1176 Best Sights in France

Discovered in 1922, the Grotte du Pech Merle displays 4,000 square feet of prehistoric drawings and carvings. Particularly known for its peculiar polka-dot horses, impressions of the human hand, and footprints, this is the most impressive \"real\" Cro-Magnon cave that is open to the public in France. The admission charge includes a 20-minute film, an hour-long tour, and a visit to the adjacent museum. Tickets are at a premium, with a daily limit of 700 visitors, so for peak summer days book at least one week in advance. If you like cycling, it’s lovely to arrive by bike from St-Cirq-Lapopie.

Follow the Sare Valley up to the panoramic Col de Lizarrieta and the Grottes de Sare. Just outside these huge caves, you can learn about the Basque region's culture and millennia-long history at the Musée Ethnographique (Ethnographic Museum). Then take a multilingual, guided tour that leads 1 km (½ mile) underground to see a son-et-lumière show.

Fréjus is graced with one of the most impressive religious monuments in Provence. The Groupe Épiscopal is made up of an early Gothic cathedral, a 5th-century Roman-style baptistery, and an early Gothic cloister, its gallery painted in sepia and earth tones with a phantasmagoric assortment of animals and biblical characters. Off the entrance and gift shop is a small museum of finds from Roman Fréjus, including a complete mosaic and a sculpture of a two-headed Hermès.

The elegant iron-and-glass, 19th-century market hall at the foot of Sacré-Coeur stages dynamic exhibitions of art brut, "raw" or outsider and folk art. The international artists featured are contemporary in style and outside the mainstream. There's also a good bookstore and a café serving light, well-prepared dishes, such as savory tarts and quiches with salad on the side, plus homemade desserts.

The late-19th-century Halles in Béziers mirrors the style of the architect Baltard, who built the original Les Halles in Paris. This is a particularly beautiful example, with large stone cabbages gracing the entrance like urns.

Built in 1874 after the famous Les Halles in Paris (which was infamously destroyed in the early 1970s), this soaring glass and cast iron structure serves as Grenoble's bustling central market, where you can stock up on all the ingredients for a picnic or a fine French meal, along with prepared Italian and Asian specialties. The covered market is open Tuesday through Sunday until 7 pm (it's closed at lunchtime) with an outdoor farmers' market Tuesday through Friday mornings.

St-Lô, the capital of the Manche département (province), also considers itself France's horse capital. Hundreds of breeders are based in its environs, and this stud farm was established here in 1886. It's open for unguided visits year-round, with horseback riding lessons available as well.

To understand how the region's still wine became sparkling Champagne, head across the Marne to Hautvillers. Here Dom Pérignon (1638–1715)—a blind monk who was reputedly blessed with exceptional taste buds and a heightened sense of smell—invented Champagne as everyone knows it by using corks for stoppers and blending wines from different vineyards. Legend has it that upon his first sip he cried out, \"Come quickly, I am drinking the stars.\" Dom Pérignon's simple tomb, in a damp, dreary Benedictine abbey church (now owned by Moët et Chandon), is a forlorn memorial to the man behind one of the world's most exalted libations.

Chantilly, France's equestrian epicenter, is home to the fabled Hippodrome racetrack. Established in 1834, it comes into its own each June with two of Europe's most prestigious events: the Prix du Jockey-Club (French Derby) on the first Sunday of the month, and the Prix de Diane for three-year-old fillies the Sunday after. On main race days, a free shuttle bus runs between Chantilly's train station and the track.

Situated on the east side of town, the Hortillonnages are commercial water gardens—covering more than 700 acres—where vegetables have been cultivated since Roman times. Every Saturday the products grown here are sold at the water market in the St-Leu district. There's a 45-minute boat tour of these aquatic jewels.

This superb Renaissance mansion, close to the Hôtel Paterin, is noted for its courtyard, with an ingenious gallery built in 1536 by Philibert Delorme, one of France's earliest and most accomplished exponents of classical architecture. Delorme also worked on several spectacular châteaux in central France, including those at Fontainebleau and Chenonceaux.

One of the tallest and best of Toulouse's 49 towers can be seen at this privately owned 16th-century mansion.

The city’s most elegant mansion was built in 1555 by Toulouse's top Renaissance architect, Nicolas Bachelier. Notable for its arcades and ornately carved doorways, the Hôtel d'Assézat is now home to Fondation Bemberg, which has an exceptional collection of paintings by artists ranging from Tiepolo to Toulouse-Lautrec, Monet, and Bonnard.

This 16th-century mansion is notable for its lovely Romanesque wooden stairways and galleries and for its top-floor mirande, or wooden balcony.

A good place to begin exploring Caen is the Hôtel d'Escoville, a stately mansion in the city center built by wealthy merchant Nicolas Le Valois d'Escoville in the 1530s. The building was badly damaged during the war but has since been restored; the austere facade conceals an elaborate inner courtyard, reflecting the Italian influence on early Renaissance Norman architecture (there's no access to the interiors). The on-site city tourist office is an excellent resource.

Now part of a school, this mansion, around the corner from the Ensemble Conventuel des Jacobins, was built for Jean de Bernuy in the 16th century, the period when Toulouse was at its most prosperous. De Bernuy made his fortune exporting woad, the dark-blue dye that brought unprecedented wealth to the city; his success is reflected in the use of stone (a costly material in this region of brick) and by the octagonal stair tower. You can visit this mansion on one of the many themed city tours (€13); the Toulouse L'Essentiel tour includes a stop here.

