The 8 most beautiful sights and natural wonders in France

Reds, oranges, yellows: the Sentier des Ocres abounds with flamboyant hues you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in this serene (and very green) corner of France near Aix-en-Provence. Resembling a much smaller version of Monument Valley in the States, the Sentier comprises two marked paths through a disused ochre pigment quarry in Rousillon in the Vaucluse region. Spread over 30 hectares and renowned for its 20 or so different shades of ochre, it’s an unexpected sight ripe for your next Instagram post.

Tucked between the Causses plateaux and the Cévennes mountains, the Tarn canyon is a picturesque adventure and camping holiday hotspot split across the Lozère and Aveyron departments in the south. The striking gorges lend themselves to kayaking, diving and rock climbing, while the nearby plateaux are popular with amateur cavers. Bed down for the night in the pretty seventh-century village of Saint-Énimie, founded by a saint cured of leprosy in nearby waters. And be aware that sly griffon vultures are known to scavenge in these parts – so watch that picnic!

The puys of Auvergne are rounded hilltops formed by hardened magma from a chain of dormant volcanoes. The star attraction in the 395,000-hectare Auvergne Volcanoes regional nature park, the Chaîne des Puys, the Monts Dore, the Cézallier and the Monts du Cantal make a peculiar yet unique setting for hikes, cycle trips and hot-air balloon rides. Don’t miss the unearthly Pavin crater lake.

Known by locals as ‘Little Finland’, the Plateau des Mille Étangs in the Vosges region is a sprawling labyrinth of some 850 ponds formed after the retreat of the area’s glaciers 12,000 years ago. The étangs cover around ten hectares each and are surrounded by intertwining meadows, streams and forests. Any fishing or water sports fans will evidently be in their element, and there are decent footpaths and cycling routes. Make sure to drop by the thermal baths at nearby Luxeuil-les-Bains and the Notre-Dame du Haut chapel designed by modernist master Le Corbusier.

More than a million visitors flock to this spectacular Provençal village every year, and for good reasons. The spectacular location on a rocky outcrop in the Alpilles mountains makes Les Baux-de-Provence an ideal spot to take in the region’s sprawling southern plains. Relatively near the photogenic town of Arles – where Vincent van Gogh spent a year just before his death – the village’s cobbled alleyways are home to a beautiful thirteenth-century castle and the Musée du Santon, a strangely fascinating museum dedicated to santons, wax and glass figurines traditionally made in the surrounding area. Nearby, you’ll also find the Carrières des Lumières, a former bauxite quarry-turned-digital art centre run by the same folk behind Paris’s pioneering Atelier des Lumières.

Central Corsica may be dominated by hike-friendly mountains, but the beaches in the north are well worth a look. One of the most beautiful is the Plage du Lotu, which you can access by pleasure boat from the commune of Saint-Florent. Alternatively, if you prefer a physical challenge, you could ramble through the steep, arid, barren wilderness of the Désert des Agriates – Europe’s only certified desert – which is fringed by a 40km-long coastal path.

For seasoned paragliders, the Dune du Pilat needs no introduction. For everyone else, the tallest sand dune in Europe, sandwiched between forest and ocean, may already be high up your sightseeing hit list. But don’t miss out on the neighbouring Baie d’Archachon, home to one of the country’s richest and most diverse nature reserves. If you’re lucky, you could glimpse bottlenose dolphins, grey seals or even leatherback sea turtles – not to mention thousands upon thousands of migrating birds.

Not far from the border with Spain, the Cirque de Gavarnie is a huge amphitheatre-like valley that Victor Hugo once described as a ‘Colosseum de la nature’. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Pyrenean cirque is 4km wide, and its rock walls loom around 1,500 metres high. Come here in the warmer months, and you could gaze up at the 425-metre-high Grande Cascade, Europe’s second-tallest waterfall (when it actually flows).