In this era of modern technology, we turn to Instagram for many things. For bragging about our adventures, accomplishments, and travels, for viewing the highlights of (and becoming jealous about) our friends’ lives, for memes, for exploring the places we’ve yet to see, and for reminiscing over the places we once enjoyed.
Whether you’ve explored the non-Paris parts of France (aka most of France) or not, these 9 Instagram accounts will give you crazy wanderlust for all of France, from Dunkirk to the Pyrénées, and Strasbourg to Brest.
1. @6th.dim
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcP9TZMFezw/?taken-by=6th.dim
You don’t have to risk your life getting on a sharply slanted rooftop for the ‘gram because this 19-year-old engineering student-slash-urban explorer already did. Bursts of warm oranges and purples of night skies and sunrises over city buildings make up the majority of his posts, offering a vibrant and colorful portrayal of Lille. Even when he’s on a tropical island and there are no roofs to climb, his photos won’t disappoint.
2. @ni.leconte
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYQDbVnhC7d/?taken-by=ni.leconte
In the world of Nicolas Leconte everything vibrates color and energy. Crop fields of Normandy, blurry photos of Tours, and cement docks in Arradon, every pic is truly radiant, looking like postcards, screen savers, and rose-colored alternative universes. Whatever images you thought you knew of France, those black and white photos of empty streets and glamorous Côte d’Azur aerials — these are not them.
3. @daynmoron
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbPq06IDlKc/?taken-by=daynmoron
These lush photos of mountainous France will have you taking a pass on urban exploring and picking up your backpack for some real exploring. Dayn Moron is a 21-year-old freelance photographer from Bordeaux. He seems to spend most of his time camping, hiking, and climbing through the Pyrénées and surrounding area. His photos often feature clouds, and play with light and looming shapes that make the French countryside look exceptionally mythical.
4. @melilolila
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbULROohQKo/?taken-by=melilolila
This Instagram shows a Bordeaux that’s hardly well-known. Amélie looks up and down city streets, around corners, under bridges, over puddles, and across courtyards. Her photos are full of motion— if it’s not you, driving down a city street, then it’s a cat, a man on a bike, or a tourist perusing art. There’s a great sense of anticipation in each image. The Instagrammer skips town often, heading to the surrounding area of Gironde to capture more lush, still scenes in the countryside.
5. @marcourrutia1
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZbwWlGldK2/?taken-by=marcourrutia1
We can’t forget about Pays Basque! In the most southwestern part of France that connects Spain and the Atlantic ocean, Basque-fanatic Marco Urrutia pays homage to his home region. Marinas, shorelines, mountains, and countryside are captured in glowing landscape and aerial shots. Not only will you be planning your next trip to Pays Basque, you’ll be longing for summer (and a drone you can attach your phone to).
6. @caumique
https://www.instagram.com/p/BRnATtyggsB/?taken-by=caumique
Camille changes locations most every photo, seeming to be on a (enviable) never-ending road trip through France. Her account portray an authentic adventure, featuring photos with friends, different styles of photography, and captions and subjects that let Camille’s personality shine through. Besides running around the country and running her own account, she’s on the teams running @igerstoulouse and @igersfrance.
7. @pierre_glbd
https://www.instagram.com/p/BcCw7G6A22F/?taken-by=pierre_glbd
Il fait froid? Absolutely, but don’t say you’re not tempted to take a winter trip to the Alps after looking through @pierre_glbd. Grand outlooks of snow-covered everything and close shots of snow-heavy trees, this self-proclaimed outdoor and mountain sport enthusiast take pics of his (and his friends’) adventures up and down the mountains, on skis and on foot. If you scroll back far enough, the Insta features their a camper van summertime adventure. Followers can come along for the journey, and, in the meantime, plan their own trips to the French wilderness.
8. @aguillouphotography
https://www.instagram.com/p/BSgyDoLjyhJ/?taken-by=aguillouphotography
Ocean and sky, rolling waves and surfers, high cliffs and austere silhouettes… you can tell from the reverence each photo evokes that when Antoine Guillou isn’t posting on Insta, he’s still wandering the beaches or swimming in the surf. Pinks and blues dominate his photos, portraying an expansive thriving ocean against the comfortable glow of an early evening sky. Surfing probably wasn’t on your to-do list for France… until now.
9. @mcarlet
https://www.instagram.com/p/BS5fZvLhmav/?taken-by=mcarlet
The most professional photographer of the bunch, Olivier Arlet depicts a Nice bustling in a forever-summer. You can almost always see the sun in his photos, creating an intense silhouette of a français.e in motion or a few long shadows beaming into the foreground. Though his photos don’t communicate anything personal about him, the city of Nice and its inhabitants, going about their daily lives, are intimately portrayed to a degree that it becomes personal.
–
The featured image is by @ni.leconte
