Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Wall murals by a succession of different street artists plaster one wall of a building, a two-minute walk from the Musée National Picasso, on the corner…
Must-see attractions in France
Ajaccio
Constructed on the rocky headland during the 16th century, the imposing military fortress that adjoins old Ajaccio still belongs to the army. It has been…
Lourdes
This gate into the sanctuary is the first you'll reach when approaching from across the river (where you'll find the majority of lodging and dining…
Paris
The Jardin de l’Atlantique, whose 3.5 hectares of park carpets the roof of the Gare Montparnasse, offers greenery and tranquillity in the heart of the…
Paris
The name of this multi-tiered Renaissance fountain (1550) comes off as a bit ironic – nothing in central Paris feels even remotely innocent – but is in…
Paris
Some 400m north of av des Champs-Élysées is rue du Faubourg St-Honoré (8e), the western extension of rue St-Honoré. It has renowned couture houses,…
Paris
In the centre of place Vendôme, this column consists of a stone core wrapped in a 160m-long bronze spiral made from hundreds of Austrian and Russian…
Town Walls & Tour de Constance
Camargue
Scaling the ramparts of the picturesque town of Aigues-Mortes rewards you with sweeping views. Head to the top of the 13th-century Tour de Constance (in…
Paris
This is the former Palais Royal, built in 1624 by Cardinal Richelieu. It's now the Council of State – the French national government body that acts as…
Arles
The 16th-century hospital where Van Gogh had his ear stitched on and was later locked up hosts the occasional exhibition (which attracts an entry fee). At…
Building Where Jim Morrison Died
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Devout fans of rock star Jim Morrison can admire the elegant Hausmannian building at 17 rue Beautreillis, where the singer lived in an apartment on the…
Clermont-Ferrand
Sprouting from the 5th-century site of one of Clermont-Ferrand's oldest churches is this magnificent 12th-century church, crowned with a prickly Gothic…
Mont St-Michel
Stop by the dam’s observation platform before you cross the bridge to the islet, from where you can see the workings of the dam over the River Couësnon…
Église Ste-Marie de la Bastide
Bordeaux
La Bastide's neo-medieval church, consecrated in 1884, was designed by Paul Abadie (1812–84) – the same architect who designed the Basilica de Sacre-Coeur…
Annecy
Inspired by the design of Rome's Church of the Gesù, this Catholic church is also known as the Church of the Italians (and hosts mass in Italian). Dating…
Latin Quarter
Peer down the passageway at 71 rue du Cardinal Lemoine: Irish writer James Joyce (1882–1941) lived in the courtyard flat at the back marked ‘E’ when he…
Bayonne
Once the defensive barrier that kept the city safe from attack, Bayonne's 17th-century fortifications are now covered in grass and enveloped in pretty…
Clermont-Ferrand
This 19th-century obelisk was fashioned from dark volcanic stone from Volvic and festooned with carvings. The monument was raised in honour of Louis…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Along with the Porte St-Martin, this triumphal arch was built in the late 17th century to commemorate a victory by Louis XIV’s armies. At the time of its…
Languedoc-Roussillon
The town's improbably large Cathédrale Notre Dame was built in 1368 as the official seat of Mende’s bishop. The cathedral is home to outstanding 18th…
Alsace
Peer into the imagination of celebrated Colmar-born illustrator Jean-Jacques Waltz (1873–1951), aka Hansi, whose idealised images of Alsace are known…
Limoges
Tucked away between rue du Temple and rue du Consulat, this tiny enclosed courtyard is surrounded by 16th-century hôtels particuliers (private mansions)…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Behind the Musée du Luxembourg, within the Jardin du Luxembourg, in the palace’s vintage orangerie (orangery), an elegant building filled with aromatic…
Nîmes
Nîmes' natural history museum has the usual displays of stuffed beasties, fossils and skeletons, as well as a few menhirs (standing stones) decorated by…
La Rochelle
La Rochelle's Museum of Fine Arts, housed inside a stunning neoclassical building, hosts an impressive collection of 15th- to 20th-century art.
Lyon
Jean-Paul II's Renault Espace, Hitler's Mercedes, 50-odd motorbikes, bicycles and historical modes of Lyonnais public transport are displayed inside this…
The Luberon
The palatial Château d’Ansouis can be visited by guided tour, and in August it hosts classical-music concerts at its hedged-in courtyard. Tours run at 3pm…
Dunkirk
Honouring over 4500 British and Commonwealth soldiers ‘with no known grave’, this memorial is next to the British War Graves Section of Dunkirk's town…
Nice
A landmark building overlooking the grand sweep of the Promenade des Anglais, built in 1912 for Romanian innkeeper Henri Negresco. Its rosy-pink dome and…
Clermont-Ferrand
Since 1903, ancient Gaul's 'warrior king' has assumed a fearsome stance atop a horse in the middle of place de Jaude. The statue was created by Frédéric…
Paris
This monumental glass hall (Ricardo Bofill, 1996) of offices and shops replaces an unsightly parking garage (now underground) and evokes the wonderful…
Paris
The Pré Catelan garden area within Parc de Bagatelle squirrels away a wonderful Jardin Shakespeare where plants, flowers and trees mentioned in…
Nîmes
Inside the city's 17th-century episcopal palace, the town museum delves into the history of Nîmes from Roman times through to the modern era, with lots of…
5bis Rue Verneuil (Serge Gainsbourg's Former Home)
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Parisian crooner Serge Gainsbourg lived here from 1969 until his death in 1991. It's still owned by his daughter, actor/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, and…
Burgundy
The major attraction of Paray-le-Monial, about 50km to the west of Cluny, is its Romanesque Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, whose construction started in the…
Lille
Designed by architect Louis-Marie Cordonnier and built between 1910 and 1921 in neo-Flemish style, Lille's landmark Chamber of Commerce building is…
Île de Ré
This small museum, opposite the tourist office at the entrance to St-Martin de Ré, explores island history through art, ceramics and maritime curiosities…
Maison Paternelle de Ste-Bernadette
Lourdes
After Bernadette Soubirous experienced her visions, Lourdes’ abbot bought this house for her family. It’s still run by her descendants, and has a…
Bordeaux
Temporary exhibitions of the nearby Musée des Beaux Arts will be hosted at this annexe once it reopens after extensive renovation work in early 2019. The…
Musée International du Long Cours Cap-Hornier
St-Malo
Housed in the 14th-century Tour Solidor, this museum presents the life of the hardy sailors who followed the dangerous Cape Horn route around the southern…
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