1176 Best Sights in France

The equestrian statue of the Vert Galant himself—amorous adventurer Henry IV—keeps a vigilant watch over this leafy square at the western end of Île de la Cité. The dashing but ruthless Henry, king of France from 1589 until his assassination in 1610, was a stern upholder of the absolute rights of monarchy and a notorious womanizer. He is probably best remembered for his cynical remark that "Paris vaut bien une messe" ("Paris is worth a Mass"), a reference to his readiness to renounce Protestantism to gain the throne of predominantly Catholic France. To ease his conscience, he issued the Edict of Nantes in 1598, according French Protestants (almost) equal rights with their Catholic countrymen. The square is a great place for a quay-side picnic. It's also the departure point for Vedette Pont Neuf tour boats (at the bottom of the steps to the right).

Exquisite 17th-century stained glass can be admired at the church of Saint-Aignan, around the corner from Saint-Pierre.

Rue des Orfèvres (off Rue de la Charité) is lined with Renaissance facades and distinguished by the church of St-André-le-Bas, once part of a powerful abbey, with beautifully restored 12th-century capitals and a 17th-century wood statue of St. Andrew. It's best to see the cloisters during the music festival held here and at the cathedral from June through August.

Follow some steep-curbed alleyways, called côtes, from the banks of the Rhône into the Vieille Ville to discover, at its center, the imposing cathedral of St-Apollinaire. Although begun in the 12th century in the Romanesque style, it's not as old as it looks: parts of it were rebuilt in the 17th century, with the belfry rebuilt in the 19th.

A 275-foot spire towers over this splendid neo-Gothic church, completed in 1451 and rebuilt in the 1860s. Most of the 2,800 square yards of stained glass were created by the Geyling workshop in Vienna while many carvings are the work of Margraff of Munich. The heaviest of the eight bells was cast in Budapest, and the organ, though manufactured by Merklin of Paris, was inaugurated in 1869 by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. It is only open to the public on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons.

This jewel box of a church has been visited by several popes paying tribute to Ste-Geneviève (the patron saint of Paris), who was buried here before Revolutionaries burned her remains. Built on the ruins of a 6th-century abbey founded by Clovis, the first king of the Franks, it has a unique combination of Gothic, Renaissance, and early Baroque elements, which adds a certain warmth that is lacking in other Parisian churches of pure Gothic style. Here you'll find the only rood screen left in the city—an ornate 16th-century masterwork of carved stone spanning the nave like a bridge, with a spiral staircase on either side. Observe the organ (dating from 1631, it is the city's oldest), the ornate wood-carved pulpit, and the marker in the floor near the entrance that commemorates an archbishop of Paris who was stabbed to death here by a defrocked priest in 1857. Occasional guided tours (in French) are free, but a small offering is appreciated; call for exact times.

The church of St-Foy dates from between 1152 and 1190. Its Romanesque facade remains largely intact (the spires were added in the 19th century), as does the 140-foot octagonal tower over the crossing. Sadly, the interior has been mangled over the centuries, chiefly by the Jesuits, whose most inspired legacy is the Baroque, 1733 pulpit depicting the life of St-Francis Xavier. Note the Romanesque bas-relief next to the baptistery, originally the lid of a sarcophagus.

The twin-spire facade, arcaded cloister, and airy refectory are all that remain of this hilltop abbey church. Constructed between the 14th and 16th century, St-Jean-des-Vignes was largely dismantled just after the Revolution, and its fallen stones were used to restore the Cathédrale St-Gervais Saint-Potrais. Nevertheless, the church is still the most impressive sight in Soissons, the hollow of what was once its rose window peering out over the town like the eye of some giant Cyclops. Major renovations have restored one of the church's towers, the interior of which can be seen during a guided tour offered Saturdays at 4 pm; 3D headsets can also be rented daily.

This tiny shrine in the shadow of Notre-Dame is one of the three oldest churches in Paris. Founded in 1045, it became a meeting place for university students in the 12th century and was Dante's church of choice when he was in town writing his Divine Comedy. Today's structure dates mostly from the 1600s, but keep an eye out for older pillars, which crawl with carvings of demons. You can maximize your time inside by attending one of the classical or gospel concerts frequently held here. Alternately, go outside and simply perch on a bench in the lovely garden and gaze across the Seine at the newly restored Notre Dame.

