258 Best Sights in France

Five kilometers (3 miles) east of Trébeurden is the Parc du Radôme, site of the giant white radar dome, whose 340-ton antenna captured the first live TV satellite transmission from the United States to France in July 1962. Today the sphere houses the Cité des Télécoms, retracing the history of telecommunications back to the first telegraph in 1792, and featuring interactive exhibits on telecom's newest innovations. A spectacular sound-and-light show involves multicolor lasers and more than 200 video projectors. The site also includes one of Europe's largest planetariums and a children's discovery park, Le Jardin des Sciences.

If you want to see where "the 20th century was born"—as the curators here like to proclaim—head to the Clos Lucé, about 600 yards up Rue Victor-Hugo from the château. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) spent the last four years of his life in this handsome Renaissance manor, tinkering away at inventions, amusing his patron, King François I, and gazing out over a garden that was planted in the most fashionable Italian manner. The garden was completely restored in 2008 to contain plants and trees found in his sketches, as well as a dozen full-size renderings of machines he designed. The Halle Interactive contains working models of some of Leonardo's extraordinary inventions, all built by IBM engineers using the artist's detailed notebooks (by this time Leonardo had put away his paint box because of arthritis). Mechanisms on display include three-speed gearboxes, a military tank, a clockwork car, and a flying machine complete with designs for parachutes. Originally called Cloux, the property was given to Anne of Brittany by Charles VIII, who built a chapel for her that is still here. Some of the house's furnishings are authentically 16th century—indeed, thanks to the artist's presence, Clos Lucé was one of the first places where the Italian Renaissance made inroads in France: Leonardo's Mona Lisa and Virgin of the Rocks, both of which once graced the walls here, were bought by the king, who then moved them to the Louvre. You can now see these and 15 other da Vinci masterpieces projected in full living color in the on-site immersive museum; it also features 3D re-creations of the master's unrealized plans for palaces and other constructions, video games, and a host of fun educational games for kids.

While Cap Ferrat's villas are, for the most part, sequestered in the depths of tropical gardens, you can nonetheless walk its entire coastline promenade if you strike out from the port. From the restaurant Capitaine Cook, cut right up Avenue des Fossés, turn right on Avenue Vignon, and follow Chemin de la Carrière. The 11-km (7-mile) walk passes through lush flora and, on the west side, follows white cliffs buffeted by waves.

When you've traced the full outline of the peninsula, veer up Chemin du Roy past the fabulous gardens of the Villa des Cèdres, owned by King Leopold II of Belgium at the turn of the last century. Indeed, the king owned several opulent estates along the French Riviera, undoubtedly paid for by his enslavement of the Belgian Congo. Past the gardens, you can access the Plage de Passable, from which you cut back across the peninsula's wrist.

A shorter 4-km (2.5-mile) loop takes you from town, around the peninsula out to the Pointe de St-Hospice. Other than the occasional yacht, all traces of civilization disappear, and the water is a dizzying blue. From the port, climb Avenue Jean Mermoz to Plage de Paloma (a celebrity hotspot offering the region's best swimming), and then follow the pedestrian path closest to the waterfront. Around halfway, take the path up toward Chapelle Sainte Hospice, an 11th-century chapel with an imposing bronze statue of The Virgin. Head back down to the coastal path to trek around a wooded area, toward Plage des Fossettes, and back into town. You'll stumble on reasonably priced cafés, pizzerias, and ice-cream parlors along the port promenade. A supermarket and public toilets are handily located there, too.

The Promenade Maurice Rouvier, which runs along the eastern edge of the peninsula, is a lovely paved walk and will take you all the way to Beaulieu-sur-mer in 25 minutes.

Although nothing remains of the once-massive medieval stronghold but a few ruins left after its 1706 dismantling, the name château still applies to this high plateau-like park, from which you can take in extraordinary views of the Baie des Anges, the length of Promenade des Anglais, and the red-ocher roofs of the Old Town. Children can blow off energy at the playground, while you enjoy a picnic with panoramic views and a bit of shade. You can also partake in the Communist party's annual Fête du Chateau in June or try yoga or one of the exercise bootcamps available throughout the year. It's 213 steps to the top or you can use the free elevator next to the Hotel Suisse; alternatively, ascend the hill slower from the port side, near Place Garibaldi, which is a more gentle climb.

