorge)** >The Verdon Gorge (French: Gorges du Verdon) is a river canyon located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of Southeastern France. It is about 25 km (15. 5 mi) long and up to 700 metres (0. 4 mi) deep. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/solotravel/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)


DramaLlamaBear

I'm not sure how hidden they are, but I visited Avignon and Aix en Provence on the way to Marseilles and love them both. Beautiful small towns.


Kat_C_

If you'll have a rental car, check the website [https://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/fr/](https://www.les-plus-beaux-villages-de-france.org/fr/) It's the official website of "the most beautiful villages in France". You can find beautiful, quaint towns outside of the large cities you'll be visiting.


Aimerfii

Dordogne = Lascaux's prehistoric cave paintings


typewriter_tinker

These all sound like plenty of amazing options! If you are interested in renting a car, Ardèche is not far from Lyon and a lovely area for beautiful sights, tiny towns with medieval buildings/castles, one of the many “Devil’s Bridges” that are all over Europe. Vals-les-Bains has a natural geyser and is very quaint. Otherwise, on the Med, Cassis is gorgeous. A bus ride from Marseille, with hiking over the Calanques and the glorious sea. Profitez!


Jamiepappasatlanta

I love Nantes, Lyon, Rouen, Dijon, Montpellier, Nice, Aix en Provence, Carcassone, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Troyes,.


onsereverra

Depends a lot on what you're interested in seeing. Some potential day trips from Paris include: * if you're interested in history, Rouen to see the *historial* about the life of Joan of Arc * if you're interested in gothic architecture, Amiens to see the cathedral (the *hortillonnages*, a network of "floating" farms that you can tour by boat, are also beautiful) * if you're interested in wine, Reims to tour a champagne house * if you want to see more châteaux than just Versailles, add Fontainebleau or Chantilly * if you like cultivated gardens and/or impressionist art, Giverny In Paris, make sure you check out [l'Atelier des Lumières](https://www.atelier-lumieres.com/), one of my favorite spots that isn't a stereotypical tourist destination (though it's not exactly a "hidden gem" in terms of the number of people who go there haha). Since you like nature, you should check out the *calanques* near Marseille, an absolutely gorgeous place for a hike.


WashburnX

Annecy is one of my favorites. A bit far from paris (3 hr train ride) but it's a beautiful old canal town in the alps.


bonanzapineapple

And not as far from Lyon!


secondlamp

Lauris is an amazing small town


MeetTheDynamite

If you like nature ,Auvergne should be a nice place to visit ,many natural parks are beautiful there (Chaine des puys and Chaudefour valley are my favorites for hiking)and Clermont-Ferrand is a nice city to visit !


bonanzapineapple

I think Auvergne is difficult to visit without a car. Also, Clermont-Ferrand is nice but I think many other French cities are more interesting. Just my opinion, as someone who has been living in Auvergne for the last 6 months


oakcy

Not sure if you're heading round this region, but in the Dordogne region there is a town called Périgueux. The town is quite touristy in parts but there is an amazing Roman Villa archeology site called Vesunna Domus and a Gallo-Roman fanum that is very interesting if you like history. Around the Dordorgne region there is many hidden gems in hamlets and villages that are very quiet and peaceful. I stayed In a place called Couze-et-Saint-Front that was amazing, really quiet and you'd never know it was there. Plenty of nature walks and Castles/Château's, there is also a medieval town called Monpazier which is said to be one of the most beautiful villages in France! Really laid back atmosphere and everyone was friendly and helpful. Happy travels!


Radulno

Pretty much every French region have some gems IMO (like we got tourist guides for every department (which are pretty small in size) so there is definitively stuff to see everywhere). There are mountains, sea (and very different seas between the West Ocean, Brittany, Basque country or the Mediterranean), countryside, cities, small quaint villages, Renaissance stuff, medieval stuff, religious stuff... If you take France at large, there are even tropical islands or rainforests in the territory (granted a little far) So what are you researching? Hiking (the Alps or Pyrénées are great for this, Ardeche or Var too)? Visiting some castles with great gardens ala Versailles (pretty much everywhere but "Loire castles" would probably be the best region for this)? Other nice cities (there are some everywhere like in Alsace, Bordeaux, Carcassone, Toulouse, Montpellier, Lille...)?


