1175 Best Sights in France

The storybook corner towers of this beautifully proportioned, 16th-century château pay tribute to the fortress tradition of the late Middle Ages, but the large windows and sloping roofs reveal the emerging Renaissance influence. The spiffed-up 17th-century interiors are a pleasure to peruse. The château also serves as the regional wine cooperative to introduce vintages produced in the area, including the sweet Monbazillac. To that end, an exhibition space features immersive audiovisual displays and a unique setup that takes you through three "universes": a history of Protestantism in the area and its impact on the wine trade; a space for contemporary art exhibitions; and an area for kids ages 6–12 on the theme of viticulture (you're in France, after all). The château also hosts thematic wine tastings, some featuring meet-and-greets with the winemakers where you can learn about wine-making techniques or just relax and enjoy the fruits of their labors. Afterward, you can buy a tempting range of wines at the cellar boutique.

Summering in the Château de Montauban brought French journalist and author Alphonse Daudet a peace he missed in literary Paris. Daudet frequently climbed the windswept, pine-studded hilltop to the rustic old windmill that ground the local grain from 1814 to 1915—the inspiration for his famous folkloric short stories Lettres de Mon Moulin. The windmill is now closed to the public, but the graceful château houses a museum devoted to Daudet's writings, and you can freely stroll the grounds to enjoy the peace and sweeping views of the Rhône valley and the Alpilles that so inspired him.

If you're fond of the swashbuckling novels of Alexandre Dumas, you’ll enjoy the Château de Monte-Cristo at Port-Marly on the southern fringe of St-Germain. Dumas built the château after the surging popularity of books like The Count of Monte Cristo made him rich in the 1840s. Construction costs and lavish partying meant he went broke just as quickly, and he skedaddled into a Belgian exile in 1849. You may find the fanciful exterior, where pilasters, cupolas, and stone carvings compete for attention, crosses the line from opulence to tastelessness, but—as in Dumas’s fiction—swagger, not subtlety, is what counts. Dumas’s mementos aside, the highlight of the interior is the luxurious Moorish Chamber, with spellbinding, interlacing plasterwork executed by Arab craftsmen (lent by the Bey of Tunis) and restored thanks to a donation from the late Moroccan king Hassan II.

This award-winning “historic” garden is just the spot for those who want to enjoy a long pastoral ramble in a place where you have to guess what century you’re in. From the storybook château and the meandering trout stream complete with lily pads (and noisy frogs in springtime) to the long alleys of ancient lindens, wooded paths, and charming formal herb and rose gardens (not to mention the manicured box hedge maze), this is a perfectly poetic introduction to a great French garden. The owners do encourage picnicking, but be sure to bring only what you can take away.

Inhabited by the same family for 500 years, this picturesque castle perched high on a cliffside dates to the 13th century, but additions from the 15th through the 19th centuries have only enhanced its storybook charm. There’s much to set this chateau apart, starting with the elegantly furnished rooms full of precious antiques and tapestries, 17th-century grisaille panels (classified historic monuments) depicting legends of Greek mythology, and fanciful themed rooms to charm all ages. As no chateau is complete without a ghost, the specter of the White Lady of Puymartin, famous throughout the Périgord, is said to haunt the chateau at night.

Dating back to the late 10th century, Quéribus perches on a crag that made it a natural stronghold and one of the last redoubts of the heretic Cathars, who held out here until 1255.

Surrounded by a magnificent 36,000-acre forest, this elegant château is a popular spot for biking and walking. Most of the structure dates to the early 18th century, but the brawny Tour François Ier (Francis I Tower), named for the beloved Renaissance king who died here in 1547, was part of a fortified castle that earlier stood on this site. Highlights include the wood-paneled apartments, especially the Boudoir de la Comtesse (Countess's Dressing Room); the marble-sheathed Salle de Marbre (Marble Hall), dating to the Renaissance; and the Salle de Bains de Napoléon (Napoléon's Bathroom), adorned with Pompeii-style frescoes. The château is undergoing ongoing restorations until 2026, so some rooms may be temporarily closed. Compared with the muscular forecourt, the château's lakeside facade is a scene of unexpected serenity and, as flowers spill from its balconies, cheerful informality. Guided visits in English are available on the hour (10–5) by reservation.

