La Belle Étoile: Reasons to Stargaze in France This Year

In July 2021, Paris was meant to dim its lights in a bid to become a dark-sky leader. The Environmental Ministry issued a decree mandating that all shops and offices turn off their lights at night. However, many major corporations and fashion brands ignored the 2020 law, using their neon signs for free publicity in the City of Light.

Enter the Parisian parkour collective and activist group, On The Spot, who took action by scaling walls and scaffolding to turn off the glowing signs themselves, a defiant act that spotlighted the issue of light pollution in the city.

The initiative, known as “Lights Out Paris,” eventually gained momentum throughout the city. Authorities even dimmed the Eiffel Tower, upgrading bulbs and projectors to modern LED technology—cutting energy consumption by up to 80 percent and reducing the tower’s sparkling display from 10 minutes to 5 each hour.

This effort is part of the broader Dark Skies movement, which began in the southwestern United States in the 1970s and has recently gained international traction, with new certified Dark Sky Reserves emerging in Israel, Croatia, Brazil, and Japan. Europe, notably the continent with the highest light pollution, has embraced the night-sky preservation cause, with France leading the charge.

Since 2020, France has implemented the world’s most stringent and forward-thinking light-pollution regulations: enforcing light curfews, reducing light pollution, significantly lowering blue light emissions, and banning lasers, sky beams, illuminated waterways, and other forms of light encroachment. Even stricter measures are anticipated for 2023. The country has also established a network of International Dark Sky Reserves, ideal for those looking to explore the cosmos while traveling.

France boasts four Dark Sky Reserves—Réserves de Ciel Etoilé, or RICE for short—forming a chain across the southern region where the skies are generally clearer. These enchanting locations are perfect for experiencing the autumn meteor showers—including Orionids (September 26–November 22), Taurids (September 28–December 2), Leonids (November 3–December 2), and Geminids (November 19–December 24)—and are also beautiful parks showcasing France’s rich biodiversity and natural beauty à la belle étoile. Here’s all you need to know about France’s Dark Sky Reserves.

1. Alpes Azur Mercantour Dark Sky Reserve

Alpes Azur Mercantour Dark Sky Reserve is situated in Provence, approximately 30 minutes northeast of Nice. This expansive 888-square-mile reserve was recognized as a Dark Sky Reserve in 2019—France’s third of its kind—and is home to a rich variety of nocturnal wildlife, including wolves, fireflies, bats, and moths. The reserve encompasses 75 municipalities that follow strict light-emission regulations, allowing for the visibility of over 3,000 stars.

Since the 19th century, this region, which includes Mercantour National Park, has been recognized as a hub for astronomy. Consequently, it boasts a network of six sites for both professional and amateur astronomers, featuring landmarks such as the ruins of Mont Mounier Observatory, Plateau de Calern, and Vallon de la Moutière, which houses a hypertelescope.

Even the famous beach clubs of St. Tropez, located in the village of Ramatuelle just 30 minutes from the park, have evolved from party hotspots into eco-friendly venues that rigorously limit light and noise pollution.

In 2019, the government mandated that club owners renovate all 27 historic beach clubs, leading to the removal of four, to mitigate light pollution. The 23 newly constructed clubs—such as La Réserve, Cheval Blanc, and Byblos—were built with sustainable materials, completely banning plastics and enforcing strict light-emission policies. While swimming and sunbathing remain popular, they’ve transformed into romantic spots for enjoying sunsets, full moons, and meteor showers.

Accommodation options

Terre Blanche: Located about 20 minutes from the park, Terre Blanche is an upscale yet understated resort nestled on a gently sloping hillside adorned with native Provençal flora, including Aleppo and maritime pines, wild thyme, and lavender. The resort is a pioneer in dark-sky conservation, employing motion sensors throughout the property, dimming pathway lights at night, and creating light-free migration corridors for nocturnal wildlife, among other initiatives.

The resort’s villa terraces are designed for stargazing, and at night, the lights automatically dim, providing guests the perfect setting to spot red dwarfs and blue supergiants—ideally while enjoying a glass of local rosé. Additionally, Terre Blanche features two 18-hole golf courses that occasionally host stargazing events and are touted as some of the greenest in the world, being 100 percent free of bio- and pesticide use, with plans to eliminate all lighting soon.

2. Cévennes National Park

The expansive, untouched expanse of Cévennes National Park spans 1,148 square miles and was designated as an International Dark Sky Reserve in 2018. Located on the southeastern edge of the Massif Central—an area characterized by mountains, plateaus, and hills densely populated with ancient trees—the park is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, boasting 2,300 plant species and 2,410 animal species, the highest biodiversity in France.

Popular activities include hiking, wildlife observation, camping, canoeing, and rafting, but stargazing has been gaining popularity. Astro-enthusiasts are particularly attracted to Mont Aigoual Weather Observatory, where amateur astronomers gather for informal stargazing hikes to spot comets and meteors or simply enjoy a clearer view of Orion’s belt.

Accommodation Options

The park collaborates with organizations that provide dark sky–friendly lodging options, including furnished bivouacs, cabins, campsites, gîtes (small holiday homes), and bed-and-breakfasts. For a unique experience, you can even spend the night in a glass pyramid or take part in a six-night star-themed mountain trek with donkeys.

3. Pic du Midi Reserve

Located in the Pyrenees, the Pic du Midi Reserve was certified as a Dark Sky Reserve in 2013 and offers overnight experiences for those wishing to deepen their connection with galaxies and other celestial wonders. The wheelchair-accessible reserve can be reached via a cable car from La Mongie, situated at the base of Col du Tourmalet, and features an astronomy museum, a planetarium, mountain biking trails, and a traditional restaurant serving local trout and lamb. While the park serves as a haven for bears, lizards, capercaillies, chamois, and bearded vultures (the region’s largest raptor), it also provides summer grazing for cows that produce the famous Pyrenean “tomme” cheeses.

Accommodation Options

Pic du Midi collaborates with the NGO starwatch group Ferme des Étoiles to offer guests overnight experiences at the observatory. Visitors stay in cozy rooms designed for astronomers and climate scientists, beginning with sunset cocktails, followed by a gourmet dinner and an astronomy session at the Charvin Dome Observatory, where a 400-mm Smith-Cassegrain telescope awaits (single rooms starting at $469). For $29, you can also opt for a more casual dinner on the mountain. Ferme des Étoiles offers seven- to nine-day astronomy camps for children aged 8 to 17.

4. Regional Natural Park of Millevaches

This park, recognized as a Dark Sky Reserve in 2021, is situated in Limousin and features a dramatic landscape of heather moors, peat bogs, wetlands, and ancient deciduous forests, home to otters, pearl mussels, wetland azures, and linnets. The park boasts a rich diversity of birds and plants, including white-tailed eagles, nightjars, and woodlarks flitting among the sphagnum mosses and sundews. It’s also one of the prime spots for viewing the Milky Way with the naked eye, with an average zenith night sky brightness of 21.6 mag/arcsec, meaning it's dark enough to see distant stars shining.

Accommodation Options

Stargazing enthusiasts have plenty of options for overnight stays: park-affiliated lodgings include a ranch, a donkey farm, lodges, self-catering gîtes, and cottages. Artists can explore the artist residency on Isle de Vassivière, a secluded and forested lake island. These paid residencies aim to attract artists to the park to raise awareness of endangered night skies and capture nocturnal landscapes, ensuring that future generations of star enthusiasts can appreciate the wild beauty of our universe.