France is the most visited country in the world, with tourists flocking to its cities and towns to take in the art, architecture, cuisine, wine, fashion and history of the Republic. It is a relatively large country covering almost 550,000 square kilometres and with a population of almost sixty-five million. It is also a country with an incredibly diverse climate ranging from alpine in the French Alps to northern temperate in the west and north to a balmy Mediterranean climate in the south-east along the Cotê d'Azur. There are a huge number of tourist locations within France that are well worth visiting including the regions of Normandy, Brittany, Burgundy, Champagne-Ardenne, Aquitaine and the Loire Valley. Several cities in France are flooded each peak season with tourists, including Lyon, Cannes, Bourdeaux, Marseilles, and of course Paris.
As France's capital Paris receives over thirty million tourists a year, making it the most visited city in the world. This is not surprising considering Paris contains many cultural icons including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre art museum, the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, the Pantheon, the Palace of Versailles, and Euro Disney. Paris is serviced by four airports with Charles de Gaulle International being the busiest (it ranks second busiest in Europe after London Heathrow). Paris-Orly Airport and Paris Beauvais Tille Airport also take international and domestic flights. Car hire companies run from each of the large airports in France as well as most of the main town centres. Companies that operate within the country include Avis, National, Europcar, Hertz, Thrifty and Sixt.