1176 Best Sights in France

If you have time to fit only one of Languedoc's bevy of Cathar castles into your trip, formidable Peyrepertuse is the one to go for. High above the pretty village of Duilhac, its jagged ramparts command amazing views.

In the center of town, the Château de Saché houses the Musée Balzac. If you've never read any of Balzac's \"Comédies Humaine,\" you might find little of interest in it; but if you have, you can return to such novels as Cousine Bette and Eugénie Grandet with fresh enthusiasm and understanding. Much of the landscape around here, and some of the people back then, found immortality by being fictionalized in many a Balzac novel. Surrounded by 6 acres of gardens, the present château, built between the 16th and the 18th century, is more of a comfortable country house than a fortress. Born in Tours, Balzac came here—to stay with his friends, the Margonnes—during the 1830s, both to write such works as Le Père Goriot and to escape his creditors. The château's themed exhibits range from photographs and original manuscripts to the coffee service Balzac used (the caffeine helped to keep him writing up to 16 hours a day). A few period rooms impress with 19th-century charm, including a lavish emerald-green salon and the author's own writing room. Be sure to study some of the corrected book proofs on display. Balzac had to pay for corrections and additions beyond a certain limit. Painfully in debt, he made emendations filling all the margins of his proofs, causing dismay to his printers. Their legitimate bills for extra payment meant that some of his works, best sellers for nearly two centuries, failed to bring him a centime.

Unlike most aristocrats who heeded the royal summons to live at Versailles and fled the countryside, the marquis and marquise de Tanlay opted to live here among their village retainers. As a result, the Château de Tanlay, built around 1550, never fell into neglect and is a masterpiece of early French Baroque. Spectacularly adorned with rusticated obelisks, pagoda-like towers, the finest in French Classicist ornamentation, and a \"grand canal,\" the château is centered around a typical cour d'honneur. Inside, the Hall of Caesars vestibule, framed by wrought-iron railings, leads to a wood-panel salon and dining room filled with period furniture. A graceful staircase climbs to the second floor, which has the showstopper: a gigantic gallery frescoed in Italianate trompe-l'oeil. A small room in the tower above was used as a secret meeting place by Huguenot Protestants during the 1562–98 Wars of Religion; note the cupola with its fresco of scantily clad 16th-century religious personalities. Visits are by guided tour only, which depart daily at 10:10 am, 11:15 am, 2:15 pm, 3:15 pm, 4:15 pm, and 5:15 pm.

The high-roof Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, partially surrounded by a moat, is set well back from the road behind iron railings topped with sculpted heads. A cobbled avenue stretches up to the entrance, and stone steps lead to the vestibule, which seems small given the noble scale of the exterior. Charles Le Brun's captivating decoration includes the ceiling of the Chambre du Roi (Royal Bedchamber), depicting Time Bearing Truth Heavenward, framed by stuccowork by sculptors François Girardon and André Legendre. Along the frieze you can make out small squirrels, the Fouquet family's emblem—squirrels are known as fouquets in local dialect. But Le Brun's masterpiece is the ceiling in the Salon des Muses (Hall of Muses), a brilliant allegorical composition painted in glowing, sensuous colors that some feel even surpasses his work at Versailles. On the ground floor the impressive Grand Salon (Great Hall), with its unusual oval form and 16 caryatid pillars symbolizing the months and seasons, has harmony and style even though the ceiling decoration was never finished.

The state salons are redolent of le style Louis Quatorze, thanks to the grand state beds, Mazarin desks, and Baroque marble busts—gathered together by the current owners of the château, the Comte et Comtesse de Vogüé—that replace the original pieces, which Louis XIV trundled off as booty to Versailles. In the basement, where cool, dim rooms were once used to store food and wine and house the château's kitchens, you can find rotating exhibits about the château's past and life-size wax figures illustrating its history, including the notorious 19th-century murder-suicide of two erstwhile owners, the Duc and Duchess de Choiseul-Praslin.

