France is well known for wine, for fashion, for food—but sporting prowess should also be high on that list. After all, Paris is where the modern Olympics as we know them were revived and reinvented in 1900. But this summer’s Olympics will extend far beyond the City of Light—and you should, too.
As we previously reported , soccer matches kick off in Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes, while sailing is set in Marseille. Basketball and handball fans are making their way to Lille, while the Loire Valley will welcome the shooting competition. Surfing will be held in a different hemisphere entirely, in French Polynesia.
And it doesn’t stop there. Below is a guide to iconic French destinations to add on at the end of an Olympic trip that will allow you to continue in the spirit of the Games. In the cycling world, July in Paris is synonymous with one image: the famous sprint up the Champs-Élysées on the final day of the Tour de France.
This year, Tour organizers have had to look elsewhere as they step aside to make way for the Olympics. It’s the first time in its history that the event will finish anywhere other than the French capital, but Nice’s famous beachfront strip, the Promenade des Anglais, is a fine understudy to call upon. The race wraps up before the Olympics kick off (on July 21), but the Côte d’Azur is an evergreen destination for road-cycling enthusiasts, with some legendary routes on the city’s doorstep—including Col de la Madone, a mou.