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Abbaye de Clairvaux Monastery
Bernard de Clairvaux (1090–1153), nemesis of Abelard and preacher of the Second Crusade, founded this hugely influential Cistercian monastery in 1115. Since Napoléons time, the complex has served as one of Frances highest-security prisons. Several historic abbey buildings are open
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Clairière de lArmistice
The armistice that put an end to WWI was signed in a thick forest 7km northeast of Compiègne, inside the railway carriage of the Allied supreme commander. On 22 June 1940, in the same railway car, the French were forced to sign the armistice that recognised Nazi Germanys domination
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Gare Montparnasse
Several unusual attractions hide on the rooftop of this sprawling train station, reached by the metal staircase next to platform 1 or lifts/elevators on rue du Commandant Rene Mouchotte. The Jardin de l’Atlantique , whose 3.5 hectares carpets the stations roof, offers greenery and
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Musée Renoir
Le Domaine des Collettes (as the property was known in the artists time) was home and studio to an arthritis-crippled Renoir (1841–1919) from 1907 until his death. He lived there with his wife and three children, and the house is wonderfully evocative, despite being sparsely furnis
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Grand Palais
Erected for the 1900 Exposition Universelle (World’s Fair), the Grand Palais today houses several exhibition spaces beneath its huge 8.5-ton art nouveau glass roof. Some of Paris’ biggest shows (Renoir, Chagall, Turner) are held in the Galeries Nationales, lasting three to four mon
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Wazemmes
For an authentic taste of grass-roots Lille, head to the ethnically mixed, family-friendly quartier populaire (working-class quarter) of Wazemmes, 1.7km southwest of place du Général de Gaulle, where African immigrants and old-time proletarians live harmoniously alongside penurious
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Château des Milandes
This 15th-century château, 5.5km west of the Château de Castelnaud, is famous for its fabulous former owner: glamorous dancer, singer and music-hall star Josephine Baker (1906–75), who took Paris by storm in the 1920s with her risque performances. Baker purchased the castle in 1936
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Hôtel de Sully
In the southwestern corner of place des Vosges is the back entrance to this aristocratic mansion, built in 1625 and home to the headquarters of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, responsible for many of Frances historical monuments. From the square, duck beneath the arch and be in
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Historial de la Grande Guerre
The best place to begin a visit to the Somme battlefields – especially if youre interested in WWIs historical and cultural context – is the outstanding Historial de la Grande Guerre in the town of Péronne, about 60km east of Amiens. Tucked inside Péronnes massively fortified châtea
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Abbaye de Valloires
Nestled in a bucolic valley, this strikingly beautiful abbey dating from the 12th century is well worth a detour for its spectacular Cistercian architecture and Baroque interior. Entirely restored in the 18th century, its one of northern Frances most complete monastic complexes, in
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Sorbonne
The crème de la crème of academia flock to this distinguished university, one of the world’s most famous. Today, ‘La Sorbonne’ embraces most of the 13 autonomous universities – 35,500-odd students in all – created when the University of Paris was reorganised after the student prote
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Château des Ducs de Savoie
This forbidding medieval castle, once home to the counts and dukes of Savoy, now houses the Préfecture and Conseil Général of the Savoie département . The gardens and the Cour dHonneur (courtyard) are open free-of-charge, but to see the 14th- and 15th-century Tour Trésorerie (Treas
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Grotte de Niaux
Most people know about the prehistoric artworks of the Dordogne, but far fewer realise that ancient painters left their mark in caves all across the Pyrenees. Halfway up a mountainside about 12km south of Foix, the Grotte de Niaux is the most impressive, with a fabulous gallery of
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Domaine de Manon
Curious noses can enjoy a (literal) field trip to this wonderful flower farm. Centifolia rose and jasmine have been cultivated here for three generations, and Carole Biancalana, the current producer, will take you on a tour of her fields and explain how the flowers are grown and pr
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Mer de Glace
France’s largest glacier, the glistening 200m-deep Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) snakes 7km down on the northern side of Mont Blanc, moving up to 1cm an hour (about 90m a year). The Train du Montenvers , a picturesque, 5km-long cog railway opened in 1909, links Chamonix Gare du Montenv
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Ulster Tower Memorial
The five thousand Ulstermen who perished in the Battle of the Somme are commemorated by this mock Gothic-style tower, an exact replica of Helen’s Tower at Clanboye, County Down, the place where the Ulster Division did its training. Dedicated in 1921, it has long been a Unionist pil
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Château de Tarascon
The mighty walls of the 15th-century Château de Tarascon rise straight out of the River Rhône, in the relaxed village of the same name. A beauty of a castle, the imposing fortress was built by Louis II to defend Provence’s frontier. Today its a great destination for a half-day trip
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Pont Neuf
Paris’ oldest bridge has linked the western end of Île de la Cité with both river banks since 1607, when the king inaugurated it by crossing the bridge on a white stallion. The occasion is commemorated by an equestrian statue of Henry IV , known to his subjects as the Vert Galant (
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Louvre
Opened with fanfare in 2012 in Lens, 18km north of Arras, the innovative Louvre-Lens showcases hundreds of treasures from Paris venerable Musée du Louvre in a purpose-built, state-of-the-art exhibition space. Unlike its Parisian cousin, theres no permanent collection here. Instead,
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Chapelle Notre Dame de la Medaille Miraculeuse
Tucked away at the end of a courtyard across from Le Bon Marché department store, this extraordinary and beautiful chapel is a place of pilgrimage. In 1830, the Virgin Mary spoke to 24-year-old Catherine Labouré. In a series of three miraculous apparitions that took place here, the
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