Outdoor sights in France
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
Monaco Formula One Grand Prix
The scent of singed tyres fills the air at May's Monaco Formula One Grand Prix . If there's one trophy a Formula One driver would like to have on the mantelpiece, it would have to be from the most glamorous race of the season, the Monaco Grand Prix. This race has everything.
Its spectators are the most sensational: the merely wealthy survey the spectacle from Hôtel Hermitage, the really rich watch from their luxury yachts moored in the harbour, while the Grimaldis see the start and finish from the royal box at the port.
Then there's the setting: the cars scream around the very centre of the city, racing uphill from the start/finish line to place du Casino, then downhill a…
reviewed
-
A
Parc du Champ de Mars
Running southeast from the Eiffel Tower, the grassy Field of Mars (named after the Roman god of war) was originally used as a parade ground for the cadets of the 18th-century École Militaire (Military Academy).On 14 July 1790 the Fête de la Fédération (Federation Festival) was held on the Champ de Mars to celebrate the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. Four years later it was the location of the Fête de l’Être-Suprême (Festival of the Supreme Being), at which Robespierre presided over a ceremony that established a revolutionary ‘state religion’.
reviewed
-
B
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Encircled by tall apartment blocks, the 25-hectare Buttes-Chaumont Park is the closest thing in Paris to Manhattan’s Central Park. The park’s forested slopes hide grottoes and artificial waterfalls, and the lake is dominated by a temple-topped island linked to the mainland by two footbridges. Once a quarry and rubbish tip, the park was given its present form by Baron Haussmann in time for the opening of the 1867 Exposition Universelle.
reviewed
-
C
Cap Taillat
Cap Taillat is protected by the Conservatoire du Littoral (which bought it from Club Med after it tried to turn the precious, nature-rich cape into the world's largest Club Med in the 1970s). The tiny spit of sandy land today supports a range of important habitats, from seashore to wooded cliffs, and hides some of France's rarest plant species as well as a population of Hermann tortoises. Can be accessed from Gigaro.
reviewed
-
D
Parc Fontvieille
The lush gardens of Parc Fontvieille are pleasant for a summer stroll; more than 4000 rose bushes and a small swan-filled lake adorn the Roseraie Princesse Grace (Princess Grace Rose Garden), planted in her memory in 1984. Contemporary sculptures, including works by César and Arman, line the length of the park's Chemin des Sculptures.
reviewed
-
Ville d'Hiver
On the tree-covered hillside south of the Ville d'Été, the century-old Ville d'Hiver (Winter Quarter) has over 300 villas, many decorated with delicate wood tracery, ranging in style from neogothic through to colonial. It's an easy stroll to the Ville d'Hiver or a short ride up the Art Deco-style public lift in Parc Mauresque.
reviewed
-
E
Tourist Train
Tired legs? Blistered feet? Jump on the tourist train and see the sights whilst sitting on your behind. On summer afternoons, this little train is thoroughly enjoyable. It departs from the port to the beaches every half hour - call or check with the tourist office for departure times.
reviewed
-
F
Parc de Belleville
Parc de Belleville, which opened in 1992 a few blocks east of bd de Belleville, occupies a hill almost 200m above sea level amid 4.5 hectares of greenery and offers superb views of the city. Paris’ most famous necropolis lies just to the south of the park.
reviewed
-
G
Croix Rousse
Soulful Croix Rousse - a gargantuan step back in time from the Lyon Confluence - is known for its village air, bohemian inhabitants and lush outdoor food market. The hilltop neighbourhood quietly buzzes north up the steep pentes (slopes).
reviewed
-
H
Jardin du Palais Royal
Just north of the Palais Royal is the Jardin du Palais Royal, a lovely, 21-hectare park surrounded by two arcades, namely Galerie de Valois with its designer fashion shops, art galleries and jewellers, and Galerie de Montpensier with a few old shops remaining.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Parc Phoenix
At the prom's western end, playground-equipped Parc Phoenix makes a relaxed picnic spot.
reviewed
-
Parc du Pian
Near to Jardin Fontana Rosa, Parc du Pian has a 1000-year-old grove of 530 olive trees.
reviewed
-
Pointe du Capon
Pointe du Capon is a beautiful cape crisscrossed with walking trails.
reviewed
