France attractions

France’s largest museum of its kind, the Museum of Jewish Art and History (Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme) traces the history, art, and cultures of Jewish communities in France, Europe, and North Africa. The Parisian museum explores more than 2,000 years of the Jewish presence in France.

Europe’s largest science museum, La Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (City of Science and Industry), comprises an enormous range of interactive exhibits, hands-on experiences, and other attractions that appeal to visitors of all ages. The building’s sleek, futuristic design is a nod to its commitment to modernity and innovation, and its mission is to make science accessible to all.

Located in the heart of Provence, the Luberon is one of southern France’s most picturesque regions. The area is famous for its purple lavender fields, forested valleys, and ancient hilltop villages such as Saignon, Bonnieux, and Gordes. Many visitors arrive here on day trips and come to browse local markets, visit its wineries, hike its trails, and take in panoramic countryside views.

Known as the “Village of Painters,” Barbizon is a jewel-like town perched on the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest just outside Paris. Home in the 19th century to the Barbizon School of French painters—including Théodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet—today the town is a popular day trip from Paris for its postcard-perfect charm.

Lille Town Hall is known for its quintessential red-brick Flemish architecture. But the municipal building’s real draw is its soaring 104-meter (341-foot) Belfry. A typical feature of Northern France and Belgium—so much so, they were granted UNESCO World Heritage protection—belfries once alerted citizens to imminent dangers or gatherings. Today, the structure offers panoramic views of the city.

The Museum of Augustins, or Musée des Beaux-Arts de Toulouse, is one of the oldest museums in France and holds a large collection of both classic and modern art. Its Gothic interior and 14th-century cloisters form a marvelous backdrop for artworks by French masters and other well-known European artists.

The Hospice Comtesse Museum is the city museum of Lille, housed in an old hospital founded by Jeanne, Countess of Flanders, in the 13th century. You’ll find paintings, tapestries, wood sculptures, and porcelain, and rooms furnished to reflect convent life in centuries past.

Just a short walk from the beach of the same name, Omaha Beach Memorial Museum tells the story of the largest seaborne invasion in history—the D-Day Landings. This Normandy museum is dedicated to the American troops that fought and died at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, and is packed with photos, artifacts, and multimedia displays.

Known as Hill 61 by the Germans and codenamed ‘Hillman’ by the British, this strategic bunker complex made history during the D-Day Landings of June 6, 1944. Liberated by the Allies during the Normandy Invasion, the fortress was an influential German World War II command post and featured 18 underground bunkers linked by trenches and reinforced with barbed wire fences and minefields.

Smack-bang in the center of Paris, the 1st arrondissement stretches along the Right Bank and the western part of the Île de la Cité. It’s home to some of the city’s oldest monuments and most famous attractions, from the iconic Louvre Museum and the flower-filled Tuileries Garden (Jardin des Tuileries) to the medieval Sainte-Chapelle with its magnificent stained-glass windows.

Walking the quaint cobbled streets of Butte-aux-Cailles, it’s easy to forget that you’re in Paris. With its rows of petite painted townhouses, family-run brasseries, and tiny boutiques, this atmospheric neighborhood feels like a rural village, despite being not too far south of the city center along the Seine River. In recent years, it has built a reputation for street art.

Across dozens of aromatic stalls, Avignon’s famous Les Halles Market offers a cornucopia of Provençal culinary delicacies including cheeses of all kinds, meats, fruits, vegetables, breads, tapanades, olives, oysters, foie gras, and sea salt perfumed with lavender or rose petals. Look for the wine bar whose facade is covered in a frothy vegetable garden designed by botanist Patrick Blanc.

One of Dijon’s most important historical landmarks (and included in the Historic Center of Dijon UNESCO World Heritage Site), the Dijon Ducal Palace was, for centuries, the seat of Burgundian power. Constructed in the 14th century, it is today host to a museum and government offices, and is open to the public.

From its neoclassical facade to its rich interior, the Odéon-Théatre de l'Europe radiates Parisian grandeur in the heart of the Left Bank (Rive Gauche). Inaugurated by Marie-Antoinette, this is where Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro premiered in 1784. Destroyed and reconstructed twice, it remains a premier destination for a wide range of theatrical performances, whether classic or avant-garde.

If you’ve ever wanted to see movie props up close, or you’re just looking for a good rainy-day destination where you can take a break from wandering cobblestone streets, head over to the Musée Miniature et Cinéma (Cinema and Miniature Museum). In a stately building in Old Lyon (Vieux Lyon), you’ll find real objects from hundreds of films, mini masterpieces, and more.

With its candy-colored buildings and half-timbered townhouses, Colmar has no shortage of photo-worthy architecture, but the Pfister House (Maison Pfister) stands out from the crowd. Its traditional wooden balconies, two-story corner oriel, and octagonal tower have a medieval fairy-tale quality and are decorated with ornate murals.