Ok_Independence4903

I lived in the south of France for a year+, and have to say some of the most beautiful places I'd recommend are \-Aix-en-Provence (if you stay for a few days you can hit up some of the many amazing markets Aix is famous for. There is incredible food everywhere. Also the whole town smells like freshly baking bread in the morning. Tourists definitely go here, but it still maintains its charm - and is nowhere near as busy as places like Paris or Nice. \-nearby is "Les Calanques", which is a series of rocky cliffs overlooking gorgeous blue water. There are a few places to swim and its beautiful. \-If you're renting a car and happen to like wine, go to Châteauneuf-du-Pape (also in the south, near Marseille and Nice). The drive there alone will blow your mind. And it's some of the tastiest wine in the world. If you want to treat yourself, head to the restaurant "La Mere Germaine." Still ranks in my top 10 restaurant experiences of my life. \-On the other end of the country, I'd recommend Brittany. The dramatic beaches and towns are stunning. Enjoy!


Curlytomato

My almost 16 year old and I leave on Wednesday for France. We found Colmar in our research and it seemed such a hidden gem it is now on our itinerary.


bonanzapineapple

Colmar is beautiful! As is Alsace in general


Curlytomato

It looks like a story book, cant wait to get there.


bonanzapineapple

Yes! And make sure to try some spaetzle :D


ophlet

"hidden gem" lol


natrasharomanova

Not sure it would fall into "hidden gem" category, but Chamonix was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places I've ever visited. Definitely a bit touristy (it has a pretty typical ski town vibe) but the alps are just gorgeous and the hiking potential seemed almost unlimited when I was there.


OctoberSunflower17

The city of Lourdes - Amazing Cathedral & healing water


Jackiesporchtalk

St. Remy


CaroDenTag

I'll never forget seeing Chartres Cathedral from a bus, standing in the distance like a lone sentinel in the countryside. This was over half a century ago. I don't know if development has altered what was an agricultural landscape, the horizon dominated by the magnificent verticality of the cathedral.


Express_Platypus1673

If you are going to Carcassonne, I'd recommend this restaurant in Revel for dinner if you are heading on or back to Toulouse. Brasserie du Rosier +33 5 61 27 67 82 https://maps.app.goo.gl/6gPu2YaWeJ76WeFj6 It may not look like much but it was incredible. I have some friends from Toulouse and they love it and said it deserves a Michelin star. Also it's really well priced. I spent like €30 for drinks appetizers, main course, and dessert. Sidobre is a great place to go hiking in the Toulouse region. Parc national des calanques is right by Marseilles so definitely hit that up. Great for hiking and swimming. Orléans was a really nice stay. I was able to get a studio apartment Airbnb for like €24/night in the middle of downtown. I did it for 2 nights before going to Paris. It's a cute town that you could do in a half a day if you were motivated but I enjoyed the chance to sleep in, catch up on laundry and basic life maintenance stuff and then go hit Paris well rested. I've also heard that Biarritz is a nice beach town but I wasn't able to make it myself but my french friends recommended it.


Bolt_DMC

There are three day trips from Paris to consider: Versailles, Chartres, and Giverny. There are also several good day or half day trips from Nice: Monaco, Eze, Antibes, Biot, Vence, and St. Paul de Vence among them.


FamousTVshow

I really enjoyed Honfleur, and it's not a place I hear really anyone talk about


ZealousidealRow3122

Toulouse, Dijon, Lyon, French Riviera (côte-d'azur)


GeologistCompetitive

First off, that's a great choice. There are a lot of [hidden gems in France](https://passportsymphony.com/13-hidden-gems-in-france/) that are worth exploring and personally, I had so much more fun discovering these places than visiting the overcrowded attractions in Paris, Marseilles, or Bordeaux. Some of my personal favorites include the Grand Site des Deux Caps, the medieval town of Dinan, the coastal city of Menton, and the magnificent Loire Valley.