France Discovery Wooden Puzzle
France with its landmarks drawn in place – and the Eiffel Tower lifts out
Specifications
| Material | Wood |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 38 × 28 cm |
| Thickness | 4 mm |
| Pieces | 199 |
| Recommended age | 14+ |
| Made in | Ukraine |
Shipping
Every order ships from our fulfilment centre in France – never dropshipping. Orders are dispatched within 24 hours on working days; order before 10:30 and it leaves the same day. You’ll receive your tracking number by email at dispatch.
France: 2–4 working days – free home delivery from €40.
Rest of Europe: 2–10 working days, depending on destination.
Returns
You have 14 days from delivery to change your mind – no reason needed. Write to us first at info@creatifwood.com, then send the product back unused, in its original packaging.
Return shipping is at your charge; we refund the full order amount within 14 days, to your original payment method.
Received a damaged or wrong item? Contact us within 14 days with photos – we’ll make it right.
About this product
A map that is also a tour
Cut to the outline of France rather than to a circle, and filled with drawn landmarks placed where they belong: the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame in Paris, the cliffs of Brittany, lavender in Provence, Rocamadour on its rock, a beach umbrella at Biarritz, the arches of the Pont du Gard in the south. Regions are named in ribbons across the map.
Among the largest boards we cut, at 38 cm – and the only one shaped like a country.
The landmarks are pieces
The best of it: many of the drawings lift out whole. The Eiffel Tower, the rooster, a hot-air balloon and their neighbours are cut as figure pieces, so placing them is placing the landmark itself – and a finished map hides them in plain sight.
Regions are the sorting method
The illustrations are grouped geographically, so the board divides naturally into six or seven areas, each with its own palette and its own set of drawings. Pieces sort by region rather than by colour, which is a faster method than either.
The coastline is the anchor. It is the only continuous line on the board, and almost all of its edge, and building it first turns the puzzle into a filling-in exercise.
Who buys it
People with a relationship to a particular part of France rather than to the country in general. Someone from Brittany looks for Brittany first. That is a different purchase from a landscape photograph, where the subject is the view.
It also reads as a map from across a room, which the landscape discs do not, so it works in a hallway or a study rather than only as decoration.
Our craftsmanship
Made by our family, piece by piece
Every creatifwood puzzle starts as a sheet of birch plywood in our family workshop. We laser-cut every piece into its own shape – no two are alike – check each set by hand, and pack it in a gift-ready box. No production lines, no shortcuts – just a small family that loves working with wood, and takes it personally that your puzzle brings people together around the table.
Meet the family behind your puzzleFrequently asked questions
Why does this puzzle have no straight edges?
The outline follows the shape of the design itself, so the usual approach of building the border first does not apply. Most people start from the area with the strongest contrast – in animal designs, usually the eye – and work outward from there.
What are the animal-shaped pieces for?
They are called whimsy pieces, a tradition that goes back to Victorian puzzle cutters who added recognisable shapes on a whim while working. Parker Brothers made it a standard in 1908. They do not interlock the way ordinary pieces do, so the pieces around them hold them in place.
Is this harder than a cardboard puzzle of the same size?
Yes, for three reasons. There is no straight border to anchor from, the ornamental patterning repeats so colour sorting barely helps, and the piece shapes are irregular rather than a uniform knob-and-socket grid.
How long will it take?
Honestly: longer than you expect. With no border to anchor from, repeating ornament and irregular pieces, a wooden puzzle takes noticeably longer than a cardboard one with the same count. We think that is part of the pleasure – it is made to be savoured, not raced.
Can I glue it and hang it on the wall?
Yes. Use a glue made for puzzles rather than a general craft adhesive: it runs into the joints and dries as a thin clear film that protects the face. We stock the Cléo'Puzzle glue-varnish, rated for cardboard, wood and MDF, with a precision nozzle for boards that have no straight edges. Work in thin coats and let each one dry. Gluing is permanent – if you would rather rebuild the puzzle one day, or keep the front matt, dry adhesive film on the back is the alternative. Once sealed, the board can be framed or hung as it is.
Why does it smell of wood when I open the box?
Laser cutting leaves a light trace of scorching on the edges. We clean the pieces before packing, but a faint smell of cut wood in the first days is normal and fades.
Which age is it suitable for?
It is shown on each product page under Specifications. Most designs in this range are marked 14+, and a few simpler ones are suitable from 3.
What if a piece is missing or broken?
Write to us with a photo and we will send a replacement. Details are on our Missing Pieces page.