Le Nôtre's carefully restored gardens, considered by many to be the designer's masterwork, are at their best when the fountains—which function via gravity, exactly as they did in the 17th century—are turned on (the second and last Saturdays of each month from April through October, 4–6 pm). Christmastime is particularly magical at the château and every Easter children are invited to participate in an enchanting garden Easter egg hunt. The popular illuminated evenings, when the château is dazzlingly lighted by 2,000 candles, are held every Saturday from early May to early October. Open for dinner during this event only, the formal Les Charmilles restaurant serves a refined candlelight dinner outdoors, complete with crystal and white linens, on the lovely Parterre de Diane facing the château (reservations essential). There's also a delightful Champagne bar with lounge chairs and music on these special evenings. At other times, L'Ecureuil (a more casual eatery) is a good choice for lunch or snacks. Call ahead to order a picnic basket filled with fresh regional delights or you are always welcome to bring along your own to enjoy in the extensive gardens. 

A two-century spree of indulgence by the consecutive reigns of three French kings produced two of the world's most historic landmarks: gloriously, the Palace of Versailles and, momentously, the French Revolution. Less a monument than a world unto itself, Versailles is the king of palaces. The end result of countless francs, 40 years, and 36,000 laborers, it was Louis XIV's monument to himself—the Sun King. Construction of the sprawling palace and gardens, which Louis personally and meticulously oversaw, started in 1661 and took 40 years to complete. Today the château seems monstrously big, but it wasn't large enough for the army of 20,000 noblemen, servants, and hangers-on who moved in with Louis. A new city—a new capital, in fact—had to be constructed from scratch to accommodate them.

One of the palace highlights is the dazzling Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors). Lavish balls were once held here, as was a later event with much greater world impact: the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, which put an end to World War I on June 28, 1919. The Grands Appartements (State Apartments) are whipped into a lather of decoration, with painted ceilings, marble walls, parquet floors, and canopy beds topped with ostrich plumes. The Petits Appartements (Private Apartments), where the royal family and friends lived, are on a more human scale, lined with 18th-century gold and white rococo boiseries. The Opéra Royal, the first oval hall in France, was designed for Louis XV and inaugurated in 1770 for the marriage of 15-year-old Louis XVI to 14-year-old Austrian archduchess Marie-Antoinette. Considered the finest 18th-century opera house in Europe at the time (with acoustics to match), it is now a major venue for world-class performers. Completed in 1701 in the Louis XIV style, the Appartements du Roi (King's Apartments) comprise a suite of 15 rooms set in a "U" around the east facade's Marble Court. The Chambre de la Reine (Queen's Bed Chamber)—once among the world's most opulent—was updated for Marie-Antoinette in the chicest style of the late 18th century. The superb Salon du Grand Couvert, antechamber to the Queen's Apartments, is the place where Louis XIV took his supper every evening at 10 o'clock. The sumptuously painted walls and ceilings, tapestries, woodwork, and even the furniture have been returned to their original splendor, making this the only one of the queen's private rooms that can be seen exactly as it was first decorated in the 1670s. The park and gardens are a great place to stretch your legs while taking in details of André Le Nôtre's formal landscaping.

Versailles's royal getaways are as impressive in their own right as the main palace. A charmer with the ladies (as Louis's many royal mistresses would attest), the Sun King enjoyed a more relaxed atmosphere in which to conduct his dalliances away from the prying eyes of the court at the Grand Trianon. But Versailles's most famous getaway, the Hameau de la Reine, was added under the reign of Louis XVI at the request of his relentlessly scrutinized wife, Marie-Antoinette. Seeking to create a simpler "country" life away from the court's endless intrigues, between 1783 and 1787, the queen had her own rustic hamlet built in the image of a charming Normandy village, complete with a mill and dairy, roving livestock, and delightfully natural gardens. One of the most visited monuments in the world, Versailles is almost always teeming, especially in the summer; try to beat the crowds by arriving at 9 am, and buying your ticket online.

Green thumbs get weak in the knees at the mere mention of the Château de Villandry, a grand estate near the Cher River, thanks to its painstakingly relaid 16th-century gardens, now the finest example of Renaissance garden design in France. These were originally planted in 1906 by Dr. Joachim Carvallo and Anne Coleman, his American wife, whose passion resulted in three terraces planted in styles that combine the French monastic garden with Italianate models depicted in historic Du Cerceau etchings. Seen from Villandry's cliff-side walkway, the garden terraces look like flowered chessboards blown up to the nth power—a breathtaking sight.

