15 Countries You Should Visit Before You Die
France
Why to go when you’re young: The French really have their shit together. Frankly, it’s inspiring to be among people who make the most of their leisure time.
Where to head first: You think you want to go for some deep cut, right? Nah. On your first trip, do Paris.
Once you’ve been to France, you get to play the France card for the rest of your life. Don’t be insufferable, of course; do go ahead and mention exhibits you saw and food you ate and wine you drank and mysterious strangers you had fictionalized conversations with at cocktail parties for decades to come.
In Paris, you can explore the haunts of young creative thinkers and dreamers from generations past (think Midnight in Paris) and immerse yourself in the diverse cultural scene of each arrondisement, the neighborhoods that make Paris unique and endlessly inspiring. Cross the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and a walk on the Seine off your list and head to Lyon, the second-largest city in France and arguably the culinary capital of the universe. From there, you can head to wine country in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, Champagne, and beyond, and maybe even make a beach stop on the French Riviera. Not for nothing did past “lost” generations of youth decide it was here they’d find themselves.