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PARIS including: the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Place des Voges, Place du Tertre, night boat ride, Hotel de Ville, Latin Quarter, and more.

Carcassonne Many travel movies about one of the most magical medieval towns in Europe, surrounded by a huge wall and perfectly preserved as it looked five centuries ago.

Provence: Many movies of Arles, Avignon, Aix en Provence, Marseilles, Nimes, Pont du Gard, Annecy, Lyon, Les Baux, St-Remy.

French Riviera: Cannes, Antibes, Nice, Grasse, Vence, St-Paul, Monaco. We really see the sights in these entertaining travel videos.

Dordogne and the Loire: Rouen, Amiens, Mt-St-Michel; Loire: Cheverny, Amboise, Chenonceau, Clos-Luce, Chambord, Azay, Chinon, Tours, Blois. Dordogne: Beynac, Castelnaud, LaRoque, Sarlat, Les Eyzies, Fanlac, Rocamador, RoqueStChristophe, Belves, Domme.

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Introducing France

Our short video gives a taste of what France has to offer. From the grand architecture of Paris  and delicious cuisine, to imposing chateaux and the beaches of Normandy.

Start planning your trip to France

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A taste of Sicily

Introducing the UK & Ireland

Introducing Italy

Related links.

Food highlights of France

Discovering French cuisine doesn’t have to be an expensive or complicated proposition. From macarons in Paris to cider in Normandy, France specialist Jesse discusses the simple dishes and regional specialities that he likes to eat when he’s visiting different areas of France.

An insider’s guide to the districts of Paris

Away from the bustle of tourist attractions, Paris is filled with enclaves that feel like individual villages hidden inside the city. Specialist Liz explores the four best-known quartiers, including the storied cafés of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the confectioners of Le Marais.

Highlights of Provence

Visiting Provence is like stepping into a Van Gogh painting — a landscape awash in vivid hues. France specialist Samantha talks about the region’s highlights, including fragrant lavender fields, Roman aqueducts and truffle hunting with a local and his dog.

Exploring the Loire Valley

The fertile Loire Valley was the preferred summer destination of French kings and aristocrats for centuries. Discover the lush fields and bountiful vineyards that attracted them and the turreted pleasure palaces that they left behind.

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France Travel Guide

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France seduces travelers with iconic landmarks and cafe terraces, epic history and bustling village life. Experiences - and cuisine - to be savored.

Best Time to Visit

Best places to visit, leave the planning to a local expert.

Experience the real France. Let a local expert handle the planning for you.

Attractions

Must-see attractions.

Cité de l’Espace

The fantastic space museum on the city's eastern outskirts brings Toulouse's illustrious aeronautical history to life through hands-on exhibits, including…

Eiffel Tower

There are different ways to experience the Eiffel Tower, from a daytime trip or an evening ascent amid twinkling lights, to a meal in one of its…

Centre Pompidou

Home to Europe's largest collection of modern and contemporary art, Centre Pompidou has amazed and delighted visitors ever since it opened in 1977, not…

Château de Chenonceau

Spanning the languid Cher River atop a graceful arched bridge, Chenonceau is one of France's most elegant châteaux. It's hard not to be moved and…

Sainte-Chapelle

Visit Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day when Paris’ oldest, finest stained glass (1242–48) is at its dazzling best. The chapel is famous for its stained…

Musée du Louvre

It isn’t until you’re standing in the vast courtyard of the Louvre, with its glass pyramid and ornate façade, that you can truly say you’ve been to Paris.

Château de Chambord

The Loire Valley

If you only have time to visit one château in the Loire, you might as well make it the grandest – and Chambord is the most lavish of them all, and the…

Les Catacombes

It’s gruesome, ghoulish and downright spooky, but it never fails to captivate visitors. In 1785, the subterranean tunnels of an abandoned quarry were…

Top picks from our travel experts

15 best things to do in france: the most unmissable experiences from paris to provence and beyond.

