French cities are cities that can be founded by the French civilization in Civilization V and its expansions. The first city founded is the 
Capital, and the names of future cities are chosen in the order they appear on the list below.
The names listed are default names; players can change their cities' names if they choose.
| Founding Order | City Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris | Capital of France; home of Eiffel Tower, Louvre and Notre Dame |
| 2 | Orleans | Bishop's seat, capital of Centre - Val de Loire region |
| 3 | Lyon | Second largest city in France, former capital of the Gauls |
| 4 | Troyes | Capital of Aube |
| 5 | Tours | Capital of Indre-et-Loire |
| 6 | Marseille | Main trading port of the French Empire, former Greek settlement |
| 7 | Chartres | Capital of Eure-et-Loir, famous for its gothic cathedral |
| 8 | Avignon | Former papal residence |
| 9 | Rouen | Historic capital of Normandy |
| 10 | Grenoble | Capital of Isère; nicknamed "Capital of the Alps" |
| 11 | Dijon | Holds an International and Gastronomic Fair every year in autumn; capital of Bourgogne region |
| 12 | Amiens | Capital of Somme |
| 13 | Cherbourg | Ferryport to England |
| 14 | Poitiers | Capital of Poitou-Charentes |
| 15 | Toulouse | Capital of Midi-Pyrénées; centre of the European aerospace industry |
| 16 | Bayonne | Important Portcity of the French Basque country |
| 17 | Strasbourg | Official seat of the European Parliament capital of Grand Est region |
| 18 | Brest | Shared with the Celts, not buildable if they are in the game; important military harbor |
| 19 | Bordeaux | Famous wine city, capital of Aquitaine (former Guyenne) |
| 20 | Rennes | Shared with the Celts, not buildable if they are in the game; capital of Brittany |
| 21 | Nice | Capital of Alpes Maritimes; nicknamed "Nissa the Beautiful" |
| 22 | Saint Etienne | Capital of Loire, hometown to the biggest state-owned weapon factory in France, founded 1764 |
| 23 | Nantes | Shared with the Celts, not buildable if they are in the game; ancient capital of the Bretons |
| 24 | Reims | Old Roman settlement, mostly famous for its champagne; place where Clovis was baptized by Rémi, leading to the fact that almost all the kings of France were anointed here (ceremony was called « le sacre ») |
| 25 | Le Mans | Capital of Sarthe, home to a racing competition (Les 24 heures du Mans) |
| 26 | Montpellier | Fastest growing city in France, home to one of the oldest universities in Europe |
| 27 | Limoges | Capital of Haute-Vienne |
| 28 | Nancy | Old seat of the Duke of Lorraine |
| 29 | Lille | Capital of Hauts de France, fourth biggest city in France |
| 30 | Caen | Capital of Basse-Normandie |
| 31 | Toulon | Large French military harbor |
| 32 | Nîmes | Capital of Gard; nicknamed "French Rome" |
| 33 | Le Havre | Second largest port of France |
| 34 | Lourdes | Site of the Marian apparitions |
| 35 | Carcassone | Military fortress |
| 36 | Cannes | Home of the Cannes Film Festival |
| 37 | Aix-En-Provence | Important educational center |
| 38 | La Rochelle | Capital of Charente-Maritime, former safe place for Protestants |
| 39 | Bourges | Former capital of the Berry region |
| 40 | Calais | Major transport center |