Facts about tourism in France
France attracted 79.3 million foreign tourists in 2008 making it the most popular tourist destination in the world
19 912 hotels
About 3900 museums which attract tens of millions of visitors every year
12 million visitors come every year to the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay and Versailles alone
5.6 million annual visitors to the Eiffel Tower
1500 private castles open to the public
4400 cinemas
38 879 historic monuments
50 000 theatrical productions every year.
Fontainebleau Castle and Forest
About 50 km south east of Paris, it is one of the largest and most beautiful forests in France
The forest has an area of 280 km² (108 sq. miles)
Protected by France's Office National des Forêts, and it is recognised as a French national park
It is a former royal hunting park often visited by hikers and horse riders
The forest is also well regarded for bouldering and is particularly popular among climbers, as the biggest developed area of that kind in the world.
The Palace of Fontainebleau is one of the largest French royal châteaux
The older castle on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VI
Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX
The creator of the present edifice was Francis I
By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur
Fontainebleau style": it combined sculpture, metalwork, painting, stucco and woodwork.…
