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France

Travel guides, landmarks and museums in France: what to see and do.

Guides in France

the garden of the musee bourdelle in paris, with the tall bronzes standing under the red brick arches of the portico and a crouching figure among the low hedges
Travel guides

What to See in Montparnasse: 6 Stops Between Three Free Museums and the Catacombs

11 min read
a lock on the canal saint martin in paris seen from above a footbridge, the dark water reflecting the plane trees, the two service huts on the paved quays and the vault of the covered passage at the far end
Travel guides

What to see between the Canal Saint-Martin and Belleville: 5 stops and four centuries of architecture

11 min read
the romanesque bell tower of saint germain des pres in paris, with its twin arched windows under the slate roof, the flank of the church covered in red ivy and cars parked along the street
Travel guides

What to see in Saint-Germain-des-Prés: 7 stops from the Delacroix to the Monnaie de Paris

11 min read
the west front of notre dame de paris after the restoration, the pale stone with its three carved portals, the row of kings in the gallery, the central rose window and the two square towers against a blue sky
Travel guides

What to see on the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis: 6 stops from Notre-Dame to the Conciergerie

12 min read
the dome and the colonnade of the pantheon in paris seen at the end of a narrow street, with the front of the sainte genevieve library on the right and bicycles parked along the kerb
Travel guides

What to see in the Latin Quarter: 6 stops from the Panthéon to the Jardin des Plantes

12 min read
place des vosges in paris, the red brick and pale stone pavilions with slate roofs and dormer windows, a stone fountain and the garden lawn in the foreground
Travel guides

What to see in the Marais: 9 stops from place des Vosges to the Arts et Métiers

12 min read
the eiffel tower in paris seen from below, with the iron lattice structure narrowing towards the blue sky and the beams crossing in a sunburst pattern overhead
Travel guides

What to see in Paris in 3 days: the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower and Montmartre, day by day

11 min read
the west facade of chartres cathedral at sunset, with the central rose window and the two towers different from each other, one flamboyant gothic and one older and plainer
Monuments & landmarks

Chartres Cathedral: the free nave, the paid Treasury and the labyrinth on the floor

8 min read
the pink facade of claude monet’s house at giverny, with green shutters and beds of red geraniums in the foreground
Monuments & landmarks

Giverny: Monet’s house and garden, and why it pays to go before 1 November

7 min read
the golden gate of the palace of versailles seen from the courtyard, with the slate roof and the pure gold ornaments on the facade and visitors heading towards the entrance
Monuments & landmarks

Palace of Versailles: the just-restored Hall of Mirrors, the gardens and the Domaine de Trianon

8 min read
the curved peristyle of the petit palais in paris seen from the inner garden, with granite columns, gilded garlands and pampas grass tufts in the foreground
Practical information

Paris for free: eleven museums that never charge, and the first Sunday of the month checked museum by museum

10 min read
the upper nave of the sainte-chapelle in paris seen from below, with the stained glass rising to the star-studded blue vault and the chandeliers lit along the walls
Practical information

Paris Museum Pass: what it actually covers, and the museums it leaves out

9 min read
a large vaulted sewer tunnel, with the metal grating walkway running down the middle above the channel, oval lamps set into the right hand wall, cables and pipes hanging from the vault and two visitors at the far end beside a pale blue machine
Museums & masterpieces

Paris Sewer Museum: 7 stops in five hundred metres of real tunnels

10 min read
the front of the hotel de salm on the riverside, with the central rotunda articulated by corinthian columns, the green copper dome topped by the french flag, statues on the roof balustrade and busts in circular niches along the whole front
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de la Légion d’honneur: 7 stops in the hôtel de Salm, and it is free

10 min read
the rue geoffroy l asnier seen from street level, porphyry paving between two rows of bollards, on the left the corner of an 1898 school building with the sign allee des justes parmi les nations and the french flag, on the right the green doors of the marais mansions
Museums & masterpieces

Mémorial de la Shoah: 6 stops, and the wall with 75,568 names

10 min read
the conciergerie seen from the other bank of the seine in golden evening light, with the round towers and their conical slate roofs, the long front on the quai de l horloge and the river in the foreground
Monuments & landmarks

