258 Best Sights in France

This lovely compact garden on a 12th-century site re-creates a typical botanical garden with plants commonly used in medieval medicines. It's well worth the steep 100-step climb up the King's tower for the eye-popping views of the town. Afterward, you'll be served a refreshing tisane made from garden herbs. There's also a fascinating 19th-century jail and several art galleries showing works by local artists.

Directly in front of the tourist office, the broad tropical Jardins Biovès stretches 2,600 feet across the breadth of the center, sandwiched between two avenues. Its symmetrical flower beds, exotic trees, sculptures, and fountains representing the spiritual heart of town are free to visit, except during the Fête du Citron, when they display giant sculptures constructed out of 15 tons of citrus fruit, and also at Christmas, when it has a more festive feel.

A testimony to the taste of the Age of Reason, this elaborate formal garden was created on the site of a once-sacred Roman spring, which was channeled into pools and a canal. The shady haven of mature trees and graceful stonework makes for a lovely approach to the Temple de Diane and the Tour Magne.

The grounds of a Cistercian abbey—constructed in the late 11th century and rebuilt in the 17th century—contain a dry garden, a vegetable garden, and a spectacular rose garden with more than 500 varieties. Guided nature tours are offered, as are history tours that take in the church and might feature Gregorian chant. Open year-round, the on-site restaurant serves lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and lunch on Sunday. A boutique sells gardening books and tools, as well as locally made fragrance and food items.

Although the town of Manosque, 9 km (15 miles) south of Forcalquier, is not itself a draw, its main employer is. This where you'll find the factory of L'Occitane, the renowned Provençal purveyor of botanical skin-care products. You can make reservations for a one-hour tour of the production facility or just visit the gardens and shop in the company shop.

Don your headphones and enter an immersive landscape of sound and light that, for 45 minutes, transforms the magnificent Théatre Antique d’Orange into a pageant of fantastical images, mythical characters, and deities from Roman myths.

Starting at Quai St-Stéphane-Jay, this téléphérique (cable car) whisks you over the River Isère and up to the hilltop where there are splendid views and a good restaurant. Walk back down via the footpath through the Jardin Dauphinoise.

First conceived in 1958, this Modernist suburb just west of Paris was inspired by Le Corbusier's dream of tall buildings, pedestrian walkways, and sunken vehicle circulation. Built as an experiment to keep high-rises out of the historic downtown, the Parisian business hub has survived economic uncertainty to become the city's prime financial district. Today, 20,000 people live in the suburb, but 180,000 people work here and many more come to shop in its enormous mall. Arriving via métro Line 1, you'll get a view of the Seine, then emerge at a pedestrian plaza studded with some great public art, including César's giant thumb, Joan Miró's colorful figures, and one of Calder's great red "stabiles." The Grande Arche de La Défense dominates the area; it was designed as a controversial closure to the historic axis of Paris (an imaginary line that runs through the Arc de Triomphe, the Arc du Carrousel, and the Louvre Pyramide), but its top floor is no longer accessible.

A block west of Rue Clémenceau, in a pretty house at the end of a typically Tropezien lane, the Butterfly Museum is an original place to spend an afternoon. The 35,000 specimens, displayed on scenery backdrops were a passion of late collector and painter Dany Lartigue, the son of the famous photographer Jacques-Henri.

If you've just arrived in Aix's center, this sculpture-fountain is a spectacular introduction to the town's rare mix of elegance and urban bustle. It's a towering mass of 19th-century attitude. That's Agriculture yearning toward Marseille, Art leaning toward Avignon, and Justice looking down on Cours Mirabeau. But don't study it too intently—you'll likely be sideswiped by a speeding Vespa.

On the edge of town, follow the pink signs to La Verrerie de Biot, which has developed into something of a cult industry since its founding in the 1950s. Here you can observe the glassblowers at work; visit the extensive galleries of museum-quality glass art (which is of much better quality than the kitsch you find in the village shop windows); and start a collection of bubbled-glass goblets, cruets, or pitchers, just as Jackie Kennedy did when the rage first caught hold (she liked cobalt blue). Despite the extreme commercialism—there is a souvenir shop, an eco-museum, a boutique of home items, audio tours of the glassworks, a bar, and a restaurant—it's a one-of-a-kind artisanal industry, and the product is made before your eyes.

At the top of the Panier district lies this superb ensemble of 17th- and 18th-century architecture, which was originally designed as a hospice for the homeless by Marseillais artist-architects Pierre and Jean Puget and which now houses two museums. While visiting the complex, be sure to walk around the inner court to study the retreating perspective of triple arcades and to admire the baroque chapel with its novel, egg-peaked dome.

