List of World Heritage Sites in France

This is a list of World Heritage sites in France with properties of cultural and natural heritage in France as inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List or as on the country's tentative list.^[1] France accepted the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on June 27, 1975, after which it could nominate properties on their territory to be considered for the World Heritage List.^[2]

Currently, 44 properties in France are inscribed on the World Heritage List. 39 of these are cultural properties, 4 are natural properties, and 1 is mixed.^[1] Four properties are transboundary properties.^[3] The first was added to the list in 1979 and the latest in 2019. Five properties were submitted in 1979.^[1] The tentative list of France contains 37 properties.^[4]

The names in the tables below are the names of the properties as used on the website of UNESCO.^[1] There are three different types of properties possible: cultural, natural, and mixed.^[5] Selection criteria i, ii, iii, iv, v, and vi are the cultural criteria, and selection criteria vii, viii, ix, and x are the natural criteria.^[6] The dates for the properties on the World Heritage List are the dates of inscription, the dates for the tentative list are those of submission. The numbers are the reference numbers as used by UNESCO, and they link directly to the description pages of the properties on the UNESCO website.^[1]

Properties on the World Heritage List[]

Ref #	Site	Image	Region	Era	Type	Year listed	Extension	Description
230	Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe		Nouvelle-Aquitaine	9th century	cultural	1983	2007	[7]
165	Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay		Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	12th century	cultural	1981	2007	[8]
164	Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments		Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	from 1st century BC to 4th century; 12th century	cultural	1981	-	[9]
84	Vézelay, Church and Hill		Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	12th century	cultural	1979	2007	[10]
943	Belfries of Belgium and France		Hauts-de-France	13th century-20th century	cultural	1999	2005	Transboundary property, shared with Belgium; extension of the former Belfries of Flanders and Wallonia [11]
1256	Bordeaux, Port of the Moon		Nouvelle-Aquitaine	18th century	cultural	2007	-	[12]
770	Canal du Midi		Occitanie	17th century	cultural	1996	-	[13]
162	Amiens Cathedral		Hauts-de-France	13th century	cultural	1981	-	[14]
635	Bourges Cathedral		Centre-Val de Loire	13th century	cultural	1992	-	[15]
81	Chartres Cathedral		Centre-Val de Loire	13th century	cultural	1979	-	[16]
601	Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi, and Palace of Tau, Reims		Grand Est	13th–16th century	cultural	1991	-	[17]
1153	The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape		Occitanie		cultural	2011	-	[18]
228	Historical centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge		Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	12th–16th century	cultural	1995	-	Palais des Papes, Episcopal Ensemble and Pont Saint-Bénezet [19]
868	Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France		Diverse sites (right-of-way and route)		cultural	1998	-	[20]
1337	Episcopal City of Albi		Occitanie		cultural	2010	-	[21]
203	From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt		Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	18th century	cultural	1982	2009	[22]
1283	Fortifications of Vauban		Diverse	17th century	cultural	2008	-	[23]
932	Jurisdiction of Saint-Émilion		Nouvelle-Aquitaine		cultural	1999	-	[24]
1181	Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret		Normandy	20th century	cultural	2005	-	Built from 1945–1964 by the Atelier de Reconstruction du Havre d'Auguste Perret [25]
80	Mont Saint-Michel and its Bay		Normandy		cultural	1979	2007	[26]
160	Palace and Park of Fontainebleau		Île-de-France		cultural	1981	-	[27]
83	Palace and Park of Versailles		Île-de-France		cultural	1979	2007	[28]
600	Paris, Banks of the Seine		Île-de-France		cultural	1991	-	[29]
229	Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière, and Place d'Alliance in Nancy		Grand Est	18th century	cultural	1983	-	[30]
334	Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)		Occitanie	1st century AD	cultural	1985	2007	[31]
873	Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs		Île-de-France		cultural	2001	-	[32]
872	Historic site of Lyon		Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes		cultural	1998	-	[33]
1363	Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps		Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	5000–500 BCE	cultural	2011	-	A series of prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements in and around the Alps. transboundary property, shared with Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, 11 of the total 111 sites are in France. [34]