Beyond the water garden and an ornamental garden depicting symbols of chivalric love is the famous potager, or vegetable garden, which stretches on for bed after bed—the pumpkins here are les pièces de résistance. Flower lovers will rejoice in the main jardin à la française (French-style garden): framed by a canal, it's a vast carpet of rare and colorful blooms planted en broderie (\"like embroidery\"), set into patterns by box hedges and paths. The aromatic and medicinal garden, its plots neatly labeled in three languages, is especially appealing. Below an avenue of 1,200 precisely pruned lime trees lies an ornamental lake that is home to swans: not a ripple is out of place. The château interior, still used by the Carvallo family, was redecorated in the mid-18th century. Of particular note are the painted and gilt Moorish ceiling from Toledo and one of the finest collections of 17th-century Spanish paintings in France.

The quietest time to visit is usually during the two-hour French lunch break, while the most photogenic time is during the Nuits des Mille Feux (Nights of a Thousand Lights, held the first weekends in July and August), when paths and pergolas are illuminated with myriad lanterns and a dance troupe offers a tableau vivant. There is a gardening weekend held in late September.

This imposing high-walled château, on the northern edge of the Bois de Vincennes, was France's medieval version of Versailles. Built and expanded by various kings between the 12th and 14th centuries, it is now surrounded by a dry moat and dominated by a 170-foot keep, the last of nine original towers. The royal residence eventually became a prison holding, notably, convicts of both sexes—and "the doors did not always remain closed between them," as one tour guide coyly put it. Inmates included the philosopher Diderot and the Marquis de Sade, and the alleged spy Mata Hari was executed in its dry moat bed. Both the château and its cathedral, Sainte-Chapelle—designed in the style of the Paris church of the same name—have been restored to their previous glory. If you speak French, the free 90-minute tour is worthwhile; otherwise, consider spending €3 for the English audioguide. The entrance to the lovely Parc Floral de Paris is just behind the château.

With grand vaulted rooms and a chapel dating from the 12th century, this enormous château is picturesque Le Barroux's main draw. Some of its halls serve as venues for contemporary art exhibits, and the chapel's breathtaking frescoes—undergoing restoration but still accessible to the public—painted between the 16th and 19th centuries are a must-see. Ever full of surprises, the castle also harbors a whiskey distillery that produces a golden nectar from the local einkorn grain, which you'll learn all about on a comprehensive tour that ends with a tasting. Or you can relax in the charming gourmet tearoom, perfect for a refreshing break and an excellent coffee with your homemade pastry or ice cream and panoramic views.

Although it wasn’t completed until the Renaissance, construction on Château du Clos de Vougeot was actually begun in the 12th century by Cistercian monks from neighboring Cîteaux who needed wine for Mass and wanted to make a diplomatic offering. It's best known as the seat of Burgundy's elite company of wine lovers, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, who gather here in November at the start of an annual three-day festival, Les Trois Glorieuses. You can admire the château's cellars, where ceremonies are held, and ogle the huge 13th-century grape presses, marvels of medieval engineering. There are also regular photo exhibitions and concerts. Sixty-minute guided tours (€15) leave at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm daily, with an additional tour at 4:30 pm every day except Saturday. Guided tours in English (daily at 11:30 am and 3:30 pm) need to be reserved in advance.

The ruins of the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg were presented by the town of Sélestat to German emperor Wilhelm II in 1899. The château looked just as a kaiser thought one should, and he restored it with some diligence and no lack of imagination—squaring the main tower's original circle, for instance. The site, panorama, drawbridge, and amply furnished imperial chambers may lack authenticity, but they are undeniably dramatic.

Most of the great vineyards in this area are strictly private, although owners are usually receptive to inquiries from bona fide wine connoisseurs. One, however, has long boasted a welcoming visitor center: Mouton Rothschild, whose eponymous wine was brought to perfection in the 1930s by that flamboyant figure Baron Philippe de Rothschild. Wine fans flock here for visits lasting from 1 hour 45 minutes to 2½ hours. Depending on the tour, your visit might include a trip to the cellars, the chai (wine warehouse), and the Museum of Wine in Art, with its gorgeous collection of ornamental drinking vessels spanning five centuries and two continents. There, is of course, a wine tasting at the end. Prices depend on the length of the tour and the wines sampled. Visits are by appointment only; be sure to reserve at least two months in advance.

This extraordinary domaine benefits from an ideal setting in the Mont Ventoux UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, with sweeping views of the Rhône Valley, the Dentelles de Montmirail, Mont Ventoux itself, and the medieval village of Crestet. The overarching principle here is to respect the land while benefiting from its incline and altitude to make handcrafted, fully organic wines of the highest quality. Comprehensive tours of the wine-making facilities and the estate include a tasting and a visit to the boutique where you can buy locally made gift items as well as wine.

