Monuments, museums and history

Théâtre antique d’Orange

One of the best-preserved theatres of the Roman world, still used for performances. Built under the reign of Augustus, in the 1st century BC, the ancient theatre of Orange has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. It retains…

Musée Matisse

Collections tracing the entire career of the painter Henri Matisse, from his beginnings to his last works. Opened in 1963 in the Villa des Arènes, a 17th-century Genoese villa in the Cimiez district of Nice, the museum gained a modern…

Château de la Napoule

Medieval château remodelled in the 20th century by the sculptor Henry Clews. Built in the 14th century by the Counts of Villeneuve, it stands by the sea, facing the entrance to the port of Mandelieu-la-Napoule, in the Alpes-Maritimes. Transformed several…

Historial de la Vendée

Museum retracing the history of the Vendée, from prehistory to the present day. Opened in 2006 in Les Lucs-sur-Boulogne, at the heart of the natural area of the Boulogne valley and near the Vendée Memorial, the Historial belongs to the…

Château du Lude

A château with remarkable gardens, the Château du Lude stands on the banks of the Loir, in the Sarthe, among the northernmost of the Loire châteaux. A former medieval fortress turned into a pleasure residence by the Daillon family from…

MUCEM

The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations, at the entrance to the Old Port. A national museum opened in 2013, the year Marseille was European Capital of Culture, the Mucem is devoted to the cultural anthropology of the societies of…

Carrières de Lumières

A monumental audiovisual show projected inside a former quarry. In Les Baux-de-Provence, in the heart of the Val d’Enfer, the Carrières de Lumières are a digital art centre presenting immersive exhibitions. White limestone was extracted here to build the castle…

Château d’If

An island fortress made famous by The Count of Monte Cristo. Built on the orders of Francis I between 1529 and 1531, it stands on the islet of If, in the Frioul archipelago, in the middle of the Bay of…

Musée Picasso

Housed in the Château Grimaldi, where Picasso worked in 1946. Built on the ancient acropolis of the Greek city of Antipolis, the present château dates from the 15th century; the town of Antibes bought it in 1925. It has been…

Château d’Angers

Medieval fortress housing the Apocalypse Tapestry, the largest surviving set of medieval tapestries in the world. Built by Louis IX in the 13th century, the castle of the Dukes of Anjou was turned into a lordly residence in the 15th…

Palais des Papes

The largest Gothic palace in Europe, residence of the popes in the 14th century. Both fortress and palace, the Palais des Papes in Avignon was then the seat of Western Christendom, and six conclaves were held there. It combines two…

Château du Plessis-Bourré

15th-century château surrounded by wide water-filled moats. Built from 1468 to 1473 for Jean Bourré, treasurer and confidant of King Louis XI, it stands in Écuillé, some fifteen kilometres north of Angers. Its exterior architecture has changed very little in…

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild

A Belle Époque villa surrounded by nine themed gardens, overlooking the Mediterranean. Built between 1905 and 1912 on the summit of the Cap Ferrat peninsula by Baroness Béatrice Ephrussi de Rothschild, it is inspired by Renaissance-style palaces. In accordance with…

Musée des 24 Heures du Mans

A retrospective of the legendary motor race and its vehicles, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum is located near the main entrance to the circuit in Le Mans. Founded in 1961 as the Sarthe motor museum, it has borne…

Village of Les Baux-de-Provence

A village perched on a rocky spur, listed among the Most Beautiful Villages of France. In the heart of the Alpilles range, it sits at the start of a plateau rising 200 metres above the surrounding countryside. The village is…

Abbaye royale de Fontevraud

One of the largest monastic cities in Europe, necropolis of the Plantagenets. Founded in 1101 by Robert of Arbrissel near Saumur, the royal abbey of Fontevraud covers 13 hectares. After the Revolution it was turned into a prison, which it…

Château de Brissac

The tallest château in France, with seven storeys and 204 rooms. A former fortress of the Counts of Anjou built in the 11th century, Brissac has belonged to the Cossé-Brissac family since the 16th century and is still the residence…

Château de Foix

A comital fortress overlooking the town, the château of Foix is the symbol of the Counts of Foix. A 12th-century fortified castle whose origins seem to go back to the 10th century, it stands on a rocky platform that controlled…