UNESCO World Heritage Sites in France are:

1. Chartres Cathedral
2. Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay
3. Palace and Park of Versailles
4. Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley
5. Vézelay, Church and Hill
6. Amiens Cathedral
7. Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments
8. Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay
9. Palace and Park of Fontainebleau
10. Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the “Triumphal Arch” of Orange
11. From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt
12. Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe
13. Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve
14. Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance in Nancy
15. Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)
16. Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt
17. Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims
18. Paris, Banks of the Seine
19. Bourges Cathedral
20. Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge
21. Canal du Midi
22. Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne
23. Pyrénées – Mont Perdu
24. Historic Site of Lyon
25. Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
26. Belfries of Belgium and France 9
27. Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion
28. The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes 10
29. Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs
30. Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret
31. Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe
32. Bordeaux, Port of the Moon
33. Fortifications of Vauban
34. Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems
35. Episcopal City of Albi
36. Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island
37. Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps
38. The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape
39. Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin
40. Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche
41. Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars
42. The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy
43. The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement
44. Taputapuātea
45. Chaîne des Puys – Limagne fault tectonic arena
46. French Austral Lands and Seas
47. Cordouan Lighthouse
48. Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera
49. The Great Spa Towns of Europe
50. Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)
51. The Maison Carrée of Nîmes
52. Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique

> View other UNESCO World Heritage Sites

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites comprise 1,199 properties.

World heritage property is a legacy from the past, that people live with today, and pass on to future generations.

The cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of knowledge and inspiration.

UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world that are considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty known as the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

A World Heritage Site is an area or landmark designated by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The sites have legal protection by an international convention.

A World Heritage Site is nominated by their host country and determined by the international committee to be a unique landmark which is geographically and historically identifiable and having a special cultural or physical significance. World Heritage Sites are usually ones with ancient features, historical structures, buildings, cities, deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments or mountains.

The site may signify a remarkable accomplishment of people and serve as evidence of intellectual history or a place of unparralled natural beauty.

The sites are intended for practical conservation for posterity, which otherwise would be subject to risk from human or animal trespassing, unmonitored, uncontrolled or unrestricted access, or threat from local administrative negligence. Sites are demarcated by UNESCO as protected zones.

The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance.

The work began with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage. The convention was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 195 states have ratified the convention, making it one of the most widely recognised international agreements and a popular cultural programme.