Montpellier
The Hôtel de Varennes is a harmonious 18th-century makeover of a medieval structure; it now contains the city’s small history museum, the Musée du Vieux…
Must-see attractions in France
The Dordogne
Across the square from the tourist office, artefacts here include clothing, toys and tools, mainly from the 19th century. Admission is included with the…
The Loire Valley
At this Merovingian-era mine, stone coffins were produced from the 5th to the 9th centuries and exported all over western France. Tours, in French with…
Épernay
Crowned by a fairy-tale silver spire, this late-19th-century church bears Romanesque and Gothic influences and is lit from within by a rose window. It was…
Yonne
The striking late-15th-century Tour des Prisons is the lone remaining tower from the original stone fortifications surrounding Auxerre's medieval Abbaye…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Completed in 1881, the ornate Pavillon Davioud in the Jardin du Luxembourg hosts events such as the Fête du Miel (Honey Festival) in late September every…
Ministère des Affaires Étrangères
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Next door to the Assemblée Nationale is the Second Empire–style Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, built between 1845 and 1855. It's closed to the public.
Alsace
The red-sandstone Église Ste Croix has an altar with 18 painted haut-relief panels of the Passion and the Resurrection. Out front, a Renaissance fountain…
Caen
An earlier 12th-century church stood at this site where this 15th-century church stands today, with its beautiful stained-glass windows. The church was…
Viewpoint Where Van Gogh Painted 'Starry Night Over the Rhône'
Arles
This is the spot where Van Gogh painted Starry Night Over the Rhône (1888) now hanging in Paris' Musée d'Orsay. When conditions are right, you can see at…
The Dordogne
Many Knights Templar were imprisoned in Domme in 1307 while they awaited trial. Loads of Templar graffiti in their code system still marks their prison…
Toulouse
This natural-history museum ranges across the epochs, with exhibits from pterodactyl skeletons to ancient fossils. Exhibits are displayed with verve and…
Dijon
Built over the tomb of St Benignus (believed to have brought Christianity to Burgundy in the 2nd century), Dijon's Burgundian Gothic–style cathedral was…
Clermont-Ferrand
Two blocks north of the cathedral, this early-16th-century fountain has three tiers carved in a delicate Gothic style. It's the focal point of a pretty…
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
A beautifully sited lavender factory near Thoard, along the Route du Temps. You can watch the distillation process and buy products in the onsite shop.
Paris
In the Parc du Champ de Mars, the Wall for Peace Memorial of steel and etched glass facing the École Militaire (Military Academy) is by Clara Halter.
Côte d'Azur
This prestigious tennis club, founded at the turn of the 20th century, hosts numerous events on its eight clay courts, including a riveting ITF…
Grenoble
Consecrated in 1699, the St-Louis church may look austere from the outside but within you'll find a staggering set of seven paintings, featuring scenes…
Alsace
Stretch your legs by strolling around Obernai’s 13th-century ramparts, accessible from the square in front of the twin-spired, neo-Gothic Église St-Pierre…
Arles
Completed in 1676, and still the seat of Arles' government, the handsome Town Hall is also the entrance to the subterranean Roman Cryptoportiques.
Collioure
Built in 1552 by Spanish king Charles V between Collioure and Port-Vendre, this hilltop fort was designed as a key piece of the coastal defence system. It…
Yonne
The 12th- and 13th-century Gothic Église St-Martin, first founded in the 9th century by monks fleeing the Norman attacks on Tours, is two short blocks…
Rouen
The old city's main thoroughfare, rue du Gros Horloge, runs from the cathedral west to place du Vieux Marché, where 19-year-old Joan of Arc was burned at…
Biarritz
This Russian Orthodox church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint Alexandre Nevsky was built by and for the Russian aristocrats who frequented Biarritz…
Strasbourg
A futuristic glass crescent, the Council of Europe’s Palais de l’Europe across the River Ill can be visited on free one-hour weekday tours; phone ahead…
Cannes
Dating to 1876, Cannes' imposing four-storey town hall is one of the city's most prominent landmarks. Look for it along the waterfront between the Palais…
Grasse
Once a humble church, Notre-Dame du Puy became Grasse’s cathedral in 1244. The current façade dates to the early 20th century. Inside there are paintings…
Caen
The 15th-century Maison des Quatrans is one of only two prewar buildings left in the city centre near Château de Guillaume le Conquérant, though it lost a…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Near the orchards in the south of the Jardin du Luxembourg is this historical apiary, where bees have produced honey since the 19th century.
Sarlat-la-Canéda
A passage from Cour des Chanoines leads to the Chapelle St-Benoît, aka Chapelle des Pénitents Bleus, a 12th-century Romanesque chapel and the oldest…
Southern Corsica
Rising above Sartène's attractive, lively main square, this granite church houses the 34kg cross and 16kg chain borne by the penitent during Good Friday's…
Rennes
Highly popular with and chiefly aimed at kids, the Espace des Sciences is a fun interactive science museum arranged over two floors, situated in Rennes'…
Brittany
The town's museum is atmospherically housed in the keep of Dinan's ruined 14th-century château, showcasing the town's history, with information sheets in…
Nantes
Nantes' Natural History Museum has a fascinating collection of minerals, fossils, stuffed animals and an impressive whale skeleton. There are frequent…
Reims
The centrepiece of Place Drouet d'Erlon is the Subé Fountain, built in 1907 and crowned by a gleaming gold statue of Winged Victory.
Caen
Inside the Château de Caen, the Échiquier (more fully the Salle de l’Échiquier) – or the Exchequer – is a venerable building dating from the 12th century.
Atlantic Coast
Cognac's main church occupies a former Benedictine priory. Building work started in 1130 and continued for more than three centuries, hence the mix of…
Aix-en-Provence
In the centre of cours Mirabeau is this lovely sculpted fountain from 1823, depicting the 15th-century king holding muscat grapes (which he reputedly…
Avignon
Porte St-Charles is one of the entryways to Avignon's Unesco-registered walled city, located on the walls' southwestern edge; it's a modern-day breach cut…
Aix-en-Provence
Dating to 1667, this small fountain, the first along the Cours Mirabeau, is fed by 18ºC spring water that encourages the diversity of greenery with which…
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