Conciergerie: 8 rooms of the kings’ palace that became a prison

10 min read
the carved pediment of the pantheon with the gilded words aux grands hommes la patrie reconnaissante on the architrave, the french flag on the drum, the circular colonnade and the grey dome topped by the lantern with a cross
Monuments & landmarks

Panthéon: 8 stops between the nave and the crypt, and the view that is closed

10 min read
a corridor of the ossuary between two walls of bones stacked to head height, with rows of skulls set in between the layers, spotlights sunk into the floor on both sides and a visitor at the far end of the passage
Museums & masterpieces

Catacombes de Paris: 8 stops twenty metres under Denfert-Rochereau

10 min read
head of an albino alligator in the tropical aquarium, with cream white skin, a pink eye with a vertical pupil and the green light of the tank on its scales
Museums & masterpieces

Palais de la Porte Dorée: 7 stops between the immigration museum and the aquarium

10 min read
hand coloured frame from le voyage dans la lune with the yellow face of the moon and the red capsule driven into one eye, the film perforations visible at the sides
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Méliès: 8 stops at the Cinémathèque, and the colours painted by hand 13,795 times

11 min read
harpsichord with a black case lined in gold on a gilded rococo stand, the raised lid painted with a landscape peopled with figures and animals, lit in the dark room of the museum
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de la musique: 6 instruments at the Philharmonie, and the harp with no known owner

11 min read
the jardins renoir of the musee de montmartre, with the lawn, an old leaning tree propped up by an iron support and the glazed roof of the studio showing behind the greenery
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de Montmartre: 7 stops at 12 rue Cortot, and the manor house that never was

10 min read
the garden front of the musee marmottan monet, in pale stone with carved festoons, the slate roof with dormer windows and the green banner of the museum in front of the hedge
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Marmottan Monet: 4 works, and the painting that gave Impressionism its name

10 min read
the maison de balzac seen from above, with its slate roof, green shutters, the glazed porch of the entrance and the eiffel tower rising against the sky on the left, above a white flat roofed building
Museums & masterpieces

Maison de Balzac: 7 things to know in Passy, and the false name on the lease

10 min read
the studio of the musee gustave moreau with pink walls covered in framed paintings from floor to ceiling and a dark wooden floor
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Gustave Moreau: 25,000 works in the house the painter made his own museum

10 min read
the colonnaded facade of the hotel de la marine on the place de la concorde, with the arcaded portico on the ground floor and the french flag on the roof
Museums & masterpieces

Hôtel de la Marine: 5 rooms and two stories on the place de la Concorde

11 min read
the pale stone facade of the musee jacquemart andre on the boulevard haussmann, with tall arched windows and the black railing with gilded spikes
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Jacquemart-André: 4 works in the house of the two collectors

11 min read
the courtyard of the musee de la vie romantique with the yellow two-storey house, the arched windows and the brown beige shutters at the end of the lane
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de la Vie romantique: 5 keepsakes in Ary Scheffer’s house

10 min read
the drawing room of the musee henner with the gilded coffered ceiling and the columns opening onto the winter garden with potted palms
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Jean-Jacques Henner: 3 works in the painter’s house of the plaine Monceau

10 min read
the neoclassical facade of the grande galerie de l evolution seen from the jardin des plantes through a foreground of purple flowers, with the two corner pavilions under dark domes and the row of tall arched windows
Museums & masterpieces

Grande Galerie de l’Évolution: 7 stops in the iron and glass nave

11 min read
large copper alloy basin with a flared and notched rim, with a band of cartouches and inscriptions engraved on the cylindrical body, on a pedestal lit in lilac
Museums & masterpieces

Institut du monde arabe: 7 works to see before the museum closes

11 min read
the long neoclassical facade of the hotel de la monnaie seen from the other bank of the seine in winter, with bare trees, moored barges and the dome of the institut de france on the right
Museums & masterpieces

Monnaie de Paris: 6 rooms of the musée du 11 Conti, and the workshops at work

10 min read
the nave of the church of saint martin des champs with a monoplane with long wooden wings hanging under the windows, and at the far end, under an arch, the model of the statue of liberty on a pedestal
Museums & masterpieces

Musée des Arts et Métiers: 8 machines to see, from the fardier to the pendulum

11 min read
the pale stone facade of the bibliotheque nationale seen from below, with fluted pilasters, portrait medallions between the capitals and the words bibliotheque nationale carved above the entrance
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de la BnF: 7 treasures at Richelieu, and the free reading room