If you arrive in the evening, the sight of the floodlighted 14th-century Château de Saumur will take your breath away. Look familiar? You've probably seen the elegant white edifice in reproductions of the famous Très Riches Heures (Book of Hours) painted for the Duc de Berry in 1416. Inside it's bright and cheerful, with a gorgeous gateway and plentiful potted flowers. Owing to renovation of the castle walls, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (Decorative Arts Museum) is now housed on the first floor, and exhibitions from the Musée du Cheval (Equestrian Museum) can be seen in the adjoining abbey; visitors can also access the gardens and panoramic terrace. In July and August, there are 30-minute medieval-style shows that include music, mime, and dance. From the cliffside promenade beyond the parking lot there's a thrilling vista of the castle on its bluff against the river backdrop.

Next to the St-Germain RER train station, this stone-and-brick château, with its dry moat, intimidating circular towers, and La Grande Terrasse, is one of the most spectacular of all French garden set pieces. The château itself, gleaming after a five-year renovation, dates to the 16th and 17th centuries, but a royal palace has stood here since the early 12th century, when Louis VI—known as Le Gros (the Plump)—exploited St-Germain's defensive potential in his bid to pacify the Île-de-France. A hundred years later, Louis IX (St. Louis) added the elegant Sainte-Chapelle, the château's oldest remaining section. Note the square-top, not pointed, side windows and the filled-in rose window on the back wall. Charles V (1364–80) built a powerful defensive keep in the mid-14th century, but from the 1540s François I and his successors transformed St-Germain into a palace with an appearance more domestic than warlike. Louis XIV was born here, and it was here that his father, Louis XIII, died. Until 1682, when the court moved to Versailles, it remained the country's foremost royal residence outside Paris, and several Molière plays were premiered in the main hall. Since 1867 the château has housed the impressive Musée des Antiquités Nationales (Museum of National Antiquities), holding a trove of artifacts, figurines, brooches, and weapons, from the Stone Age to the 8th century. Behind the château is André Le Nôtre's Grande Terrasse, a terraced promenade lined by lime trees. Directly overlooking the Seine, it was completed in 1673 and has rarely been outdone for grandeur or length.

"The Fontainebleau of Burgundy" was how Madame de Sévigné described this turreted Renaissance château with its Italianate inner court. Originally constructed by the de Rabutin family and once owned by Gaspard de Saulx-Tavannes—an instigator of the 1572 St-Bartholomew's Day Massacre, during which mobs attacked Huguenots in and around Paris—the château was partly reconstructed in elegant Régence style in the 18th century. Maurice de MacMahon, Napoléon III’s field marshal, was born here in 1808; he went on to serve as the president of France’s Third Republic from 1873 to 1879. The château can only be accessed via guided tour, and it is best to book those ahead of time.

Rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries to protect Brittany from invasion, the fairy-tale, 11th-century Château de Vitré—shaped in an imposing triangle with fat, round towers—proved to be one of the province's most successful fortresses: during the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453) the English repeatedly failed to take it, even when they occupied the rest of the town. It's a splendid sight, especially from the vantage point of Rue de Fougères across the river valley below. Time, not foreigners, came closest to ravaging the castle, which has been heavily though tastefully restored during the past century.

The Hôtel de Ville (town hall), however, is an unfortunate 1913 accretion to the castle courtyard. Visit the wing to the left of the entrance, beginning with the Tour St-Laurent and its museum, which contains 15th- and 16th-century sculptures, Aubusson tapestries, and engravings. Continue along the walls via the Tour de l'Argenterie—which contains a macabre collection of stuffed frogs and reptiles preserved in glass jars—to the Tour de l'Oratoire (Oratory Tower).

A massive stone edifice with a striking silhouette, the Château des Baux once capped the imposing 13th-century fortress of the powerful Lords of Baux, who claimed descent from Balthazar, one of the three magi. The wide and varied grounds contain ruins of the Sarrazine and Paravelle towers, the tiny Chapelle St-Blaise, a dovecote, and a hospital (now a garden). At the fortifications’ highest point, you’ll understand the strategic importance of this sprawling 12-acre site whose panorama of Provence stretches from Aix to Arles and, on a clear day, to the Mont Ventoux and beyond.

