1175 Best Sights in France

This may not be one of France's finer Gothic cathedrals, but the intricate 14th-century chancel makes an interesting contrast with the earlier nave. Excellent stone carvings adorn the facade of the hefty edifice. You can also climb the 15th-century, 160-foot Tour Pey-Berland for a stunning view of the city; tickets must be purchased in advance online.

The chief glory of this comparatively austere cathedral is its atmospheric 11th-century crypt, in which a forest of pillars is surmounted by a rotunda. Fifty-minute guided tours of the crypt take place daily during the summer.

Brittany’s second-largest cathedral (surpassed size-wise only by the one in Dol-de-Bretagne) is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture enlivened by luminous 15th-century stained glass. Legendary King Gradlon is represented on horseback just below the base of the spires, which are harmonious mid-19th-century additions to the medieval ensemble. The church interior remains very much in use by fervent Quimperois, giving the candlelit vaults a meditative air. Behind the cathedral is the stately Jardin de l'Évêché (Bishop's Garden).

The fortresslike cathedral is in Byzantine style, and its cloisters connect to the courtyard of the archdeaconry, awash with Renaissance decoration and thronged with townsfolk who come to view art exhibits.

The cathedral was erected in stages between the 13th and the 17th century, though the nave and choir languished unfinished because of a lack of funds. A fine collection of 16th- and 17th-century tapestries traces the life of St-Stephen. In front of the cathedral is the city's oldest fountain, dating from the 16th century.

The town's dominant feature is the ascending line of three magnificent churches—St-Pierre, St-Étienne, and St-Germain—with Cathédrale St-Étienne in the middle, rising majestically above the squat houses around it. The 13th-century choir, the oldest part of the edifice, contains its original stained glass, dominated by brilliant reds and blues. Beneath the choir, the frescoed 11th-century Romanesque crypt keeps company with the treasury, which has a panoply of medieval enamels, manuscripts, and miniatures, plus a rare depiction of Christ on horseback.

The 13th-century Cathédrale St-Étienne is a harmonious structure with large nave windows and tidy flying buttresses; the exterior effect is marred only by the bulky 17th-century Baroque west front.

Périgueux's history reaches back more than 2,000 years, yet the community is best known for this odd-looking church, which was associated with the routes to Santiago de Compostela. Finished in 1173 and fancifully restored in the 19th century, Cathédrale St-Front seems like it might be on loan from Istanbul, given its shallow-scale domes and the elongated conical cupolas sprouting from the rooflike baby minarets. You may be struck by similarities between it and the Byzantine-style Sacré-Coeur in Paris; that's no coincidence—architect Paul Abadie (1812–84) had a hand in the design of both. After a mandatory visit to the cathedral, you can make for the cluster of tiny pedestrian-only streets that run through the heart of Périgueux.

Solid and determined—having withstood the sieges of time, revolution, and war—the cathedral's stumpy facade is stuck almost bashfully onto the nave. Although the mishmash inside has its moments—the fabulous 13th-century stained-glass windows in the choir and the varied window tracery and vaulting in the side chapels—the interior lacks drama and harmony. Still, it's an architectural history lesson. The cathedral dates to the 12th century, and the chancel is Romanesque, but construction on the whole continued over three centuries. The 14th-century astronomical clock, in the north transept, is a marvel of technology very much worth seeing. It chimes a hymn to St. John on the hour at noon, 2, 3, and 4, as a screeching rooster and other automatons enact the Annunciation.

Note the frilly wrought-iron campanile and dramatic medieval crucifix in the Chapelle du Dévot-Christ within the Cathédrale St-Jean-Baptiste.

The austere facade of the 13th-century Cathedral of John the Baptist is worth a visit to see its alabaster Renaissance baptismal font decorated with angel heads and rows of pews where the city's chaste upper-class women used to pray.

The town's former wealth is evinced by the 14th-century Cathédrale St-Just-et-St-Pasteur—its vaulting rises 133 feet from the floor, making it the tallest cathedral in southern France. Only Beauvais and Amiens (both in Picardy) are taller, and, as at Beauvais, the nave here was never completed. The \"Creation\" tapestry, hanging in the chapter room, is the cathedral's finest treasure. Enter from the back side (on Rue Gustave Fabre) for an especially impressive look at the unfinished nave and insight into the construction process.

