Unité d'Habitation

Lonely Planet review

Elevated on tapering pylons like a titanic dry-docked ship, visionary International style architect Le Corbusier redefined urban living in 1952 with the completion of his vertical 337-apartment 'garden city', Unité d'Habitation, also known as Cité Radieuse (Radiant City).

Along its darkened hallways, primary-coloured downlights create a glowing tunnel leading to a minisupermarket, architectural bookshop and panoramic rooftop 'desert garden' with an avocado-tiled ankle-deep pool producing rippling sunlit patterns, and a cylindrical concrete tower (camouflaging the building's utilities), which tops off the steamship effect. Even if you're not staying at the onsite Hôtel Le Corbusier, you can arrange to visit this tour de force, including its private apartments, or dine at its restaurant, with sweeping views of the Mediterranean - and of the proliferation of high-rises that Le Corbusier inspired. Catch bus 83 or 21 to the Le Corbusier stop.