11 min read
the white facade of the musee cernuschi villa on avenue velasquez, with the large arched doorway, two mosaic medallions and the statues under the cornice
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Cernuschi: 5 Asian masterpieces in a villa on the parc Monceau

10 min read
marie curies chemistry laboratory as it has been kept, with the white tiled bench, a large glass bell jar on the left, a desiccator on the right, the period sink on the wall and the glazed cupboard full of glassware
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Curie: 6 stops in Marie Curie’s real laboratory, and entry is free

10 min read
the cast gallery of the cite de l architecture, a long bright hall with tall windows on the left and full-size plaster romanesque portals on the right
Museums & masterpieces

Cité de l’architecture: 6 stops among full-size casts and copies

10 min read
a stretch of dufy fee electricite, the flying female figure over a pink and violet sky above the cities of the world drawn in outline and an orchestra below
Museums & masterpieces

Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris: 6 artworks to see, and entry is free

11 min read
the khmer gallery of the musee guimet, dozens of sandstone sculptures on white plinths in a grey room, with a carved pediment mounted on the far wall
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Guimet: 6 things to see in the museum of Asian art

11 min read
the life-size black silhouettes of three prehistoric hunters throwing spears with a spear-thrower, in a white room of the musee de l homme
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de l’Homme: 6 things to see in the Trocadéro museum

10 min read
the interior of the port of marseille painted by joseph vernet in 1754, the quay crowded with people and bales with sailing ships and the city behind
Museums & masterpieces

Musée national de la Marine: 6 things to see after the reopening

10 min read
the south front of the palais galliera seen from the garden, with three tall arched windows, paired corinthian columns and three white statues in front of the glazing
Museums & masterpieces

Palais Galliera: the Paris fashion museum with no permanent collection

10 min read
the garden of the musee bourdelle seen from above, with the red brick loggia with its arches full of sculptures and a large bronze horse head in the foreground
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Bourdelle: 6 works to see in the sculptor’s studios

10 min read
the mon seul desir tapestry of the lady and the unicorn, on a red millefleurs ground, with the lady under a blue tent between a lion and a unicorn holding two banners
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de Cluny: 6 works to see in the museum of the Middle Ages

11 min read
delacroix studio seen from the garden, a low grey green building with a large gridded window, reliefs set into the wall and box hedges in front
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Delacroix: 6 things to see in the painter’s last home

10 min read
a black and white photograph from 1944 with four men in a hall, three in uniform wearing the ffi armband and one in a civilian jacket, at the reception of the ffi staff
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de la Libération: 6 stops and the bunker under Denfert-Rochereau

10 min read
a room at the musee maillol with five maillol bronzes on pale wooden plinths, white walls and a floor of red hexagonal tiles
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Maillol: 6 things to see in Dina Vierny’s museum

10 min read
the white house of the musee zadkine seen from the garden at dusk, with lit windows, a glazed pavilion on the left and ivy on the wall to the right
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Zadkine: 5 things to see in the hidden house on rue d’Assas

9 min read
the courtyard of the hotel de saint aignan in paris, with a pale stone facade of corinthian pilasters, a carved coat of arms on the pediment and two large reproductions hung under the arches
Museums & masterpieces

Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme: 7 works to see in the hôtel de Saint-Aignan

11 min read
the front of number 6 place des vosges in paris, in red brick and pale stone, with the arcades below and a slate roof with dormer windows
Museums & masterpieces

Maison de Victor Hugo: 7 rooms to see on place des Vosges

10 min read
the facade of the dome des invalides seen from place vauban, with its columns, the gilded dome and the lantern topped by a cross under a blue sky
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de l’Armée at the Invalides: 8 stops, ending at Napoleon’s tomb

12 min read
the salon of the hotel de serres reassembled at the musee des arts decoratifs, with pale wood panelling, arched mirrors, a crystal chandelier, a harp and gilded chairs
Museums & masterpieces

Musée des Arts décoratifs: 7 rooms to see in the Louvre wing almost nobody opens

11 min read
the courtyard front of the musee carnavalet, with three reliefs of female figures between the tall windows and a stone balustrade along the top
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Carnavalet: 8 stops to see in the museum that tells the story of Paris

