33 Charming Films Set in France (Outside Paris!)

From the vineyards of Bordeaux, the glamour and beaches of the Côte d’Azur, and the historic towns of Provence, France is more than Paris.

These vibrant, diverse films set in France will entertain and inspire you to explore beyond the capital!

Few countries have a film heritage like France. The Lumière brothers literally invented the medium in Lyon in the late 19th century, for goodness’ sake.

Yep. Lyon, not Paris, is the birthplace of cinema. Stick that in une pipe and smoke it.

It has produced a shopping list of world-class filmmakers throughout the decades. Jean Renoir, François Truffaut, Agnès Varda, Céline Sciamma …

I think this is the first list of films set in any country where finding female filmmakers wasn’t like searching for proverbial needles in the haystack.

There are so many amazing movies made in France by female directors!!

International filmmakers, like Alfred Hitchcock and Ridley Scott, are also drawn to the history and majesty of the French countryside outside Paris.

If you’re planning a trip to France or simply want recommendations for films about France, this is the list for you. I’ve visited France 4+ times and have a bachelor’s degree in Film Studies, so I’ve put in a lot of thought!

This list includes a range of genres (horror, historical, comedy, you name it!). There’s a mix of English-language and French films, too, so don’t worry if you’re subtitle-phobic.

And if you do want to watch movies about Paris, France, too? I’ve got you covered. Read my list of movies in Paris here.

But for now, let’s refine your palette and taste some of the best movies set in France (outside of Paris!)

1. The Rules of the Game (1939)

French | 110m
97% Rotten Tomatoes

Known in French as La Règle du Jeu, this is the first (and so far, only!) Jean Renoir film I’ve watched. It is a satirical comedy that exposes the hypocrisy of the French upper classes by mirroring their affairs with those of their servants at a château in the countryside.

Château de La Ferté-Saint-Aubin in the central Loire Valley stood in for the fictional ‘La Colinière’ estate. It’s a truly brilliant pre-World War II film with intelligent layers and themes. Honestly, a must-see.

2. Jour de Fête (1949)

French | 86m
100% Rotten Tomatoes

Jacques Tati lived in the village of Sévère-sur-Indre, located in the Indre region of France, during the German occupation. No wonder the writer, director and star of Jour de Fête (or The Big Day) set his feature film debut here too.

He plays a small-town postman who gets inspired by a newsreel from the United States. He attempts to instil American efficiency and speed in his vocation, causing chaos during the town’s fair.

As you can see from the perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, this slapstick is one of the best movies filmed in France of all time.

3. Bonjour Tristesse (1954)

English | 94m
84% Rotten Tomatoes

Based on Françoise Sagan’s brilliant novella, Bonjour Tristesse is about 17-year-old Cécile’s schemes to disrupt her father’s new engagement. American-Austrian filmmaker Otto Preminger is no stranger to taboo subjects and is the perfect director for this tragic story.

Translating to Hello Sadness, the movie was set along the Côte d’Azur, specifically Cassis and Saint-Tropez. It’s a dreamy setting for what should have been a carefree summer for Cécile. Instead, the movie represents the painful transition from adolescence to adulthood.

4. To Catch a Thief (1955)

English, French | 106m
93% Rotten Tomatoes

To Catch a Thief is one of my favourite Alfred Hitchcock films, and certainly one of the best Hollywood movies based in France.

Cary Grant stars as a former jewel thief who must prove his innocence when a copycat burglar commits robberies in his style. Lucky for him, one of the targets is wealthy and beautiful Frances Stevens, played by Grace Kelly.

Hitchcock films all over the French Riviera, from Monaco to Cannes to Nice and several cute villages and dramatic clifftops in between. I was lucky enough to visit a few filming locations when I attended the Cannes Film Festival.

5. Jules et Jim (1962)

French, German | 105m
94% Rotten Tomatoes

One of the most significant French New Wave filmmakers, François Truffaut, tells the story of best friends, Jules and Jim. They just so happen to both be in love with the free-spirited Catherine.

