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…
Must-see attractions in France
Toulouse
Toulouse's former abattoir is now a cutting-edge art gallery hosting temporary exhibits. It's open until 8pm on Thursdays outside school holidays; ask…
Var
One of three estates comprising Domaines Ott, a winemaking concern with roots in the late 19th-century, Clos Mireille is still run by descendants of…
Latin Quarter
French poet Paul Verlaine (1844–96) spent the last years of his life in the Latin Quarter and died here at 39 rue des Descartes. The building is closed to…
Pays d’Aix
This tiny, 9-hectare winery manages to cultivate 25 different grape varieties, many ancient and rare, producing highly respected, AOC-protected whites,…
Limoges
The Maison de la Boucherie houses a small history museum, and nearby is the tiny Chapelle Saint-Aurélien, dedicated to the patron saint of butchers.
Auvergne
Just south of the Parc Napoléon III is this stretch of parkland hugging the Allier River, landscaped in the style of an English garden during the late…
Arles
Arles' cultural museum, founded all the way back in 1889 with the intent of documenting regional culture, styles and creators, is closed for renovations…
Maison du Miel et de l’Abeille
Parc National du Mercantour
This little museum celebrates the craft of local honey-makers. Needless to say, there are plenty of opportunities to taste the goods – this is France,…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Fruit trees planted to exacting perfection fill centuries-old orchards in the southern section of the Jardin du Luxembourg.
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Built in the Flamboyant Gothic style from 1429, this church took two centuries to complete. As a result the nave was designed separately, in the classical…
Blois
The façade of Maison des Acrobates, one of the few surviving 15th-century houses in Blois, is decorated with wooden sculptures of figures from medieval…
Normandy
Inside a gorgeous medieval building that once belonged to a knight, this house in Neufchâtel-en-Bray contains a small but interesting museum of local…
Avignon
Porte de la République is one of the gateways to Avignon's walled city, located on the southern edge of the walls, and across from the central train…
The Lot
The enormous 15th-century Collégiale Notre Dame has a never-completed bell tower and choir stalls, ornamented with a menagerie of comical and cheeky…
Lourdes
By evening or early morning (when the Porte St-Michel is closed), this is the most convenient access to the sanctuary.
Caen
Across from the Château de Caen, the soaring Église St-Pierre was built between the 13th and 16th centuries and was being renovated at the time of writing.
Côte d'Or
A stained-glass window (1927) and a plaque commemorating American soldiers who fell in France in WWI are inside this twin-towered, Gothic collegiate…
Avignon
Porte de l'Oulle is one of the entryways to Avignon's walled city, located on the northwestern edge of the walls, near the River Rhône and Pont d'Avignon.
Vaucluse
This Franciscan church was established in the 14th century and was the burial place of the princes of Baux. It was heavily damaged in the Wars of Religion.
Auvergne
It's worth a peep inside this collegiate church, whose foundations date back to the 6th century, to admire its medieval murals and fine 19th-century organ.
Avignon
Porte du Rhône is one of the entryways to Avignon's Unesco-registered walled city, located on the northwestern edge of the walls, near Pont St-Bénézet.
Musée des Arts d’Afrique et d’Asie
Auvergne
Inside a grand 1881 building is assembled a small collection of sculptures, furniture and paintings collected from various Asian and African countries.
Avignon
Porte St-Dominque is one of the entryways to Avignon's Unesco-registered walled city, located on the western edge of the walls, near the River Rhône.
Avignon
Porte de la Ligne is one of the entryways to Avignon's Unesco-registered walled city, located on the northen edge of the walls, near the River Rhône.
Auvergne
This seasonal museum houses rotating exhibits that document the performances, costumes and culture of Vichy’s turn-of-the-20th-century opera house.
Monument aux Enfants de l'Aube
Troyes
Erected in 1890, this flag-bedecked memorial, topped by a fleeing woman and child, pays tribute to those who died in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.
Strasbourg
It’s just a hop across the Canal de la Marne to the swirly silver Palais des Droits de l’Homme, the most eye-catching of all the EU institutions.
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Hôtel Matignon has been the official residence of the French prime minister since the start of the Fifth Republic (1958). It's closed to the public.
Nîmes
Topped by twin towers reaching 70m, Nîmes' largest church (accommodating up to 3000 worshippers) was built in neogothic style between 1867 and 1877.
The Dordogne
Of the 28 towers that formed Puy St-Front’s medieval fortifications, only the 15th-century Tour Mataguerre, a stout, cylindrical bastion, remains.
Vaucluse
This 18th-century riverside mansion is a venue for seasonal contemporary art exhibitions. Opening hours may vary slightly according to exhibitions.
Golfe du Morbihan
The stumpy remains of this old windmill now serve as an observation point over the Alignements de Kermario.
Clermont-Ferrand
Follow signs from rue Robertus to a staircase leading to head-on views of the extraordinarily detailed stonework on the Notre Dame du Port church.
Avignon
Porte St-Roch is one of the gateways to Avignon's walled city, located on the southwestern corner of the walls; it's particularly well preserved.
St-Germain & Les Invalides
On Carrefour de l’Odéon, a statue of Georges Danton, a leader of the Revolution and later one of its guillotined victims, stands head intact.
Limousin
Denizens at this 100-hectare safari park, 4km east of Solignac, include wolves, giraffes, wildebeest, snowy owls and a pair of breeding tigers.
Louvre Porte des Lions Entrance
Paris
This entrance to the Musée du Louvre is invariably less crowded than the main Grande Pyramide entrance.
The Northwest Coast
The closest beach to Cargèse is the small strip of Plage de Pero, 1km north of the village and overlooked by a couple of Genoese watchtowers.
Toulouse, Gers & Vallée du Tarn
The elegant, tiered bell tower of Beaumont's main church, dating to the 14th century, was closely modelled on Toulouse's Couvent des Jacobins.
