1176 Best Sights in France

Fontaine was once an industrial center, but its mills and factories were closed by strikes in 1968, and most never recovered. To learn more about this aspect of the town, consider visiting this working paper mill. Its reconstructed,15th-century waterwheel drives timber crankshafts to mix rag pulp, and its artisans roll and dry thick paper à l'ancienne (in the old manner). The process is fascinating and free to watch, though it's almost impossible to resist buying the pretty note cards, posters, and even lamp shades in the on-site boutique. If you're feeling creative, you can make your own sheet during the paper-making experience (€15 per person). There are also 30-minute guided mill tours (€7, minimum of 10 people). Book either option online in advance.

Made up of three sites designed by Rudy Ricciotti, MuCEM (Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) is all about new perspectives on Mediterranean cultures. Themes like "the invention of gods," "treasures of the spice route," or "at the bazaar of gender" are explored here. At one of the sites, you can access the 12th-century Fort St-Jean, built by Louis XIV with guns pointing toward the city to keep the feisty, rebellious Marseillais under his thumb.

If you're not the queasy type, walk across the suspended footbridge over the sea; it provides spectacular photo ops and unique panoramas. On the other side, you can visit a Mediterranean garden and a folk-art collection. A third building—the Center for Conservation and Resources, near the St-Charles train station—holds the museum's permanent collection of paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and objects. The museum's terrace café and restaurant (reservations required), overseen by Michelin three-star chef Alexandre Mazzia, are excellent choices for a meal with a view.

Now the third-largest Champagne producer in the world, Mumm's distinctive Cordon Rouge label with the red slash is proudly held up at every Formula 1 winner's podium. These may not be the most spectacular cellars in the region, but it's a practical option if you don't have much time; you can walk here from the cathedral and the train station. Mumm was confiscated by the French state in World War I because it had always remained under German ownership. Later the state sold it to Dubonnet, and today Pernod Ricard is the proud owner. The 1½-hour visit takes you on a journey into the cavernous cellars. A guide leads the way (English tours need to be reserved in advance online) explaining the Champagne-making process step-by-step. There is also a small museum showcasing ancient tools, machines, and barrels. The tour ends with your choice of two dégustations: a glass of Cordon Rouge (€30) or a Grand Cru tasting of two special cuvées (€55). From May to October on Saturdays and Sundays, there are two high-end tastings: a glass of Grand Cru and Collection Mumm RSRV (€75) and a cheese and Champagne pairing with a glass of Grand Cru and four cheeses (€60).

Constructed behind the town church in 1964 in the form of an open parachute, this fascinating museum houses documents, maps, mementos, and one of the Waco CG4A gliders used to drop troops.

In this labyrinthine, half-timber home, where layers of carved balconies sag over a cobbled inner courtyard, local interiors have been faithfully reconstituted. The diverse activities of blacksmiths, clog makers, saddlers, and makers of artificial flowers are explained with the help of old-time craftsmen's tools and equipment.

This superb collection of major 18th- to 20th-century paintings and decorative arts was assembled by Parisian couturier Jacques Doucet (1853–1929), who befriended many of the major painters and writers of his day and, with an unerring eye, purchased—or funded—some of the great works of the 20th century (he was the original owner of Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon). He built this mansion toward the end of his life to house works by Degas, Van Gogh, Manet, Cézanne, Modigliani, and Picasso, along with important drawings, sculpture, photography, and furniture. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions.

Promenade Amiral-de-Grasse—a marvelous spot for pondering the mountains and tides—leads directly to the Bastion St-André, a squat Vauban fortress that now houses the Musée Archéologie. In its glory days, this 17th-century stronghold sheltered a garrison; the bread oven is still visible in the vaulted central hall. The museum collection focuses on Antibes's classical history, displaying amphorae and sculptures found in local digs as well as in shipwrecks from the harbor.