Built by the dukes of Brittany, who had no doubt that Nantes belonged in their domain, this moated 15th-century château looks well preserved, despite having lost an entire tower during a gunpowder explosion in 1800. François II, the duke responsible for building most of the massive structure, led a hedonistic life here, surrounded by ministers, chamberlains, and an army of servants. Numerous monarchs later stayed in the castle, where in 1598 Henri IV signed the famous Edict of Nantes advocating religious tolerance.

Chambéry's premier sight, the 14th-century Château des Ducs de Savoie, features one of Europe's largest carillons. Its Gothic Ste-Chapelle has lovely stained glass and houses a replica of the Turin Shroud. At the moment, the château can be visited only by guided tour on weekends at 2:30 pm. The 90-minute tour includes a visit to Chambéry's historic center and ends at the château. Tours leave from 71 rue St-Réal in the centre historique.

In 1489, François de Caumont built this Renaissance castle as a wedding gift to his wife. In 1940, charmed by its storybook air, the American-born entertainer and Jazz Age icon Josephine Baker moved in. Welcomed by France at a time when segregation made performing in the United States harrowing for Black entertainers, Baker had become a French citizen in 1937. But her stellar career as an entertainer was just one chapter in this complex woman’s remarkable French life. During the German occupation of France, Baker used her fame as cover for her daring role in the French Resistance, for which she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, among other high honors, bestowed by General de Gaulle himself. Perhaps Baker’s most cherished role was as mother to her Rainbow Tribe of 12 adopted multiracial children brought up in the chateau. The fascinating story Baker’s life is set out in detail through her costumes (including the famous banana skirt), furnishings, and an exhibition on her wartime activities, which earned her eternal rest in Paris’s hallowed Panthéon. Plan at least a few hours to see the chateau, its newly restored chapel, and the lovely French gardens and bird sanctuary.

In 1489, François de Caumont built this Renaissance castle as a wedding gift to his wife. In 1940, charmed by its storybook air, the American-born entertainer and Jazz Age icon Josephine Baker moved in. Welcomed by France at a time when segregation made performing in the United States harrowing for Black entertainers, Baker had become a French citizen in 1937. But her stellar career as an entertainer was just one chapter in this complex woman’s remarkable French life. During the German occupation of France, Baker used her fame as cover for her daring role in the French Resistance, for which she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, among other high honors, bestowed by General de Gaulle himself. Perhaps Baker’s most cherished role was as mother to her Rainbow Tribe of 12 adopted multiracial children brought up in the chateau. The fascinating story Baker’s life is set out in detail through her costumes (including the famous banana skirt), furnishings, and an exhibition on her wartime activities, which earned her eternal rest in Paris’s hallowed Panthéon. Plan at least a few hours to see the chateau, its newly restored chapel, and the lovely French gardens and bird sanctuary.

Try some local wines at the stunning, Renaissance-era Château du Petit Thouars, which enjoys an enchanting hilltop setting just off the Vienne River (between Chinon and Fontevraud). The descendents of Aristide du Petit-Thouars, a French naval officer who fought in the American Revolution, have created a small museum illustrating the adventures of their family members that visitors can see after a dégustation of still and sparkling wines from their hillside vineyard. The historic château, alas, is still a private home, only to be enjoyed from the outside.

A stroll along the 13th-century ramparts takes you to the still-formidable Château du Roi, a square Romanesque keep that was probably built on the orders of Henry III, King of England, around 1237.

This classically elegant 17th-century château is actually a facade for a sleek and modern operation. Historically considered an underperformer according to its second grand cru classification, Château Lascombes welcomes novices, wine lovers, and professionals to take a free guided tour of the vineyards and cellars followed by a tasting (by appointment only).

Housed in a magnificent neoclassical building from 1810, Château Margaux is recognized as a producer of premiers crus, and its wine ranks with Graves's Haut-Brion as one of Bordeaux's five finest reds. As with most of the top Bordeaux châteaux, visits and tastings are by appointment only. While there's no charge for these, appointments are reserved for serious seekers accompanied by professionals in the trade.

