List of the 30 most visited places in France in 2015
August 23, 2016: List of the most visited tourist sites in France in 2015
Source: French Ministry of Tourism
Author: Marc Laurenceau
The Ministry of Tourism has published a list of the 30 most visited tourist attractions in France in 2015. The American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer stands out in particular on the list.
In the cultural sites category, the American Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer ranks eighth, notably ahead of the Arc de Triomphe and Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey. It is one of the few free sites on the list.
2015 Awards (total admissions):
1. Louvre Museum (Paris) – Number of visitors: 9,134,612
2. Palace of Versailles (Versailles) – Number of visitors: 7,700,000
3. Eiffel Tower (Paris) – Number of visitors: 7,097,302
4. National Museum of Natural History (Paris) – Number of visitors: 3,618,936
5. Musée d’Orsay (Paris) – Number of visitors: 3,480,609
6. Centre Pompidou (Paris) – Number of visitors: 3,450,000
7. Universcience (Paris) – Number of visitors: 3,259,000
8. Omaha American Cemetery (Colleville-sur-Mer) – Number of visitors: 2,126,940
9. National Galleries of the Grand Palais (Paris) – Number of visitors: 1,855,346
10. Arc de Triomphe (Paris) – Number of visitors: 1,751,046
11. Army Museum (Paris) – Number of visitors: 1,525,030
12. Quai Branly Museum (Paris) – Number of visitors: 1,495,817
13. Castle and Museum of the Dukes of Brittany (Nantes) – Number of visitors: 1,448,212
14. Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey (Mont-Saint-Michel) – Number of visitors: 1,223,257
15. Montparnasse Tower (Paris) – Number of visitors: 1,168,543
16. Sainte-Chapelle (Paris) – Number of visitors: 1,067,206
17. Petit Palais (Paris) – Number of visitors: 996,469
18. Château de Chenonceau (Chenonceau) – Number of visitors: 850,000
19. Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine de Vézelay (Vézelay) – Number of visitors: 848,956
20. Musée de l’Orangerie (Paris) – Number of visitors: 800,000
21. Château de Chambord (Chambord) – Number of visitors: 769,220
22. Palais de Tokyo (Paris) – Number of visitors: 756,000
23. Musée Grévin (Paris) – Number of visitors: 724,833
24. Musée Rodin (Paris) – Number of visitors: 687,257
25. Panthéon (Paris) – Number of visitors: 669,331
26. Sainte-Cécile Cathedral (Albi) – Number of visitors: not detailed
27. Mucem Museum (Marseille) – Number of visitors: 649,615
28. Claude Monet Museum (Giverny) – Number of visitors: 626,882
29. Palais des Papes (Avignon) – Number of visitors: 611,836
30. Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (Paris) – Number of visitors: 588,725
The American War Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is the second most visited French site outside of Paris, but also the first outside of the Île-de-France region. In 2012, the American cemetery ranked tenth in this ranking, with 1,413,516 visitors. This highly symbolic cultural site, located in the heart of the D-Day landing beaches (overlooking the infamous Omaha Beach) and the historic Battle of Normandy, recorded a more than 50% increase in the number of visitors between 2012 and 2015. This growth can be explained in particular by the continuation of the “70th anniversary of the Normandy landings” effect in 2014.
The impacts of social movements, terrorist attacks, and the establishment of a state of emergency in France between the end of 2015 and 2016 have already been felt in this region. They are notably reflected in a decrease in the number of reservations at the various accommodation centers in Normandy, particularly among American tourists accustomed to the traditional Paris / Mont-Saint-Michel / Normandy landing beaches trip.
2016 news of the Normandy landing beaches
