Guida alle Regioni Francesi
France's regions offer remarkable variety in climate, cuisine and countryside. Our guides give you a flavour of each area to help you choose the best location for your holiday.
Alsace
Alsace sits on France's eastern border, adjacent to the River Rhine. It has hot summers and cold, dry winters. The region gets very little rain due to its position relative to the Vosges mountains, which shield it from westerly weather. Colmar, with around 550 millimetres of rain per year, is one of the driest cities in France.
Aquitaine
Aquitaine occupies the south-western corner of France, adjoining the Bay of Biscay to the west and the Pyrenees to the south on the Spanish border. The weather is agreeable year-round. Summers are pleasantly warm, while spring and autumn are generally cooler. The region enjoys around 2,200 hours of sunshine annually, with most rainfall in winter contributing to its lush greenery.
Auvergne
Auvergne is situated slightly south of central France. This landlocked region of mountains, hills, valleys and forests moves at a slower pace than France's busier areas. Sparsely populated, the beautiful natural scenery attracts ramblers, walkers and nature lovers seeking peace and quiet. Average summer temperatures reach 18 degrees, while winters get very cold. Summer is short, winter is long, and the mountainous geography creates considerable weather variation.
Brittany
Brittany is located in the north-western corner of France. The region enjoys a warm, temperate climate with plenty of rain keeping it lush and green. It also experiences many fine, sunny days, and the weather is similar to that found in Cornwall.
Burgundy
Burgundy is situated south-east of Paris in eastern-central France. Summers are generally hot with occasional showers, while autumn is pleasant and sunny for grape harvesting. Winter is cold with frequent snowfall and many spells of fine, clear weather.
Champagne-Ardenne
Champagne-Ardenne is found in north-east France, sharing its northern border with Belgium. The region experiences a mild climate with warm, dry summers and cold, crisp winters. Most rain falls between November and March, although thunderstorms are frequent during summer. Ardennes and Haute-Marne are the wettest areas, receiving nearly twice the average annual rainfall of the rest of the region. Winds are usually gentle but become more vigorous in winter.
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south-east of mainland France and west of Italy, with Sardinia to the south across the Strait of Bonifacio. The mountainous island, formed by volcanic eruptions, has many peaks exceeding 2,000 metres. Corsica has three distinct climatic zones: from the coast to 600 metres, hot dry summers and mild wet winters; from 600 to 1,800 metres, cooler and wetter; and above that, much colder with an alpine climate.
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté is located towards the middle of France's eastern border, adjoining Switzerland. Mountainous in the north and south, the area between is home to densely-wooded pine forests and rolling cultivated fields. Summers are very hot, but frequent storms keep the area lush, green and flowery. Winters are long and cold with snow, particularly on higher ground. Spring and autumn are usually mild with plenty of sunshine.
Île-de-France
Located north of the centre of France, Île-de-France is both France's wealthiest and most highly populated region. Many still refer to it as the Région Parisienne. It has a mild, temperate climate with rainfall spread evenly throughout the year, averaging around fifty millimetres per month. Summers are cool and winters are cold.
Languedoc
Languedoc-Roussillon is situated in the centre of southern France, with its southern border adjoining Spain. The eastern side is mostly adjacent to the Mediterranean, while the inland north meets the Massif Central. The region is dry and warm for most of the year, known for hot summers and mild winters. However, there are climatic variations due to its geography, and Lozère in the north gets cold in winter and can see snow.
Limousin
Limousin is situated south-west of central France, mainly in the Massif Central. It shares borders with five regions: Auvergne to the east, Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes to the west, Centre to the north and Midi-Pyrénées to the south. One of France's least populated regions, it sees hot summers often reaching the thirties, occasionally exceeding forty degrees. Overall, the climate is milder and damper than neighbouring regions, with long, cold winters and snow on higher ground.
Centre (Loire Valley)
The Loire Valley spans approximately 800 square kilometres towards central France, stretching 280 kilometres along the middle section of the River Loire. Renowned for its vineyards and fruit orchards, it's often called 'The Garden of France'. The region enjoys a favourable climate most of the year. Although summers are hot, Atlantic breezes lower temperatures by a few degrees. Spring can be cool and frosty, and the wine-harvesting period a little rainy.
