Fort Ste-Agnès

Côte d'Azur


The drawbridged entrance to this huge underground fort sits at the top of Ste-Agnès village. The 2500-sq-metre defence was built between 1932 and 1938 as part of the 240km-long Maginot line, a series of fortifications intended to give France time to mobilise its army if attacked. The fort was maintained throughout the Cold War as a nuclear fallout shelter and the army only moved out in 1990.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Côte d'Azur attractions

1. Jardin de la Serre de la Madone

1.81 MILES

Beautiful if slightly unkempt, this garden was designed by American botanist Lawrence Johnston. He planted dozens of rare plants picked up from his…

2. Château de Roquebrune

2.32 MILES

The 10th-century château of Roquebrune crowns the 300m-high pudding-shaped lump on which medieval Roquebrune sits. The castle is an atmospheric place with…

3. Roquebrune

2.35 MILES

The medieval chunk of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Roquebrune sits 300m high on a pudding-shaped lump crowned by 10th-century Château de Roquebrune. Of all the…

4. Salle des Mariages

2.58 MILES

In 1957 Jean Cocteau decorated the marriage registry office inside Menton’s town hall from floor to ceiling, covering the walls with swirly drawings, and…

5. Cimetière du Vieux Château

2.59 MILES

For great views of the old town and the port, meander all the way up through the historic quarter to this hilltop cemetery. It's something of a pilgrimage…

7. Cabanon Le Corbusier

2.68 MILES

The only building French architect Le Corbusier (1887–1965) ever built for himself is this rather simple – but very clever – beach hut on Cap Martin…

8. Villa E-1027

2.69 MILES

Irish modernist architect Eileen Gray designed this tour de force of a Mediterranean villa, complete with highly inventive furniture and fixtures, in the…