The larger of the two museums is the Musée d'Archéologie Méditerranéenne (Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology), with a sizable collection of pottery and statuary from classical Mediterranean civilization; unfortunately, descriptions of these items are rudimentary (e.g., "pot"). There's also an exhibit on the mysterious Celt-like Ligurians who first peopled the coast; alas, displays focus more on the digs than the finds. However, the Egyptian collection—the second-largest in France after the Louvre's—is evocative, with mummies, hieroglyphs, and sarcophagi exhibited in a tomblike setting.

Displays in the upstairs Musée d'Arts Africains, Océaniens, et Amérindiens (Museum of African, Oceanic, and American Indian Art) are theatrical: spectacular masks and sculptures are mounted along a black wall, lighted indirectly, and labeled across the aisle. The complex also has changing exhibitions that might focus on fine art, photography, filmmaking, or cultural anthropology, among other things.

On the D559, perched high above the Bandol vineyards, the village of Le Castellet has narrow streets, 17th-century stone houses, and (alas!) touristy shops designed for beach lovers on a rainy day.

The heart of old Marseille is a maze of narrow cobblestone streets lined by shuttered pastel houses and punctuated by montées (stone stairways) and tiny squares. Long decayed and neglected, the quarter is now a principal focus of urban renewal. In the past few years, an influx of "bobos" (bourgeois-bohemians) and artists has sparked gentrification, bringing charming bed-and-breakfasts, chic boutiques, lively cafés, and artists' ateliers. Although wandering this picturesque neighborhood at will is a pleasure, be sure to stroll along Rue du Panier, the Montée des Accoules, Rue du Petit-Puits, and Rue des Muettes.

You can study miniature dioramas of scenes from Pagnol stories here. The characters are all santons, including superb portraits of a humpback Gerard Dépardieu and Yves Montand, resplendent in moustache, fedora, and velvet vest, just as they were featured in Jean de Florette. For more information, contact the tourist office.

This garden in front of the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille stands on the location of the city's classical waterfront and includes remains of the Greek fortifications and loading docks. Restored in 2013, the site, with several nearly intact boats (now exhibited in the museum), was discovered in 1967 when roadwork was being done next to the Bourse (Stock Exchange).

Climb up Rue St-Antoine into the picturesque Vieille Ville neighborhood known as Le Suquet, on the site of the original Roman castrum. Shops here proffer Provençal goods, and the atmospheric cafés provide a place to catch your breath. The pretty pastel shutters, Gothic stonework, and narrow passageways (not to mention the views) are lovely distractions. In July, you can hear young musicians perform free open-air concerts in the Place de la Castre during the Jeunes Talents festival.

Two of the most miraculously preserved classical monuments in France are simply called Les Antiques. Dating from 30 BC, the Mausolée (Mausoleum), a wedding-cake stack of arches and columns, lacks nothing but a finial on top and is dedicated to a Julian, probably Caesar Augustus. A few yards away stands the Arc Triomphal, dating from AD 20. A lovely spot for a stroll and within easy walking distance from the city center, the site is open during the day and at night—when it's handsomely illuminated.

Leave it to the French to make even sewers seem romantic. Part exhibit but mostly, well, sewer, the 1,640-foot stretch of tunnels provides a fascinating—and not too smelly—look at the underbelly of Paris. You can stroll the so-called galleries of this city beneath the city, which comes complete with street signs mirroring those aboveground. Walkways flank tunnels of whooshing wastewater wide enough to allow narrow barges to dredge sand and sediment. Lighted panels, photos, and explanations in English detail the workings of the system. Immortalized as the escape routes of the Phantom of the Opera and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables, the 19th-century sewers have a florid real-life history. Since Napoléon ordered the underground network built to clean up the squalid streets, they have played a role in every war, secreting revolutionaries and spies and their stockpiles of weapons. Grenades from World War II were recovered not far from where the gift shop now sits. The display cases of stuffed toy rats and "Eau de Paris" glass carafes fold into the walls when the water rises after heavy rains. Buy your ticket at the kiosk on the Left Bank side of the Pont de l'Alma. Guided one-hour tours by friendly égoutiers (sewer workers) are available in French only; call or email ahead for details.

By 6 am every day but Monday, merchants and artisans have stacked their herbed cheeses and set out their vine-ripened tomatoes with surgical precision in arrangements that please the eye. This permanent covered market is as far from a farmers' market as you can get, each booth a designer boutique of haute de gamme (top-quality) goods, from jewel-like olives to silvery mackerel to racks of hanging hares worthy of a Flemish still life. Even if you don't have a kitchen to stock, consider enjoying a cup of coffee or a glass of (breakfast) wine while you take in the sights and smells. You can also tuck into a plate of freshly shucked oysters and a pichet of the crisp local white.

A three-year restoration buffed this superb historic Art Deco building to a lustrous shine, all the better to highlight the 21 resident gourmet food stalls, offering everything from authentic Italian pizzas to Mediterranean, Provençal, South American, and classic French fare, including fresh oysters and shellfish to eat sur place at a table inside or outside on the terrace. The rooftop bar is a great place to watch the sunset over gourmet snacks and a glass of local wine.

