10 Most Affordable Places to Visit in France That are Also Beautiful

If you are on a budget, then you are going to love the 10 most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful.

If you are planning a trip to Europe, then France is a must visit country, along with the 16 best places to spend a month in Europe. When you read through our list, you will be able to learn about best cities in France to live as well as the best cities to visit in France, like Strasbourg, Reims, Honfleur and so on. As you can tell from the title, this article is all about the tourist on a budget, and you can pretty much expect the list to consist of the cheapest cities in France to visit, like Carcassonne and Arles. You see when it comes to France the first city that comes to mind is obviously Paris, which is very expensive. If you are looking for answers to questions like what are the best places to visit in France outside of Paris? Then you are also going to find it in here.

France is a massive country and finding a definitive answer to a list of places in France, depends more on your willingness, and especially your budget. You can spend an absolute fortune in Paris’ luxury hotels and shopping malls and yet come home dissatisfied that you did not see much. Or you can follow our list while adhering to a strict budget and see a lot of France in just one go. Albeit, you will not be lodging in the places where royalty dines, but you will have a good experience like the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit France each year. After you are done with France, we recommend that you also take a look at the 7 Most Affordable Places to Visit in Italy That Are Also Beautiful as well.

France is definitely not the most affordable option for a trip to Europe but, it is certainly one of the most beautiful places to visit in Europe. The country is the perfect blend of modern cities full of tourist attractions and historic sites that embody the notion of western civilization. France has something to offer to everyone within its vast territories. As the title of this article suggests, we emphasized on affordability and also the beauty of the cities. However, as the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and quantifying beauty in any way is beyond us. But, we can certainly slap a number on affordability and rely on expert opinion regarding how beautiful a place is. We would like to thank Budget Your Trip, a good website to do some budget research, as it lists approximate cost of food, accommodation and traveling within France based on real tourist’s feedback. We also sought help from Transitions Abroad and Lonely Planet. Finally, we put Google through its paces for additional information.

France is a pretty big country with lots of cities to visit, and we tried to find the most affordable ones for this article. In other words, the more affordable a city is, the higher it has been ranked in our list. The plus side is, there are plenty of beautiful sights to be seen in every city you visit in France, just keep reading, and we will let you know about them as we go. For this article, we are only considering expenses for an individual traveling alone, which will give you a general idea about the budget you will need.

Since the methodology has been covered, it is about time we started ranking 10 most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful.

9. Reims

Average Daily Cost: $103

We are starting off our list with Reims, which is the unofficial capital of Champagne-Ardenne region of France. If you ever wanted to see how Champagne is made and where it’s made, then Reims could be your dream destination. As you can imagine there are many champagne houses headquartered that offer tours and tasting for tourists. Apart from those, you can also visit Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims, where for thousands of years French kings have been crowned. Other attractions include Montagne de Reims Regional Natural Park, Palace of Tau the palace of the Arch Bishop of France, and many more historical sites.

9. Nantes

Average Daily Cost: $103

Nantes is a beautiful city located on the Loire River in the Upper Brittany region of western France. Nantes has served as the financial center for the neighboring areas for a long time, mainly due to its location thanks to Loire river. When it comes to tourist attractions, Nantes does not disappoint either. You can visit the ancestral home of the Dukes of Brittany and the medieval Château des Ducs de Bretagne. Also, you can visit Machines of the Isle of Nantes, a park containing artwork inspired by Jules Verne and Leonardo da Vinci. There’s also Nantes Cathedral, Jules Verne Museum and many more other famous attractions in the city for you to explore.

8. Carcassonne

Average Daily Cost: $100

At number 8 in our list of most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful, we have Carcassonne, a beautiful hilltop town in France’s Languedoc area. The most notable tourist attraction in Carcassonne is the medieval citadel, La Cité. This edifice boasts numerous watchtowers and double-walled fortifications. Other attractions include Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus, Canal du Midi a beautiful 240-kilometer long canal, and Château de Quéribus a historical monument.

5. Strasbourg

Average Daily Cost: $99

Strasbourg is the capital of Grand Est region. Due to its proximity to the German border, you can see both German and French influence in the city’s architecture and culture. The city has great historic and political significance. And of course, Strasbourg boasts unparalleled natural beauty alongside many architectural marvels — including but not limited to the Strasbourg Cathedral, Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, and the Ill river.

5. Montpellier

Average Daily Cost: $99

We are continuing our list of most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful with Montpellier that is a beautiful city in southern France. A must see in Montpellier is Musée Fabre, a beautiful art museum containing works from old European and French masters. Also, there is the 14th century Gothic Cathédrale Saint-Pierre. Other notable attractions in the city are, Jardin des Plantes de Montpellier a beautiful botanical garden, Montpellier Zoological Park, and Pavillon Populaire, a modern photography museum.

5. Caen

Average Daily Cost: $99

We are halfway through our list of 10 most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful, and in the 5th spot, we have Caen, a rich port city in France’s famous Normandy region. At the very center of this beautiful city, you have the Château de Caen, a castle built by William the Conqueror. You can also visit numerous other locations in the city like the Mémorial de Caen a war museum, Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Abbey of Saint-Étienne and Parc Festyland a theme park featuring quite a few rides.

4. Le Mans

Average Daily Cost: $78

Le Mans ranks 4th in our list of most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful and is located on the bank of Sarthe River. It is an awesome place to visit if you are on a budget. As you can see, you will need to spend roughly $78 per day which includes average lodging, food, and light traveling expenses. A day in one of France’s most beautiful cities for just $78 is a steal. While you are there, you might want to visit Musée des 24 Heures du Mans, a motorsport museum, Papéa Parc, an awesome place to splash around in the lake with boat rides, and L’Épau Abbey a thirteenth century Abbey in Le Mans.

3. Lille

Average Daily Cost: $77

Up next on our list of most affordable places to visit in France that are also beautiful is Lille that is the capital of Hauts-de-France region. Historically, the city served as a merchant center for French Flanders, and you can find that influence throughout the city today. The major tourists’ attractions in Lille include Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille art museum, Lille Cathedral, Lille Métropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art, and the Birthplace Charles de Gaulle, the famous French leader who led France to freedom from the clutches of The Third Reich and several parks.

2. Arles

Average Daily Cost: $66

Arles once served as the provincial capital of ancient Rome, and many remnants of that era can still be seen dotted across the city. If you are a history buff, then this place is perfect for you. As you can see, you can move around and live comfortably in the city for merely $66 each day. Which is really impressive considering we are talking about France. If you travel south from Arles, you will stumble upon Camargue, a beautiful natural reserve full of picturesque scenery, most notable of which are flocks of flamingos. You can also visit Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue and Arles Amphitheatre, an ancient Roman Amphitheater.

1. Honfleur

Average Daily Cost: $47

In our research the most affordable (and also beautiful) place in France is Honfleur. Located in France’s Normandy region. Here, the Seine River meets the famous English Channel. If you choose to visit Honfleur, you can enjoy incredible places like Naturospace Honfleur a sprawling greenhouse filled with butterflies, Saint Catherine’s Church, cable-stayed road bridge, The Pont de Normandie and long beaches stretching for miles like the Butin Beach.

This wraps up our list of 10 Most Affordable Places To Visit In France That Are Also Beautiful.