Across from a commercial gallery that calls itself the Petit Musée Cézanne (actually more of a tourist trap), this 17th-century mansion once hosted Louis XIV—and now houses government offices. This means that during business hours you can slip in and peek at the fabulous 18th-century stairwell, decorated in flamboyant trompe-l'oeil. Pseudo-stone putti and caryatids pop into three dimensions—as does the false balustrade that mirrors the real one in stone.

One of the finest mansions on rue de la Dalbade is also known as the Hôtel de Pierre because of its unusually solid pierre (stone) construction, which was considered a sign of great wealth at the time. The ornately sculpted facade was designed by Nicolas Bachelier in the 16th century.

Vestiges of the Renaissance remain in Les Baux, including the pretty Hôtel de Manville, built at the end of the 16th century by a wealthy Protestant family. Step into its inner court to admire the mullioned windows, stained glass, and vaulted arcades. Today it serves as the mairie (town hall). Up and across the street, the striking remains of the 16th-century Protestant temple still bear a quote from Jean Calvin: "post tenebras lux" ("after the shadows, light").

Make your way to the Hôtel de Sade, a 15th- and 16th-century private manor now housing the treasures unearthed from the ruins of Glanum. The de Sade family built the house around remains of 4th-century baths and a 5th-century baptistery, now nestled in its courtyard.

This early Baroque gem, built in 1624, is one of the city's loveliest hôtels particuliers (grand town houses). Like much of the area, it fell into ruin until the 1950s, when it was rescued by the institute for French historic monuments (the Centre des Monuments Nationaux), which is based here. The renovated headquarters aren’t open to the public, but you're welcome to enjoy the equally lovely garden. Stroll through it, past the Orangerie, to find a small passage into nearby Place des Vosges. Sully's best buddy, King Henry IV, would have lived there had he not been assassinated in 1610. An on-site bookstore (with a 17th-century ceiling of exposed wooden beams) sells specialized English-language guides to Paris.

This charmingly turreted 16th-to-17th-century mansion contains two museums: the Musée de la Renaissance en Champagne (Regional Art Museum) and the Musée de la Maille (Textile-Hosiery Museum). The former traces the development of Troyes and southern Champagne, with a particularly rich selection of religious sculptures and paintings of the late Gothic era; the latter outlines the history and manufacturing procedures of the town's textile industry in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Ajaccio's town hall houses the Empire-style Napoleonic Grand Salon, which is hung with portraits of a long line of Bonapartes. Also here are a fine bust of Letizia, Napoléon's formidable mother; a bronze death mask of the emperor himself; and a frescoed ceiling depicting Napoléon's meteoric rise.

Built between 1655 and 1678 by Pierre Pavillon, the Hôtel de Ville is fronted by a pebble-encrusted courtyard set off by a wrought-iron gateway. At the back, a double stairway leads to the Salle des Etats de Provences, the old regional assembly room (where taxes were voted on), hung with interesting portraits and pictures of mythological characters. From the window, look for the unmistakable 16th-century clock tower with an open ironwork belfry. The tree-lined square in front—where cafés set up tables right into the center of the space—is a popular gathering place.

Architects Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte redesigned the very impressive facade of the Town Hall after a 1674 fire. The rest of the building dates to the early 17th century. The tourist office organizes visits to the hall's salons.

The 19th-century Italianate Hôtel de Ville conceals a treasure by painter Jean Cocteau: he decorated the Salle des Mariages (Marriage Room) with vibrant allegorical scenes. Today it is used for civil marriages.

Overlooking the Seine, City Hall contains the residence and offices of the mayor. The original Renaissance structure was built by François I in 1535–51 and added to by both Henry IV and Louis XIII in the early 17th century. In 1871 it was sacked and burned during the final days of the Paris Commune. Rebuilt in an almost exact replica of the original in 1874, it is one of Paris's most stunning buildings, made all the more dramatic by elaborate nighttime lighting. The adjoining public library stages frequent free exhibits celebrating famous photographers like Doisneau or Atget and their notable subjects, often the city itself. (The entrance is on the side across from the department store BHV.) Alas, the impressive interior of the main administrative building, with its lavish reception halls and staircases, is open only for independent visits during Patrimony Weekend in September. If your French is good, however, free guided tours are given biweekly in summer, weekly in other seasons (call two months ahead for information and reservations). The grand public square out front is always lively, playing host to events and temporary exhibitions. There's a carousel and a beach volleyball court (or similar) in summer, and an ice-skating rink (with skate rental available) in winter.

Place du Maréchal-Foch, the main square of Troyes, is flanked by cafés, shops, and this delightful town hall. The central facade has black marble columns and a niche with a helmeted Minerva, which replaced a statue of Louis XIV that was destroyed during the French Revolution. In summer the square is filled with people from morning to night.

The town is split into four levels joined by steep steps. The lowest level is occupied by the village of Rocamadour itself, and mainly accessed through the centuries-old Porte du Figuier (Fig Tree Gate). Past this portal, the Cité Médiévale, also known as the Basse Ville, though in parts grotesquely touristy, is full of beautifully restored structures, such as the 15th-century Hôtel de Ville, near the Porte Salmon, which houses the tourist office and an excellent collection of tapestries. If you enter from the top of the town, the Château and vertiginous Ramparts (€2, coins only) offer tremendous views well loved by bird-watchers for the many birds of prey that circle the cliffs. The picturesque ruins of 14th-century Hospitalet St. Jean, with vestiges dating as far back as the 11th century, also offer wonderful views.

This stately 17th-century Renaissance mansion has a characteristic red, yellow, and green Burgundian tile roof—a tradition whose disputed origins lie either with the Crusades and the adoption of Arabic tiles or with Philip the Bold's wife, Marguerite of Flanders.