Autun's principal monument is the Cathédrale St-Lazare, a Romanesque cathedral in Gothic clothing. It was built between 1120 and 1146 to house the relics of St-Lazarus; the main tower, spire, and upper reaches of the chancel were added in the late 15th century. Lazarus's tricolor tomb was dismantled in 1766 by canons, and those same gentlemen did their best to transform the Romanesque-Gothic cathedral into a classical temple, adding pilasters and other ornaments willy-nilly. Fortunately, the lacy Flamboyant Gothic organ tribune and some of the best Romanesque stonework, including the inspired nave capitals and the tympanum above the main door, emerged unscathed. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres's painting The Martyrdom of St. Symphorien has been relegated to the dingy north aisle of the nave, partly masked by the organ. The Last Judgment carved in stone above the main door was plastered over in the 18th century, which preserved not only the stylized Christ and elongated apostles but also the inscription Gislebertus hoc fecit (\"Gislebertus did this,\" in reference to celebrated local sculptor Gislebertus of Autun); Christ's head, which had disappeared, was found by a local canon shortly after World War II. From April to October, you can visit the cathedral's Salle Capitulaire, which houses Gislebertus's original capitals, distinguished by their relief carvings.

Not far from the Grandes Écuries stables, on a lovely square at the heart of the town's old center, the Cathédrale Saint-Louis (also known as the Cathédrale de Versailles) dates to the reign of Louis XV. Outside, the 18th-century seat of the bishop of Versailles is notable for its dome and twin-tower facade; inside, the sanctuary is enriched with a fine organ and paintings. On Thursday and Saturday morning, the square in front of the cathedral hosts a classic farmers' market.

This 12th- and 13th-century Gothic edifice is noted for its curious Romanesque facade and original stained glass windows; bring binoculars to appreciate both fully.

After taking in the broad vistas of the Promenade de Peyrou, cross over into the Vieille Ville and wander its maze of narrow streets full of pretty shops and intimate restaurants. At the northern edge of the Vieille Ville, visit this imposing cathedral. Its fantastical 14th-century entry porch alone warrants the detour: two cone-top towers—some five stories high—flank the main portal and support a groin-vaulted shelter. The interior, despite 18th-century reconstruction, maintains the formal simplicity of its 14th-century origins.

A late-18th-century building in Classical style that took 57 years to construct, the Cathédrale St-Pierre looms above Rue de la Monnaie at the west end of the Vieille Ville (Old Town), bordered by the Rance River. Stop in to admire its richly decorated interior and outstanding 16th-century Flemish altarpiece.

A panoply of medieval art, St-Pierre (built between the 15th and 19th centuries) boasts a 1537 Renaissance chapel, a Flamboyant Gothic transept portal, and a treasury. The 13th-century Romanesque bell tower is the oldest vestige of the cathedral's seven centuries of construction. The church interior is closed for restoration until 2027.

Dominating the heart of Troyes, this remarkable cathedral is a prime example of the Flamboyant Gothic style—regarded as the last gasp of the Middle Ages. Note the incomplete single-tower west front, the small Renaissance campaniles on top of the tower, and the artistry of Martin Chambiges, who worked on Troyes's facade (with its characteristic large rose window and flamboyant flames) around the same time as he did the transept of Beauvais. At night the floodlighted features burst into dramatic relief. The cathedral's vast five-aisle interior, refreshingly light thanks to large windows and the near-whiteness of the local stone, dates mainly to the 13th century. It has fine examples of 13th-century stained glass in the choir, such as the Tree of Jesse (a popular regional theme), and richly colored 16th-century glass in the nave and west front rose window.

One of France's last Gothic cathedrals, this was begun in 1434—well after most other medieval cathedrals had been completed. The facade is ponderous and austere in contrast to the light, wide, limestone interior, whose vaults rise higher (120 feet) than those of Notre-Dame in Paris.

The elaborate turreted tower of the Cathédrale St-Sacerdos, begun in the 12th century, is the oldest part of the building and, along with the choir, all that remains of the original Romanesque structure.