Most of Île de la Cité's medieval structures fell victim to wunderkind urban planner Baron Haussmann's ambitious rebuilding program of the 1860s. Among the rare survivors are the jewel-like Sainte-Chapelle, a vision of shimmering stained glass, and the Conciergerie, the cavernous former prison where Marie-Antoinette and other victims of the French Revolution spent their final days.

Constructed by Philip IV in the late 13th and early 14th centuries, the Conciergerie—which takes its name from the building's concierge or keeper—was part of the original palace of the kings of France before the royals moved into the Louvre around 1364. In 1391, it became a prison. During the French Revolution, Marie-Antoinette languished 76 days here awaiting her date with the guillotine. There is a re-creation of the doomed queen's sad little cell—plus others that are far smaller—complete with wax figures behind bars. In the chapel, stained glass, commissioned after the queen's death by her daughter, is emblazoned with the initials M.A. Outside you can see the small courtyard where women prisoners took meals and washed their clothes in the fountain (men enjoyed no similar respite). Well-done temporary exhibitions on the ground floor aim to please kids and adults alike; themes have included enchanted forests and Gothic castles. There are free guided tours (in French only) most days at 11 and 3. Pick up a free English guide at reception and ask for a "Histopad" (also free), an "augmented reality" tablet that allows you to go back in time and view 30 reconstructions.

In 1985, diver Henri Cosquer discovered a mostly submerged cave with chambers containing more than 500 evocative images of bison, horses, deer, ibex, aurochs, seals, jellyfish, and human hands. On this simulated visit at Marseille's Villa Mediterranée, groups of six, equipped with headsets, are taken by cable car though a near-perfect replica of the cave to learn the story of these mysterious drawings, the original artists, and their relationship to the animals they depicted some 33,000 years ago.

This center of bohemian flânerie (hanging out) is a lovely place to relax by the fountain, in the shade of plane trees, or under a café umbrella. Its low-key and painterly tableau is framed by graceful 18th-century buildings, and the warren of streets surrounding it is full of young fashion designers, vintage shops, and hip boutiques.

To visit old Antibes, stroll the Cours Masséna, where every day from 6 am to 1 pm (except Monday September–May) a sheltered Provençal market tempts you with lemons, olives, and hand-stuffed sausages. Here both vendors and shoppers take breaks in the shoebox cafés flanking one side. Painters, sculptors, and other artists take over at 3 pm every day (except Monday mid-June–September and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday October–mid-June). From Port Vauban, you'll find the cours by passing through an arched gateway beneath the ramparts and following Rue Aubernon to the old Portail de l'Orme, built of quarried Roman stone and enlarged in the Middle Ages.

Shaded by a double row of tall plane trees, the Cours Mirabeau is one of the most beautiful avenues anywhere, designed so its width and length would be in perfect proportion with the height of the dignified 18th-century hôtels particuliers lining it. You can view this lovely assemblage from one of the dozen or so cafés that spill onto the pavement.

Since 1895, this important local distiller has been producing not only lavender, but also essential oils of lavendin and other aromatic plants. Tours of its facility, offered May through August, cover cultivating lavender and the distillation process. You can stock up on lavender, organic essential oils, floral waters, soaps, sachets, and plant-based cosmetics in the on-site shop.

The tallest sand dune in Europe, the vast Dune du Pilat stretches 3 km (2 miles) and rises to create a 340-foot ridge of golden sand. From its northern beginnings, a near-unbroken sweep of spectacular, surf-pounded beaches and dunes stretches southward from Arcachon for some 140 km (90 miles) toward Biarritz.