Between mid-April and the end of October the domaine also serves lunches featuring all-organic dishes created by the in-house chef using ingredients from the kitchen gardens, charcuterie and cheese plates from local artisans, and, bien sûr, a glass or two of estate wines. Customized tastings can be arranged upon request, and the estate also has a separate house where up to 14 people can stay for a week in total luxury, including a private chef, a valet, and every imaginable comfort. Prices are through the roof, but the experience is assuredly one-of-a-kind.

Many of the neighborhood's most illustrious residents rest here, a stone's throw from where they lived and loved: Charles Baudelaire, Frédéric Bartholdi (who designed the Statue of Liberty), Alfred Dreyfus, and Guy de Maupassant as well as photographer Man Ray, playwright Samuel Beckett, writers Susan Sontag, Marguerite Duras, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir, actress Jean Seberg, and singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg. Opened in 1824, the ancient farmland is the second-largest burial ground in Paris and is spread over 47 acres—so if you go late in the day, give yourself plenty of time to get back to the gate before the exits are locked. Note that this is not the largest cemetery in Paris—that honor goes to the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, in eastern Paris.

A spectacular natural amphitheater, the Cirque de Gavarnie has been dubbed the \"Colosseum of Nature\" and inspired many writers, including Victor Hugo. At its foot is the village of Gavarnie, a good base for exploring the region's mountains. Thanks to glacial erosion, the Cirque is a Cinerama wall of peaks and a daunting challenge to mountaineers. Horses and donkeys, rented in the village, are the traditional way to reach the head of the valley (though walking is preferable). When the upper snows melt, numerous streams tumble down from the cliffs to form spectacular waterfalls; the greatest of them, the Grande Cascade, drops nearly 1,400 feet.

The Basse Ville's Rue Piétonne, the main pedestrian street, is crammed with crêperies, tea salons, and hundreds of tourists, many of whom are heading heavenward by taking the Grand Escalier (staircase) or elevator (€3) from Place de la Carreta up to the Cité Religieuse, set halfway up the cliff. If you walk, pause at the landing 141 steps up to admire the fort. Once up, you can see tiny Place St-Amadour and its seven chapels: the basilica of St-Sauveur opposite the staircase; the St-Amadour crypt beneath the basilica; the chapel of Notre-Dame, with its statue of the Black Madonna, to the left; the chapels of John the Baptist, St-Blaise, and Ste-Anne to the right; and the Romanesque chapel of St-Michel built into an overhanging cliff. St-Michel's two 12th-century frescoes—depicting the Annunciation and the Visitation—have survived in superb condition.

A \"Cité Royale,\" Loche came to be adorned with a bevy of gorgeously picturesque medieval and Renaissance-era structures—none more imposing than its famous Citadelle, one of the most complete medieval fortifications extant, bristling with portcullises, posterns, keeps, and crenellated ramparts. Sections of these defensive walls are well preserved and function as part of the town.

By the 15th century Loches had become a pleasure dome. Charles VII and his famous amour, Agnés Sorel, set up shop in the town château, the Logis Royal, located on the north end of the citadel, and proceeded to set the style for much of courtly France with unmatched opulence, Italianate art, and the country's top painter, Jean Fouquet. Great hostess that she was, Agnés might have cottoned to the château's son-et-lumière show, presented during July and August and featuring a goodly chunk of Loches's population in chivalric tableaux.

Elsewhere in town are other historic sights (some with separate admissions): the Donjon of Fouques Nerra; the Tour Ronde of Louis XI (with its horrifying dungeons and their fillettes, or cages); a medieval-style garden; the massive Romanesque church of Collegiale St-Ours (on Rue Thomas-Pactius); a magnificent Renaissance-period Hôtel de Ville, built for François I; and the Maison Lansyer, beautifully set into the town ramparts and fitted out with 19th-century salons filled with the works of painter Emmanuel Lansyer (1835–93). There's also a lively night market during July and August.

