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Castles · Loir-et-Cher
Château de Chambord
Chambord, which measures 156 m by 117 m and has 440 rooms, is the largest of the Loire castles.
View full page →What to do in autumn? The most beautiful sites in autumn colours
Forests turning red, lakes with coppery reflections, golden vineyards and morning mist over the volcanoes: autumn gives France a light and colours not found in any other season, with far fewer people than in summer.
This selection gathers sites that are particularly beautiful at this time, from the great royal forests to the lakes of the Vosges and Jura, via the vineyards of Burgundy and Alsace.
The best colours are generally between mid-October and early November depending on altitude: the higher you go, the earlier it is.
10selected sites
5regions
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Towns & cities · Seine-et-Marne
Fontainebleau
An elegant town in the heart of its forest, known for its royal château and its climbing rocks.
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Lakes · Vosges
Lac de Gérardmer
The largest natural lake in the Vosges, Lac de Gérardmer occupies the heart of the resort that bears its name. Swimming, sailing and walks around its shores make it one of the most frequented destinations of the Vosges massif.
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Lakes · Puy-de-Dôme
Le Lac Pavin
Due to a powerful volcanic explosion, Lac Pavin is a crater lake carved on the north flank of the Puy de Montchal (1,411 m).
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Natural wonders · Puy-de-Dôme
Chaîne des Puys
About forty kilometres of volcanic alignment gather a hundred cones and domes inherited from intense eruptive activity. Inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage since 2018, the Chaîne des Puys forms one of the most singular landscapes of the Massif Central.
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Waterfalls · Jura
Cascades du Hérisson
The Hérisson Waterfalls, the Éventail and the Grand Saut: they are located near Doucier, in the heart of the lakes region.
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Castles · Côte-d'Or
Hospices de Beaune
The Hospices de Beaune, or Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune, is a fifteenth-century hospital in Beaune in Burgundy, which was active until the 1960s.
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Villages · Haut-Rhin
Eguisheim
Ranked among the Most Beautiful Villages of France since 2003, national flower prize since 1989, gold medal of the European Entente Florale competition in 2006...
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Lakes · Haute-Savoie
Lac d'Annecy
Lake Annecy, sometimes nicknamed the "blue lake", is a lake in France located in the Alps, in Haute-Savoie.
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Natural wonders · Nièvre
Parc naturel régional du Morvan
A mid-mountain massif in the heart of Burgundy, the Morvan unfolds deep forests, reservoir lakes and granite hamlets. Its regional nature park, created in 1970, protects a rural territory kept apart from the main tourist flows.
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