85	Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley		Nouvelle-Aquitaine		cultural	1979	-	[35]
495	Strasbourg – From the Grande Île to the Neustadt		Grand Est		cultural	1988	2017	[36]
163	Roman Theatre and its Surroundings and the "Triumphal Arch" of Orange		Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur		cultural	1981	2007	[37]
933	The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes		Centre-Val de Loire, Pays de la Loire		cultural	2000	-	An outstanding cultural landscape of great beauty, containing historic towns and villages, great architectural monuments (the châteaux), and cultivated lands formed by many centuries of interaction between their population and the physical environment, primarily the river Loire itself. [38]
345	Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne		Occitanie		cultural	1997	-	[39]
258	Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve		Corsica	N/A	natural	1983	-	[40]
1115	Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems		New Caledonia	N/A	natural	2008	-	Diversity of ecosystems in New Caledonia Barrier Reef [41]
1317	The Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Réunion Island		Réunion	N/A	natural	2010	-	[42]
773	Pyrénées – Mont Perdu		Occitanie	N/A	mixed	1997	1999	Transboundary property, shared with Spain [43]
1360	Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin		Hauts-de-France	18th to 20th centuries	cultural	2012	-	Remarkable landscape shaped by three centuries of coal extraction. [44]
1426	Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche		Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	30,000–28,000 BCE	cultural	2014	-	Earliest-known and best-preserved figurative drawings in the world. [45]
1425	The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy		Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	Middle Ages–present	cultural	2015	-	An outstanding example of grape cultivation and wine production developed since the High Middle Ages. [46]
1465	Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars		Grand Est	17th century–present	cultural	2015	-	Sites where the method of producing sparkling wines was developed. [46]
1321	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement		Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Île-de-France, Grand Est, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	20th century	cultural	2016	-	Testimonial to the invention of a new architectural language. A transnational serial property shared with Argentina, Belgium, Germany, India, Japan and Switzerland. [47]
1528	Taputapuātea		French Polynesia	10th century	cultural	2017		A Polynesian political, ceremonial and funerary centre. [48]
1434	Chaine des Puys – Limagne fault tectonic arena		Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes		natural	2018		A geologically important site illustrating the process of continental rifting. [49]
1603	French Austral Lands and Seas		French Southern and Antarctic Lands		natural	2019		Remote islands in the Southern Ocean home to unique flora and fauna including a whole slice of Antarctica making this the largest World Heritage site. [50]
1613	Great Spa Towns of Europe		Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes		cultural	2021		A transnational site of 11 towns in seven European countries that developed around natural mineral water springs and bear witness to the international European spa culture. Spa town of Vichy represents this site in France. [51]
1625	Cordouan Lighthouse		Nouvelle-Aquitaine		cultural	2021		Cordouan Lighthouse embodies the great stages of the architectural and technological history of lighthouses. [52]
1635	Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera		Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur		cultural	2021		Nice bears witness to the evolution of the winter resort due to the city’s mild climate and seaside location at the foot of the Alps. [53]
1133	Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe		Diverse sites		natural	2021 (extension to sites in France)		This transnational property represents an outstanding example of relatively undisturbed, complex temperate forests and exhibit a wide spectrum of comprehensive ecological patterns and processes of pure and mixed stands of European beech across a variety of environmental conditions. [54]

Properties submitted on the Tentative List[]

Property names as submitted by France and year of inscription on Tentative List. Translation of site names provided in italics for reference purposes; official translation of site name proposed only once site is put forward for consideration on World Heritage List.

