We investigated for the first time the high-lying Rydberg levels in the rare radioactive element francium (Fr). The investigations were conducted by the highly sensitive laser resonance atomic photoionization technique with Fr atoms produced at a rate of about
103 atoms/s in a hot cavity. We measured the wave numbers of the 7
p2P3/2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}
nd2D (n=22--33) and 7
p2P3/2\ensuremath{\rightarrow}
ns2S (n=23, 25--27,29--31) transitions and found the binding energy of the 7
p2P3/2 state to be T=-18 924.8(3) ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, which made it possible to establish accurately the ionization potential of Fr.