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