On a busy downtown square, this exquisitely preserved temple strikes a timeless balance between symmetry and whimsy, purity of line and richness of decoration. Modeled on the Temple to Apollo in Rome, adorned with magnificent limestone columns and elegant pediments, the Maison Carrée remains one of the most noble surviving structures of ancient Roman civilization anywhere.

Built around 5 BC and dedicated to Caius Caesar and his brother, Lucius, the temple has survived subsequent use as a medieval meeting hall, an Augustinian church, a storehouse for Revolutionary archives, and a horse shed. In addition to hosting temporary art and photo exhibitions, it contains a permanent display of photos and drawings of ongoing archaeological work. Don't miss the splendid Roman fresco of Cassandra (being dragged by her hair by a hunter) that was discovered in 1992 and carefully restored. There's also a fun 3-D projection of the heroes of Nîmes.

Old-time Jacquard looms are still in action at this historic house in La Croix Rousse, and the weavers are happy to show children how the process works. The boutique is a great place to stock up on a colorful range of silk, wool, and linen scarves—all made in Lyon.

At this authentic working manade (small ranch), on a back road off Route D38 about 10 km (6 miles) from Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, you'll learn about Camargue taureau (bull) breeding and bullfighting culture (in French only) and then head out  in a tractor-drawn cart to meadows where the fierce-looking black creatures lazily observe you before turning back to their grazing. Afterward, you can relax on the terrace with a glass of Camargue-region wine or a lunch featuring local dishes, including bull stew. If you’re inspired to stay overnight, eight tidy guestrooms in stone cottages feature rustic furniture made from driftwood collected on the beaches of Stes-Marie-de la Mer.

Up and going by 8 am every day, this market—immortalized in Marcel Pagnot's Fanny (and Joshua Logan's sublime 1961 film adaptation)—puts on a vivid and aromatic show of waving fists, jostling chefs, and heaps of still-twitching fish from the night's catch. Hear the thick soup of the Marseillais accent as blue-clad fishermen and silk-clad matrons bicker over prices, and marvel at the rainbow of Mediterranean creatures swimming in plastic vats before you, each uglier than the last: the spiny-headed rascasse (scorpion fish), dog-nosed grondin (red gurnet), the monstrous baudroie or lotte (monkfish), and the eel-like congre. "Bouillabaisse" as sold here is a mix of fish too tiny to sell otherwise; the only problem with coming for the early morning show is that you have to wait so long for your bouillabaisse lunch.

For an authentic view of daily Corsican life, tour this wonderful open-air food market brimming with gastronomic delights. There is an array of local cheeses, charcuterie, breads, pastries, olives, condiments, and aromatic meats for sale. Traditional indulgences like chestnut-infused beignets can be savored in an atmosphere guaranteed to be lively and local.

Bring your euros—cash is the preferred method of payment.

Between the lively pedestrian Rue St-Michel and the waterfront, the marvelous Marché Couvert (Les Halles) is considered one of the best (but pricey) food markets in France. Its Belle Époque facade is decorated in jewel-tone ceramics, and it's equally colorful and appealing inside, where, each day, some 30 merchants sell homemade bread (one gluten-free) and mountains of cheese, oils, fruit, and Italian delicacies daily (be sure to try the local dish, barbbajuans, a fritter stuffed with Swiss chard and ricotta). On Saturday, there is a clothing market outside at Place Fornari. Across from the market, the Italian Café Sini sells to-die-for apricot croissants and mouthwatering pizzas.

Toulon’s picturesque old town market is held at the Cours Lafayette and neighboring streets every day but Monday (8 am to 1 pm). Filled with bustling stalls selling every French staple imaginable, as well as flowers, clothes, lavender and other Provençal specialties, for full immersion in the French market experience. Be on the lookout for stands selling the delicious crispy cade, a Toulon specialty made from chickpea flour right before your eyes. For the really local produce, the Marché des Producteurs, on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday morning, features seasonal products from local small producers (distinguished by their green awnings), including honey, cheeses, and orchard fruits and nuts.

To experience local living in one of the best ways, visit this excellent street market that takes place every Wednesday and Saturday morning. On Wednesday, there are produce and food stands, but also inexpensive clothing, jewelry, household items, and fun souvenirs. Saturday is a food lover's paradise with multiple stands selling fresh produce, spices, olives, fish, cheese, meat, and other gastronomic pleasures. It's a good place to pick up lunch (the Lebanese stand across from No. 42 makes excellent sandwiches to go) before paying your respects at Cimetière du Montparnasse across the street.

Just a couple of blocks east of the train station along Rue Jean Jaurès, you can pick up fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as clothes, shoes, belts, and bags at this covered market. While in the neighborhood, visit the nearby Asian and kosher shops, or stop in for one of the creamiest cappuccinos this side of Italy at Volupté ( 32 rue Hoche Closed Sun.).