Looking for a list of French cities? One of the interesting things about France is that it boasts a variety of cities from coastal havens to bustling metropolises. Of course, France also features a rich and colorful history around which many French cities grew up.
List of French Cities
Whether you're in the middle of France near the warm Mediterranean coast, you'll find a place to visit (or wish you were visiting) on this list of French cities, organized by region.
Alsace
Alsace shares a border with Germany in the Eastern part of France. Perhaps its most famous city is Strasbourg, which is the capital city of Alsace. It is seen as the model for coexistence between France and Germany, boasting a major university and a rich culture filled with both Protestantism and Catholicism.
Auvergne
Auvergne is a central region in France with a very low population density. Its most important cities include Aurillac and Vichy (home of the famous mints).
Bourgogne (Burgundy)
Bourgogne is almost in the middle of France and is known particularly for its wine. Some of its major cities include:
- Autun
- Auxerre
- Beaune
- Chalon-sur-Saône
- Dijon
- Le Creusot
- Mâcon
- Montceau-les-Mines
- Nevers
- Sens
Bretagne
Bretagne (or Brittany in English) is in the North West corner of France. Some of its major cities include:
- Brest
- Dinan
- Fougères
- Quimper
- Rennes
- Saint-Brieuc
- Saint-Malo
Centre
The region of Centre is where many of the famous châteaux of the Loire Valley are located. Because of this, the area hosts many tourists each year. Some of its major cities include:
- Blois
- Bourges
- Chartres
- Châteauroux
- Dreux
- Fleury-les-Aubrais
- Joué-lès-Tours
- Orléans
- Tours
- Vierzon
Champagne Ardenne
Champagne Ardenne is in the Northeast of France and shares a small border with Belgium. Some of its major cities include:
- Châlons-en-Champagne
- Chaumont
- Éparnay
- Reims
- Saint-Dizier
- Sedan
- Troyes
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté shares a border with Switzerland. It has a few key cities such as:
- Arbois
- Belfort
- Besançon
- Dole
- Lons-le-Saunier
- Montbéliard
- Vesoul
Île-de-France
The major city here is Paris, which is the capital of France and is also the largest city in France with some eleven million people living there as of the 2008 census.
Languedoc-Roussilon
Bordering Spain and the Mediterranean Sea, this southern region is known especially for wine, as well as olives and cheeses. Products for this region bear the mark "Sud de France" to help those who are not familiar with the region to recognize its products. Its most notable cities include:
- Alès
- Béziers
- Carcassonne
- Montpellier
- Narbonne
- Nîmes
- Perpignan
- Sète
Limousin
Limousin is located in the central part of France and is a rural region known especially for its cattle farming industry. Some important cities include:
- Brive-la-Gaillarde
- Guéret
- Limoges
- Saint-Junien
- Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche
- Tulle
- Ussel
Lorraine
Lorraine shares a border with Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium in the Eastern part of France. Major cities include:
- Épinal
- Forbach
- Lunéville
- Metz
- Montigny-lès-Metz
- Nancy
- Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
- Sarreguemines
- Thionville
- Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy
- Verdun
Midi-Pyrénées
Located in the south of France, the Midi-Pyrénées region of France is the largest region of France by area. Its most notable cities include:
- Albi
- Auch
- Blagnac
- Cahors
- Castres
- Colomiers
- Lourdes
- Millau
- Montauban
- Muret
- Rodez
- Tarbes
- Toulouse
- Tournefeuille
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais is in the northern-most region of France bordering with Belgium. With some four million plus inhabitants, it is one of the most densely populated areas of France. Some of its major cities include:
- Arras
- Boulogne-sur-Mer
- Calais
- Cambrai
- Douai
- Dunkirk
- Lens
- Liévin
- Lille
- Marcq-en-Barœul
- Maubeuge
- Roubaix
- Saint-Omer
- Tourcoing
- Valenciennes
- Villeneuve d'Ascq
- Wattrelos
Normandie
Normandy is in the North of France, bordered by Bretagne to the west, and of course the English Channel. It is a very large region but has few very large cities:
- Rouen
- Caen
- Le Havre
- Cherbourg
Pays-de-la-Loire
Pays-de-la-Loire is located in the Western part of France bordering on Bretagne. Despite the confusing name, it is not the location of the many famous châteaux of the Loire Valley, but is at the end of the Loire River (the châteaux are towards Paris). Its principle city is Nantes, which serves as the capital.
Picardie
Picardie is in the North of France directly south of Nord-Pas-du-Calais. Some of its major communities include:
- Abbeville
- Amiens
- Beauvais
- Compiègne
- Creil
- Laon
- Saint-Quentin
- Soissons
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is located in the western part of France. Along with Picardie, it is the place of origin for most of the Acadian and Cajun populations located in North America. Its major and notable cities include:
- Angoulême
- Bressuire
- Châtellerault
- Cognac
- La Rochelle
- Niort
- Poitiers
- Rochefort
- Royan
- Saintes
Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur
Known to most as the French Riviera, this region is one of the more densely populated regions of France. Major and notable cities include:
- Aix-en-Provence
- Antibes
- Arles
- Aubagne
- Avignon
- Cannes
- Draguignan
- Fréjus
- Grasse
- Hyères
- La Seyne-sur-Mer
- Le Cannet
- Mandelieu-la-Napoule
- Marseille
- Mougins
- Martigues
- Nice
- Toulon
- Villeneuve-Loubet
Rhône-Alpes
Like its name suggests, this region was named for the Rhône River and the Alps. It is the 6th European Economic region and its capital city, Lyon, is the second largest city in France. The region is home to several major cities:
- Annecy
- Bourg-en-Bresse
- Chambéry
- Grenoble
- Lyon
- Privas
- Saint-Étienne
- Valence
