3 Best Sights in France

The 56-acre Parc des Oiseaux, one of Europe's finest bird sanctuaries, is home sweet home to 400 species of birds from five continents. More than 400 aviaries house species from waders to birds of prey, and tropical birds in vivid hues fill the indoor birdhouse. Allow two hours for a visit.

The easiest place to view birdlife is the Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau. On some 150 acres of marsh and salt lands, birds are protected, and injured birds are treated and kept in large pens to be released if and when they're deemed able to survive. A series of boardwalks (including a short, child-friendly inner loop) snakes over the wetlands, the longest leading to an observation blind, where a half hour of silence, binoculars in hand, can reveal unsuspected satisfactions.

If you're an even more committed nature lover, venture into this intensely protected area at the very heart of the Camargue, where a central pond called Le Vaccarès is mostly used as a site for approved scientific research. The wildlife (birds, nutria, fish) is virtually undisturbed here, and you won't come across the cabins and herds of bulls and horses found elsewhere in the Camargue. Made up mostly of vast ponds and marshland, access to this area is limited to horseback, bike, and foot. Paths around its perimeter permit views of the birds and other wildlife. Maps detailing these paths can be downloaded from the Parc Naturel Régional de Camargue website. They're also available from tourist offices in Arles, Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer, and Port Saint-Louis, as well as bike rental shops in Stes-Maries-de-la-Mer.