Housed in two elegant 17th-century mansions, this impressive assembly of contemporary artworks came out of the private collection of Paris art dealer Yvon Lambert, who founded the museum in 2000 in honor of Avignon's designation as European Capital of Culture. The museum is known both for the breadth of its collection—more than 1,200 pieces dating from the 1960s to the present—and the scope of its three to four major exhibitions per year, as well as its cultural events, lectures, and arts eduction programs, done independently or in conjunction with other arts institutions worldwide. The foundation closes three months out of the year between exhibitions, so be sure to check before going. The impressive bookshop carries dozens of original, limited-edition works by artists represented in the collection, including prints by Cy Twombly, Sol LeWitt, and Jenny Holzer, and the breezy courtyard café offers gourmet snacks, beverages, and light lunches under the shade of sleepy plane trees.

Stay on the D559 to the D1098, and you'll find yourself careening along this stunning coastal drive. At the dramatic Pointe de Cap Roux, an overlook allows you to pull off the narrow two-lane highway (where high-season sightseers can cause bumper-to-bumper traffic) and contemplate the spectacular view up and down the coast.

Train travelers have the good fortune to snake along this cliff side for constant panoramas. It's also a hiker's haven. Some nine trails, ranging from an hour to 4½ hours, strike out from designated parking sites along the way, leading up into the jagged rock peaks for extraordinary sea views. (Don't leave valuables in the car, as the sites are littered with glass from break-ins.) There's also a coastal path leaving from St-Raphaël port; you'll see a mix of wild, rocky criques (coves and finger bays) and glamorous villas.

Once a train line from the Paris suburbs to Bastille, this redbrick viaduct (often referred to as Le Viaduc des Arts) is now one of the park highlights of the unpretentious 12e arrondissement. The rails have been transformed into a 4½-km (3-mile) walkway lined with trees, bamboo, and flower gardens, offering a bird's-eye view of the stately Haussmannian buildings along Avenue Daumesnil. Below, the voûtes (arcades) have been transformed by the city into artisan boutiques, many focused on decor and design. There are also temporary galleries showcasing art and photography. The Promenade, which gained fame as a setting in the 2004 film Before Sunset, was the inspiration for New York's High Line. It ends at the Bastille. From there, you can continue your walk to the Bois de Vincennes. If you're hungry, grab a bite at L'Arrosoir, a cozy café under the viaduct ( 75 av. Daumesnil).

This long pedestrian thoroughfare—half street, half square—is the nerve center of Old Nice, the heart of the Vieille Ville, and the stage for the city's marketplace and café life. Shoppers come to smell the roses (and mimosas and orange blossoms) before browsing at stalls selling local produce, spices, olives, and little gift soaps in the single row setup, the overflow of which sprawls into leafy Place Pierre Gautier. Market days are Tuesday through Saturday, 6 am to 5:30 pm and Sunday 6 am to 1:30 pm. Arrive early, especially in summer, to avoid being at the mercy of the crowd (and a target for the rampant pickpockets).

On Monday morning, antiques and brocantes (collectibles) draw avid vintage hounds, and, from June to September, there's also an artisanal craft market selling jewelry, pottery, purses, and paintings. At Place Charles Félix on the east end of Cours Saleya is the imposing yellow stone building where Matisse lived on the third and then fourth floor from 1921 to 1938. Today, there’s no plaque that bears his name, only a broken shutter of his workshop to serve as a commemoration. Its future remains uncertain, but for many Niçois, this building is a part of Nice’s heritage.

A slightly downsized version of its United States counterpart, Disneyland Paris is nevertheless a spectacular sight, created with an acute attention to detail. Disneyland Park, as the original theme park is styled, consists of five "lands": Main Street U.S.A., Frontierland, Adventureland, Fantasyland, and Discoveryland. The central theme of each land is relentlessly echoed in every detail, from attractions to restaurant menus to souvenirs. In Fantastyland, tots adore Alice's Curious Labyrinth, Peter Pan's Flight, and especially the whirling Mad Hatter's Teacups, while everyone loves the afternoon parades centered around Main Street U.S.A, with huge floats swarming with all of Disney's most beloved characters—just make sure to stake your place along Main Street in advance for a good spot. The focal point of Fantasyland, and indeed Disneyland Paris, is Le Château de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty Castle), a 140-foot, bubble-gum-pink structure topped with 16 blue- and gold-tipped turrets.

Top attractions at Frontierland are the chilling Phantom Manor, haunted by holographic ghosts, and the thrilling runaway mine train of Big Thunder Mountain, a roller coaster that plunges wildly through floods and avalanches in a setting meant to evoke Utah's Monument Valley. Whiffs of Arabia, Africa, and the Caribbean give Adventureland its exotic cachet; the spicy meals and snacks served here rank among the best food in the park. Don't miss Pirates of the Caribbean, an exciting mise-en-scène populated by lifelike animatronic figures, or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a rapid-fire ride that re-creates some of this hapless hero's most exciting moments.

