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Pont Valentré
The seven-span Pont Valentré, on the western side of the city, south of the train station, is one of France’s most iconic medieval bridges, built as part of the town’s defences in the 14th century. The parapets projecting from two of its three tall towers were designed to allow def
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Musée de Grenoble
Its worth a trip to Grenoble just to see this museum. The superbly presented collection features a veritable whos who of 20th-century art, including Pierre Bonnard, Calder, Giacometti, Léger, Magritte, Miró, Modigliani, Picabia, Soutine, Nicolas de Staël and Van Dongen. Among the o
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Quartier de la Cité
In the heart of the old city, Cathédrale St-Maurice is one of the earliest examples of Plantagenet or Angevin architecture in France, distinguished by its rounded ribbed vaulting, 15th-century stained glass and a 12th-century portal depicting the Day of Judgment. Behind the cathedr
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Avenue de Champagne
Épernay’s handsome avenue de Champagne fizzes with maisons de champagne (Champagne houses). The boulevard is lined with mansions and neoclassical villas, rebuilt after WWI. Peek through wrought-iron gates at Moët’s private Hôtel Chandon , an early 19th-century pavilion-style reside
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Fôret des Cèdres
In the scrubby hills south of Bonnieux, a twisty back road slopes up to this wonderful cedar forest, whose spreading boughs provide welcome relief from Provences punishing summer heat. Various paths wind through the woods, including a new nature trail thats accessible for wheelchai
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Musée Jean Lurçat et de la Tapisserie Contemporaine
An excellent counterpoint to Angers’ famous Tenture de l’Apocalypse, this museum collects fine 20th-century tapestries by Jean Lurçat, Thomas Gleb and others inside the Hôpital St-Jean , a 12th-century hospital founded by Henry Plantagenet, on the west bank of the river, north of t
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Cloître de la Cathédrale de Fréjus
Fréjus’ star sight is its 11th- and 12th-century cathedral , one of the regions first Gothic buildings. Its cloister features rare 14th- and 15th-century painted wooden ceiling panels depicting angels, devils, hunters, acrobats and monsters in vivid comic-book fashion. The meaning
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Château de Brézé
This unique Renaissance château, 12km south of Saumur, sits atop a network of subterranean rooms and passages, dating from at least the 11th century, that account for more square footage than the castle itself. Explore the original troglodyte dwelling directly under the château, th
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Monastère St
Van Gogh admitted himself to Monastère St-Paul de Mausole in 1889. The peaceful asylums security led to his most productive period – he completed 150-plus drawings and some 150 paintings here, including his famous Irises . A reconstruction of his room is open to visitors, as are a
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Cimetière du Montparnasse
Opened in 1824, Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris’ second largest after Père Lachaise, sprawls over 19 hectares shaded by 1200 trees, including maples, ash, lime trees and conifers. Among its illustrious ‘residents’ are poet Charles Baudelaire, writer Guy de Maupassant, playwright Samue
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Grand Place & Place des Héros
Arras two ancient market squares, the Grand Place and the almost-adjacent, smaller Place des Héros (also known as Petite Place), are surrounded by 17th- and 18th-century Flemish-baroque houses topped by curvaceous Dutch gables. Although the structures vary in decorative detail, the
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Le Panier
From the Vieux Port, hike north up to this fantastic history-woven quarter, which is fabulous for a wander with its artsy ambience, cool hidden squares and sun-baked cafes. In Greek Massilia it was the site of the agora (marketplace), hence its name, which means ‘the basket’. Durin
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La Ponche
Shrug off the hustle of the port in St-Tropez’s historic fishing quarter, La Ponche, northeast of the Vieux Port. From the southern end of quai Frédéric Mistral, place Garrezio sprawls east from 10th-century Tour Suffren to place de l’Hôtel de Ville. From here, rue Guichard leads s
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Vieille Ville
A saunter through the charming old town takes in the silver-turreted, 14th-century Porte de la Craffe , Nancy’s oldest city gate, and place St-Epvre , dominated by ornate neo-Gothic Basilique St-Epvre .
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Palais des Papes
Palais des Papes, a Unesco World Heritage Site, is the world’s largest Gothic palace. Built when Pope Clement V abandoned Rome in 1309, it was the papal seat for 70-odd years. The immense scale testifies to the papacys wealth; the 3m-thick walls, portcullises and watchtowers show t
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Musée Carnavalet
This engaging history museum, spanning Gallo-Roman times to modern day, is in two hôtels particuliers (private mansions): mid-16th-century Renaissance-style Hôtel Carnavalet and late-17th-century Hôtel Le Peletier de St-Fargeau. Some of the nation’s most important documents, painti
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Villa Santo Sospir
This villa belongs to the Weisweiller family, patrons of Jean Cocteau. In 1950 Cocteau asked Francine Weisweiller (1916–2003) if he could paint the living room. Soon the entire villa was covered in frescoes – possible to admire during 45-minute guided tours led by Eric Marteau, Fra
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Domaine du Rayol
This stunning, lush garden, with plants from all Mediterranean climates the world round, is wonderful for a stroll or a themed nature walk. The dense flora cascade down the hillside from a villa to the sea, and while the flowers are at their best in April and May, it’s always worth
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Océanopolis
Much more than just an aquarium, this enormous space-age aquatic world is divided into three pavilions containing polar, tropical and temperate ecosystems. Highlights are the shark tanks, mangrove and rainforest sections, colourful tropical reefs, seals and the icy-cold penguin dis
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Le Clos Lucé
Leonardo da Vinci took up residence at this grand manor house in 1516 on the invitation of François I. An admirer of the Italian Renaissance, François named da Vinci first painter, engineer and kings architect. Already 64 by the time he arrived, da Vinci spent his time sketching, t
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