Last Updated on July 14, 2026

There is plenty of touristy stuff to do in France, but there are also many exciting and unexpected activities. In this article, I would like to show you some fun and unusual things to do in France. Enjoy!

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

Discover unusual things in Paris

Exploring Paris must be one of the most typical things you can do in France, but at the same time it’s definitely one of the most iconic. The capital of France is nice to visit because of its aristocratic atmosphere, rich culture, cool urban environment and its romantic spots.

There are many fun and unusual things to do in Paris. Think about exploring Les égouts de Paris (location) instead of the Catacombs, spotting street art in the Vitry-sur-Seine (location) and Belleville neighborhood (location), walking La Petite Ceinture (location) or Coulee Verte (location), discovering the Saint Chapelle (location) rather than the Notre-Dame cathedral (location) or sitting down with the locals at Square Barye (location).

If you like scary things, you can visit ‘The Dark Dreams Paris’, a very unusual immersive haunted show (location) or see the ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (location) and if you like sports, one of the most unusual things to do in Paris is to try the Pari Roller at night. It’s an absolutely amazing event!

Tip: are you traveling to Paris? Then watch the movie “Paris, Je T’Aime” (2006). The multiple stories that take place across Paris are a great intro to the city’s many different districts.

Explore the French countryside

Although Paris is one of the greatest cities in the world, France is capable of showing diversity of landscapes thanks to its picturesque countryside. The French countryside is home to more than 30,000 towns and villages.

I can recommend to hire a car and go on a road trip so that you can discover the hidden gems of the French countryside. A France car hire from Enjoy Travel is secured online, in the most effortless and stress-free way. Keep in mind that Sundays are days that most rental car companies are closed. Another thing to keep in mind is that manual transmission cars are cheaper and will give you better mileage. Also watch your speed. There are speed cameras everywhere and fines are expensive. When filling up with gas, remember that ‘essence’ is gasoline and ‘gasoil’ is diesel.

Here are some places in the French countryside that are worth visiting:

• Chamonix, Rhone-Alpes
• Colmar, Alsace
• Viviers, Ardèche
• Loire Valley, Pays de la Loire
• Gordes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
• Eze, Alpes-Maritimes
• Domme, Dordogne
• Honfleur, Normandy
• Ploumanac’h, Brittany
• St Guilhem Le Désert, Languedoc
• Fourcés, Midi-Pyrénées
• Grasse, Cannes
• L’Isle sur la Sorgue, Provence
• Vézelay, Burgundy
• Troyes, Champagne

I highly recommend visiting the French countryside and exploring the Province or Lorraine region! You’ll experience a different side of the country and get an authentic taste of France.

Discover the French cuisine and wine

Everyone knows that French pastries and dishes are hard to resist. You should definitely spend enough time going to bakeries and restaurants and tasting authentic French cuisine. Here are 29 traditional dishes you absolutely cannot miss! Boeuf Bourguignon, Quiche Lorraine, Coq Au Vin, Escargots or Croque-Monsieur are delicious dishes that you must try. And if you like sweet food, make sure to try enough croissants, macaroons, crème brûlées and crêpes. To get to know the French cuisine you can participate in a food walking tour, behind the scenes bakery tour, French pastry cooking class or macaron cooking class. This is definitely going to be fun! And tasty! 🙂

Additionally, France is famous for its wine production. If you have some time, you should definitely go to Bordeaux, Burgundy or Champagne and participate in a wine tour and tasting. To do something more off the beaten wine activities in France you can also choose to taste wine deep underground at Grotte de Saint Marcel d’Ardeche (location), make your own bottle of wine, participate in a ‘sniff test’ to see how many aromas you can identify or help making wine at a wine grape farm and winery via Workaway.

Attend French cultural events

France is the home for many cultural and sports events. It would be super cool to coordinate your trip to France with attending such an event. Some fun and unusual events in France are:

• Berck-sur-Mer Kite Festival
• Menton Lemon Festival
• Cannes Film Festival
• Nice Carnival
• Festival Medieval de Sedan
• Bastille Day
• La Fête de la Musique
• Festival d’Avignon
• Chorégies d’Orange
• Festival of Lights, Lyon

Conclusion

I hope that you can try one of these fun or unusual things to do in France. If you visit France, make sure to visit the lovely French countryside and to try some traditional French dishes. I hope you have a memorable trip to France!

Do you know any other fun or unusual things to do in France? Then please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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