Next to the Museum of Archeology in the vieille ville, this 12th-century church (also known as Église St-Pierre-des-Templiers) is a miniature-scale Romanesque church. It was recently discovered that its foundations lie on top of two other churches dating from the Carolingian era (AD 800–888). Climb up the 129 steps of the 13th-century bell tower, the Tour San Rafeu, for 360-degree panoramic views, and snap away.

Aubagne on a market day is a feast in more ways than one. Depending on the season, for sale are fresh local asparagus, vine-ripened tomatoes and melons, and mesclun scooped by the gnarled fingers of blue-aproned ladies in from the farm (Tuesday, Thursday, and weekends, 8–1:30). The weekend markets make more of regional products; those labeled Pays d'Aubagne must be organically raised. Although they're not as social as markets in Aix, these farmers' markets are more authentic.

Held in the first half of August, this festival focuses on Celtic culture—music, drama, poetry, dance—and fellow Celts from Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Galicia, and other Western European locales pour in to celebrate.

Corsica's largest grouping of megalithic menhir statues, Filitosa is reached via a stroll down a tree-lined path. You'll discover life-size stone figures of ancient warriors that rise up mysteriously from the undulating terrain, many with human faces whose features have been flattened by erosion. A small museum houses archaeological finds, including the menhir known as Scalsa Murta, whose delicately carved spine and rib cage are surprisingly contemporary for a work dating from some 5,000 years ago. There's a great English-language guidebook (€4), and much of the signage is in English. After your tour, enjoy a beverage at the small brasserie.

There's no shortage of museums in Paris, but this eye-catching gallery may be the city's premier place to view cutting-edge art. Funded by luxury giant Cartier, the foundation is at once an architectural landmark, a traveling corporate collection, and an exhibition space. Architect Jean Nouvel's 1993 building looks rather like a glass house of cards, layered seamlessly between the boulevard and the garden. The foundation regularly hosts Soirées Nomades (Nomadic Nights) featuring lectures, dance, music, film, or fashion on various evenings. Some are in English. Family tours and creative workshops for children ages 6 to 12 are also available as are free guided tours (in French) of exhibits on Tuesday through Friday, depending on space.  There are plans for the Fondation Cartier to move to a new location in the Place du Palais-Royal in the 1e in late 2025.

Deliciously thick with dripping moss, this 18th-century fountain is fed by Sextius's own thermal source. It seems representative of Aix at its artfully negligent best. In sunny Provence, Aix was famous for its shade and its fountains; apropos, James Pope-Hennessy, in his Aspects of Provence, compares living in Aix to being at the bottom of an aquarium, thanks to all the fountains' bubbling waters and the city's shady streets and boulevards.

Within a tiny square at a symmetrical crossroads in the Quartier Mazarin, this lovely 17th-century fountain has four graceful dolphins at the foot of a pine-cone-topped obelisk. Under the shade of a chestnut tree and framed by broad, shuttered mansions, it makes an elegant ensemble worth contemplating from the park bench.

There's no exaggerating the magnificence of the Fontaine de Vaucluse, a mysterious spring that gushes from a deep underground source that has been explored to a depth of 1,010 feet—so far. Framed by towering cliffs, a broad, pure pool wells up and spews dramatically over massive rocks down a gorge to the village, where its roar soothes and its spray cools the visitors who crowd the riverfront cafés. You must pay to park, and then run a gauntlet of souvenir shops and tourist traps on your way up to the source of the water.

At the top of the village is the Fort St-André, which once ostensibly protected the town of St-André, now absorbed into Villeneuve. The fortress's true importance was as a show of power for the kingdom of France in the face of the all-too-close Avignon popes. You can explore the fortress grounds and the ruined walls of inner chambers. There's a good view from the Notre Dame de Belvézet church within the fort, and you can also climb into the twin towers for broad views over Avignon, the Luberon, and Mont Ventoux.

A 1-km stretch of golden sand that links Fréjus and St-Raphaël along Boulevards d'Alger and de la Libération actually consists of several private and public beaches, namely Plages de Sablettes, République, and Capitole. Arrive early in the summer to claim your spot close to the sea. Rent a sunbed and umbrella at one of the beach restaurants. Try a wing-foil lesson or rent kayaks or paddleboards at the Base Nautique Marc Modena. Head west to cross the marina footbridge. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (fee); showers; toilets; water sports. Best for: sunrise; swimming.

