Regions in France: our guides & map
France divides into 13 regions across the mainland, each with its own landscape, climate, architecture and property market. Explore every French region on the interactive map, then open a full guide for the ones that fit the life you are planning.
The French regions map
Click any region on the map, or pick one from the list, to open its dedicated guide. Each covers the region’s geography, main cities and départements, the property market and what it is really like to live there.
Hover a region, or pick one below.
13 metropolitan regions. Click any region to open its full guide.
How many regions are there in France?
Metropolitan France, the mainland plus Corsica, has 13 regions. Add the five overseas regions (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion and Mayotte) and the country counts 18 in total. The mainland figure is recent: a 2016 reform merged the former 22 regions into 13 larger ones, which is why historic names such as Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes now sit together inside a single region, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
You will also hear France described through its provinces. Before the Revolution, the country was organised into historic France provinces such as Brittany, Normandy, Provence, Burgundy and Alsace. Those provinces were abolished as administrative units in 1790, yet their names survive everywhere, on wine labels, road signs and in everyday speech, because they still capture a region’s identity better than any official boundary.
French regions vs départements: what is the difference?
A region is the largest administrative area of France; the département is the tier directly below it. Each of the 13 mainland regions is divided into several départements, 96 across metropolitan France, which run more local matters such as roads, secondary schools and social support. Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, for instance, contains six départements, among them the Alpes-Maritimes around Nice and Cannes.
For a buyer, the distinction is practical. The region tells you the broad climate, culture and price band; the département and the commune pin down the exact market, the taxe foncière and the day-to-day feel of a place. To keep this page readable we stay at region level here, départements have their own dedicated guide.
The main areas of France, region by region
It helps to picture the country as a few broad areas, each covering two or three regions. Here is how the regions in France group together across the map, with a link to every full guide.
Northern France
- Hauts-de-FranceThe far north, from the Opal Coast to Lille, the most affordable corner of the country.
- NormandyCliffs, cider and the D-Day beaches, within easy reach of Paris and the UK.
- Île-de-FranceParis and its wider region, the economic and cultural heart of France.
- Grand EstAlsace, Champagne and Lorraine, where France meets Germany and Belgium.
Western France
- BrittanyA rugged Atlantic peninsula with its own language, coastline and character.
- Pays de la LoireLoire châteaux, the city of Nantes and a mild, green Atlantic hinterland.
- Centre-Val de LoireThe royal Loire Valley, châteaux, vineyards and gentle countryside.
Central and Eastern France
- Bourgogne-Franche-ComtéBurgundy’s vineyards and the quiet Jura mountains toward Switzerland.
- Auvergne-Rhône-AlpesLyon, the Alps and Mont Blanc, ski resorts and volcanic uplands.
Southern France
- Nouvelle-AquitaineThe vast south-west: Bordeaux wine, the Dordogne and the Basque coast.
- OccitanieThe Mediterranean Languedoc, the Pyrenees and pink-brick Toulouse.
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’AzurProvence, the French Riviera and the southern Alps, France’s sun belt.
- CorsicaA mountainous Mediterranean island of beaches, maquis and fierce identity.
Not sure which region fits?
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