France Halal Travel Guide

“Metropolitan France” comprises the 12 administrative regions (French: régions) on the mainland plus Corsica, or in other words all French territory within Europe. These are distinct from the country’s overseas territories on other continents, which are talked about below. The 96 departments (départements) are the next level down of administrative division, two-thirds of them being named after a river, and most others taking after another natural feature, such as a mountain or forest.

France regions – Color-coded map

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes The home of French skiing, a large volcanic region and the magnificent city of Lyon.

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Tons of medieval history, pleasing natural scenery and Burgundy wine.

Brittany Rugged western peninsula that is as Celtic as it is French.

Centre-Val de Loire A largely agricultural and viticultural region, featuring river valleys, châteaux and historic towns along the Loire.

Corsica Napoleon’s birthplace is an Italian influenced subtropical island in the Mediterranean.

Grand-Est A region where wider European (and especially Germanic) culture has merged with the French, giving rise to interesting results.

Hauts-de-France A region where the world wars and the rise and fall of heavy industry have left many scars.

Île-de-France The region surrounding the French capital, Paris.

Normandy Some of France’s most famed attractions, including Mont Saint-Michel, the D-Day beaches and Claude Monet’s home.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine The largest French region, defined more by its enchanting contrasts than as a coherent whole.

Occitanie Due south, where the Pyrenees spill into the Mediterranean Sea.

Pays de la Loire The lower Loire Valley and the Vendée area, on the Atlantic coast.

Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur The unmissable French Riviera, Marseille, Avignon, and the Camargue. 1.2 Overseas France Beyond Metropolitan France, also known as l’Hexagone for its shape, there are five overseas départements (départements d’outre-mer – DOMs), each as integral to France as any other department: French Guiana in South America, Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean, and Mayotte and Réunion among the East African islands. In addition to this, France has six organised overseas territories (territoires d’outre mer – TOMs)—French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Wallis and Futuna—and some remote, uninhabited islands as nature reserves, including Clipperton Island and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Despite being administratively part of France, these entities are not covered further here, but instead in their own articles. Due to its many overseas departments and territories scattered around the world, France actually spans twelve time zones — that’s more than any other country. However, all of Metropolitan France uses Central European Time (UTC+01:00 in winter, UTC+02:00 in summer).

France has numerous cities of interest to travellers, below is a list of nine of the most notable:

• Paris GBSNAV: 48.8567,2.3508 — the “City of Light”, romance and the Eiffel Tower.
• Bordeaux GBSNAV: 44.84,-0.58 — city of wine, traditional stone mansions and smart terraces
• Nice GBSNAV: 43.7034,7.2663 — the heart of the French Riviera with a world-famous beach promenade
• Lille GBSNAV: 50.6278,3.0583 — a dynamic northern city known for its handsome centre and active cultural life
• Lyon GBSNAV: 45.76,4.84 — France’s gastronomic capital with a history from Roman times to the Resistance
• Marseille GBSNAV: 43.2964,5.37 — France’s cosmopolitan second city, known for its Mediterranean harbour, its calanques, and its seafood
• Nantes GBSNAV: 47.2181,-1.5528 — a green and highly livable city known for Jules Verne, seafarers, crêpes and Breton culture
• Strasbourg GBSNAV: 48.58,7.75 — beautiful historic centre ringed by canals, and the home of many European institutions
• Toulouse GBSNAV: 43.6045,1.444 — the “Pink City” is known for its distinctive brick architecture and its vibrant southern atmosphere