Maison des Mégalithes

Golfe du Morbihan

The main information point for the Carnac alignments is the Maison des Mégalithes, 1km north of Carnac-Ville, which explores the history of the megalithic…

Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris

While its interior is closed off to visitors following the devastating fire of April 2019, this masterpiece of French Gothic architecture remains the city…

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

No trip to Paris is complete without strolling this broad, tree-shaded avenue lined with luxury shops. Named for the Elysian Fields (‘heaven’ in Greek…

Abbaye du Mont St-Michel

Mont St-Michel

Mont St-Michel's one main street, the Grande Rue, leads up the slope – past souvenir shops, eateries and a forest of elbows – to the star attraction of a…

Musée de la Lavande

The Luberon

To get to grips with Provence’s most prestigious crop, this excellent eco-museum makes an ideal first stop. An audioguide and video (in English) explain…

Carnac Alignments

Predating Stonehenge by around 100 years, the Carnac (Garnag in Breton) area is the world's greatest concentration of megalithic sites, with no fewer than…

Musée d’Orsay

St-Germain & Les Invalides

Musée d’Orsay may not be quite as famous as the Louvre—though it’s located a mere 10-minute walk away—but this Left Bank museum holds its own in its…

Promenade des Anglais

The most famous stretch of seafront in Nice – if not France – is this vast paved promenade, which gets its name from the English expat patrons who paid…

Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges

Head away from the crowds and into the serene Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges, 3000 sq km of pristine greenery in the western Vosges. In…

Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque

If you're searching for that classic postcard shot of the medieval abbey surrounded by a sea of purple lavender, look no further. This sublime Cistercian…

Monastère Notre Dame de Cimiez

Painters Henri Matisse and Raoul Dufy are buried in the cemetery of this monastery, a five-minute walk across the park from the Musée Matisse. To reach…

Musée Lumière

Cinema's glorious beginnings are showcased at the art nouveau home of Antoine Lumière, who moved to Lyon with sons Auguste and Louis in 1870. The brothers…

Cathédrale Notre-Dame

Nothing prepares you for your first glimpse of Strasbourg's Cathédrale Notre-Dame, completed in all its Gothic grandeur in 1439. The lace-fine facade…

Hôtel des Invalides

Flanked by the 500m-long Esplanade des Invalides lawns, Hôtel des Invalides was built in the 1670s by Louis XIV to house 4000 invalides (disabled war…

Pont du Gard

Languedoc-Roussillon

The extraordinary three-tiered Pont du Gard was once part of a 50km-long system of channels built around 19 BC to transport water from Uzès to Nîmes. The…

Château de Versailles

Amid magnificently landscaped formal gardens, this splendid and enormous palace was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV – the Roi…

Hôtel de Ville

Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

Paris’ beautiful town hall was gutted during the Paris Commune of 1871 and rebuilt in luxurious neo-Renaissance style between 1874 and 1882. The ornate…

Jardin des Plantes

Latin Quarter

Founded in 1626 as a medicinal herb garden for Louis XIII, Paris’ 24-hectare botanic gardens – visually defined by the double alley of plane trees that…

Chapelle du Rosaire

Côte d'Azur

An ailing Henri Matisse moved to Vence in 1943 to be cared for by his former nurse and model, Monique Bourgeois, who'd since become a Dominican nun. She…

Phare de Biarritz

Climbing the 258 twisting steps inside the 73m-high Phare de Biarritz, the town’s 1834 lighthouse, rewards you with sweeping views of the Basque coast…

Petite France

Criss-crossed by narrow lanes, canals and locks, Petite France is where artisans plied their trades in the Middle Ages. The half-timbered houses,…

Place de la Concorde

Paris spreads around you, with views of the Eiffel Tower, the Seine and along the Champs-Élysées, when you stand in the city’s largest square. Its 3300…

Musée Matisse

This museum, 2km north of the city centre in the leafy Cimiez quarter, houses a fascinating assortment of works by Matisse, including oil paintings,…

Planning Tools

Expert guidance to help you plan your trip.

Best Things to Do

(Warning: this article will make you want to book a trip.)

Things to Know

Hints, tips, cheats and little-known intel from our France local pulled together in one digestible list.

Transportation

From bike to bus and train to plane, here's everything you need to know about getting around in France.

Visa Requirements

From visa-free travel in the Schengen Zone to working holidays, here's everything you need to know about the visa requirements for France.

Money and Costs

France is a country associated with luxury – yet it’s not hard to enjoy all its pleasures on a limited budget. If you read our guide, that is.

Best Road Trips

Hidden towns and rolling vineyards – France has it all on offer on a road trip. Explore this stunning country behind the wheel with our pick of the best.

