Must-see attractions in France

  • TOULOUSE, FRANCE - JULY, 2018: The planetarium  in the City of Space 'Cite de l'espace', decorated as planet Earth; Shutterstock ID 1154206081; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Cité de l’Espace

    Toulouse

    The fantastic space museum on the city's eastern outskirts brings Toulouse's illustrious aeronautical history to life through hands-on exhibits, including…

  • Church of the Jacobins aerial panoramic view, a Roman Catholic church located in Toulouse city, France
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    Couvent des Jacobins

    Toulouse

    With its palm tree vaulted ceiling, the Couvent des Jacobins is one of Toulouse’s oldest and most recognizable buildings

  • France, Indre et Loire, Loire Castles, Chenonceau

    Château de Chenonceau

    Touraine

    Spanning the languid Cher River atop a graceful arched bridge, Chenonceau is one of France's most elegant châteaux. It's hard not to be moved and…

  • The royal Chateau de Chambord in the evening, France. This castle is located in the Loire Valley, was built in the 16th century and is one of the most recognizable chateaux in the world.

    Château de Chambord

    The Loire Valley

    If you only have time to visit one château in the Loire, you might as well make it the grandest – and Chambord is the most lavish of them all, and the…

  • Grounds of Rodin Museum sculpture garden.

    Musée Rodin

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Even if you're not an art lover, it is worth visiting this high-profile art museum to lose yourself in its romantic gardens.

  • JULY 30, 2012: Model sailing boats in the pool in front of Luxembourg Palace in Luxembourg Gardens.

    Jardin du Luxembourg

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    This famous inner-city oasis of formal terraces, chestnut groves and lush lawns has a special place in Parisians' hearts. 

  • PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 08, 2016 : French Mausoleum of Great People of France - the Pantheon in Paris. France.; Shutterstock ID 573291478; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Panthéon POI

    Panthéon

    Latin Quarter

    Elegant and regal in equal measure, the massive neoclassical dome of the Left Bank's iconic Panthéon is an icon of the Parisian skyline. Louis XV…

  • Le Mont Saint-Michel tidal island in beautiful twilight at dusk, Normandy, France
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    Abbaye du Mont St-Michel

    Mont St-Michel

    Mont St-Michel's one main street, the Grande Rue, leads up the slope – past souvenir shops, eateries and a forest of elbows – to the star attraction of a…

  • France, Paris, Seine River banks listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, musee d'Orsay

    Musée d’Orsay

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Musée d’Orsay may not be quite as famous as the Louvre—though it’s located a mere 10-minute walk away—but this Left Bank museum holds its own in its…

  • Place du Capitole, Toulouse, France.

    Place du Capitole

    Toulouse

    Toulouse’s grandiose main square is the focal point in the heart of France’s "Pink City"

  • Aeroscopia – Toulouse, France

    Aeroscopia

    Toulouse

    This aviation museum was built on the very spot the A380 Airbus was first completed. Here you can admire commercial and military aircraft and learn behind…

  • Planter Lined Cobble Stone Pathway Leading to Chateau Fontainebleau, France - stock photo

    Château de Fontainebleau

    Fontainebleau

    The resplendent, 1900-room Château de Fontainebleau’s list of former tenants and guests reads like a who’s who of French royalty and aristocracy. Every…

  • The south view of Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres, France.; Cathédrale Notre Dame

Shutterstock ID 688583665; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Cathédrale Notre Dame

    Chartres

    One of Western civilisation’s crowning architectural achievements, the 130m-long Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres is renowned for its brilliant-blue…

  • Exterior of Villandry Castle with its manicured garden.