While technically this movie was also set/filmed in Paris, many scenes are set/filmed in Provence and Andé. It was essential for Truffaut to capture the pre- and post-war landscapes elsewhere in France, too.

6. A Man and a Woman (1966)

French | 102m
75% Rotten Tomatoes

Anne is a widow who finds herself tentatively falling for another parent at her child’s boarding school. Jean-Louis is a widower who also finds himself falling in love with Anne. Director Claude Lelouch navigates the pair overcoming their tragedies to find happiness again.

This beautiful tale is told against the backdrop of various locations around France. Calvados is the main setting for the boarding school and beach. Paris, Essonne, Le Mans in Sarthe and Monaco provide other locations, particularly for car racing scenes.

7. Mouchette (1967)

French | 81m
89% Rotten Tomatoes

Not one of the most wanderlust-inspiring films set in France, but a great movie nonetheless. Mouchette is the name of a neglected, abused girl who decides to take her life into her own hands. For reference, her name translates to ‘little fly’.

It was one of Robert Bresson’s more successful movies, and he was known for his stripped-back style. He shot the sad story in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region and the Vaucluse department.

8. Le Boucher (1970)

French | 93m
100% Rotten Tomatoes

Le Boucher is a thriller about a schoolteacher and a butcher (the film’s title) beginning a friendship that seemingly coincides with a series of murders. If you love movies and TV shows about small-town crime, this is for you.

Director Claude Chabrol set Le Boucher in Trémolat, a village in the Dordogne region of southwestern France. He chose the picturesque setting due to its prehistoric caves and to avoid the more touristy commune of Les Eyzies.

9. Day for Night (1973)

French | 116m
98% Rotten Tomatoes

I’ve chosen another François Truffaut effort, but his back catalogue has some of the best movies in France. Day for Night actually features the director, as it’s a super-meta, behind-the-scenes, film-within-a-film love letter to cinema.

I would not do this film justice, but you need to watch it to understand how great a movie this is! Truffaut filmed Day for Night almost entirely in Nice, including at locations like Hôtel Windsor.

10. The Duellists (1977)

English | 100m
74% Rotten Tomatoes

If you prefer historical action-adventure films over dramas, check out Ridley Scott’s The Duellists. It stars Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine as French army officers during the Napoleonic Wars. Their feud over a minor incident escalates into a series of duels over 15 years.

Ridley filmed in the city of Sarlat-la-Canéda and the Château de Commarques, both in the Dordogne region. He shot the snowy Moscow scenes in Scotland, not the French Alps!

11. Moonraker (1979)

English | 126m
59% Rotten Tomatoes

Ah, Bond, James Bond. The jetsetting British spy has more than a handful of stamps in his passport, so naturally, France has appeared in one or two movies. Paris is usually the city of choice, but a couple of châteaus make appearances in the franchise’s eleventh instalment.

Lewis Gilbert directs Roger Moore as MI6 Agent 007. Bond investigates the hijacking of a stolen space shuttle, uncovering a billionaire’s plot to use a space station to commit global genocide.

This is commonly known as the Bond movie where he goes to space. However, he also visits the bad guy, Drax, at his French mansion. Gilbert shot the exteriors at Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte and the interiors at Château de Guermantes.

12. Pauline at the Beach (1983)

French | 94m
94% Rotten Tomatoes

This romantic comedy follows 15-year-old Pauline and her older, manipulative cousin Marion on a summer break at the beach. They complicate their romantic relations with lies, deception and self-delusion.

Like Bonjour Tristesse, this movie has strong ‘loss of innocence’ themes. Located entirely in the Manche department, Pauline at the Beach is one of the most beautiful movies that takes place in France. It features the iconic Mont-Saint Michel plus the towns of Jullouville and Granville.

13. Vagabond (1985)

French | 105m
100% Rotten Tomatoes

Filmmaker Agnès Varda is an icon. Naturally, at least one of her works would appear on my ‘movies of France’ list. Vagabond is a phenomenal movie, told through flashbacks and eyewitness accounts, that reconstructs the life of Mona, a fiercely independent drifter.

