The most beautiful natural and national parks of France

Here is the list of the most beautiful natural parks in France!

1.La Vanoise // as beautiful as Banff -Canada

As a good Savoyard, I can't not put la Vanoise first in this ranking! It's already the very first national park in France (declared as such in 63 to protect ibex, and everyone loves ibex, you'll be delighted to know that it now has the largest ibex population in France!), but on top of that, it's absolutely magnificent!!

It spreads across the valleys of Maurienne and Tarentaise, revealing countless hiking trails climbing mountains and glaciers rising to over 3800 meters altitude!

Things to do:

• Eat a blueberry tart at the mountain hut
• Admire the view from the summit of Petit Mont Blanc
• Choose the most beautiful hike around 107 lakes
• Tour the glaciers of la Vanoise as a multi-day trek
• See all this from above by paragliding
• Watch marmots living their best life in summer
• Discover wild flowers (without picking them!)
• Search for the Dahu!
• Stop to buy beaufort cheese at the local dairy
• No need to specify that the winter version comes with skiing-snowshoeing-raclette and company!

2. Le Verdon // as green as Semuc Champey- Guatemala

Let's not lie to ourselves, le Verdon is stunning. It's a crowd-pleaser with its splendid views and its turquoise water canyon! But not just any turquoise! The waters of le Verdon can make the most beautiful beaches in the Caribbean pale with envy!

And all this in the Var hinterland, just a few hours from Nice, Toulon or Marseille! No need to take a 10-hour flight to Guatemala (even though I highly recommend it!)

Things to do:

• Canoe Kayak
• Rafting
• Rock climbing
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Visit the gorgeous little villages all around

3. Mercantour National Park // as reflective as Matheson Lake – NZ

How lucky are those who live near Mercantour. They're really well positioned! They have a magnificent national park full of mountains, lakes and forest, and at the same time, they're right next to Italy, not far from Spain, and less than an hour from the beach! Why choose when you can have sea and mountains!

Things to do:

• Hiking
• Swimming
• Photography
• Canyoning
• Rafting
• Mountain biking
• Rock climbing
• Skiing and snowshoeing in winter

4. Cévennes National Park // as bewitching as the Carpathians

Nature and starry sky lovers, this park is made for you! The Cévennes, located in the south of the Massif Central, extend across the departments of Lozère, Gard and Ardèche. Its nights are renowned for offering you one of the clearest skies in France and promise unforgettable nights under the stars!

It's the only national park of medium mountains and has been classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO since 1985. It shelters one of the greatest biodiversities in France and if you're discreet, you'll encounter many wild animals!

Things to do:

• Via Ferrata
• Horseback riding
• Hiking with donkeys
• Caving
• Hiking & Bivouac
• Stargazing
• Canoeing on the Tarn
• Wildlife and flora observation

5. Écrins National Park // as imposing as the Himalayas

There's no denying it, mountains are impressive. Their imposing silhouettes fascinate and attract climbers as well as dreamers and photographers.

With more than 100 peaks rising above 3000 meters and its famous Barre des Écrins tickling the sky at 4102 meters, this national park is considered THE high mountain park of Europe!

Paradise for climbers as well as hikers, the Écrins is a bit The Place to Be!

Things to do:

• Cross mountain passes by bike like in the Tour de France
• Hiking
• Rock climbing
• Via Ferrata
• Mountain biking
• Paragliding
• Freeride skiing on France's most beautiful off-piste at la Grave

6. Camargue Regional Natural Park // as photogenic as the pink lake of Senegal

Camargue! (With the accent please), delivers a very rich wetland, made of salt marshes populated by pink flamingos, swamps, ponds and rice fields. All of it, bordering the Mediterranean Sea and its kilometers of beach.

Land of traditions, the image of Camargue is inseparable from its wild horses and its bull breeding. The region is also one of the main migration places for birds that come to spend the winter there, like some of our elders who go down south from November (and they're quite right!). So it's a great place to observe gray cranes, wild geese, swans, etc.

Things to do:

• Visit the salt marshes
• Cycling (it's flat!)
• Discover sand wine
• Bird watching
• Visit Aigues-Mortes because honestly what's so cute!
• Go to the beach
• Horse riding on the beach with hair in the wind (at sunset)
• AND ESPECIALLY, don't forget your super powerful mosquito repellent, like the one you keep for an expedition in the Thai jungle!

7. Calanques National Park // as paradisiac as the Balearic Islands

The Calanques National Park is the pride of Marseille residents and the joy of tourists who like to walk, discover incredible coves and jump into the water in summer (sensitive to cold abstain, Calanques water is not known for being warm!)

It's the only park in Europe that is terrestrial, marine and periurban at the same time! These landscapes of limestone cliffs plunging into turquoise waters, against a backdrop of pine forests, paint a striking picture of the wild beauty of southern France!

There are 26 calanques that can be discovered on foot, by kayak, by boat or while diving!

Things to do:

• Kayaking
• Diving
• Hiking
• Swimming
• Visit Marseille (after all!)

8. Pyrénées National Park // as surprising as Slovenia!

A true natural border between France and Spain, the Pyrénées National Park spreads its beauty over 100 km, 6 valleys and 2 departments: Hautes-Pyrénées and Pyrénées-Atlantiques. It's the third French national park to have been created, on March 23, 1967. Today there are 11!

The site "Pyrénées Mont perdu, cirque et canyons" is even inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list as natural and cultural heritage (for the extremely rich history of mountain pastoral communities).