    Château de Villandry

    Touraine

    Villandry's six glorious landscaped gardens à la française are some of France's finest, with more than 6 hectares of kitchen gardens, cascading flowers,…

  • Spiral staircase in the Francis I wing, the Royal ChÃ?¢teau de Blois, France; Château Royal de Blois

Shutterstock ID 97979516; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

    Château Royal de Blois

    Blois

    Seven French kings lived in Blois' royal château, whose four grand wings were built during four distinct periods in French architecture: Gothic (13th…

  • A picture taken on July 10, 2008, in Besancon, eastern France shows the fortification of the town's citadel, which was added to the list of World Heritage sites by UNESCO on July 7 2008. The fortification represents the "finest examples" of the work of Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban, a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The total number of World Heritage sites now reaches 878 sites in 145 countries.   AFP PHOTO JEFF PACHOUD (Photo credit should read JEFF PACHOUD/AFP/Getty Images)

    Citadelle de Besançon

    Besançon

    Dominating the city from Mt St-Etienne, more than 100 vertical metres above the old town, the 17th-century Citadelle de Besançon – designed by Vauban for…

  • Reconstruction of cave paintings of animals inside Lascaux II.

    Grotte de Lascaux

    The Dordogne

    France’s most famous prehistoric cave paintings are at the Grotte de Lascaux, 2km southeast of Montignac. Naturally sealed and protected for millennia, it…

  • Cathedral Notre Dame in Reims, France

    Cathédrale Notre Dame

    Reims

    Imagine the extravagance of a French royal coronation. The focal point of such pomposity was Reims’ resplendent Gothic cathedral, begun in 1211 on a site…

  • Night view of Carcassone medieval city in France.

    Cité Médiévale

    Carcassonne

    Built on a steep spur of rock, Carcassonne’s rampart-ringed fortress dates back more than two millennia. The fortified town is encircled by two sets of…

  • May 11, 2013: Exterior of the chateau at Azay le Rideau in the Loire.
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architecture, azay, azay-le-rideau, building, castle, chateau, chateaux, culture, day, europe, exterior, facade, famous, france, french, heritage, historical, history, lake, landmark, landscape, le, loire, medieval, old, outdoor, palace, reflection, renaissance, rideau, sky, summer, sunny, time, tourism, tower, traditional, travel, unesco, valley, water

    Château d’Azay-le-Rideau

    Touraine

    Romantic, moat-ringed Azay-le-Rideau is celebrated for its elegant turrets, perfectly proportioned windows, delicate stonework and steep slate roofs…

  • Pere Lachaise Cemetery

    Cimetière du Père Lachaise

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Opened in 1804, Père Lachaise is the world's most visited cemetery. Its 70,000 ornate tombs of the rich and famous form a verdant, 44-hectare sculpture…

  • Paris, France

    Château de Versailles

    Versailles

    Amid magnificently landscaped formal gardens, this splendid and enormous palace was built in the mid-17th century during the reign of Louis XIV – the Roi…

  • Panoramic view of the castle, garden and town Langeais, Loire Valley, France.

    Château de Langeais

    Touraine

    The most medieval of the Loire châteaux, Langeais – built in the 1460s – looks much as it did at the tail end of the Middle Ages, with crenellated…

  • Nantes, France - September 17, 2022: The Great Elephant animated giant puppet, part of the Machines of the Isle of Nantes artistic and tourist attraction, wanders slowly amid onlookers on a sunny day.; Shutterstock ID 2220543875; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes

    Nantes

    Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world – a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled…

  • View of Strasbourg Cathedral from ground. Alsace; Shutterstock ID 543791347; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Cathédrale Notre-Dame Strasbourg POI

    Cathédrale Notre-Dame

    Strasbourg

    Nothing prepares you for your first glimpse of Strasbourg's Cathédrale Notre-Dame, completed in all its Gothic grandeur in 1439. The lace-fine facade…

  • CAEN, FRANCE - OCTOBER 22, 2016: The Memorial de Caen is a museum and war memorial in Caen, Normandy, France commemorating the Second World War and the Battle for Caen.; Shutterstock ID 511924579; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Normandy POIs

    Le Mémorial – Un Musée pour la Paix

    Caen

    For a very insightful and vivid account of the entire war, with special focus on the Battle of Normandy, Le Mémorial is unparalleled – it's one of Europe…

  • Chinon and Royal Fortress of Chinon.