Varda filmed Vagabond all over the departments of Gard, Hérault, and Bouches-du-Rhône. Specifically, Nîmes Station and the Monastère de la Visitation convent.

14. Jean de Florette (1986)

French | 120m
93% Rotten Tomatoes

Jean de Florette is the first part of Claude Berri’s two-part film series. It’s an adaptation of Marcel Pagnol’s two-volume 1962 novel, The Water of the Hills. Manon des Sources is the second film, released the same year, if you want to check that out too.

The first movie is set in rural 1920s France. Two farmers attempt to trick a newcomer out of his inherited land to take the plot for themselves. Icon of French cinema, Gérard Depardieu, plays one of the farmers and two picturesque villages, Vaugines and Mirabeau, are the main settings.

16. The Vanishing (1988)

Dutch, French, English | 107m
96% Rotten Tomatoes

Instead of choosing only English or French films, The Vanishing is actually a Dutch psychological thriller. It was filmed in both the Netherlands and France, with most of the story taking place in France.

When Rex’s girlfriend, Saskia, mysteriously disappears from a French service station during a road trip, his need to find out what happened consumes his life. Viaduc de Pont d’Ouche on the Autoroute 6 is a key establishing shot, and Nîmes also features.

17. Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

French | 137m
100% Rotten Tomatoes

Gérard Depardieu is back! This time, he’s playing the 17th-century Gascon poet and swashbuckler, Cyrano de Bergerac, based on the 1897 play of the same name. Despite his love for a lady named Roxane, he helps inarticulate cadet Christian woo her as he is self-conscious of his oversized snout.

It’s a story of love, sacrifice and, surprisingly, body image. Jean-Paul Rappeneau filmed this classic French tale in Hungary and France, specifically the Palais des Papes in Avignon.

There are several adaptations of this play, including the 2021 movie musical Cyrano starring Peter Dinklage. But as you can see by the perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, the 1990 Cyrano de Bergerac is tough to beat.

18. Beauty and the Beast (1991)

English | 84m
95% Rotten Tomatoes

Some of the best movies about France are animated! Of course, the Oscar-nominated Beauty and the Beast had to make my list.

As the fairytale goes, a monstrous prince must earn the love of another to break the enchantment that caused his beastly appearance. Enter Belle: bookish, bright, and beautiful.

The ‘provincial town’ in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast was inspired by the real-life towns of Colmar, Riquewihr, and Eguisheim in France’s Alsace region.

19. Van Gogh (1991)

French | 158m
77% Rotten Tomatoes

While post-impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh was Dutch, he spent much of his working life in France. Van Gogh focuses on his final months spent painting in Auvers-sur-Oise, including his troubled relationship with his host’s daughter and his failing mental health.

Van Gogh was filmed in Gare, Richelieu, Indre-et-Loire and Saint-Rémy-sur-Creuse in Vienne. The movie’s production crew was more concerned with capturing the authenticity of the time and feel of where Van Gogh lived. They do a fantastic job, and it’s a beautiful movie for Van Gogh fans!

20. The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)

English | 132m
32% Rotten Tomatoes

Not one of the best-reviewed films about France, but fun for action-adventure lovers. And Leonardo DiCaprio fans! The legendary trio of musketeers seek to overthrow France’s tyrannical King Louis XIV with his twin brother, Philippe, who has been kept prisoner in an iron mask for years.

It’s set in the 17th century, so filmmaker Randall Wallace shot The Man in the Iron Mask‘s scenes in historic castles. Château of Fontainebleau, Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, and Château de Pierrefonds make appearances.

The film is loosely based on the 19th-century novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by the French author Alexandre Dumas and historical legend. So, if you don’t like the film, you may enjoy the book!

21. Chocolat (2000)

English, French | 121m
63% Rotten Tomatoes

Set in 1959, a single mother (played by Juliette Binoche) moves to a conservative French village at the beginning of Lent and opens a chocolate shop. She ruffles feathers, particularly those of the mayor, and catches the eye of traveller, Roux (Johnny Depp).

