258 Best Sights in France

This popular trail starts out from the town cemetery and winds through a magical, multicolor palette de pierres (of rocks) replete with eroded red cliffs and chestnut groves. The circuit takes about 45 minutes. Its opening hours are complicated, so check ahead with the tourist office.

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.

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.

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.

The stout walls and ramparts of this Gothic fortress, once a state-of-the-art marvel, are astonishingly well preserved. The tower is particularly impressive, as are the vistas of the surrounding Camargue. Temporary exhibitions are held along the ramparts in summer; there's also a permanent exhibit on the history of Protestantism in the region.

This fascinating little tower is the only remnant of a sprawling complex built on the edge of the original city walls in 1369. It is named for Jean Sans Peur (John the Fearless), the duke of Burgundy, who gained power in 1407 after ordering the assassination of his rival, the king's brother. In 1409, as civil war raged, he had the tower erected and put his bedroom on a high floor with a bird's-eye view of approaching enemies. Carved into the vaulted second-floor ceiling—a masterwork of medieval architecture—is an ornate sculpture of an oak tree entwined with plants representing the duke's family. Children (and curious adults) will enjoy the climb up to see the restored red-velvet-lined latrine, a state-of-the-art comfort in its time. Kitschy costumed mannequins and medieval-themed exhibits covering subjects from food to furniture to hygiene lend the tower added kid appeal. Be sure to ask for English information at the entry. Note that it's open in the afternoon only.

At the far end of the Jardins de la Fontaine are the remains of a tower the emperor Augustus had built on Gallic foundations; it was probably used as a lookout post. Despite losing 30 feet in height over the course of time, the tower still provides fine views of Nîmes for anyone energetic enough to climb the 140 steps.

Paris's least regarded architectural eyesore had been scheduled to undergo a major overhaul, which has since been postponed indefinitely. Someday it will have a sparkling new facade with planted terraces and a renovated, ground-level shopping center, but in the meantime, a quick elevator ride still whisks visitors to the top of one of continental Europe's tallest skyscrapers, where you can take in panoramic vistas of Paris from the glass-enclosed observation deck on the 56th floor. On a clear day, you can see for 40 km (25 miles). Built in 1973, the 680-foot building also sports a rooftop restaurant that offers some of the best views of Paris and beyond. The open-air rooftop is accessible for those who can walk up three extra flights to floor 59 (where there's no elevator access).

Smaller and more picturesque than Beaumes, with stone houses scattered along its gentle slopes, Vacqueyras gives its name to a robust, tannic red wine worthy of its more famous neighbors Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. Wine domaines beckon from the outskirts of town, and the center is dotted with plane trees, adorned with cascading wisteria, and punctuated by discreet tasting shops. Thanks to its consistently rising quality, Vacqueyras is one of the latest of the Côtes du Rhônes to earn its own appellation—that is, the right to put its village name on the bottle instead of the less prestigious, more generic Côtes du Rhône label.

This garden is particularly delightful in the fall, when the hibiscus and brugmansias are in bloom. Planted by Maybud Campbell in the 1910s and cherished by connoisseurs, it bursts with rare ornamentals and subtropical plants and is adorned with water-lily pools and fountains. The tourist office can also give you directions to other gorgeous gardens around Menton, including the Fontana Rosa, the Villa Maria Serena, and the Villa Les Colombières.

This old town neighborhood, which you must cross to hike from one Roman monument to the other, carries on peacefully when there's not a blockbuster spectacle in the theater. Lining its broad squares, under heavy-leaved plane trees, are a handful of shops and a few sidewalk cafés.

Within St-Rémy's fast-moving traffic loop, a labyrinth of narrow streets leads you away from the action and into the slow-moving inner sanctum of the vieille ville. Here trendy, high-end shops mingle pleasantly with local life, and the buildings, if gentrified, blend in unobtrusively.

At the foot of Le Suquet, this narrow, well-protected port harbors luxury yachts and slick little bateaux de plaisance (pleasure boats) that creak and bob beside weathered-blue fishing barques. From the east corner, off La Pantiéro at Quai Laubeuf (where a renovated sea wall has a panoramic promenade and heliport), you can catch a 20-minute ferry to the Îles de Lérins. The port and Quai St-Pierre, which runs alongside and has a plethora of restaurants, have emerged from their tattered and tired midlife crisis to become smartly dressed, more energized versions of their former selves. 

Bordered by Quai de l'Épi, Quai Bouchard, Quai Peri, Quai Suffren, and Quai Jean Jaurès, Vieux Port is a place for strolling and looking over the shoulders of artists painting their versions of the view on easels set up along the water's edge. Meanwhile, folding director's chairs at famous portside cafés like Sénéquier are well placed for observing the cast of St-Tropez's living theater play out their colorful roles. While here, be sure to take the time to enjoy a scoop of ice cream at Glacier Barvarac on Rue Général Allard.

Although the fascinating, hivelike structures called bories (shepherds' shelters built with tight-fitting, mortarless stone) are found throughout this region of Provence, this ancient community has about 20 of them. Their origins are provocatively vague—perhaps dating from the eras of the Celts or the Ligurians or even from the Iron Age—and they were inhabited or used for sheep through the 18th century. A photo exhibition shows structures similar to bories in countries around the world. Look for signs to the village just outside Gordes, on a lane heading north from D2.

Three kilometers (2 miles) north of Bandol via the D559 is this zoo and garden, where cacti and exotic tropical plants grow to remarkable sizes. In a small zoo setting, animals such as flamingos, gibbons, and gazelles frolic in shady gardens.