• Sites mégalithiques de Carnac, 1996. Carnac megalithic sites
• Cathédrale de Saint-Denis, 1996. Saint-Denis Cathedral
• Rouen : ensemble urbain à pans de bois, cathédrale, église Saint-Ouen, église Saint Maclou, 1996. Rouen: timber-framed urban area, Rouen Cathedral, Basilica of Saint Ouen, Church of Saint Maclou
• Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, 1996. Vaux-le-Vicomte Castle
• Les villes bastionnées des Pays-Bas du nord-ouest de l'Europe, 1996. Fortified cities of the Low Countries of north-western Europe
• Montagne Sainte-Victoire et sites cézaniens, 1996. Mount Saint Victoire and Paul Cézanne sites
• Ensemble de grottes à concrétions du Sud de la France, 2000. Concretion cave complexes in southern France
• Parc national de la Vanoise, 2000. Vanoise National Park
• Massif du Mont Blanc, 2000. Mont Blanc
• La Camargue, 2002. The Camargue
• Bouches de Bonifacio, 2002. Straight of Bonifacio
• Parc national des Écrins, 2002. Écrins National Park
• Parc national de Port-Cros, 2002. Port Cros National Park
• Marais salants de Guérande, 2002. Guérande salt marshes
• Le rivage méditerranéen des Pyrénées, 2002. Mediterranean shore of the Pyrenees Mountains
• Rade de Marseille, 2002. Bay of Marseille
• Les villes antiques de la Narbonnaise et leur territoire : Nîmes, Arles, Glanum, aqueducts, via Domitia, 2002. Roman Narbonensian cities and area: Nîmes, Arles, Glanum, aqueducts, via Domitia
• Le chemin de fer de Cerdagne, 2002. Cerdagne railway
• Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales, Meudon, 2002. National Aerospace Research Centre, Meudon
• Hangar Y, 2002. Hangar Y
• Ancienne chocolaterie Menier à Noisiel, 2002. Former Menier chocolate factory in Noisiel
• Centre ancien de Sarlat, 2002. Historic centre of Sarlat
• Arsenal de Rochefort et fortifications de l'estuaire de la Charente, 2002. Rochefort arsenal and fortifications of the Charente Rivers estuary
• Les Iles Marquises, 2010. Marquesas Islands
• Nîmes, l'Antiquité au présent, 2012. Nîmes, from Antiquity to present
• Aires volcaniques et forestières de la Martinique, 2014. Volcanic and forested areas of Martinique
• Metz Royal et Impériale, enjeux de pouvoir, confrontations stylistiques et identité urbaine, 2014. Royal and Imperial Metz, power plays, stylistic exchange and urban identity^[55]
• Les Plages du Débarquement, Normandie, 1944, 2014. Allied landing beaches in Normandy, 1944
• Sites funéraires et mémoriels de la Première Guerre mondiale (Front Ouest), 2014. World War One cemeteries and memorials (Western Front)
• Cité de Carcassonne et ses châteaux sentinelles de montagne, 2017. City of Carcassonne and its mountain sentinel castles.^[56]
• Le Charolais-Brionnais, paysage culturel de l'élevage bovin, 2018. Charolais-Brionnais region, a cultural landscape for cattle farming
• Domaine de Fontainebleau : château, jardins, parc et forêt, 2020. Fontainebleau Castle, Gardens, Park and Forest
• Les témoignages matériels de la construction de l’État des Pyrénées : la Co-principauté d’Andorre, 2021. The built heritage of the construction of a State in the Pyrenees: the Co-principality of Andorra

Location of inscribed sites[]

Vézelay Versailles Decorated Caves Chartres Cathedral Mont Saint-Michel Fontainebleau Fontenay Amiens Cathedral Arles Orange Royal Saltworks Piana Calanches Scandola Reserve Abbey of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe Place Stanislas Pont du Gard Paris Grande Île Reims Bourges Cathedral Canal du Midi Avignon Carcassonne Mont Perdu Lyon Saint- Émilion Belfries Loire Valley Provins Le Havre Bordeaux Fortifications of Vauban Albi Pile dwellings Causses & Cévennes Mining Basin Pont-d'Arc Burgundy Champagne Puys – Limagne Spa Towns Cordouan Lighthouse Nice Beech Forests Location of World Heritage sites within France

Lagoons of New Caledonia Taputapuātea Reunion Island Austral Lands and Seas Location of French World Heritage sites overseas

See also[]

• Tourism in France
• List of World Heritage sites in Western Europe

References[]