Rouen
Housed in a very grand structure flung up in 1870, Rouen’s simply outstanding fine-arts museum features canvases by Rubens, Modigliani, Pissarro, Renoir,…
Must-see attractions in France
Versailles
In the middle of the park, approximately 1.5km northwest of the main building within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette are Versailles' two smaller palaces,…
The Jura Mountains
Montbenoît's Renaissance-style tower – emblazoned with a horseback knight – instantly impresses. Inside, explore the old abbey's double-columned…
Auvergne
The Auvergne's largest Romanesque church is a whopper in design as much as size. Built over the tomb of martyred Saint Julien, and housing a gold…
Toulouse, Gers & Vallée du Tarn
The foundations of this formidable cathedral date back to 1011, when the site hosted a Benedictine abbey. The cathedral was rebuilt in Flamboyant Gothic…
Île-de-France
Senlis' Gothic cathedral was built between 1150 and 1191. The cathedral is unusually bright, with original stained glass. The 78m-high south tower dates…
Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière
Lyon
Crowning the hill, with stunning city panoramas from its terrace, this superb example of late-19th-century French ecclesiastical architecture is lined…
Amboise
Three kilometres south of Amboise, this seven-storey, vaguely Asian 'pagoda' (44m) was built between 1775 and 1778, when blending classical French…
Strasbourg
A triumph of 17th-century engineering, the Barrage Vauban bears the architectural imprint of the leading French military engineer of the age – Sébastien…
Besançon
The base of 18th-century Cathédrale St-Jean's bell tower houses an incredible astronomical clock, powered by 11 weights, that has run the church's bells…
Bastia
Occupying the former palace of Bastia’s Genoese governors, set into the formidable walls of the citadel, this museum retraces the city’s history from its…
Brittany
Dominating the town, Vitré's medieval castle rises on a rocky outcrop overlooking the River Vilaine, and is one of the most impressive in Brittany – a…
Auvergne
Two contrasting churches combine at Église St-Blaise: the concrete outer shell of a 1931 art-deco church, resembling something of a Soviet space rocket,…
Colmar
In the house where Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi was born in 1834, this museum pays homage to the sculptor who captured the spirit of a nation with his…
Toulouse, Gers & Vallée du Tarn
The Canal du Midi is an engineering wonder, a 241km waterway constructed under Louis XIV to link the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea. Deservedly…
Alsace
Life spirals around this market square, put to use each Thursday morning, where you’ll find the 16th-century hôtel de ville (town-hall building)…
Yonne
Some 200L of water per second gushes from Fosse Dionne, a natural spring near the centre of Tonnerre that was sacred to the Celts and whose vivid blue…
Besançon
Erected in AD 175 in honour of Marcus Aurelius, this 16.5m-high Roman triumphal arch stands very near where the columns of a Roman theatre and the…
Auvergne
At 16m tall and weighing a svelte 110 tonnes, this crimson Notre Dame de France (Virgin Mary) statue makes an imposing guardian over Le Puy. Since 1860,…
Alsace
Set amid the vines, this delightful centre is home base for 200 free-flying storks; visit in spring and you're guaranteed to see hatchlings. Cormorants,…
Dijon
A block north of the Palais des Ducs, this church was built between 1220 and 1240. Its extraordinary façade's three tiers are lined with leering gargoyles…
Cassis
The 'Road of Crests' offers heart-stopping panoramas as it traverses the 13 winding kilometres of stunning coastal and upland scenery between Cassis and…
Le Havre
The Jardins Suspendus (Hanging Gardens) is an old hilltop fortress transformed into a beautiful set of gardens, whose greenhouses and outdoor spaces…
Cathédrale Notre Dame Cloister
Auvergne
A peaceful 12th-century cloister adjoins Le Puy's cathedral, its multicoloured bricks and columns alluding to strong Moorish influences. Upstairs is a…
Bonifacio
Only accessible from the top, this impressive staircase cuts down Bonifacio's southern cliff-face. Legend says that during the siege of 1420, Aragonese…
Chambéry
Medieval walls, Gothic tracery, trompe l'oeil detailing…Chambéry's château has acquired a wealth of styles since its founding in the 11th century. Once…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Paris' history museum, spanning Gallo-Roman times onwards, rambles over a pair of remarkable hôtels particuliers (private mansions), the 1560-built Hôtel…
Côte d'Azur
This magnificent dwelling is a reproduction of a 1st-century Athenian villa, complete with baths, stunning mosaic floors and furniture such as dining…
Alsace
A stroll through the cobbled streets of the well-preserved medieval centre takes in the early Gothic church; the wall-mounted sundial, dating from 1711;…
Nancy
A highlight of a visit to Nancy, the Musée de l’École de Nancy brings together an exquisite collection of art-nouveau interiors, curvaceous glass and…
Yonne
In the heart of Auxerre's partly medieval commercial precinct, the golden, spire-topped Tour de l'Horloge was built in 1483 as part of the city's…
Clermont-Ferrand
Just southwest of the old city, lined with bars and hotels, Clermont-Ferrand's monumental pedestrianised square is overlooked by a statue of heroic Celtic…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
The 18th-century royal mint, Monnaie de Paris, houses the Musée du 11 Conti, an interactive museum exploring the history of French coinage from antiquity…
Burgundy
A masterpiece of 10th- to 12th-century Romanesque architecture, this abbey church has a beautiful 12th-century bell tower, along with some superb and…
Versailles
Within the Domaine de Marie-Antoinette, the ochre-coloured Petit Trianon, built in the 1760s, was redecorated in 1867 by Empress Eugénie, the consort of…
Annecy
It’s a pleasure simply to wander aimlessly around Annecy’s medieval Old Town, where emerald-green canals flow beneath stone bridges and pastel-painted…
Ajaccio
Dedicated beach bums generally prefer the sands of Porticcio to Ajaccio's busy city beaches. It’s 15km by road around the bay from Ajaccio, or 6km…
Aix-en-Provence
Built in 1860 as the centrepiece to the place de la Rotonde, the roundabout at the western edge of Cours Mireabeau, this magnificent fountain is adorned…
Èze
The best panorama in Èze village is from this cactus garden right at the top of the craggy hilltop village. Take time to relax in the ruins of Èze's…
Nancy
A saunter through the charming old town takes in the silver-turreted, 14th-century Porte de la Craffe, Nancy’s oldest city gate, and place St-Epvre,…
- placement: fullWidth
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "position": "superzone" }
