The biggest cities in France, 2024 ranking

Last update : 23 April 2024

Discover the ranking of the biggest cities in France 2024 with this article. There are two rankings, one by number of residents and the other by surface area. Enjoy your reading!

Table of Contents

We start this article with a fun fact: did you know that France had a population of 67.8 million on January 1, 2022? That makes it one of the most populous countries in Europe, and one of the most populous in the world! This population is distributed across the country’s different regions, with a greater concentration in urban areas, particularly in the Paris region. To produce this ranking of France’s cities we based ourselves on the 2021 population census for each of them.

France’s 10 biggest cities at a glance

Here are the 10 largest cities in France by number of residents in order from biggest to smallest. If you’d like more information on the number of residents or this selection by surface area, feel free to browse our article.

1. Paris
2. Marseille
3. Lyon
4. Toulouse
5. Nice
6. Nantes
7. Montpellier
8. Strasbourg
9. Bordeaux
10. Lille

France’s 10 biggest cities by population

1. Paris with 2.175 million residents,
first place in the ranking of France’s 10 biggest cities

Unsurprisingly, Paris takes first place in this ranking of France’s 10 biggest cities, with over 2 million residents. The capital boasts a wealth of assets, including monuments, museums, bars and restaurants… The city is pleasant to live in every day, even if that’s subjective. All right, we have to admit that the weather could be a little nicer! 😂

We’re both Parisians, and a little more sunshine on a daily basis would be welcome! Even though Paris is France’s most populous city, its population is down on the 2020 census.

2. Marseille with 873,000 residents,
second place on the podium of France’s 10 biggest cities

Marseille, la citée phocéenne as it’s known, is France’s second most populous city after Paris, and has much better weather to boot! 😂 We’ve had several opportunities to discover Marseille and its famous calanques and it’s a destination we love. There’s so much to discover here, the old Marseille (the panier district), the Vieux Port, the MUCEM Museum, the pretty Vallon des Auffres or Les Goudes. If you’d like to discover Marseille soon, we suggest you read our full article below. This will enable you to discover our must-sees and good addresses in France’s second biggest city.

3. Lyon with 537,000 residents,
third place on the podium of France’s 10 biggest cities

Lyon is in last place on the podium of France’s 10 biggest cities. Less than 2 hours by train from Paris, Lyon is the perfect place to spend a weekend. It was even voted “Best weekend destination” in 2016! Head for Place Bellecour, Place des Terreaux and the quays of the Saône, which we loved strolling along. To finish your day in style, stroll through Vieux Lyon and discover the traboules, hidden passages full of charm.

4. Toulouse with 502,000 residents

Ah… Toulouse! That’s the famous city we were telling you about in the introduction to this article. And yes, we haven’t yet had the chance to discover the pink city. Yet it ranks 4th among France’s largest cities! To tell you the truth, writing this top 10 list of France’s biggest cities has made us realize that we absolutely must go and discover it. If you have any tips or good addresses to help us prepare for our trip, please don’t hesitate to share them with us on our Instagram account. Note that the city of Toulouse has only 30,000 fewer residents than Lyon and is likely to take 3rd place in the next census. Indeed, even if Lyon continues to attract more residents, Toulouse’s population is growing faster than Lyon’s. We’ll keep an eye on this in the next census. Watch this space in the next census!

5. Nice with 338,000 residents,
fifth place among France’s 10 biggest cities

We’re already halfway through our list of France’s biggest cities, and Nice is in 5th place. Nice is one of our favorite cities on the Côte d’Azur. This large city seduced us with its colorful architecture and gentle way of life. You’ll feel the dolce vita as you stroll along the Promenade des Anglais, overlooking the beaches and the many striped parasols. If you have time, climb up to the Colline du Chateau for an exceptional view!

6. Nantes with 325,000 residents

Nantes is a must-see city in the Pays de la Loire region. During your visit, you’ll have the opportunity to follow the green line to discover the city’s key points. From the Passage Pommeraye to the Buren rings and the Ile aux Machines, your visit to Nantes will be rich in discovery! It’s been a while since we’ve been back to Nantes, and we’ll gladly return.

7. Montpellier with 300,000 residents

We used to vacation in Sète, a small seaside town just 30 minutes from Montpellier. So we know Montpellier pretty well, and it’s a city we really appreciate for its gentle way of life. Montpellier has everything going for it, and we fully understand why it’s in the top 10 biggest cities in France.