11 min read
the courtyard of the hotel de guenegaud in paris, with a pale rusticated stone facade, tall windows and two bronze stag heads mounted on the side walls
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature: 6 stops in the oddest museum in the Marais

10 min read
a room at the musee cognacq jay with oak panelling, two 18th century portraits of women in gilt frames, a settee covered in tapestry and a crystal chandelier
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Cognacq-Jay: 6 stops in one collector’s 18th century

10 min read
the nave of the musee d orsay seen from above, with the glass and iron vault of the old station, sculptures along the central aisle and the great gilded clock at the far end
Museums & masterpieces

Musée d’Orsay: 12 artworks to see in the 19th-century railway station

14 min read
the daru staircase of the louvre seen from below, with the winged victory of samothrace on the landing at the top and pale stone arches on either side
Museums & masterpieces

Musée du Louvre: 12 artworks to see beyond the Mona Lisa

14 min read
the garden front of the hotel sale in paris, a 17th century mansion in pale stone with a slate roof, dormer windows and a large carved pediment in the middle
Museums & masterpieces

Musée national Picasso-Paris: 10 works to see in the hôtel Salé

11 min read
the garden of the musee du quai branly with tall grasses and trees in front of the building, of which you can see the projecting coloured boxes and the glazing
Museums & masterpieces

Musée du quai Branly: 7 works to see in the museum under the trees

11 min read
rodins thinker on its pedestal in the museum garden, among red roses and cone-shaped box hedges, with the facade of the hotel biron behind
Museums & masterpieces

Musée Rodin: 10 works to see between the hôtel Biron and the garden

12 min read
a panel of Monet’s Water Lilies in the oval room of the Musée de l’Orangerie, with the curved wall and natural light from above
Museums & masterpieces

Musée de l’Orangerie: Monet’s Water Lilies and the collection nobody expects

15 min read
the Arch of Germanicus at Saintes, Roman and double-bayed, on its square along the Charente
Travel guides

What to see in Saintes: a Roman arch that was moved twenty-eight metres

11 min read
the two western towers of Jumièges Abbey, roofless, seen across the lawn with a bare tree in front
Monuments & landmarks

Jumièges Abbey: the ruin that survived because somebody bought it

10 min read
the Pont du Gard seen from downstream, with its three tiers of arches and the dry bed of the Gardon in the foreground
Monuments & landmarks

Pont du Gard: the extraordinary thing is not the height, it is the gradient

11 min read
the bay of Collioure at blue hour, with the lit seafront, the palm trees and Fort Saint-Elme on the ridge
Travel guides

What to see in Collioure, the port where Fauvism was born

14 min read
the Maison Carrée in Nîmes seen at three quarters, with the Corinthian columns of the porch and the engaged half-columns along the flank
Travel guides

What to see in Nîmes in a day: a remarkable concentration of Roman monuments

15 min read
the outer facade of the Arena of Nîmes with its two tiers of arches, seen from the street under the plane trees
Monuments & landmarks

Arena of Nîmes: the best preserved Roman amphitheatre

11 min read
the towers of the count’s castle in Carcassonne seen from the lices, with their conical slate roofs and the square Tour Pinte behind
Travel guides

What to see in Carcassonne: the Cité, the stained glass of Saint-Nazaire and what you can visit for free

18 min read
Mont-Saint-Michel seen from across the bay, with the abbey on top of the mount
Travel guides

What to see in France beyond Paris: 12 stops you can reach by train

17 min read
the stained glass of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris seen from below, with coloured light filling the upper chapel
Museums & masterpieces

Artworks in Paris: the 9 to really see, instead of the Mona Lisa from a distance

15 min read
the Basilica of Saint-Denis, one of the churches to visit in Paris
Monuments & landmarks

7 churches to visit in Paris besides Notre-Dame (updated 2026)

10 min read
The Vieux Bassin, the old harbour of Honfleur in Normandy
Travel guides

What to see in Honfleur in one day, for a tour of Normandy (updated 2026)

12 min read
Louvre museum Paris France
Museums & masterpieces

How to skip the line at the Louvre and save time to visit Paris (updated 2026)

9 min read
The church of Saint-Pierre in Caen, Normandy
Travel guides

Visit Caen: 7 things to do and see and my tips on where to eat (updated 2026)

13 min read
The abbey of Mont Saint-Michel seen from afar, on its bay in Normandy
Monuments & landmarks