Famed for its romantic ambiance and tranquility, Buttes-Chaumont Park (Parc des Buttes-Chaumont) may not be one of Paris' most-visited green spaces, but it is all the better for it. Commissioned by Napoleon III and constructed in a disused quarry, the park features a lake, waterfalls, and ornamental gardens, as well as architectural follies such as the Temple de la Sybille.

The trio of medieval watchtowers that stand guard over La Rochelle’s Old Port (Vieux Port) are the last vestige of the city’s 12th-century sea walls. Protected as a national monument, the La Rochelle Towers (Tours de La Rochelle) are among the city’s most photographed landmarks.

Bordeaux’s ode to Paris’ Arc de Triomphe, the Porte de Bourgogne, sits on the southern cusp of the UNESCO-listed historic center, a short stroll from the Garonne riverfront. Built in 1750, the monumental arch marks the eastern entrance to Cours Victor Hugo, which was once the main road from Bordeaux to Paris.

The landscape around Aix-en-Provence was a constant inspiration to artist Paul Cézanne (1839–1906), who was born and raised in the southern French town. Located just outside, Cézanne's Studio (Atelier Cézanne)—the studio where the artist painted some of his most famous works—offers visitors fascinating insight into the life of the postimpressionist artist.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of France’s largest châteaux, the magnificent Château de Fontainebleau boasts a rich resume of royal inhabitants, including Henry IV, Louis XV, and Napoleon. Built in the 12th century, the palace displays a remarkable variety of architectural styles, and the interiors are covered in frescoes, paintings, and tapestries, along with gilded touches. The grounds span 321 acres (130 hectares), including courtyards, gardens, and parks.

Without any family to pass his work along to, French Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau bequeathed his estate and all the artwork in it to the state of France. The Gustave Moreau Museum (Musée Gustave Moreau)—located at the foot of Montmartre in the 9th arrondissement—is stuffed to the rafters with Moreau’s work and personal effects, offering insight into the artist’s life during the 19th century.

This humble apartment in Paris’ peaceful Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter was where French Romantic artist Eugène Delacroix lived and worked until his death in 1863. Now a museum devoted to Delacroix’s art, the Musée Delacroix (Musée National Eugène Delacroix) is packed with more than a thousand paintings, drawings, prints, and writings by the artist himself, affording a rare insight into his life, as well as personal effects and furniture.

Note: The museum is closed for renovations until 2027. \ More portal to the past than a typical museum, Paris’ Nissim Camondo Museum (Musée Nissim De Camondo) contains a premier collection of decorative arts from the 1700s. It’s housed in the former residence of banker and art collector Comte Moïse de Camondo. Here, the avid collector painstakingly replicated an 18th-century Parisian home, from the exterior architecture to the interior decorations. Today, the house museum offers a glimpse of life in the early 20th century and 18th-century French design.

Located on the same site as the ruins of the Port-Royal des Champs Abbey in Magny-les-Hameaux, the eponymous national museum houses a collection of artworks from the 17th and 18th centuries. In addition to the abbey ruins and museum, the grounds feature an orchard, gardens, and an old farmhouse.

The Parc des Princes stadium, which opened in 1972 in southwestern Paris, France is the home turf of one of Europe’s top football (soccer) teams: Paris Saint-Germain. When it’s not hosting matches, the 49,000-capacity arena is one of the city’s premier venues for outdoor sporting events and major concerts by international music acts.

The Stade de France is the country’s largest sports and entertainment venue, and has been France’s national stadium since 1998. With a capacity exceeding 80,000, it has hosted the 2024 Summer Olympics, the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, as well as concerts by artists including Madonna, Beyoncé, and The Rolling Stones.

For avant-garde art in a historic waterfront setting, the Annonciade Museum in St-Tropez is the place to be. This small chapel-turned-gallery boasts an impressive collection of impressionist and expressionist paintings and sculptures, all linked to St-Tropez and its Cote d’Azur surrounds. Works by Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Paul Signac, and Georges Seurat are among the star finds.

Housing the world’s largest collection of works by Claude Monet, the Marmottan Monet Museum (Musée Marmottan Monet) is a premier destination for art lovers. While the Monet paintings—among them Impression, Sunrise and a collection of Water Lilies—take center stage, the museum boasts a long list of Impressionist artists, including Rodin, Delacroix, Manet, Boudin, Morisot, Gauguin, Pissarro, Chagall, and many more.

Choco-Story Paris (Musée du Chocolat) is a delectable museum dedicated to the history and production of chocolate. An ideal stop for sweet treat lovers of all ages, the museum includes exhibits dedicated to chocolate history and lore as far back as the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, vintage packaging, chocolate memorabilia, virtual demonstrations by chocolatiers, towering chocolate sculptures, hands-on workshops, plus plenty of samples to satisfy your sweet tooth.