It is said that in some years the wines of Château Palmer (classified as a third cru) can rival those of neighboring Château Margaux (a premier cru). Operating according to a biodynamic philosophy, it accepts visitors at no charge on weekdays by appointment. It also now has its own fine-dining restaurant, headed by renowned chef Jean-Denis le Bras, who sources most of his ingredients from the chateau's flocks, herds, orchards, and gardens.

A slender jetty divides the Boramar Beach, beneath Notre-Dame-des-Anges, from the small landing area at the foot of the Château Royal. The castle served as the summer residence of the kings of Majorca from 1276 to 1344 and was remodeled by Vauban 500 years later.

Tournon's hefty Château, dating to the 15th and 16th centuries, is the chief attraction. The castle's twin terraces have wonderful views of the Vieille Ville, the river, and—towering above Tain-l'Hermitage across the Rhône—the steep vineyards that produce Hermitage wine, one of the region's most refined, and costly, reds. In the Château is a museum of local history, the Musée Rhodanien.

Crowning Haut-de-Cagnes is the squat, crenellated Château-Museé—an imposing fortress with banners flying from its square watchtower—that was built in 1310 by the Grimaldis (Prince Albert of Monaco's family) and reinforced over the centuries. You are welcomed inside by a grand balustraded stairway and triangular Renaissance courtyard with a triple row of classical arcades infinitely more graceful than the exterior. Beyond lie vaulted medieval chambers, a vast Renaissance fireplace, and a splendid 17th-century trompe-l'oeil fresco of the fall of Phaëthon from his sun chariot.

The château also contains three highly specialized museums: the Musée de l'Olivier (Olive Tree Museum), which highlights the history and cultivation of this Provençal mainstay; the obscure and eccentric Collection Suzy-Solidor, a group of portraits of the cabaret chanteuse painted by her artist friends, including Cocteau and Dufy; and the Musée d'Art Moderne Méditerranéen (Mediterranean Museum of Modern Art), which contains paintings by some of the 20th-century devotees of the Côte d'Azur, including Chagall, Cocteau, and Dufy. If you've climbed this far, continue to the tower and look over the coastline, just as the guards once did while on the lookout for Saracens.

A ride on one of France's last steam trains, the Chemin de Fer du Vivarais, makes an adventurous two-hour, 33-km (21-mile) trip along the narrow, rocky Doux Gorges to Lamastre and back to Tournon. Check the website for a complete train schedule.

Composed of narrow, cobbled streets and pretty houses, Collioure today is a living museum, as evidenced by the Chemin du Fauvisme (Fauvist Way), a pedestrian trail winding through town with 20 points where you can compare reproductions of noted Fauvist canvases with the actual scenes that were depicted in them. The information center, behind the Plage Boramar, has an excellent map. Viewfinder picture frames let you see how delightfully little of what the artists once admired has changed in the ensuing century. To the north, the rocky Îlot St-Vincent juts out into the sea, a modern lighthouse at its tip, and inland the Albères mountain range rises to connect the Pyrénées with the Mediterranean. The town harbor is a painting unto itself, framed by a 13th-century castle and a 17th-century church fortified with a tower. The tourism office can arrange guided tours (€8.50).

Considering that a daily dose of chocolate is practically obligatory in Paris, it's hard to believe that this spot (opened in 2010) is the city's first museum dedicated to the sweet stuff. Exhibits on three floors tell the story of chocolate from the earliest traces of the "divine nectar" in Mayan and Aztec cultures, through to its introduction in Europe by the Spanish, who added milk and sugar to the spicy, dark brew and launched a Continental craze. There are detailed explanations in English, with many for the kids. While the production of chocolate is a major topic, the museum also has a respectable collection of some 1,000 chocolate-related artifacts, such as terra-cotta Mayan sipping vessels (they blew into straws to create foam) and delicate chocolate pots in fine porcelain that were favored by the French royal court. Frequent chocolate-making demonstrations finish with a free tasting.