47 Best Sights in France

This handsome museum set in a 17th-century priory in the heart of the Parc Royal is dedicated to the art of the hunt, a primary pastime in this once-royal city abutting the forests of Senlis and Chantilly. Paintings and engravings (notably one by Dürer), trophies, china, posters, period costumes, antlers, and taxidermied animals evoke the cultural dimension of this ancient sport. The museum is one of four national museums of the hunt, which includes the superb Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris.

Housed in the former Cistercian convent, one museum here contains religious art and sculpture; the other has crafts and artifacts from Burgundy—including old storefronts saved from the streets of Dijon that have been reconstituted, in Hollywood-studio style, to form an imaginary street.

A visit to the charming Museum of Romantic Life, dedicated to novelist George Sand (1804–76), will transport you to the countryside. Occupying a pretty 1830s mansion in a tree-lined courtyard, the small permanent collection features drawings by Delacroix and Ingres, among others, though Sand is the undisputed star. Displays include glass cases stuffed with her jewelry and even a mold of the hand of composer Frédéric Chopin—one of her many lovers. The museum, about a five-minute walk from the Musée National Gustave Moreau, is in a picturesque neighborhood once called New Athens, a reflection of the architectural tastes of the writers and artists who lived and worked in the area. There is usually an interesting temporary exhibit here, too. The garden café (open mid-March to mid-October) is a lovely spot for lunch or afternoon tea. Just note that the museum is currently closed for renovations until March 2026.

This unique museum in the historic Pavillons de Bercy in the Bercy Village shopping district chronicles Paris’s Belle Époque heyday of carnivals and the fairground arts. Visitors discover a world of colorful, fantastical objects that conveyed all the romance and whimsy of 19th- and early 20th-century funfairs, culminating in a ride on a vintage carousel. The museum is open by reservation only.

This sweet museum traces the evolution of the most famous of all Basque pastries. Call ahead for a schedule of workshops and baking classes.

If you like wax museums, this one founded in 1882 ranks among the best. Pay the steep entry price and ascend a grand Phantom of the Opera–like staircase into the Palais des Mirages, a mirrored salon from the 1900 Paris Exposition that transforms into a hokey sound-and-light show the kids will love. (It was a childhood favorite of designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who is in the collection, of course.) From there, get set for a cavalcade of nearly 300 statues, from Elvis to Ernest Hemingway, Picasso to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Every king of France is here, along with Mick Jagger and George Clooney, plus scores of French singers and celebrities.

With its soaring structure of steel, glass, and teak, the MIP has long been one of the more sleekly spectacular museums along the coast. The contemporary design relies on color-coding to easily trace the 3,000-year history of perfume making (highlights include a fascinating collection of 4,000 antique perfume bottles). Artist contributions, like the "Eye Nose You" project that lets you discover details of the scented body through a photographic lens, add a living dimension to the museum.

Around the back of Notre-Dame, on Boulevard de la Reine (note the regimented lines of trees), are the elegant Hôtel de Neyret and the Musée Lambinet, a sumptuous mansion from 1751, with collections of world-class paintings, weapons, fans, and porcelain (including the Madame du Barry "Rose"). This lovely, serene mansion exemplifies the elegant life of the cultivated 18th-century Versailles bourgeoisie. Because the museum is rarely crowded, it's a pleasure to peruse at your leisure.

Not far from the Musée des Beaux-Arts, this museum claims to have the world's finest collection of wrought iron, with exhibits spanning the 4th through 19th centuries. The displays, imaginatively housed in a converted medieval church, include the professional instruments of surgeons, barbers, carpenters, clockmakers, and gardeners.

For proof that life is indeed sweet in Cordes-sur-Ciel, visit this two-room museum dedicated to sugar and chocolate. It showcases the confectionery creations of noted chef Yves Thuriès.

Lyon's long history as a center for the silk industry is well charted at several Lyon arts centers, but this jewel of a museum, set inside the Grand Hôtel-Dieu complex, gives you a close look at the industry through the work of a single family. For 130 years, the Brochiers manufactured the finest silks, imported worldwide and favored by France's great couturiers, including Paul Poiret—the father of haute couture—Yves Saint Laurent, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, and many more. Many of these elegant creations are on exhibit here. You'll also see rare works on silk by the likes of artists Raoul Dufy, Miró, Calder, and Jean Cocteau. Afterward, stock up on chic silk scarves and accessories at the irresistible museum boutique.

Prepare to get wet—preferably equipped with snorkel, flippers, and some goggles—at France's only underwater museum. Exhibits, which are 109 yards off Catalans beach at a depth of 15 feet, consist of 11 submerged sculptures that highlight marine diversity and the human capacity to both destroy or save what remains of this fragile and beautiful ecosystem.

As elegant and stylish as the master couturier's groundbreaking designs, this museum is housed in the very mansion where Yves Saint Laurent did his work and entertained celebrity clients. More than 50 prototypes—including such landmarks as the Mondrian dress, the original pantsuit, and the woman's tuxedo—are on display at any one time, as are dozens of design drawings and a glittering array of jewelry. Thanks to its huge windows, the light-bathed upstairs atelier, stuffed with books and fabrics, offers an intimate glimpse into YSL's world. Be sure not to miss the touching short film detailing the relationship between Saint Laurent and his longtime partner Pierre Bergé. All of the exhibits have detailed English labeling, and a free English guide is available at reception.

The roof of the 13th-century Palais Synodal, alongside Sens's cathedral, is notable for its yellow, green, and red diamond-tile motif—incongruously added in the mid-19th century by monument restorer Viollet-le-Duc. Six grand windows and the vaulted Synodal Hall are other outstanding architectural features; the building now functions as an exhibition space. Annexed to the Palais is an ensemble of Renaissance buildings with a courtyard offering a fine view of the cathedral's Flamboyant Gothic south transept, constructed by master stonemason Martin Chambiges at the start of the 16th century (rose windows were his specialty, as you can appreciate here). Inside is a museum with archaeological finds from the Gallo-Roman period. The cathedral treasury, now on the museum's first floor, is one of the richest in France, comparable to that of Conques. It contains a collection of miters, ivories, the shrouds of St-Sivard and St-Loup, and sumptuous reliquaries. But the star of the collection is Thomas à Becket's restored brown-and-silver-edged linen robe which is displayed alongside his chasuble, stole, and sandals.

These two museums are housed in the city's largest ensemble of Renaissance buildings, the Hôtel de Gadagne, built between the 14th and 16th century. The Musée d'Histoire de Lyon traces the city's history from its pre-Roman days onward, displaying sculpture, furniture, pottery, paintings, and engravings. The Musée des Marionnettes du Monde focuses on the history of puppets, beginning with Guignol and Madelon—Lyon's Punch and Judy—created by Laurent Mourguet in 1795. It includes two hanging gardens, a café, and a shop.

The unique Port-Musée combines maritime-theme museum displays with open-air exhibits. Along the wharves you can visit the workshops of boatbuilders, sailmakers, and other old-time craftspeople, then go aboard the historic trawlers, lobster boats, and barges anchored beside them. On the first weekend in May you can even sail on an antique fishing boat.

This museum is open year-round, but if it's truffles you're after, take a guided tour of the museum followed by the truffle groves in Sorges, a picturesque village northeast of Périgueux. Organized by the Sorges Truffle Museum (L'écomusée de la Truffe), the hour-long outings run every Tuesday and Thursday in July and August, beginning at 2:30 for the museum and 3:30 for the hiking trail.