France
France has been a State Party to the World Heritage Convention since 1975. With 54 inscribed properties, the country ranks among the leading countries worldwide in terms of World Heritage Sites. The majority of its sites are cultural properties, reflecting a strong emphasis on historical and architectural heritage. Some of these properties are shared with neighboring countries, demonstrating cooperation across borders in heritage conservation.
France as a State Party to the World Heritage Convention
State Party since: June 27, 1975
Status: Acceptance
Mandates to the World Heritage Committee: 1976-1978, 1978-1985, 1987-1993, 1993-1999, 2009-2013
Total of Mandate Years: 25
Total of Mandates: 5
WHC Electoral Group: I (Western Europe/North America)
World Heritage Sites in France (54)
Cultural: 45 | Natural: 7 | Mixed: 2
- Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe · Cultural
- Amiens Cathedral · Cultural
- Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe · Natural (Transboundary)
- Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments · Cultural
- Belfries of Belgium and France · Cultural (Transboundary)
- Bordeaux, Port of the Moon · Cultural
- Bourges Cathedral · Cultural
- Canal du Midi · Cultural
- Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims · Cultural
- Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars · Cultural
- Chartres Cathedral · Cultural
- Chaîne des Puys - Limagne fault tectonic arena · Natural
- Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay · Cultural
- Cordouan Lighthouse · Cultural
- Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche · Cultural
- Episcopal City of Albi · Cultural
- Fortifications of Vauban · Cultural
- French Austral Lands and Seas · Natural
- From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt · Cultural
- Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front) · Cultural (Transboundary)
- Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve · Natural
- Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge · Cultural
- Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne · Cultural
- Historic Site of Lyon · Cultural
- Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion · Cultural
- Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems · Natural
- Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret · Cultural
- Megaliths of Carnac and of the shores of Morbihan · Cultural
- Mont-Saint-Michel and its Bay · Cultural
- Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera · Cultural
- Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin · Cultural
- Palace and Park of Fontainebleau · Cultural
- Palace and Park of Versailles · Cultural
- Paris, Banks of the Seine · Cultural
- Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island · Natural
- Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance in Nancy · Cultural
- Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct) · Cultural
- Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps · Cultural (Transboundary)
- Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley · Cultural
- Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs · Cultural
- Pyrénées - Mont Perdu · Mixed (Transboundary)
- Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange · Cultural
- Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France · Cultural
- Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt · Cultural
- Taputapuātea · Cultural
- Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands · Mixed
- The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement · Cultural (Transboundary)
- The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape · Cultural
- The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy · Cultural
- The Great Spa Towns of Europe · Cultural (Transboundary)
- The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes · Cultural
- The Maison Carrée of Nîmes · Cultural
- Volcanoes and Forests of Mount Pelée and the Pitons of Northern Martinique · Natural
- Vézelay, Church and Hill · Cultural
Map of World Heritage Sites
This interactive map shows the location of all UNESCO World Heritage Sites in France.
Tentative World Heritage Sites (33)
- Enclos paroissiaux du Finistère · submitted: April 3, 2024
- Extension to the existing World Heritage Property “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe” · submitted: January 31, 2024
- L’observatoire du pic du Midi de Bigorre, pionnier en haute montagne · submitted: October 27, 2022
- Saint-Honorat, Île monastique de l’archipel de Lérins à Cannes · submitted: July 21, 2022
- Les témoignages matériels de la construction de l’État des Pyrénées : la Co-principauté d’Andorre · submitted: January 25, 2021
- Domaine de Fontainebleau : château, jardins, parc et forêt · submitted: November 25, 2020
- Le Charolais-Brionnais, paysage culturel de l'élevage bovin · submitted: March 12, 2018
- Cité de Carcassonne et ses châteaux sentinelles de montagne · submitted: April 21, 2017
- Les Alpes de la Méditerranée · submitted: January 31, 2017
- Metz Royale et Impériale, enjeux de pouvoir, confrontations stylistiques et identité urbaine · submitted: April 7, 2014
- Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944 · submitted: April 7, 2014
- La Camargue · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Bouches de Bonifacio · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Parc national des Écrins · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Parc national de Port-Cros · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Marais salants de Guérande · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Le rivage méditerranéen des Pyrénées · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Rade de Marseille · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Les villes antiques de la Narbonnaise et leur territoire : Nîmes, Arles, Glanum, aqueducs, via Domitia · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Le chemin de fer de Cerdagne · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales, Meudon · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Hangar Y · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Ancienne chocolaterie Menier à Noisiel · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Centre ancien de Sarlat · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Arsenal de Rochefort et fortifications de l'estuaire de la Charente · submitted: February 1, 2002
- Ensemble de grottes à concrétions du Sud de la France · submitted: June 8, 2000
- Parc national de la Vanoise · submitted: June 8, 2000
- Massif du Mont Blanc · submitted: June 8, 2000
- Cathédrale de Saint-Denis · submitted: September 20, 1996
- Rouen : ensemble urbain à pans de bois, cathédrale, église Saint-Ouen, église Saint Maclou · submitted: September 20, 1996
- Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte · submitted: September 20, 1996
- Les villes bastionnées des Pays-Bas du nord-ouest de l'Europe · submitted: September 20, 1996
- Montagne Sainte-Victoire et sites cézaniens · submitted: September 20, 1996
Country Profile France
Official Name: French Republic
Continent: Europe
Subregion: Western Europe
UNESCO Region: Europe and North America
Capital: Paris
Population (2024): 68,516,699
Land Area: 547,560 km²
Currency: Euro (EUR)
About States Parties
States Parties are countries that have joined the World Heritage Convention. They commit to identifying, nominating, and protecting properties of outstanding cultural or natural value on their territory. States Parties are also expected to monitor and report on the condition of inscribed sites.