Tucked away on Plage de l’Épi, this lush, luxurious, family-friendly retreat is accessible via a sandy path flanked by dense Mediterranean greenery. Seated on cane chairs at alfresco tables dressed with vintage floral linens, you can select from Italian coastal dishes such as zucchini-flower fritters, grilled fish, and fresh pasta. While you sip a Bellini at the bar, the little ones can have the time of their lives at Gigi Circus kids’ club. Gigi also offers private dining nooks, a pétanque court, hammocks, and a pool shaded by towering pine trees. A spa nestled within the grounds completes the idyllic setting. Amenities: food and drink; valet parking; showers; toilets. Best for: families; swimming.

A slick visitor center prepares you for entry into the ancient village of Glanum, with scale models of the site in its various heydays. A good map and an English brochure guide you stone by stone through the maze of foundations, walls, towers, and columns that spread across a broad field; helpfully, Greek sites are denoted by numbers, Roman ones by letters. Note that Glanum is across the street from Les Antiques and set back from the D5, and the only parking is in a dusty roadside lot on the D5 south of town (in the direction of Les Baux). In addition, hours vary, so check ahead.

Put on your hiking boots—the Gorges de la Restonica make a spectacular day tour, 10 km (6 miles) southwest of Corte. At the top of the Restonica Valley, leave your car in the parking area. A two-hour climb will take you to Lac de Mélo, a trout-filled mountain lake 6,528 feet above sea level. Another hour up is the usually snow-bordered Lac de Capitello. Information on trails is available from the Parc Naturel Régional. Light meals are served in the stone shepherds' huts at the Bergeries de Grotelle.

With a parade of taxidermied animals ranging from the tiniest dung beetle to the tallest giraffe, this four-story natural history museum in the Jardin des Plantes will perk up otherwise museum-weary kids. The flagship of three natural history museums in the garden, this restored 1889 building has a ceiling that changes color to suggest storms, twilight, or the hot savanna sun. Other must-sees are the gigantic skeleton of a blue whale and the stuffed royal rhino (he came from the menagerie at Versailles, where he was a pet of Louis XV). Kids ages 6 to 12 enjoy La Galerie d'Enfants (The Children's Gallery): it has bilingual interactive exhibits about the natural world. A lab stocked with microscopes often offers free workshops, and most of the staff speaks some English. Hang on to your ticket—it will get you a discount at the other museums within the Jardin des Plantes.

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.

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.

This eye-catching metal-and-glass tower by architect Jean Nouvel cleverly uses metal diaphragms in the shape of square Arabic-style screens to work like a camera lens, opening and closing to control the flow of sunlight. The vast cultural center's layout is a reinterpretation of the traditional enclosed Arab courtyard. Inside, there are various spaces, among them a museum that explores the culture and religion of the 22 Arab League member nations. With the addition of elements from the Louvre's holdings and private donors, the museum's impressive collection includes four floors of Islamic art, artifacts, ceramics, and textiles. There is also a performance space, a sound-and-image center, a library, and a bookstore. Temporary exhibitions usually have information and an audioguide in English. Glass elevators whisk you to the ninth floor, where you can sip mint tea in the rooftop restaurant, Dar Mima—Ziryab, while feasting on one of the best views in Paris (reservations are essential).

Built above the tracks of Gare Montparnasse, this park nestled among tall modern buildings is named for its assortment of trees and plants typically found in coastal regions near the Atlantic Ocean. In the center of the park, what looks like a quirky piece of metallic sculpture is actually a meteorological center, with a battery of flickering lights reflecting temperature, wind speed, and monthly rainfall. It's not really worth a detour, but it's a good green space if you're already nearby.

The Pharo, another larger-than-life edifice built to Napoléon III's epic tastes, was a gift to his wife, Eugénie. It's a conference center now, but its green park has become a magnet for city strollers who want to take in panoramic views of the ports and fortifications.