    Forteresse Royale de Chinon

    Touraine

    Surrounded by massive walls, this hilltop castle – offering fabulous views across town, river and countryside – is split into three sections separated by…

  • Chateau Gaillard, Amboise, France.

    Château Gaillard

    Amboise

    The most exciting Loire château to open to visitors in years, Gaillard is the earliest expression of the Italian Renaissance in France. Begun in 1496, the…

  • Amiens Cathedrale Notre Dame

    Cathédrale Notre Dame

    Amiens

    A Unesco World Heritage Site, the largest Gothic cathedral in France (at 145m long) and the largest in the world by volume was begun in 1220 to house the…

  • Cabanon Le Corbusier, Roquebrune Cap Martin, France.

    Cabanon Le Corbusier

    Côte d'Azur

    The only building French architect Le Corbusier (1887–1965) ever built for himself is this rather simple – but very clever – beach hut on Cap Martin…

  • Bayeux Tapestry known in France as La Tapisserie de la Reine Mathilde (Tapestry of Queen Mathilda), Bayeux, Normandy, France, Europe

    Bayeux Tapestry

    Bayeux

    The world’s most celebrated embroidery depicts the conquest of England by William the Conqueror in 1066 from an unashamedly Norman perspective…

  • Entrance of the Aquarium of La Rochelle, France in summer.

    Aquarium La Rochelle

    La Rochelle

    La Rochelle's state-of-the-art, family-friendly aquarium is home to 12,000 marine animals and 600 different species. Visits begin by descending in a…

  • Amphitheatre in Arles.

    Les Arènes

    Arles

    In Roman Gaul, every important town had an amphitheatre, where gladiators and wild animals met their (usually grisly) ends. Few examples have survived,…

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European, French, Mediterranean, Languedoc Rossillon, Bridge, Gardon, World Heritage, Destination, Colour
Pont Du Gard, roman bridge  over crossing the Gardon river

    Pont du Gard

    Languedoc-Roussillon

    The extraordinary three-tiered Pont du Gard was once part of a 50km-long system of channels built around 19 BC to transport water from Uzès to Nîmes. The…

  • Aguille du Midi platforms

    Aiguille du Midi

    Chamonix

    The great rocky fang of the Aiguille du Midi (3842m), rising from the Mont Blanc massif, is one of Chamonix’ most distinctive features. The 360-degree…

  • Corte Citadel  Historical Capital of Corsica

    Citadel

    Bonifacio

    The great joy of visiting Bonifacio lies in strolling the tangled medieval lanes of the citadel. The paved steps of montée du Rastello and montée St-Roch…

  • Roman Amphitheater in Nimes, France

    Les Arènes

    Nîmes

    Nîmes’ twin-tiered amphitheatre is the best preserved in France. Built around 100 BC, the arena once seated 24,000 spectators and staged gladiatorial…

  • Montpellier, France - January 2, 2019: architectural detail of the Fabre museum next to the Place de la Comedie where people pass on a winter day; Shutterstock ID 1628380093; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Musée Fabre

    Montpellier

    Founded in 1825 by painter François-Xavier Fabre, this exceptional museum houses one of France’s richest collections of European art. The galleries…

  • GIVERNY, FRANCE -3 JULY 2016- The house of French impressionist painter Claude Monet in Giverny is now a museum. It includes a beautiful garden with a nymphea waterlily pond and Japanese bridge.; Shutterstock ID 649707625; Your name (First / Last): Daniel Fahey; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet POI

    Maison et Jardins de Claude Monet

    Giverny

    Monet’s home for the last 43 years of his life is now a delightful house-museum. His pastel-pink house and Water Lily studio stand on the periphery of the…

  • Chateau du Clos Luce castle, Amboise, France.

    Le Clos Lucé

    Amboise

    It was at the invitation of François I that Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), aged 64, took up residence in this grand manor house, built in 1471. An admirer…

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