It’s a cosy, feel-good movie and, having read the book, I feel it does the source material justice, too. It’s set in a fictional French village called Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. Lasse Hallström chose to film exterior scenes for Chocolat in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, Burgundy.

22. Swimming Pool (2003)

English, French | 103m
84% Rotten Tomatoes

Reserved British crime novelist, Sarah (Charlotte Rampling), travels to her publisher’s French villa for solitude to combat writer’s block. However, her publisher’s vivacious and promiscuous daughter, Julie, disrupts her peaceful retreat.

Before I even confirmed my suspicions, I knew Swimming Pool must have the same inspiration as A Bigger Splash (2015). They were both heavily influenced by Jacques Deray’s 1969 film La Piscine.

All three movies used a dreamy locale to highlight the friction between older and younger women and the chaos of creating art. A little bit of drama, a little bit of crime … Highly recommend!

23. Marie Antoinette (2006)

English | 123m
57% Rotten Tomatoes

If you’re looking for movies to watch before visiting Paris and Versailles, you couldn’t choose a better film than Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. Starring Kirsten Dunst as the titular doomed queen, this is a contemporary-edged period movie with anachronistic style.

Even more incredibly, Soppola was able to shoot many interior scenes at the Palace of Versailles itself. Plus, she filmed at other great estates like Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, the Château de Fontainebleau, and the Château de Chantilly.

I don’t understand why critics didn’t like Marie Antoinette more. It’s fun, insightful, and paints her as a restless teenager rather than a one-dimensional, self-serving monarch.

24. A Good Year (2006)

English | 118m
26% Rotten Tomatoes

Director and star of Gladiator, Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, respectively, swap swords for sauvignon blanc. A Good Year follows a ruthless British banker who inherits his uncle’s Provence vineyard.

He initially plans to sell it but becomes intoxicated by his fond childhood memories and the love of a local woman. It may not have scored well with critics, but this is a true guilty pleasure film!

The film might inspire you to plan your own vineyard visit. Companies like Smooth Red arrange tailor-made wine holidays where you can experience the best of France’s wine regions.

25. Welcome to the Sticks (2008)

French, Ch’ti | 106m
67% Rotten Tomatoes

Looking for more France films about a postman? Welcome to the Sticks is about a postie sent to the ‘barbaric’ north of France and lies to his wife when he finds out that the locals are actually warm and friendly.

Directed, co-written and co-starring Dany Boon, this is a lighthearted, crowd-pleasing comedy. It’s currently the highest-grossing French film of all time at the box office in France! Boon shot the movie authentically in the town of Bergues and some scenes in Lille.

26. Coco Before Chanel (2009)

French, English | 105m
63% Rotten Tomatoes

I love a good biopic, especially when an actress as good as Audrey Tautou is playing an icon like Coco Chanel. Anne Fontaine directs her as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel transforms from poor orphan to beloved and revolutionary fashion designer in a male-dominated field.

While Fontaine filmed some scenes in Orne and Paris, Coco Before Chanel was mostly shot in various places in the Calvados region, such as Trouville, Cabourg, and Merville-Franceville-Plage.

27. The Intouchables (2011)

French | 112m
75% Rotten Tomatoes

Released as Untouchable in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, The Intouchables was a sensation upon its release. If you’re not used to watching films with subtitles and are looking for particularly well-liked, good movies in French to watch, start here!

The Intouchables follows a wealthy quadriplegic aristocrat who hires a young French-Algerian ex-con as his personal assistant. It leads to an unlikely but life-changing friendship for both men.

Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano wrote and directed this film, which was based on a true story. They filmed in Paris, but also the Normandy and Savoie regions. (The latter appeared in the paragliding scene!)

28. Farewell, My Queen (2012)

French | 100m
93% Rotten Tomatoes

If you prefer your films about Marie Antoinette in the French language, check out Farewell, My Queen. The narrative unfolds during the first days of the French Revolution, as news of the fall of the Bastille reaches the court at Versailles.