Traveling with Kids

A Parisian break with children needn’t be a pain. Here’s our guide to traveling in France with children, whatever their age.

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Latest stories from France

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Jan 3, 2024 • 5 min read

Here are all the noteworthy events, anniversaries and openings worth keeping in mind if you have France on your travel radar for 2024

Dec 25, 2023 • 11 min read

Dec 17, 2023 • 6 min read

Dec 6, 2023 • 11 min read

Nov 25, 2023 • 7 min read

Aug 28, 2023 • 11 min read

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How the Key Bridge Collapsed in Baltimore: Maps and Photos

By Weiyi Cai ,  Agnes Chang ,  Lauren Leatherby ,  Lazaro Gamio ,  Leanne Abraham and Scott Reinhard

On Tuesday, a major bridge in Baltimore collapsed into the water seconds after it was struck by a cargo ship, sending vehicles on the bridge into the river below. The ship lost power and issued a mayday call shortly before it hit the bridge.

The ship, a 948-foot-long cargo vessel called Dali, was about a half hour into its journey toward Colombo, Sri Lanka, when it hit a main pillar of the bridge. All crew members are safe, according to the ship’s owners.

Follow our live coverage .

A mayday call from the ship gave officials enough time to stop traffic at both ends of the bridge. The waters where the bridge collapsed are about 50 feet deep. By Tuesday morning, six construction workers who had been fixing potholes on the bridge remained missing as divers and other emergency workers on boats and helicopters continued to search for them. Two others had been rescued, and one was in the hospital.

Francis Scott

Patapsco River

The ship left the Port

of Baltimore around

1 a.m. on Tuesday.

Where impact occurred

Direction of the ship

The ship hit the

bridge at 1:28 a.m.

The ship hit the bridge at 1:28 a.m.

Where impact

Source: Spire Global

The New York Times; satellite image by Google Earth

The lights of the ship flickered on and off as it lost power in the minutes before the ship changed bearing and hit the bridge.

Ship approached from

the Port of Baltimore

Road repair crews

Ship changed heading

as it neared pillar

Ship hit pillar

Southern and central spans

of bridge began to collapse within

seconds of impact

Northern span began to

collapse seconds later

Within 30 seconds of impact,

the central part of bridge had

entirely collapsed.

Source: StreamTime Live via YouTube

Timestamps are from StreamTime Live video.

The New York Times

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was opened in 1977 and carried more than 12.4 million vehicles last year. The bridge was one of the three major ways to cross the Patapsco River and formed part of Baltimore’s beltway.

The Port of Baltimore is a major trade hub that handled a record amount of foreign cargo last year. It is an especially important destination — the nation’s largest by volume last year — for deliveries of cars and light trucks.

Ship impact

To Chesapeake Bay

Sources: Maryland Port Administration, OpenStreetMap, MarineTraffic

Note: Ship positions are as of 2:46 p.m. Eastern time.

Overall, Baltimore was the 17th biggest port in the United States in 2021, ranked by total tons, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The bridge collapse brought marine traffic there to a standstill, with seven cargo or tanker ships stranded in the harbor as of Tuesday afternoon.

Gov. Wes Moore declared a state of emergency for Maryland and said that his office was in close communication with Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary. The White House issued a statement saying that President Biden had been briefed on the collapse.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

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What is the total solar eclipse and how can I watch it?

On Monday, the moon will block the sun in what many say will be one of the most spectacular celestial events in recent times

The total solar eclipse that will traverse a large chunk of the continental US on Monday, along with parts of Mexico and Canada, will be one of the most spectacular celestial events in recent memory. Here’s what you need to know:

What is a total solar eclipse?

The phenomenon occurs when the moon moves in front of the sun, and blocks its face completely, causing the bright sky to darken to twilight in just seconds. The track of the moon’s shadow is called the path of totality , which for Monday’s eclipse will be about 115 miles wide and sweep across 15 states in the US in a north-east direction, from Texas to Maine, for roughly an hour, beginning at 1.30pm CT and ending at about 3.35pm ET.

How rare is it?

The most recent total solar eclipse in the US was in 2017 , but an interval of only seven years is unusual. The previous one before that took place in 1979, and the next one visible in the contiguous US will not be until August 2044. Only 16 other total solar eclipses have occurred over at least a part of the lower 48 states in the last 155 years.