You can't miss the unusual lacy spire of this church as you approach Île St-Louis; it's the only church on the island and there are no other steeples to compete with it. It was built from 1664 to 1726 according to the Baroque designs of architect François Le Vau, brother of the more famous Louis, who designed several mansions nearby—as well as the Palace of Versailles. Saint-Louis's interior was essentially stripped during the Revolution, as were so many French churches, but look for the odd outdoor iron clock, which dates from 1741. Check the church website for upcoming classical music events.

Although religious wars deprived the cathedral of St-Maurice of many of its statues, much of the original decoration is intact; the portals on the 15th-century facade are carved with Old Testament scenes. The cathedral was built between the 12th and 16th centuries, with later additions, such as the splendid 18th-century mausoleum to the right of the altar. A frieze of the zodiac adorns the entrance to the vaulted passage that once led to the cloisters but now opens onto Place St-Paul.

This church, with its chunky Renaissance facade, fast-forwards 300 years from Notre-Dame.

This is the isolated asylum where Van Gogh spent the last year of his life (1889–90). Enter quietly: the hospital shelters psychiatric patients to this day, all of them women. You're free to walk up the beautifully manicured garden path to the church and its jewel-box Romanesque cloister, where the artist found womblike peace.

The leading Baroque church in the Marais, its dome rising 180 feet above the crossing, was begun in 1627 by the Jesuits, who modeled it after their Gesù church in Rome. Recently cleaned on the outside but dark and brooding inside, it contains Delacroix's Christ on the Mount of Olives in the transept and a shell-shape holy-water font at the entrance. The font was donated by Victor Hugo, who lived in nearby Place des Vosges. Hugo's beloved daughter, Léopoldine, was married here in 1843, though she met a tragic end less than seven months later, when she fell into the Seine and drowned, along with her husband Charles, who tried to save her.

Beside the Rhône is the church of St-Pierre—note the rectangular 12th-century Romanesque bell tower with its arcaded tiers. The lower church walls date from the 6th century, and there is a collection of Gallo-Roman architectural fragments on display.

The twin spires of this parish church compete with the belfry for skyline preeminence. Like the rest of the sanctuary, the spires date from the 1860s, although the 1504 Holy Sepulchre altarpiece in the north transept is a survivor from the previous church.

Soak up the seafaring atmosphere by strolling around the old harbor and paying a visit to the ravishing wooden church of Ste-Catherine. The sanctuary and ramshackle belfry across the way—note the many touches of marine engineering in their architecture—were built by townspeople to show their gratitude for the departure of the English at the end of the Hundred Years' War, in 1453.

The oldest church in Troyes, Ste-Madeleine is best known for its elaborate triple-arch stone rood screen separating the nave and the choir. Only a handful of other such screens still remain in France—most were dismantled during the French Revolution. This filigreed Flamboyant Gothic beauty was carved with panache by Jean Gailde between 1508 and 1517. The superbly tranquil Garden of the Innocents, established on the ancient \"children's graveyard,\" symbolizes medieval spirituality.

Opposite the town hall and overlooking Place du Marché aux Oies, the deconsecrated Gothic church of Ste-Marie was redesigned by star architect Jean Nouvel to become the town's covered food hall. Open daily until 8 pm from April through November (every day but Thursday other months), it overflows with everything you'll need for a gourmet picnic or mouthwatering memento. Try to come on Saturday when a farmers' market winds all the way here from the entrance to the evocative Cité Médiévale. All the (liverless) ducks and geese on sale are proof of the local addiction to foie gras, and you’ll have the opportunity to stock up on homemade confiture, everything walnut—pastry, oil, liqueur—plus truffles galore.

This little movie house has a distinguished history. When it opened in 1928, it was the first theater in the world purposely built for art et essai, or experimental film, and Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí's L'Age d'Or caused a riot when it premiered here. Through the years artists and writers came to see "seventh art" creations by directors such as Jean Cocteau, François Truffaut, and Orson Welles. Today it's a repertory cinema, showing first-runs, just-runs, and previews—usually in their original language. Movies are screened beginning at 2 pm daily, and tickets cost €11. In the back of the movie house is a cozy bar and café that has a quiet outdoor terrace decorated with murals of film stars. Oh, and those charmingly bizarre chandeliers in the salle? Cocteau designed them.