Discoveryland is a high-tech, futuristic eye-popper. Robots on roller skates welcome you on your way to Star Tours, a pitching, plunging, sense-confounding ride based on the Star Wars films; and another robot, the staggeringly realistic 9-Eye, hosts a simulated space journey in Le Visionarium.

The older the child, the more they will enjoy Walt Disney Studios Park, where many of the newer Disney character–theme rides can be found. It's divided into four "production zones," giving visitors insight into different parts of the production process, including Animation Courtyard, where Disney artists demonstrate the various phases of character animation, and Production Courtyard, where you can go on a behind-the-scenes Studio Tram tour of location sites, movie props, studio interiors, and costumes, ending with a visit to Catastrophe Canyon in the heart of a film shoot. The newest stage show, "Together: A Pixar Musical Adventure," takes you on a lively musical romp with all your favorite characters from the movies Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and other Pixar classics.

At the Marvel Avengers Campus—the first stage of Disney Paris’s major multiyear transformation to be completed in late 2025—kids become real-life recruits in the superhero universe, taking daring steps alongside Black Widow, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, and the like. The Avengers Assemble: Flight Force high-speed roller coaster offers hardcore thrills (your mission: save the Earth and the Avengers' Campus from Kree missiles), while Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure takes you on a 3D odyssey to test your web-throwing skills as you fight a horde of Spider Bots. A reimagined Rock 'n' Roller Coaster is every bit as spine-tingling as before, but now features Iron Man and Avengers. The Avengers Campus is small (it can be traversed in five minutes), but it offers animations, a stunt show, three restaurants, and a boutique where superheroes-in-training can stock up on all the essential equipment.

The park's newest nighttime attraction, Disney Tales of Magic, immerses Main Street and Sleeping Beauty castle in eye-popping 3D imagery and favorite songs from cherished movie moments. And there's big plans ahead for 2026, when the World of Frozen, an new park area designed to look like the kingdom of Arendelle, complete with a lake, dancing fountains, and a new Frozen Ever After attraction, is set to open.

Although a favorite of Loire connoisseurs, the 16th-century Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire is often overlooked by visitors who are content to ride the conveyor belt of big châteaux like Chambord and Chenonceau. It's their loss. Set on a dramatic bluff that towers over the river, graceful Chaumont has always cast a spell—perhaps literally so. One of its fabled owners, Catherine de' Medici, occasionally came here with her court astrologer, the notorious Ruggieri. In one of Chaumont's bell-tower rooms, the queen reputedly practiced sorcery. Whether or not Ruggieri still haunts the place (or Nostradamus, another on Catherine's guest list), there seem to be few castles as spirit-warm as this one.

Built by Charles II d'Amboise between 1465 and 1510, the château greets visitors with glorious twin-tower châtelets—identical turrets that frame a double drawbridge. The castle became one of the residences of Henri II, though he didn't use it much. After his death, his widow Catherine de' Medici took revenge on his mistress, the fabled beauty Diane de Poitiers, and forced her to exchange Chenonceau for Chaumont. Another \"refugee\" was the late-18th-century writer Madame de Staël. Exiled from Paris by Napoléon, she wrote De l'Allemagne (On Germany) here, a book that helped kick-start the Romantic movement in France. In the 19th century her descendants, the Prince and Princess de Broglie, set up regal shop, as you can still see from the stone-and-brick stables, where purebred horses (and one elephant) lived like royalty in velvet-lined stalls. The couple also renovated many rooms in the glamorous neo-Gothic style of the 1870s.

Today the castle retains a sense of fantasy: witness the contemporary art installations by world-class artists displayed in different rooms and various outbuildings along with the latest horticultural innovations showcased during the marvelous Festival International des Jardins, held from April to November in the extensive park. The park's three cafés (and an ice cream stand) offer shady terrace dining. The château can be reached via a stiff walk up a long path from the little village of Chaumont-sur-Loire. Better yet, follow the signs to the car park at the top of the hill where there's plenty of spaces, as well as the entrance to the garden festival.

