Paris is far from being my top romantic French escape<\/strong>, at least not in this weather.<\/p>\n Lucky for this adopted Parisian (and you), France is huge, and the crumbling Haussmann-designed capital I call home base is just the entr\u00e9e<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Craving old-school France, minus beret-wearing TikTokers, metro pickpockets emptying your wallet before you blink, and strikes every other weekend? Here are 5 underrated French gems<\/strong> you should stop sleeping on:<\/p>\n (PLUS: We’ve built an interactive quiz for you at the end of this article to find your perfect match!)<\/p>\n Quimper<\/p>\n To me, nothing screams timeless Celtic France quite like Brittany, its Celtic heartland full of picturesque coastal towns where time seems to stand at a standstill, countryside castles, and family-owned cr\u00eaperies.<\/p>\n When it comes to weekend getaways in the region, Saint-Malo usually takes the crown due to its proximity to Mont Saint-Michel, the most visited monument in France after the Eiffel Tower, and the Channel Islands, but if you’re asking me, Brittany’s true unspoiled charm is found in Quimper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A small city in the heart of Brittany, it is best known for its timeless Old Town, criss-crossed by narrow cobbled lanes.<\/p>\n They’re lined by half-timbered houses and boutique shops, and if you ever find yourself at a crossroads, you’ll likely end up in a stunning historic square, whether you take the left or right turn.<\/p>\n Other medieval French cities like Carcassonne and Rouen are pretty, alright, but they’re packed with foreign tourists. Quimper is France’s little Breton secret<\/a>, and its 15th-century architecture gives it a real storybook vibe.<\/p>\n Also, let’s be real: Saint-Corentin, rising above the slate roofs of the Old Town with its soaring Gothic spires<\/strong>, is one of the prettiest cathedrals in the country. Crazy-detailed stained glass, hauntingly-beautiful vaulted ceilings, and serene riverside setting.<\/p>\n The cathedral alone is good-enough reason to get me packing my bags, but failing that, I’d travel as many miles as necessary just to have another forkful of Aux Vieux Quimper’s iconic square cr\u00eapes.<\/p>\n Europe is changing its entry requirements for Americans. Make sure you know the travel rules that apply at the time of departure here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arles<\/p>\n The region of Provence is perhaps the second most popular French destination after Paris, but beyond the award-winning Gordes wineries and the endless lavender fields, there’s a whole forgotten Roman world to discover that most tourists are sleeping on.<\/p>\n One of my favorite towns to explore in Provence is Arles, a picture-perfect riverside gem<\/strong> with an insane ancient heritage, strong artistic vein, and laid-back southern vibe without the Aix crowds.<\/p>\n I’m a big History buff myself, and having been to a fair few Roman arenas in my time, I have to say Arles’ Roman Amphitheater features among the most-impressive ones. It’s perfectly-preserved, with an intact elliptical arena, marble seats, and monumental arcades.<\/p>\n In summer, you can even catch live gigs<\/strong> as it still hosts live entertainment to this day.<\/p>\n The town of Arles itself is a Post-Impressionist dreamscape, with jaune stone buildings and their signature Southern European shutters, and a golden-hour atmosphere that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a 19th-century painting.<\/p>\n Speaking of which, Arles just happens to be the spot where Van Gogh painted a\u00a0ton\u00a0of his most famous works.<\/p>\n From Yellow House, to Caf\u00e9 Terrace, to Starry Night over the Rh\u00f4ne, it’s just the coolest thing to see these paintings come to life, almost exactly as the tortured Dutch genius left them.<\/p>\n Aigues-Mortes<\/p>\n France is the land of fairytale castles and ch\u00e2teaux, but certainly an entirely-walled medieval town with imposing ramparts, and a bubblegum-pink lake for backdrop<\/a> has to be some sort of AI fever dream?<\/p>\n That’s what I used to think, too, until I drove past Aigues-Mortes on my way to the much more hyped Montpellier, located a 35-minute drive away, and my heart just stopped short of exploding. To be quite frank, it felt like I was dreaming<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Even just pulling up to the town’s gates, where the main car park is, staring along the imposing towers and ramparts, and full of empty moats, will steal your breath away. If you know what I mean, the fortifications surrounding the Old Town are Dubrovnik-level of pretty.<\/p>\n The coolest part?<\/p>\n You can actually walk on them<\/strong> on a loop around the entire perimeter, with views of Aigues-Mortes’ centuries-old tiled-roofs and grid-like townscape on one side, and its glistening pink lake on the other. Up stone steps and down ladders, and onto windswept battlements, it’s a 45-minute stroll of pure Old World magic.<\/p>\n Oh, and if you’re wondering why on top of it there’s a pink lake in the scene, Aigues-Mortes is located in Camargue, France’s heavyweight for sea salt production.<\/p>\n Not to get too technical here as you’re probably here for the vibes, like me, but the pink is due to a mixture of extremely salty water + a microorganism called Dunaliella salina.\u200b<\/p>\n You can go around the lake, and visit the salt marshes on a little cute tourist train leaving from Salin d\u2019Aigues-Mortes, and if it’s that vivid pink color you’re hoping for, like the pictures, July or August are the best months to visit<\/strong> because both sunlight and salinity are highest.<\/p>\n Reims<\/p>\n Speaking of cathedrals, what if I told you France’s most important medieval cathedral<\/a> is not Paris’ iconic Notre-Dame, though you can visit it easily at only a short one-hour TGV ride away? Does the fact that barely any international tourists come here sound appealing enough to you?<\/p>\n Welcome to Reims, the proud home of Notre-Dame de Reims, the quintessential Gothic edifice to crown them all<\/strong>.\u200b<\/p>\n In a sense, this is France’s Westminster Abbey: it’s where, from c. 816 to 1825, almost all French kings were crowned, starting with Louis the Pious, one of the very first Christian monarchs, and ending with Charles X.<\/p>\n The building itself is simply a marvel to look at, with its three portals richly-decorated with biblical sculptures and figures of saints, a rose window surrounded by elaborate tracery, and flying buttresses that seem to touch the sky.\u200b<\/p>\n That’s the main reason why the odd wandering tourists would take a day trip here from Paris, before making the gross mistake on hopping on the train back right away. Don’t<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Reims’s Basilique de Saint-Remi is just as impressive, if not more: a Romanesque-Gothic hybrid, it has the most spectacular display of stained glasswork I’ve seen in my life, and the low-light, ethereal interior is mesmerizing.<\/p>\n My top Reims hidden gem, though? Porte de Mars, a virtually intact 3rd-century Roman triumphal arch<\/strong>, with clearly visible carvings and reliefs. Sorry, the history-obsessed male in me can’t resist the Roman Empire obsession.<\/p>\n Bastia (Corsica)<\/p>\n On the\u00a0quieter side of Corsica<\/a>, away from the busy international airports and crowded beach bars of the southern coast, Bastia straddles the sparsely populated northeastern coast of the island, and in a way, it feels less like a tourist spectacle and more like a window of authentic island life.<\/p>\n It has a bustling port, local markets, lively back streets, and that Southern European grit<\/strong>: you know, that lived-in, urban feel.<\/p>\n With its pastel-hue townhouses, fishing boats, charming Italian-style caf\u00e9s, and glittering waterfront, the Viex Port, or Old Port, is my coup de c\u0153ur\u2014that’s just a French word for a major highlight you absolutely cannot miss.<\/p>\n What can I say? I have a soft spot for that slow, salty, Mediterranean lifestyle.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Reims-Cathedral-In-France.jpg\")
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