TOP 20 most visited tourist sites in France

The Hexagon and its natural and cultural heritage are in the spotlight during the Tour de France. Let's take the opportunity to rediscover the sites that we visit the most in France. Museums, amusement parks, historical monuments, here are the 20 attractions (listed by the newspaper "Les Échos") which were the most popular in France in 2012.

1 - Disneyland Paris: Mickey and his friends are all the rage in France, or should we say, in Europe. For the 15.9 million visitors registered last year came from all over Europe and even the world, in Marne-la-Vallée. A beautiful 20th birthday.

2 - Notre-Dame-de-Paris: far behind the Walt Disney Company, the most visited historical monument in France attracted in 2012 some 13 million visitors, while a million of them climbed in the towers of the building. It is estimated that 20 million tourists walked the square to admire the cathedral.

3 - The Louvre Museum: 9.7 million people flocked to what is perhaps the most famous museum in the world, to admire the Mona Lisa, the jellyfish raft and many other major works.

4 - The Eiffel Tower: 7 million people climbed into the tower that best symbolizes the French capital.

5 - The Palace of Versailles: more than 7 million people visited the castle last year (including 4 million paid admissions). Not to mention all those who wandered in the royal gardens.

6 - Center Pompidou: nearly 4 million people (3.8 million) visited the permanent and temporary exhibitions of the cultural center, in the center of Paris.

7 - The Musée d'Orsay: the origin of the world was "z'yeuté" by 3.6 million visitors. The same goes for the works of Renoir, Manet, Courbet ... It is in the Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin district, in the 7th arrondissement.

8 - The Garden of Plants: it is good to oxygenate in this botanical garden of 23ha in the heart of the 5th arrondissement of the capital. An oasis of pure air, a haven of peace! 2 million people came to discover the plants of the whole world and to relax.

9 - The City of Science and Industry: in the park of La Villette north-east of Paris, science is popular. 1.7 million people came to cultivate there last year.

10 - The Futuroscope: with 1.7 million visitors, it is the second most visited amusement park after Disneyland Paris and just in front of Parc Astérix.

But also…

11 - The Asterix Park
12 - The Puy du Fou
13 - The Arc de Triomphe
14 - The National Galleries of the Grand Palais
15 - The American Cemetery of Omaha
16 - The Army Museum, installed at the National Hotel des Invalides
17 - The Quai Branly Museum
18 - The Abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel
19 - The Castle of the Dukes of Brittany, in Nantes
20 - Sainte Chapelle, on the Ile de la Cité, in Paris

(Source)