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The highest-profile contest is for the mayorship of Paris - which has been under left-wing control for 25 years.
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A strong showing for Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN) would be a boost for the nationalist right - even as she awaits a judicial decision on whether she can stand for head of state in 2027.
More broadly the six-yearly municipal elections - which take place in two rounds over the next successive Sundays - will be a test of how far mainstream parties are prepared to go in forming alliances with the far left and far right.
Politics in France has become increasingly polarised, as in much of Europe, and traditional parties have found it harder to win elections without at least tacit support from formations on their outer flank.
But this leads to accusations of pandering to extremism which in turn can cost votes in the centre.
Inevitably the highest-profile contest is for the mayorship of Paris, which has been under left-wing control for 25 years, but could now shift back to the right.
Here as elsewhere alliances will play a vital role in between the two rounds of voting.
Under the complex voting system, it is quite possible that as many as five candidates in the capital will make it through to the run-off on 22 March.
Defending the status quo is Socialist Emmanuel Grégoire, 48, former deputy to outgoing mayor Anne Hidalgo.
Leading the challenge from the right is former culture minister Rachida Dati, 60, one-time protégée of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy.
But other candidates in the race are Pierre-Yves Bournazel from the pro-President Macron centre, Sophia Chikirou from the radical left France Unbowed (LFI), Sarah Knafo from the radical right Reconquest party and Thierry Mariani from the RN.
Polls consistently put all the candidates, except for Mariani, above the 10% level of votes needed to get through to the second round. And if Mariani were to get more than 5%, he, too, would be allowed to form a pact to merge his list with another's.
So between the two rounds there
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