Many eras of architectural history are clearly delineated and preserved here. The cathedral has a double nave—Romanesque and Gothic side by side—and a Merovingian (5th-century) baptistery, its colonnade mostly recovered from Roman temples built to honor pagan deities. The deep bath on the floor is a remnant of the total-immersion baptisms that used to occur here, marking the forsaking of one's old life (going down into the water) for a new life in Christ (rising up from the water). Shutters hide the ornate 16th-century carvings on the portals, opened by a guide on request. The guide can also lead you into the tranquil Romanesque cloister next door, with carved pillars and slender columns.

The extraordinary 15th-century Triptyque du Buisson Ardent (Mary and the Burning Bush) was painted by Nicolas Froment in the heat of inspiration following his travels in Italy and Flanders, and depicts the generous art patrons King René and Queen Jeanne kneeling on either side of the Virgin, who is poised above a burning bush. To avoid light damage, it's rarely opened for viewing; check with the tourist office beforehand.

The cathedral was constructed primarily between 1409 and 1514, over three earlier churches, and was the seat of the bishops of Carpentras until 1801. Although it was built mainly in the Gothic style, its façade seems incongruous because of a 12th-century tower, a 17th-century classical doorway, and a 20th-century bell tower. Inside, exceptional wrought-iron gates, gilded statues, a 17th-century marble altar, and fine classical paintings hint at a rich past and the valuable relics housed here, which can be viewed on guided tours (check the tourist office for times).

Originally founded in the 12th century, the Cathédrale St-Vincent represents an eclectic range of architectural styles. Inside you can pay homage to Jacques Cartier—who set sail from St-Malo in 1534 on a voyage during which he would discover the St. Lawrence River and claim what is now Québec in his king's name—at his tomb.

A riot of pinnacles and gargoyles embellished with 18th-century wedding-cake towers, the Cathédrale Ste-Croix is both Gothic and pseudo-Gothic. After most of it was destroyed in the 16th century during the Wars of Religion, Henry IV and his successors rebuilt the cathedral. Novelist Marcel Proust (1871–1922) called it France's ugliest church, but most find it impressive. Inside are dramatic stained glass and 18th-century wood carvings, plus the modern Chapelle de Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc Chapel), with a memorial honoring those who died in World War I.

A network of cobbled alleyways rambles across the citadel to the 17th-century Cathédrale Ste-Marie, one of the town's prettiest churches. Inside, classic Baroque style abounds in an explosion of gilt decoration. Numerous works of art from the 18th and 19th centuries, forged metalwork, sculptures, and statues that were generous gifts from the bishops of Mariana, residents of the cathedral from 1604 to 1622, are showcased.

An ensemble of columns, cupolas, and symmetrical ornaments dominates the Vieille Ville, flanked by an 18th-century bell tower and glossy ceramic-tile dome. The cathedral's interior, completely restored to a bright palette of ocher, golds, and rusts, has elaborate plasterwork and decorative frescoes on every surface.

You can taste a full range of Sancerre’s appellations, including Sancerre, Pouilly-Fumé, and Menetou-Salon, at this fourth-generation winemaker about 5 km (3 miles) from town. A recent crossover to organic, Eric Louis also employs some biodynamic principles in the vineyards. At this modern facility, you’ll see how the wines are produced, from blending and storage to bottle labeling. Though it does feel a little industrial, you’ll get a thorough introduction to the process and the wines via a full-flight tasting paired with charcuterie and the local Crottin de Chavignol goat cheese made right on the winery. Kids can join in or play outside in an enclosed playground.

In this medieval wine cave, carved out of the bedrock in the 15th century, you'll be initiated into the many splendors of Loire wines. Your full sensory experience includes video, a 3D installation, and an olfactory game, and culminates in a tasting with a professional sommelier to ensure you leave with a new understanding of and appreciation for these prized wines (kids get gourmet juices). Connoisseurs can taste or buy vintages dating as far back as 1874. The owner, a wine \"editor,\" curates a selection of wines from the best parcels of the five great Loire appellations. Visitors can also purchase local delicacies in the gourmet shop, from local goat cheeses and charcuterie to gifts to take home. Afterward, grab a bite at l'Oppidum, the chic on-site bistro with a riverfront terrace.

During World War II, Lyon played an important role in the Resistance movement against the German occupation of France. Displays include equipment, such as radios and printing presses, photographs, and exhibits re-creating the clandestine lives and heroic exploits of Resistance fighters.