Didn’t we just have a solar eclipse?

Last October’s stunning “ring of fire” show was what’s called an annular solar eclipse, which occurs when the moon moves directly in front of the sun, but is at or near its farthest point from Earth, so is not large enough to entirely cover the sun’s face. You can find Nasa’s guide to the various types of eclipses here .

Why is this one special?

An estimated 31.6 million people, almost three times as many as in 2017, live in the path of totality – which is longer, and also wider than almost every other total eclipse before it, because the moon is closer to Earth and casts a broader shadow. The time of totality in any given location is also longer. Seven years ago, the longest duration anywhere was two minutes and 42 seconds. On Monday, it will be four minutes and 28 seconds in Torreón, Mexico, while almost every place along the path can expect between three and a half to four minutes of totality.

How can I watch it?

If you live anywhere in the path of totality, or can travel to it, congratulations, you have a front-row seat. Just remember you need eclipse glasses (more on that in a minute) to look up at all times other than the few minutes of full eclipse. But everyone in North America outside the path should be able to see at least a partial eclipse of varying percentages, and Nasa will be livestreaming the entire event here . Here’s the caveat: longer-range weather forecasts call for rain and clouds in many areas of the southern and central US on Monday, so the best viewing could be in the east.

And here is Nasa’s Eclipse Explorer , where you can enter any US address or zip code to find out what will be visible from that location.

What can I expect to see?

You can find Nasa’s guide to the stages of a total solar eclipse here . First contact is when the moon’s outer edge first appears to touch the sun, creating the beginnings of a partial eclipse and a crescent sun reducing in size until totality (second contact). In the moments before totality, look for (in order) shadow bands, Baily’s Beads and a diamond ring, three of the most memorable stages of a total eclipse.

Shadow bands, says Nasa , are rapidly moving, long, dark bands separated by white spaces that can be seen on the sides of buildings or the ground just before totality; Baily’s Beads are short-lived light rays from the sun streaming through the valleys along the moon’s horizon, and give way to the diamond ring effect, the final, single spot of bright light immediately before the end of any direct sunlight.

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The sun’s corona , the outermost part of its atmosphere, can only be seen during the total part of the eclipse, then, following totality, the same effects come in reverse. For most locations, the partial eclipse phase lasts from 70-80 minutes, according to Nasa.

How do I watch safely?

To look at the eclipse directly, you must have special eclipse glasses. Regular sunglasses, frosted or darkened glass, or any other method lacking the necessary eye protection just won’t cut it. Nasa’s must-read eclipse safety guide on the subject says: “Viewing any part of the bright sun through a camera lens, binoculars, or telescope without a special-purpose solar filter secured over the front of the optics will instantly cause severe eye injury.” Don’t do what Donald Trump did in 2017.

Many stores, businesses, schools and libraries are still offering glasses free or at low cost (Google is your friend here), but you need to make sure they are safety rated. The American Astronomical Society warned last month that unsafe fakes and counterfeits were circulating, and has published a handy list of suppliers of safe solar viewers and filters (certified ISO 12312-2 compliant).

Experts advise against taking photographs of the eclipse with a mobile phone (unless it’s protected by a solar filter) because it could damage the camera. Nasa has thoughts here .

What if I don’t have eclipse glasses?

You can make a box pinhole projector following the steps in this video , courtesy of Nasa’s Goddard space flight center. An even simpler method is using anything with a small hole, such as a kitchen colander, to project an image on to the ground. And remember that many places across the entire country, such as science centers and zoos, will be hosting special eclipse events so you can watch the action safely.

• Solar eclipses

More on this story

Solar eclipse: parts of UK crane for a ‘small grazing’

Bad omens and deep-state lunacy: solar eclipse brings wave of memes

What do animals do during an eclipse? Observers in US zoos hope to find out

US eclipse travelers met with sky-high prices – and reservation snafus

Incarcerated people in New York will get to see eclipse after settling lawsuit

‘I get emotional thinking about it’: US and Canada ready for total solar eclipse

‘Our three-year-old can’t get enough’: US families traveling to see the eclipse

‘You see one, you want to see them all’: 105-year-old excited for his 13th solar eclipse

Inmates sue to watch solar eclipse after New York orders prison lockdown

Total solar eclipse to sweep across Mexico, the US and Canada

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