Next to the Musée Matisse, this museum has a large collection of objects extracted from digs around the Roman city of Cemenelum, which flourished from the 1st to the 5th centuries. Among the fascinating ruins are an amphitheater, frigidarium, gymnasium, baths, and sewage trenches, some dating from the 3rd century.  It's best to avoid midday visits on warm days.

This museum, in the former abbey buildings of the church of St-Bénigne, outlines the history of the region through archaeological finds.

On the same quiet square as Église San Rafeu, this intimate museum has a fascinating collection of ancient amphorae gleaned from the shoals offshore, where centuries' worth of shipwrecks have accumulated. By studying this chronological progression of jars and the accompanying sketches, you can visualize the coast as it was in its heyday as a Greek and Roman shipping center. Take advantage of the temporary exhibitions held throughout the year (€4).

The church of St-Laurent, near the Musée Dauphinois, has a hauntingly ancient 6th-century crypt—one of the country's oldest Christian monuments—supported by a row of formidable marble pillars. A tour of the church traces the emergence of Christianity in the Dauphiné.

Housed in the Bishop's Palace beneath the cathedral, the Musée Baron-Gérard (also known as the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Baron Gérard or MAHB) displays a fine collection of Bayeux porcelain and lace, plus ceramics from Rouen, vintage pharmaceutical jars, 16th- to 19th-century furniture, and paintings by local artists. Note the magnificent plane tree out front—dubbed the Tree of Liberty, it was planted in 1797.

The Bartholdi Museum is the birthplace of Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (1834–1904), the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. Exhibits of the artist's work claim the ground floor, and a re-creation of his Paris apartment is upstairs. The creation of Lady Liberty is explored in adjoining rooms.

The handsomely designed and appointed Musée Basque on the right bank of the Nive offers an ethnographic history of the Basque Country and culture.

Antoine Bourdelle was a lifelong artist and prolific sculptor who worked with Auguste Rodin before breaking away to pursue his own style. He received commissions for prestigious projects, both small and monumental, many of which are documented in his cavernous, former workplace. This lesser-known museum has undergone a few renovations and extensions but still has preserved some of the artist's original spaces as well as the small garden with towering sculptures.

Set in a beautifully restored 17th-century house, this lovely little museum has one of France's foremost collections of Fauve and Surrealist art. It's a must for fans of the genres, with paintings by Signac, Dufy, Léger, Ernst, Arp, and Bacon, as well as Kandinsky and Dubuffet.

The small museum has relics from the town's medieval past, plus items uncovered during excavations of the 372-foot-deep Cordes Well.

One of the loveliest museums in Paris, this 16th-century, rococo-style mansion contains an outstanding collection of mostly 18th-century artwork in its rooms of boiserie (intricately carved wood paneling). A tour through them allows a rare glimpse into the lifestyle of wealthy 19th-century Parisians. Ernest Cognacq, founder of the department store La Samaritaine, and his wife, Louise Jay, amassed furniture, porcelain, and paintings—notably by Fragonard, Watteau, François Boucher, and Tiepolo—to create one of the world's finest private collections of this period. Some of the best displays are also the smallest, like the tiny enamel medallion portraits showcased on the second floor, and on the third floor, the glass cases filled with exquisite inlaid snuff boxes, sewing cases, pocket watches, perfume bottles, and cigar cutters. Exhibits are labeled in French only, but free pamphlets and €5 audioguides are available in English.

Two blocks south of the Cathédrale St-André, this excellent museum takes you on a trip through Bordeaux's history, with emphasis on Roman, medieval, Renaissance, colonial, and 20th-century daily life. The detailed prehistoric section almost saves you a trip to Lascaux II, which is reproduced here in part.

In the Beaux Arts district of Montpellier, discover this extraordinary collection of over 750 works devoted to the Art Brut (or \"raw art\") movement—artwork produced by self-taught artists spanning from the early 20th century to the outsider movements of today. The collection includes key works by marginal and obsessive artists, including some with worldwide recognition, including Aloïse Corbaz, Martin Ramirez, Augustin Lesage, Johann Hauser, and Adolf Wölfli.