Near the northern shore of the Etang de Vaccarès, this unique cultural center, funded by the Ricard family of pastis fame and set on one of the larger estates in the Camargue, is a place to meet gardiens (French cowboys) and learn about the taureau, or bull—virtually a totemic creature in these parts. You’ll also gain a better understanding of the regional spectacle known as the course camarguaise, in which raseteurs (runners) try to pluck off a red cockade and two white tassels mounted on the bull’s horns. There is no mise à mort (as in Spanish-style corridas, or bullfights), so the bulls live to enter the arena again and again—some even become such celebrities that they make the covers of French magazines.

Other activities include touring an on-site museum, where exhibits detail the remarkable history of Paul Ricard and the estate; hopping aboard a petit train for a 20-minute tour of the marshlands; or mounting a horse or pony for a beachside trot. At Chez Hélène et Néné restaurant, you can feast on Camargue seafood while gazing at the beach and the ocean. If you want to stay the night, the property has several charming accommodation options—from guest rooms to cottages to colorful wooden, Roma-style caravans. The estate is 36 km (22 miles) east of Aigues-Mortes via the D58, D570, and RD37/D37 and 27 km (17 miles) northeast of Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer via the D570 and RD37/D37.

With France as the world's third-largest producer of caviar—much of it from sturgeon raised in basins fed from the abundant rivers around the Dordogne—you'll be assured when a menu says \"local caviar\" it truly is. At this 50-acre estate, visitors are shown how caviar is produced, from the breeding ponds to harvesting, before tasting the homegrown delicacy. Neuvic offers \"initiation\" visits along with masterclasses (all booked in advance online) or you can just stop in between Monday and Saturday for a visit of the domaine that includes nature walks along the river and \"swimming\" with the sturgeon (in waders). The on-site boutique sells all of the various caviars along with a host of other local delicacies. There's also a gourmet restaurant and a chic boutique hotel in the 19th-century Tudor-style château if you're looking for the full caviar experience. The domaine is almost equidistant (about 30 km/19 miles) between Périgeux and Bergerac.

Philippe le Hardi, the son of the king of France, was the illustrious owner of this majestic 9th- to 16th-century castle. The surrounding estate—one of the largest in Burgundy—has 237 acres of vines. There are three classic wine tastings (from €10) and, by appointment only, two high-end wine tastings that include a tour of the cellar that ends with either two white wines and three reds (€25) or three whites and three reds, including at least two Premier Cru and one Grand Cru (€55).

On the tree-lined Cours du XXX-Juillet, not far from the banks of the Garonne and the main artery of the Esplanade des Quinconces, you'll find the Maison du Vin de Bordeaux and its École du Vin. Run by the CIVB (Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, which oversees the Bordeaux wine trade), this school offers two-hour wine appreciation workshops (€39) as well as intensive programs and summer courses for professionals. The on-site Bar à Vin is a good place to sample and buy reds (like Pauillac or St-Émilion), dry whites (like an Entre-Deux-Mers, Graves, or Côtes de Blaye), and sweet whites (like Sauternes or Loupiac). This can be particularly useful when trying to decide which of the 57 wine appellations to focus on during your trip.

Perhaps the most impressive Modernist church in France, the Église St-Joseph was designed by Auguste Perret in the 1950s. The 350-foot tower powers into the sky like a fat rocket, and the interior is just as thrilling. No frills here: the 270-foot octagonal lantern soars above the crossing, filled almost to the top with abstract stained glass that hurls colored light over the bare concrete walls.

An extraordinary structure built in the 1230s for the Dominicans (renamed Jacobins in 1216 for their Parisian base in Rue St-Jacques), this church is dominated by a single row of seven columns running the length of the nave. The easternmost column (on the far right) is one of the finest examples of palm-tree vaulting ever erected, the much-celebrated Palmier des Jacobins, a major masterpiece of Gothic art. Fanning out overhead, its 22 ribs support the entire apse. The original refectory site is used for temporary art exhibitions, dance performances, and community events. The cloister is one of the city's aesthetic and acoustical gems, and in summer hosts piano and early music concerts.

The hospital to which the tortured Van Gogh repaired after cutting off his earlobe is a strikingly resonant site. Its courtyard has been impeccably restored and landscaped to match one of Van Gogh's paintings. The cloistered grounds have become something of a shrine for visitors, and there is a photo plaque comparing the renovation to some of the master's paintings, including Le Jardin de la Maison de Santé. The exhibition hall is open for temporary shows; the garden is always on view.