What’s interesting about Farewell, My Queen is that it’s told from the perspective of a servant, played by Léa Seydoux. Diane Kruger plays the unfortunate queen herself.

29. The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014)

English, Hindi, French | 122m
69% Rotten Tomatoes

When an Indian family moves across the street from a prestigious restaurant in a quaint French village, it ignites a ‘culinary war’. It’s down to the talented eldest son of the Kadam family to unite the two cultures through the art of food.

Lasse Hallström directs this idyllic movie, which will make you want to spend all day cooking omelettes and cycling along riverbanks with fresh herbs in your basket. For anyone tempted to swap the kitchen for countryside trails, Love Velo runs scenic cycling tours in France that capture a similar spirit.

30. Diary of a Chambermaid (2015)

French | 95m
66% Rotten Tomatoes

This is the third cinematic adaptation of Octave Mirbeau’s 1900 novel of the same name. Jean Renoir released the first in 1946. Luis Buñuel perhaps released the most successful and critically renowned version in 1964.

However, I leaned into accessibility and availability as you’re more likely to find this version via streaming platforms. Diary of a Chambermaid stars Léa Seydoux as the titular Célestine, a Parisian chambermaid. She resents working for a strict, bourgeois household and plans to steal from them to enable her escape.

While set in Provence, Benoît Jacquot shot the movie in several locations. Pas-de-Calais, Somme and Yvelines regions all feature.

31. Paris Can Wait (2016)

English | 92m
47% Rotten Tomatoes

Legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola’s wife, Eleanor Coppola, made her narrative directorial debut with the light drama Paris Can Wait.

Diane Lane stars as Anne, the wife of a movie producer from the United States. They are both attending the Cannes Film Festival when he ditches her for work.

Anne ends up taking a spontaneous road trip to Paris with his business associate and renews her sense of adventure along the way. There’s a host of filming locations en route! So much so, I’ve created an entire filming locations guide for Paris Can Wait.

32. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

French | 120m
97% Rotten Tomatoes

Céline Sciamma made cinema history with Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It’s now listed as one of the best French films, 21st-century films, and one of the greatest films of all time. I can see why!

Set in the late 18th century, a painter named Marianne is commissioned to create a wedding portrait of Héloïse, a reluctant aristocratic bride. It leads to a forbidden romance and intense intimacy as the two women fall in love.

Sciamma filmed this beautiful film in France’s Brittany region. She used Saint-Pierre-Quiberon for the coastal scenes and a château in La Chapelle-Gauthier for the interior scenes.

33. The Miracle Club (2023)

English | 90m
68% Rotten Tomatoes

We’re ending on a bit of a whump-whump because The Miracle Club didn’t shoot any scenes in France. However, it is partly set there. Plus, you’ll love the all-star cast consisting of Laura Linney, Kathy Bates, and Maggie Smith in her last film role.

In 1960s Ireland, a group of working-class women wins a pilgrimage to Lourdes. They are seeking personal miracles to heal old wounds and discover new friendships along the way.

The women visit the grotto at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is one of the most-visited Catholic churches in the world. However, The Miracle Club filmed this scene in Ardmore Studios.

That’s a Wrap!

That’s a well-rounded mix of films set in France, if I do say so myself.

Watching every single one will no doubt make you want to travel to France. Or, at least, buy a good bottle of Merlot and a striped fisherman’s shirt.

Want to chat with other movie fans about French-themed movies? Want to know about France films that aren’t on this list, but you also can’t remember the name?

Join the Filming Locations Fan Club Facebook Group!

Or, stay on Offscreen Tourist and read one of my related guides:

• Movies in Paris to Inspire a Visit to the City of Lights
• Things To Do in Paris for Film Lovers
• To Catch a Thief Filming Locations in France
• Marie Antoinette Filming Locations in France
• A Good Year Filming Locations in France
• The Hundred-Foot Journey Filming Locations
• Paris Can Wait Filming Locations in France