8. Strasbourg with 286,000 residents

Strasbourg is a city we love to discover in winter! We’re sure to fall in love with the Petite France district. During your visit to the city, we also recommend a trip to Colmar. At the Christmas market, it’s bound to be exceptional! If you want to know more about Strasbourg and Colmar we let you discover our dedicated article.

9. Bordeaux with 264,000 residents,
second-to-last place among France’s 10 biggest cities

This pretty city in southwest France is well worth a visit! At the heart of an incredible wine-growing region, it’s renowned for its cathedral, its museums, its proximity to the Dune du Pilat and its gentle way of life. Between city and nature, this city on the banks of the Garonne and its historic heritage is sure to seduce you for a weekend, or more! 😍

10. Lille with 236,000 residents,
last place among France’s 10 biggest cities

Lille closes the list of France’s 10 biggest cities. Located just 1 hour from Paris, Lille is a very pretty destination to discover. We really appreciated the green spaces and the breath of fresh air Lille has to offer. Already elected European Capital of Culture in 2004, Lille is renowned for its welcoming living environment and pretty buildings.

Ranking of French cities by number of residents

For those interested, we’ve added below a table detailing France’s 50 biggest cities by population. This table complements our ranking of the 10 biggest cities in France. We hope you find our ranking of France’s cities useful.

Ranking	City	Number of residents
1	Paris	2,175,000
2	Marseille	873,000
3	Lyon	537,000
4	Toulouse	502,000
5	Nice	338 000
6	Nantes	325,000
7	Montpellier	300,000
8	Strasbourg	286,000
9	Bordeaux	264 000
10	Lille	236,000
11	Rennes	225,000
12	Toulon	180,000
13	Reims	179 000
14	Saint-Étienne	170,000
15	Le Havre	165,000
16	Dijon	160,000
17	Grenoble	158 000
18	Angers	157 000
19	Villeurbanne	156,000
20	Saint-Denis	154,000
21	Nîmes	148 000
22	Aix-en-Provence	147 000
23	Clermont-Ferrand	147,000
24	Le Mans	145,000
25	Brest	139 000
26	Tours	137,000
27	Amiens	133,000
28	Annecy	131,000
29	Limoges	129 000
30	Metz	120 000
31	Boulogne-Billancourt	119 000
32	Perpignan	119,000
33	Besançon	119,000
34	Orléans	116,000
35	Rouen	114 000
36	Saint-Denis	113,000
37	Montreuil	111,000
38	Caen	108 000
39	Argenteuil	107,000
40	Mulhouse	106,000
41	Saint-Paul	105,000
42	Nancy	104 000
43	Tourcoing	99,000
44	Roubaix	98,000
45	Nanterre	97,000
46	Vitry-sur-Seine	96,000
47	Créteil	92,000
48	Avignon	90 000
49	Poitiers	89,000
50	Aubervilliers	89,000

plus grandes villes france habitants paris

The ranking of French cities by surface area

France’s biggest city by area is Arles, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. Its total surface area is approximately 759.98 km². To give you an idea, the second-largest city in France by area is Marseille with around 240km².

Ranking	City	Area (km²)
1	Arles	759.98
2	Marseille	241.28
3	Aix-en-Provence	186.08
4	Haguenau	182.59
5	La Teste de Buch	180.20
6	Narbonne	172.96
7	Milau	168.23
8	Nîmes	161.85
9	Montauban	135.17
10	Hyères	132.28
11	Toulouse	118.30
12	Istres	113.73
13	Gap	110.43
14	Paris	105.40
15	Fréjus	102.27
16	Castres	98.17
17	Béziers	95.48
18	Saint Raphaël	89.59
19	La Roche sur Yon	87.52
20	Saint Médard en Jalles	85.28
21	Quimper	84.45
22	Ajaccio	82.03
23	Villeneuve sur Lot	81.32
24	Saint Étienne	79.97
25	Strasbourg	78.26
26	Limoges	77.45
27	Vierzon	74.50
28	Orange	74.20
29	Auch	72.48
30	Nice	71.92
31	Martigues	71.44
32	Salon de Provence	70.3
33	Bourges	68.74
34	Niort	68.20
35	Colmar	66.57
36	Saumur	66.35
37	Nantes	65.19
38	Carcassonne	65.08
39	Besançon	65.05
40	Avignon	64.78
41	Cahors	64.72
42	Bourgoin Jallieu	64.37
43	Épinal	59.24
44	Muret	57.84
45	Montpellier	56.88
46	Manosque	56.73
47	Bergerac	56.10
48	Chaumont	55.26
49	Aubagne	54.90
50	Saint Chamond	54.88

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