Hauts-de-France (Upper France) is one of the country's least heralded regions, but with dramatic land and sea views, deeply rooted culture, culinary traditions that include freshly caught seafood, age-old Flemish recipes and locally brewed beers, it competes with the best France has to offer.
Grand Est contains three former regions: Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne, and Lorraine. From the vine hills in the Champagne to the Vosges Mountains. From the film set villages and cities to the dramatic world war battlefields.
The Île-de-France région – the 12,000 sq km 'Island of France' shaped by five rivers that encircles the French capital – contains splendid architecture including some of the most monumental châteaux in the country, set amid magnificent gardens.
These are the top experiences and sights in Hauts-de-France, Grand Est and Île-de-France, according to Lonely Planet.