Things to do:

• Hiking (we can never say it enough!)
• Fly fishing
• Bear hunting (figuratively of course, and only armed with your camera!)
• Rock climbing
• Mountain biking
• Paragliding
• And of course, skiing and snowshoeing in winter!

9. Armorique Regional Natural Park // as wild as Ireland

Head to Brittany now with the magnificent Armorique Regional Natural Park!

Lands of contrasts, Finistère, where the earth ends, invites you to breathe the sea air from the open sea and merge into its bluish horizon. The Armorique park, home of our indomitable ancestors, covers the islands of the Iroise sea, the Crozon peninsula, the Brest harbor and the Aulne estuary, as well as the Arrée mountains. So there's something for everyone!

A multitude of possibilities and a fabulous playground for the adventurer sleeping within you!

Things to do:

• Swimming
• Cycling (once again, it's flat!)
• Hiking
• Boat rides
• Sea fishing
• Marine wildlife observation
• And don't leave without having a butter cure, between traditional Breton galettes and kouign amann!

10. Auvergne Volcanoes Regional Natural Park // as mystical as Scotland

First Regional Natural Park in France, the Auvergne volcanoes park is a fascinating place full of magic. Covered by the Massif Central, reminiscent of a mountain chain born over 300 million years ago, the park covers 5 natural regions including 5 volcanic massifs. The Cantal stratovolcano is the highest volcano in Europe!

Emblematic image of the park, the Chaîne des Puys is a set of 80 extinct volcanoes, stretching over more than 45 km. Their first eruptions date back to 95,000 years and the last ones to over 8,600 years.

The site is inscribed on UNESCO's natural world heritage list.

Things to do:

• Go see the sunset at the summit of Puy de Dôme
• Walk on the ridges of Sancy
• Discover the fascinating world of volcanoes thanks to Vulcania Park
• Tour around lake Guéry
• Swim in lake Chambon
• Visit medieval castles
• Have a little thermal spa treatment

11. Vercors Regional Natural Park // as grandiose as the Drakensberg (South Africa)

Straddling Drôme and Isère, the Vercors Regional Natural Park plunges you into a fairytale setting made of limestone cliffs, ridges and magnificent gorges where rivers with translucent water flow.

These very diverse landscapes make it one of the most beautiful parks to visit in France today!

But it's also a place full of history and tradition! Vercors is a major site of the French Resistance and today pays tribute to its resistance fighters!

Things to do:

• Hiking (accompanied by a donkey if you feel like it!)
• Caving
• Cave visits (Grotte de la Luire, de Thaïs, de Chorange)
• Canyoning
• Mountain biking
• Rock climbing / Via Ferrata
• Paragliding
• Skiing and snowshoeing in winter

12. Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park // as autumnal as Quebec!

The Ballons des Vosges regional natural park extends over the Grand Est region and Bourgogne Franche-Comté. Including some major cities such as Belfort, Mulhouse or Colmar, it's the most populated park in France, but it's also one of the largest with over 3000 km². But don't panic, its wide open spaces are full of nature's wonders and magnificent wildlife. Lynx, deer, chamois, and even gray wolves, inhabit this massif.

14 summits rise from these forests of oaks, beeches and firs dotted with large lakes and rivers. Quebec better watch out, we even have cranberries!

Things to do:

• Hiking (7000 km of marked trails nonetheless)
• Mountain biking
• Swimming in summer
• Fishing
• Animal observation
• Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in winter

13. Port-Cros National Park // as crystalline as Dalmatia (Croatia)

Room for the sea and the underwater world, with Port-Cros national park, Europe's first terrestrial and marine park!

Translucent turquoise waters that make all Pacific beaches pale, steep cliffs crossed by hiking trails, hidden coves and magnificent beaches await you on the islands of Porquerolles and Port-Cros at the heart of the eponymous national park. Bagaud island and Îlot de la Gabinière being integral reserves are off-limits.

This wild and preserved nature shelters a fabulous and protected marine world as well as numerous bird species.

Things to do:

• Hiking
• Scuba diving and snorkeling
• Swimming
• Bird watching
• Visits to numerous military forts

14. Lubéron Regional Natural Park // as colorful as Canoa Quebrada!

The Lubéron Regional Natural Park extends between Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and Vaucluse. In order to preserve its exceptional flora, Lubéron is now classified as a UNESCO Biosphere reserve. The cherry on the cake is to go hiking in the Colorado Provençal or the Ochres of Rustrel.

These sites immediately arouse our curiosity and our mind is surprised to take the American West road among canyons or northern Argentina and its multicolored mountains. For me, it reminds me of this little village of Canoa Quebrada in northern Brazil!

The ochres contrast with the green of vegetation and the blue of the sky for an explosive palette and unmissable photos!

Don't hesitate to explore this natural park crossed by the GR6 and admire its incredible fairy chimneys!

Things to do:

• Hiking (on foot only! It's forbidden to enter the park any other way! So no biking or horseback riding)
• Photography
• Visit typical Provençal villages
• Geology lessons
• Make your friends believe you went to the ends of the earth

15. Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park // as beautiful as the Whitsundays (ok, almost)

We weren't going to forget the Landes! This magnificent region bordering the Atlantic Ocean! This vast regional park, of more than 3000 km², directly entered the top 5 of France's largest parks!

It was created in 1970 to protect its gigantic pignada (its pine forest) and the splendid Arcachon basin.

Things to do:

• Climb to the top of Dune du Pilat to observe it from the outside (and from above)
• Canoe Kayak on the Leyre
• Bird watching in the ornithological reserve of Teich
• Walk around the lagoons
• Get lost in the immensity of its forest