Lorraine
Lorraine is an inland region in north-east France, set between Champagne-Ardenne and Alsace, with Franche-Comté to the south. The northern border edges Luxembourg, Belgium and Germany. Lorraine has hot, humid summers, mild autumns and springs, and cold winters. Rainfall is frequent throughout the year. Snow arrives from late October, with the heaviest falls in January and February. Winters can be very windy, but apart from that and occasional springtime thunderstorms, the weather doesn't go to extremes.
Lower Normandy
Lower Normandy is situated in north-west France. Its western side runs along the English Channel, making the weather wetter there than further inland. It's a cool region with summer temperatures rarely rising above the upper teens. Autumn and spring are cooler still, and winter is quite cold without reaching extremely low temperatures. Rain falls year-round, which along with the humidity is important for the region's agriculture.
Midi-Pyrénées
Midi-Pyrénées is situated in southern France, between Aquitaine and Languedoc-Roussillon. Overall, it's known for its warm, pleasant climate, but its position means it comes under various influences giving rise to variable weather conditions. With the Massif Central to the north and the Pyrenees to the south, temperatures can get very high in summer and very low in winter, when there's likely to be heavy snowfall in the mountains. One of France's sunniest regions, it can become quite muggy in summer being landlocked, although spring and autumn are mild.
Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais is in northern France. Its western border adjoins the English Channel, while it shares its northern frontier with Belgium. The weather is cool most of the year, particularly in winter when it gets very cold. During summer, average temperatures are only in the upper teens, while in spring and autumn they're in the lower teens. Rainfall is consistent throughout the year, similar to Britain, but on the plus side it keeps the region looking green.
Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire is situated in mid-west France. To the north are Brittany and Lower Normandy, while it shares an eastern border with Centre and a southern one with Poitou-Charentes. Its western side meets the Bay of Biscay. Overall, the climate is mild with dry, warm summers. However, autumn and winter are prone to rain and wind.
Picardy
Picardy is located in northern France. Its north-west border adjoins the English Channel, while the remainder is surrounded by Nord-Pas-de-Calais to the north, Champagne-Ardenne to the east, Île-de-France to the south and Upper Normandy to the west. The climate is similar to the United Kingdom, but summers, although short, are generally warmer. Winters are wet with strong winds, particularly along the coast.
Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes is located in western France with a short coastal border adjoining the Bay of Biscay. It's sandwiched between Pays de la Loire to the north and Aquitaine to the south. The region has one of the most agreeable climates in France. Summers are hot without mugginess, and winters are mild. Spring and autumn are warm and pleasant. With almost 2,500 hours of sunshine a year, Poitou-Charentes is the hottest and sunniest place along the Atlantic coast.
Provence
Provence is situated in the south-eastern corner of France, adjoining Italy on its eastern border, with the Mediterranean to the south. It mostly enjoys hot, dry summers and mild winters, although its geography means visitors may experience some micro-climatic variations.
Rhône-Alpes
Rhône-Alpes is on the eastern side of France, slightly south of the middle, where it shares a border with Switzerland and Italy. The west sees the beginning of the Massif Central, while the east is home to the westernmost part of the Alps. In between are the Rhône and Saône river valleys. Given its geography, the region's weather is subject to many influences, resulting in large variations from season to season. Summers are hot but humid, while winters are long and cold, particularly in the mountains where there's heavy snow. Spring and autumn are mild. Overall, Rhône-Alpes is quite wet, although the south can be surprisingly dry.
Upper Normandy
Upper Normandy is situated on the north coast of France, abutting the English Channel. Lower Normandy lies to the west, with Picardy to the east, and Île de France and Centre bordering the south. The climate has much in common with southern England, although it's marginally warmer and sunnier in summer. There's rain year-round, with winter months receiving the most. The inland area is drier than the coast and has lower temperatures in winter and higher temperatures in summer.