Established in 1367, the oldest synagogue in constant operation in France—and one of the oldest in Europe—is a testament to the protection of “the papal Jews” in Avignon, Carpentras, L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Cavaillon. Although persecuted throughout Europe, under the French popes, the Jewish people were given asylum in medieval Comtat Venaissin (roughly the Vaucluse of today). It was an asylum that lasted from the 14th century till the Revolution. After being granted French citizenship in 1791—when Avignon and the Vaucluse finally became part of France—many Jews left the area, free to live where they pleased

The synagogue of today was built over the original 14th-century foundations, where you can still see an underground bread bakery (in use until 1904), a ritual bath, study rooms, and even quarries for building material used in upward expansion (outward expansion was forbidden). The baroque-style sanctuary dates from the 18th century, when the Jews of Carpentras were finally permitted to rebuild the synagogue, which had fallen into disrepair. They were, however, forced to remove its arched ceiling so as not to exceed the height of St-Siffrein cathedral. Guided visits of the synagogue are by reservation only, but you can also learn about this fascinating chapter of history at the L’Inguimbertine museum, a five-minute walk away.

The remains of the Temple d'Auguste et de Livie, accessible via Place St-Paul and Rue Clémentine, probably date in part from Vienne's earliest Roman settlements (1st century BC). The Corinthian columns were walled in during the 11th century, when the temple was used as a church; in 1833 Prosper Mérimée intervened to have the temple restored.

This Roman ruin dates from the end of the 1st century BC and is thought to have been part of a larger complex that is still unexcavated. In the Middle Ages, Benedictine nuns occupied the building before it was converted into a church. Destruction came during the Wars of Religion.

Occupying the high ground within the walls of the citadel, the narrow alleys of the city's marginally more modern quarter are well worth an exploration. Climb the Escalier Romieu steps beside the leafy Jardins Romieu for a sweeping view of the Italian islands of Capraia, Elba, and Montecristo, or take the easier but less scenic route up via the elevator at the southeast end of the Vieux Port. Although it is known as the New Town, it actually dates from the end of the 15th century and is only 100 years younger than the official Old Town below.

Orange's spectacular Théâtre Antique, a colossal Roman theater, was built in the time of Caesar Augustus. The vast stone stage wall, bouncing sound off the facing hillside, climbs four stories high—a massive sandstone screen that Louis XIV once referred to as the "finest wall in my kingdom." The niche at center stage contains the original statue of Augustus, just as it reigned over centuries of productions of classical plays. Today, the theater provides a backdrop for world-class theater and opera.

Directly up Rue de la Calade from Place de la République are the ruins of an amphitheater that was built by the Romans under Augustus in the 1st century BC and once held 10,000 audience members. Today, it's a pleasant, parklike retreat that's used as a site for the Festival d'Arles in July and August and for Les Recontres d'Arles (Photography Festival) from early July to mid-September. Much of the amphitheater's fine local stone was repurposed in early Christian churches, so only two columns of its stage walls, one row of arches, and vestiges of original stone benches remain. It was here, though, that the noted Venus of Arles statue, now in the Louvre, was dug up and identified.

The ancient theater, sitting at the edge of Autun on the road to Chalon-sur-Saône, makes an atmospheric picnic spot. Select lunch fixings in town, and then settle in on the stepped seats, where as many as 15,000 Gallo-Roman spectators perched two millennia ago. On Friday and Saturday nights in the height of summer, a themed performance—the only one of its kind—is put on by locals wearing period costumes. Elsewhere on the outskirts of town are the remains of a Roman Temple of Janus.

Northeast of Old Town and near the Porte de Rome is the Roman theater (circa 1st century). Its remaining rows of arches are mostly intact, and much of its stage, including the orchestra and substructures, are still visible at its center. Today, the site is known as the Théâtre Philippe Léotard (he was born in Fréjus), and it hosts Les Nuits Auréliennes every July.

Two ruined, semicircular, Roman-built theaters are tucked into the hillside, just down from the summit of Fourvière. The Grand Théâtre, the oldest Roman theater in France, was built in 15 BC to seat 10,000. The smaller Odéon, with its geometric flooring, was designed for music and poetry performances.

This therapeutic station thermale is certified by the French Ministry of Health to treat digestive, urinary, and metabolic problems, as well as rheumatism. Three-week \"cures\" are prescribed by doctors and covered by national health insurance (for French citizens only). But foreign visitors can sign up for weight-loss retreats or simply enjoy a restorative stint in healing baths filled with 39°C (102°F) water that comes from nearly 1,300 feet below the surface.