Your favorite expat is back.
Having been to over 40 European countries, with only Belarus and a couple of tiny micro-nations left to tick off, I can safely attest that there’s no greater, more diverse, downright beautiful country than my beloved France.
No, I’m not originally from here—Brazilian-Italian via Britain and Ireland—but there’s a reason why I’ve stayed and made Paris my little nook.
Having tied the knot and added two cats to the scene, but other than that, I love how I’m just a short train ride away from some fairytale town the usual Paris-bound, beret-clad tourists skip.
I’ve had over 6 years of firsthand experience in France to reach this verdict, but having visited over 100 cities and towns here, I’ve taken it upon myself to narrow down the top 5 prettiest, most underrated gems tourists miss out on.
And no, Marseille isn’t one of them. Nice try, mainstream media.
These are the places I take friends who visit Paris myself, if only for the simple pleasure of watching their jaws drop as they happen upon a true, picture-perfect European postcard they never thought existed.
Chartres
An easy train ride away from Paris, Chartres lays claim to France’s first cathedral to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and perhaps one of the prettiest ones in France, in my book.
Notre-Dame de Chartres features two soaring spires, each with its own distinctive look: the left one is shorter, broader, and Romanesque, whereas its sister spire to the right has a slender, flamboyant Gothic look.
Inside, you’ll find one of the world’s most impressive collections of medieval stained glass, perhaps even more striking than Paris’ own Notre-Dame, and enormous vaulted ceilings dating all the way back to the Middle Ages.
The cathedral itself is reason enough to hop on a train from the capital, but wait until you’ve seen the absolute fairytale setting that is Chartres itself:
Pedestrianized lanes framed by overhanging timber houses that lead down to the river, old stone bridges spanning fast-flowing water, and timbered houses and old mills lining the waterfront.
Walking around here with a pain au chocolat in hand, preferably bought from Boulangerie Duban, just a few steps from the cathedral, is French life in a nutshell, and the fact that there are barely any crowds out, even in the warmer months, makes it even more magical.
Rouen
The historic capital of Normandy, Rouen is everything a pre-Haussmann, medieval Paris would be, had the 19th-century architect not completely reshaped the medieval city center and replaced it with the famous grid-like cityscape we know today.
Here, it’s less about leafy boulevards and grand pavilions, and more about incredibly narrow cobbled lanes flanked by protruding timbered houses that almost touch, tiny squares anchored by towering Gothic churches with needle-like spires, and little runnels of water trickling along colorful townhouses.
Rouen’s pride and joy, you ask? How about two of them?
Gros-Horloge is a stunning Renaissance-era astronomical clock that, in my humble opinion, gives Prague’s a run for its money. It arches overhead a lively cobblestone street lined with boutique shops and cafés, leading straight toward the city’s second most iconic attraction:
Rouen Cathedral: just as imposing and grandiose as the world-famous one over in Strasbourg, and arguably equally as stunning as Milan‘s, yet without the crowds or the humdrum of the big-name tourist circuit.
Step inside and admire the soaring Gothic nave, the stained glass, and Richard the Lionheart’s heart (yep, England’s legendary king’s most emblematic remains are entombed here).
Of course, you haven’t been to Rouen until you’ve stopped by Place du Vieux-Marché, the historic market square where… wait for it… Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431.
The stake is no longer there, but the atmosphere remains surprisingly haunting, and you can now visit a modernist church, Église Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc, built near the exact spot where the stake would have been placed, with spectacular stained-glass windows salvaged from older churches.
How safe is France right now?
Pickpocketing, street crime, and extremism remain concerns for France-bound tourists, with the U.S. Department of State informing Americans that they should exercise ‘increased caution’ when visiting.
The Traveler Safety Index assigns a score of 84 out of 100, based on reports from recent visitors:
Nîmes
I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that the South of France is effectively an extension of Italy, and all the casual tourist bucket-list has to do with it is a beach holiday in Cannes and partying in Saint-Tropez.
Nîmes, in the Provence hinterland, has a whole Ancient Roman amphitheater in better preservation than the actual Colosseum, and where you can still attend concerts to this day.
The arena is only the beginning: Nîmes is home to one of the best-preserved landscaped gardens in Europe, Jardins de la Fontaine, dating back to Ancient Roman times, and packed with ornate fountains, terraces, and old temples.
Speaking of temples, Maison Carrée is Nîmes’ 2,000-year-old showpiece, built on a literal pedestal in the heart of the city, and unlike your usual Roman temple that’s been pillaged, rebuilt, and left in ruins, this one has been left virtually intact.
A short 30-minute drive out of town, the UNESCO-protected Pont du Gard is a three-level aqueduct built during the reign of Augustus, back in the 1st century AD.
I could go on and on, but you get the gist of it. If you have a soft spot for Ancient Rome, Nîmes is probably Europe’s most underrated destination for that.
Provins
One of my all-time favorite weekend escapes from Paris, Provins is where you go when the crowds and chaos of the metropolis start feeling a little too overwhelming.
This tiny, 12,000-people-strong town in the heart of Île-de-France is surrounded by moated walls that run for a whopping 1.2 miles around the entire historic center, criss-crossed by narrow lanes lined with timbered shops and medieval houses, and dominated by a hilltop fortress.
Speaking of the latter, Caesar’s Tower is undoubtedly the main attraction here: climb up to the very top, past the ramparts and inner courtyards, and up the spiral staircases for sweeping views of Provins, its fortified walls, and the surrounding countryside.
Down in the heart of the ville itself, swing by La Roseraie de Provins and try their local macaron, or if you’re feeling proper peckish, La Croix d’Or on the main town square serves the tastiest cheese and ham galettes south of Normandy.
Trust me, I’ve tried quite a few.
Check Entry Requirements Flying To Europe This Fall
By the way, if you’re an American heading to Europe right now, you should know there’s been a shake-up of the entry and stay regulations.
You are now required to undergo mandatory fingerprinting upon landing, and as soon as 2027, you might be required to apply for an online travel permit before flying.
Stay up to date with the fast-changing rules on the Entry Requirement Checker.
Honfleur
Tucked away on the Normandy coast of northern France, Honfleur feels like Amsterdam and Normandy had a lovechild.
Admired by art-loving tourists like me and world-renowned painters like Eugène Boudin alike, Honfleur is all about its postcard-ready, painting-perfect Vieux Bassin.
This is where colorful timbered houses and tall, narrow façades crowd around the water in the most gorgeous muted tones, while little fishing boats bob by the quays and seafood cafés spill onto the waterfront.
Which, by the way, is at its best once the sun starts setting in the fall, at around 7 p.m., when the last rays tint the entire sky a rosy pink, and the warm tones of the medieval townhouses by the water dance softly on the now-dark harbor.
The harbor is the stuff of fairytales, alright, but the Église Sainte-Catherine is the real oddball here. This is France’s largest wooden church, remarkably preserved from the 15th century, built by local shipbuilders with a separate bell tower that looks more like a medieval mess hall than a place of worship.
And then there’s the food.
This is Normandy, so obviously you have to make room for Camembert, oysters, apple cider, and a proper buttery crêpe. Honestly, grab any table around the Vieux Bassin, order some fresh seafood and a glass of local cider, and you’ve basically cracked the code to the perfect Normandy weekend.
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