National and Regional Parks of France
France has two tiers of protected natural landscapes — 11
- Buffer zone (
): Surrounding communities that voluntarily commit to sustainable development in partnership with the park.
The 11 National Parks
| Park | Created | Region | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanoise | 1963 | Alps (Savoie) | France's first NP. Ibex, glaciers, Alpine meadows |
| Port-Cros | 1963 | Mediterranean (Var) | Europe's first marine park. Island and sea |
| Pyrénées | 1967 | Pyrenees | Cirque de Gavarnie, bears, vultures |
| Cévennes | 1970 | Massif Central | UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Dark sky reserve |
| Écrins | 1973 | Alps (Hautes-Alpes/Isère) | Glaciers, 4,000m peaks, largest Alpine NP |
| Mercantour | 1979 | Alps-Maritimes | Where Alps meet Mediterranean. Wolves, rock art |
| Guadeloupe | 1989 | Caribbean | Tropical rainforest, volcano, mangroves |
| Réunion | 2007 | Indian Ocean | Volcanic landscapes, cirques, piton |
| Guyane | 2007 | South America | Amazon rainforest — France's largest NP |
| Calanques | 2012 | Provence (Marseille) | Limestone cliffs and marine reserve |
| Forêts | 2019 | Burgundy-Champagne | Old-growth deciduous forest |
Regional Nature Parks (PNR)
PNRs are a uniquely French invention — vast protected landscapes (averaging 150,000+ hectares each) where people live, farm, and work, but within a framework that prioritises landscape conservation, sustainable agriculture, cultural heritage, and low-impact tourism.
There are 58 PNRs covering 16% of mainland France — from the volcanic Auvergne to the marshes of the Camargue, from the granite coasts of Brittany to the forests of the Vosges. Key examples:
- Volcans d'Auvergne — France's largest PNR (395,000 ha); volcanoes, cheese, wild uplands
- Camargue — Rice paddies, flamingos, white horses, salt marshes
- Verdon — Europe's Grand Canyon and its turquoise lake
- Haut-Jura — Cross-country skiing, Comté cheese, watchmaking heritage
- Luberon — Peter Mayle's Provence — lavender, perched villages, ochre quarries
- Ballons des Vosges — Rounded summits, Alsatian vineyards, mountain bogs
- Brière — Brittany's freshwater marshlands, thatched villages, peat bogs
Visiting the Parks
French national and regional parks are free, open access, and well-served by maintained trails, visitor centres (
- No entrance fees
- Camping permitted only in designated areas within national park core zones
- Dogs must be leashed (or banned in some core zones)
- Mountain refuges (
) provide beds and meals along high routes — book in advance for summer
Accommodation Guide — Mountain refuges, gîtes, and camping in France's parks — on La Porte.