Paris
Home to the Ministère de la Culture et Communication (Ministry of Culture & Communication), this inspired structure (Francis Soler and Frédéric Druot,…
Must-see attractions in France
Auvergne
Paper has been made here since 1326, and this old-school operation still produces around 200 sheets per day using traditional techniques. Hour-long guided…
Stade Roland Garros-Musée de la Fédération Française de Tennis
Paris
The Stade Roland Garros, home of the French Open tennis tournament, also shelters the world’s most extravagant tennis museum, which traces the sport’s 500…
Marseille
Guarding the southern side of Marseille’s harbour (and threatening its sometimes rebellious citizens, who attempted to destroy it during the Revolution)…
Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne
Gasp at the daredevil quarrying feats of Volvic's past in this kid-friendly museum. There are subterranean passages to explore (bring a jacket) and flash…
Nice
Originally Queen Victoria’s wintering palace, this monumental edifice was subsequently converted into apartments. In the 1940s Matisse lived here, using…
Nice
It’s hard to imagine that this beautifully landscaped park was once a bus station, a multistorey car park and an ill-loved square. Completed in October…
Parc National des Pyrénées
Built on the right bank of the Gave d'Aspe, this imposing fortress was built in the mid-19th century to protect the border from a possible Spanish…
Marseille
Nestled around this picture-postcard fishing village, a remnant of old maritime Marseille long since swallowed by modern sprawl, are traditional cabanons …
The Luberon
A museum all about the history of breadmaking might not sound like a Bonnieux must-see, but it’s actually an intriguing visit. Located in a 17th-century…
Paris
Paris’ aquarium, on the eastern side of the Jardins du Trocadéro, has a shark tank and 500-odd fish species to entertain families on rainy days. Three…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
At the heart of the Jewish quarter of Pletzl lies this art nouveau synagogue, designed in 1913 by Hector Guimard, who was also responsible for the city's…
Bordeaux
This imposing fountain on vast square and public-transport hub Esplanade des Quinconces is a riot of horses. It was created between 1894 and 1902 in…
Ajaccio
The crypt of the imperial chapel, across the courtyard from the Palais Fesch, holds the tombs of Napoléon's parents and several other relatives. Don't…
The Loire Valley
Inside this seigniorial residence, parts of which are Gothic, furnished rooms – and suits of armour – illustrate life in the 15th century (as does an…
Hôtel de la Vieille Intendance
Montpellier
The early-17th-century Hôtel de la Vieille Intendance was built during the reign of Louis XIII for the queen mother and his niece Marie Louise d’Orléans …
Rouen
Decorated with lurid woodcarvings of skulls, crossbones, gravediggers’ tools and hourglasses (a reminder that your time, my friend, is running out), this…
The Dordogne
About 250m north of the Musée National de Préhistoire, this Cro-Magnon abri (shelter) was inhabited over a period of 15,000 years starting some 37,000…
Paris
Located in the western wing of Palais de Chaillot, the Maritime Museum examines France’s naval adventures from the 17th century until the present day, and…
Angers
Right behind Cathédrale St-Maurice stands the Maison d’Adam, one of the city’s best-preserved medieval houses (c 1500), which is decorated with a riot of…
Bordeaux
An alley of centurion plane trees charts out the course of this elevated garden behind the Capucins food market, built into the remains of the 5km-long…
Maison des Hommes et des Paysages
Burgundy
This thoughtfully organised museum invites visitors to contemplate the interplay between humans and the Morvan's landscapes over the centuries. Exhibits…
Touraine
The family home of landscape painter Emmanuel Lansyer (1835–93) is now a museum displaying more than 100 of his paintings, his collection of Japanese art,…
St-Malo
This 16th-century manor house was the home of controversial explorer Jacques Cartier (1491–1557), who mapped the St Lawrence River and whose explorations…
Burgundy
At the edge of town you'll find the impressive remains of two of Augustodunum's four Roman gates. The northern Porte d'Arroux was constructed during…
Musée International des Arts Modestes
Sète
This offbeat gallery occupying a renovated warehouse is refreshingly free of big names – here the emphasis is on the art of everyday objects, curated by…
Jardin Botanique de la Bastide
Bordeaux
On the right bank, attractive botanical gardens showcase six different zones, including a water garden with impressive lilies, a vertical garden planted…
Basilique Collégiale Notre Dame
Beaune
Built in Romanesque and Gothic styles from the 11th to 15th centuries, this church was once affiliated with the monastery of Cluny. It's notable for its…
Musée des Automates et Modèles Réduits
La Rochelle
This small museum displays 300 automated dolls from the last two centuries, including a near-life-size re-creation of bygone Montmartre in Paris, right…
Burgundy
Musée des Ursulines, housed in a 17th-century Ursuline convent, features Gallo-Roman archaeology, 16th- to 20th-century paintings, and displays about 19th…
The Dordogne
This one-time fortress buffeted by the Hundred Years War was originally constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries. Later additions occurred during the…
Honfleur
This museum displays model sailing ships, nautically themed engravings and watercolours, and a case that examines Honfleur’s role in the 17th- and 18th…
Dijon
This famous grouping of six Old Testament figures, carved from 1395 to 1405 by court sculptor Claus Sluter and his nephew Claus de Werve, is on the…
Marseille
Five kilometres south of central Marseille, this 17th-century park encompasses a lake, a miniature of the Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral, a botanical…
Épernay
In the neoclassical Hôtel de Ville built in 1850 under the direction of the French architect Victor Lenoir, you can take a peek at the ornate, Louis XV…
Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne
Budding zoologists should make a beeline for this 16th-century town house opposite place de l'Hôtel de Ville, which houses over 10,000 insects, including…
Musée de la Vigne et du Vin du Jura
The Jura Mountains
The history behind the Jura's prized vin jaune (barrel-matured wine with a distinctive yellow hue) is told at this understated museum, between the turrets…
Blois
Built by the Jesuits in the mid-1600s, this elegantly proportioned church has features typical of the Counter-Reformation. The classical façade is adorned…
Caen
Doubling as a very useful tourist information centre, this medieval church within the Château de Caen has gorgeous stained-glass works as well as several…
Nîmes
The city’s fine-arts museum has a fairly pedestrian collection of Flemish, Italian and French works, although it’s worth a look for the fine Roman mosaic,…
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