Mont Saint-Michel: the complete guide to visit it in 8 points (updated 2026)

13 min read
notre-dame de paris during the 2019 fire
Monuments & landmarks

Notre-Dame de Paris: 8 things to know about the 2019 fire and the rebirth (updated 2026)

11 min read
the Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, avenues and funerary monuments
Monuments & landmarks

Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris: 5 tombs you absolutely must visit and practical info (updated 2026)

13 min read
The rooftops of Paris seen from the top of Notre-Dame
Travel guides

6 reasons why living abroad is essential (updated 2026)

12 min read
the eiffel tower in paris seen from below
Monuments & landmarks

The Eiffel Tower in Paris: 7 things to know to visit the symbol of Paris (updated 2026)

12 min read
the Basilica of Saint-Denis in Paris, Gothic façade
Monuments & landmarks

Off the beaten track in Paris: the royal necropolis of Saint-Denis (updated 2026)

10 min read
the Japanese garden of Paris, the garden of the Albert-Kahn museum
Monuments & landmarks

The Japanese Garden of Paris: the hidden message among the flowers of the Albert-Kahn museum (updated 2026)

6 min read
a painting on display at the petit palais in paris
Museums & masterpieces

Petit Palais in Paris: the free fine arts museum for everyone (updated 2026)

6 min read
A square with half-timbered houses in the medieval centre of Troyes
Travel guides

5 very important things to see in Troyes to discover northern France (updated 2026)

7 min read
Place des Vosges in Paris, the arcades and red-brick pavilions
Monuments & landmarks

What you don’t know about Place des Vosges: one of the most beautiful squares in Paris (updated 2026)

7 min read
The main square of the medieval town of Provins
Travel guides

5 things to see in Provins, to dive into the Middle Ages near Paris (updated 2026)

7 min read
gallo-roman museum of lyon
Museums & masterpieces

5 things to see at the Roman Museum of Lyon that will leave you speechless (updated 2026)

9 min read
Fougères Castle in Brittany with its towers and ramparts
Monuments & landmarks

Fougères Castle: the largest medieval fortress in Europe (updated 2026)

9 min read
what to see in Montmartre, the Sacré-Cœur basilica on top of the hill
Travel guides

What to see in Montmartre: discovering bohemian Paris (updated 2026)

11 min read
the Bagatelle rose garden in Paris in full bloom
Monuments & landmarks

The Bagatelle rose garden in Paris, an oasis of wonders and scents (updated 2026)

5 min read
The canals of the Saint-Leu quarter in Amiens, France
Monuments & landmarks

What to see in Amiens in one day: the "Bible in stone" cathedral and Jules Verne’s city (updated 2026)

8 min read
The walls and ramparts of Saint-Malo overlooking the ocean
Travel guides

Saint-Malo: what to see and how to reach the corsair city (updated 2026)

4 min read
The statue of Joan of Arc and the centre of Orléans
Travel guides

What to see in Orléans, France: discovering Joan of Arc (updated 2026)

5 min read
View of Rouen’s old town with the Gothic cathedral
Monuments & landmarks

What to see in Rouen in one day: cathedral, Joan of Arc and Flamboyant Gothic (updated 2026)

10 min read
The colourful façades of Vieux Lyon along the Saône, with Saint-Georges church and Fourvière hill
Travel guides

What to do in Lyon: the traboules, Fourvière hill and the city where cinema was born (updated 2026)

15 min read
tintoretto’s danaë at the museum of fine arts in lyon
Museums & masterpieces

5 works I loved most at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyon (updated 2026)

10 min read
cupid and psyche by canova at the louvre
Museums & masterpieces

Cupid and Psyche by Canova: the story, the myth and the secrets of a Neoclassical masterpiece (updated 2026)

9 min read
the stained-glass windows of the sainte-chapelle in paris
Monuments & landmarks

Sainte-Chapelle in Paris: the magnificent stained glass of Saint Louis’s shrine (updated 2026)

9 min read
The towers of Reims cathedral at the end of a city avenue on a winter day
Travel guides

What to see in Reims in one day: the cathedral of the kings of France and the champagne cellars (updated 2026)

15 min read
The Gothic façade of the abbey of Saint-Jean-des-Vignes in Soissons
Monuments & landmarks

What to see outside Paris: the remains of Soissons Abbey (updated 2026)

6 min read