Burgundy
Long associated (wrongly) with the Roman God Janus, this 24m-high temple in the middle of farmland 800m north of the train station is thought to have…
Must-see attractions in France
Normandy
This gorgeous bucolic 4-hectare delight of a garden is surrounded by typical Norman half-timbered buildings, as well as a museum of old tools. For rest…
Lyon & the Rhône Valley
Find out about the Biennale Internationale Design fair and browse diverse, regularly changing exhibitions at the Cité du Design, in a gleaming glass-and…
Dunkirk
Rising 63m high, this automated, first order port lighthouse is the highest of its kind in France (its beam can be seen from 60km away). The lighthouse…
Nancy
Adjoining place Stanislas – on the other side of Nancy’s own Arc de Triomphe, built in the mid-1750s to honour Louis XV – is this quiet square. Once a…
Lyon
Preserved for posterity by the Soierie Vivante association, this silk-trimmings workshop functioned until 1979, weaving braids and intricate pictures…
Paris
Testament to the 13e’s ongoing creative renaissance, this gallery showcases graffiti and street art, and can advise on self-guided and guided street-art…
Auvergne
This ornate Romanesque church dates back to the 13th century, though its Gothic flourishes (such as the bell tower) were added in the 19th century. The…
Côte d'Azur
At the north end of St-Jean village, just off the trail to Beaulieu-sur-Mer, this was the peninsula's original public beach. It remains popular with…
Latin Quarter
The 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre Lutetia Arena once seated 10,000 people for gladiatorial combats and other events. Found by accident in 1869 when rue…
Maison Natale de Charles de Gaulle
Lille
The upper-middle-class house in which Charles de Gaulle was born in 1890 is now a museum presenting the French general and president in the context of his…
Nancy
Bang in the centre of town, this museum brings together a natural history museum and aquarium under one rather stylish art-deco roof. Its tanks swirl with…
Lille, Flanders & the Somme
The Museum of Flanders has a worthwhile, well-presented collection of Flemish art, both old and modern, including canvases in the 15th-century Flemish…
St-Malo
The St-Malo ramparts' northern stretch looks across to the remains of this former prison, built by Vauban in 1689. Standing atop a rocky outcrop, the fort…
Avignon
Reopened in summer 2015 after significant renovation and expansion, Avignon's contemporary-arts museum focuses on works from the 1960s to the present…
Auvergne
These 13 hectares of peaceful parkland, landscaped in honour of Napoléon III, have become a favourite riverfront idling ground for pedestrians and…
Dijon
In 1938, art collectors Jeanne and Maurice Magnin turned their historic townhouse over to the state to display, in perpetuity, the excellent collection…
Normandy
Dieppe’s often-windy, beach is a 1.8km-long stretch of smooth pebbles, rather like the beach at Brighton across the channel. The vast lawns were laid out…
Avignon
The elegant Hôtel de Villeneuve-Martignan (built 1741–54) provides a fitting backdrop for Avignon's fine-arts museum, with 16th- to 20th-century oil…
Statue of Général Charles de Gaulle
Paris
Created by Jean Cardot, this 3.7m-high bronze statue (2000), set atop a 3.85m-high pedestal, depicts a striding Général Charles de Gaulle, who led the the…
St-Jean de Luz
Basque traditions are brought to life at this illuminating multimedia museum, which explores everything from pelota and Basque architecture to the art of…
Grenoble
The rose-brick rib vaults of Grenoble's elegant cathedral rise from the site of a 4th-century church. Its present form dates to the 1200s, though its…
Apothicairerie de l’Hôtel-Dieu-le-Comte
Troyes
If you come down with an old-fashioned malady – scurvy, perhaps, or unbalanced humours – the place to go is this fully outfitted, wood-panelled pharmacy…
Antibes
The impregnable 16th-century Fort Carré, enlarged by Vauban in the 17th century, dominates the approach to Antibes from Nice. It served as a border…
Brittany
The wave-pounded lozenge of Île des Landes – 1.1km long, slender and uninhabited – is home to hundreds of gulls and other seabirds. It's directly east as…
The Jura Mountains
Louis Pasteur's laboratory and workshops have been preserved at his familial house, which still sports its 19th-century fixtures and fittings. Digital …
La Rochelle
La Rochelle's role as a departure point for North America is interpreted at this museum, housed in an elegant courtyard-clad mansion built in 1750.
Chambéry
Due for a grand reopening in 2020, this museum housed in a Franciscan monastery was closed to undergo a massive renovation when we passed through. When it…
Musée de la Photographie André Villers
Côte d'Azur
The small but perfectly formed Musée de la Photographie has some fascinating black-and-white photos of Picasso, snapped by celebrated photographers such…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
For the finest views of the valley, make a beeline for Sisteron's hilltop citadel, perched on a flank of rock high above the town. Built in stages between…
Lyon & the Rhône Valley
A major landmark in the old town, this impressive cathedral dates from the late 11th century but was largely destroyed in the Wars of Religion before…
Paris
This pretty, three-storey spa house is where realist novelist Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) lived and worked from 1840 to 1847, editing the entire Comédie…
Montpellier
The landmark neogothic St Anne's church, with dazzling stained-glass windows, was deconsecrated in the 1980s and is now a spectacular setting for…
Menton
For great views of the old town and the port, meander all the way up through the historic quarter to this hilltop cemetery. It's something of a pilgrimage…
Champagne
Part of a former Benedictine abbey, the Abbaye St-Pierre d'Hautvillers, founded in AD 650 by St Nivard, bishop of Reims, this church is liberally…
The Luberon
This Renaissance château was the first of its kind in Provence. Built during the 16th century and later expanded, the castle has had a string of…
Collioure
Boat sketches by Matisse and Edouard Pignon along with coastal canvases by Henri Martin and Henri Marre are among the highlights of this small but…
Uzès
This delightful garden contains a wealth of plants and flowers that served a variety of purposes for their medieval planters: medicinal, nutritional and…
Église & Cloître St-André Le Bas
Lyon & the Rhône Valley
You can't miss this imposing church on the northern fringes of the old town. The back tower is decorated with tiny carved stone faces. In the cloister,…
Paris
This wing of Fragonard's Perfume Museum holds a collection of copper distillery vats and antique flacons. It's located in a beautiful old hôtel…
- placement: fullWidth
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "position": "superzone" }
