Globally, summer does not officially end until September 21st, but in France, it seems to end with what the French call la rentrée — when summer holidays are over and children return to school. The country is beautiful in every season, but autumn is arguably one of the best times to visit… tourists are mostly gone, it’s still warm, cities and countrysides alike burst with gloriously colorful foliage.
Fall in love with France in fall with our round-up of the best autumnal snapshots from some of our favorite Instagram accounts.
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A doe caught perfectly mid-step in between geometric vineyard rows in autumn. Captured by @lezbroz, a talented duo-brother photography team who regularly contributes to MFCH Magazine.
A basket of apples, fall’s most celebrated fruit, nestled in an orchard field which flourishes bountifully each season. Shot by stylist, photographer and regular MFCH Magazine contributor @thepineapplechef.
A perfect, fall-inspired forest tablescape — pumpkins, ivy, cozy throw and all — styled and shot by our own MFCH Magazine Editor-in-Chief, @sharonsantoni.
A bushel of freshly picked chestnuts (a French autumnal tradition!) at @le_fleur_honfleur — fruits of the property’s 400-year-old chestnut trees, who have been standing there long before its 18th-century château.
Saint-Cloud Park — a 1,100-acre national territory and former nature reserve situated just outside Paris — in all its fall splendor. Shot by @nathparis.
Read next: Our favorite things about la rentrée
A beautiful home entwined with seasonally orange and red ivy on a quiet street in Paris’s favorite little “city” inside the city, Montmartre. Captured by @clangart after a rain.
In fall, luscious mounds of lavender give this calming garden a soft structure while it waits for the bursting purple colors of summer. Shot by @europeangardendesigns.
“La Foulerie,” an old hemp mill on the stunning grounds of the Chateau de Courances, as seen through the magical fall fog by @hayman_design.
A band of ducks strolls happily down a path in the rain at the Jardin des Tuileries – a fall dream! Snapped by @lifewithsare.
The only château in the heart of Bordeaux… the exquisite @chateau_lescarmeshautbrion, particularly inviting with its fall colors!