The collection here includes paintings by Vernet and Fragonard, postwar abstract art, and works by the cartoon-influenced Di Rosa brothers.

Laon's art and archaeology museum has a collection of Mediterranean finds from the Bronze Age through the Gallo-Roman era that is second in importance only to that at the Louvre. Other highlights include fine 17th- and 18th-century paintings by celebrated local artists Mathieu Le Nain and Jean-Simon Berthélemy, as well as the chilling effigy of Guillaume de Harcigny, doctor to the insane Charles VI. The Chapelle des Templiers in the garden—a small, octagonal, 12th-century chapel topped by a shallow dome—houses fragments of the cathedral's gable.

Just up from the Fragonard perfumery, the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Provence is open daily and has a large collection of faience from the region, including works from the famous pottery towns of Moustiers, Biot, and Vallauris.

Partly housed in the medieval abbey of St-Léger, the town museum has a varied collection of local archaeological finds and paintings, with fine 19th-century works by Gustave Courbet and Eugène Boudin.

Housed in the 16th- to 17th-century bishop's palace, this museum's magnificent interior features a wreath-and-cornucopia carved oak fireplace, ceilings with carved wood beams, and a Renaissance staircase. The jewel of the museum is the Lévy Collection (one of the finest provincial collections in France), which includes Art Deco glassware, tribal art, and an important group of Fauve paintings by André Derain and others.

Although the city's modern art museum hasn't generated a buzz comparable to that of the Centre Georges Pompidou, visiting can be a more pleasant experience because it draws fewer crowds. The Art Deco building's vast, white-walled galleries make an ideal backdrop for temporary exhibitions of 20th-century art and postmodern installation projects. The permanent collection on the lower floor takes over where the Musée d'Orsay leaves off, chronologically speaking: among the earliest works are Fauve paintings by Maurice de Vlaminck and André Derain, followed by Pablo Picasso's early experiments in Cubism. Other highlights include works by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Chagall, Matisse, Rothko, and Modigliani. The museum also organizes excellent temporary exhibitions that rarely come with crowds. Forest, the museum's restaurant, is a lovely choice for lunch or dinner, and in warm weather, it's a prime spot for Eiffel Tower views on the Palais de Tokyo's sprawling terrace.

At the city’s modern and contemporary art museum, Adrien Fainsilber’s stunning 1998 building sometimes outshines the displays inside. The latter includes a choice collection of 20th-century fine art, graphic art, and photography. Downstairs there is a permanent collection of Impressionists and Modernists up to 1950, with some notable furniture by Spindler and Carabin. The mix of 20th-century artistic movements featured helps you compare and contrast modern pioneers like Monet and Gauguin with the New Realists. Drawings, watercolors, and paintings by Gustave Doré, a native of Alsace, are enshrined in a separate room. Upstairs is a space dedicated to modern art exhibitions and installations.

Nîmes's oldest museum, inaugurated in 1895 in a listed 17th-century chapel, contemplates the natural and human sciences via a vast collection of stuffed beasts, menhirs, and other wonders. The setting has barely changed since the 1930s, when France was a still a vast colonial power. There's a planetarium, too.

Across the street from the Théâtre Antique, this small museum displays artifacts unearthed around Orange, including fragments of three detailed marble cadastres (land survey maps) dating from the first century AD. Upstairs, a vivid series of 18th-century canvases shows local mills producing Provençal fabrics, each aspect illustrated in careful detail. There are also personal objects from local aristocrats and a collection of faience pharmacy jars.

You may want to visit the modest Musée Daubigny to admire the drawings, lithographs, and occasional oils by local 19th-century artists, some of which were collected by Daubigny himself. The museum is opposite the Maison de Van Gogh, above the tourist office, which shows a 15-minute film (in English on request) about life in Auvers, From Daubigny to Van Gogh.