The capital of the Oise Department, Beauvais is a likeable city that took quite a bit of war damage but still has its share of medieval buildings to grab your attention. The cathedral is one of a kind, with the highest choir in the world but no nave as it was never completed. You’ll also …
More tons of fish are landed at Boulogne than any other fishing port in the country. The sea is the soul of this city; the Romans launched their invasion of Britain from here, and Napoleon would have done the same in the first years of the 19th century, while a few decades later there was …
If you’re a horse enthusiast in need of holiday ideas the town of Saumur in the Loire Valley would be a great shout. France’s cavalry has been based in Saumur since the 1700s, and you can come to see how things are done at the eminent riding school, the Cadre Noir. Horses were retired from …
The haunt of pirates for hundreds of years, the “Cité Corsaire” has always done things its own way: In the 1590s it even declared itself an independent republic. Saint-Malo is still defended by its historic ramparts, while the tidal islands next to the city continue to be fortified by 17th century bastions. Step through the …
For centuries a French naval base, Brest has a colossal natural harbour that couldn’t be better for seafaring had it been designed by man. Unfortunately, almost nothing in the city remains from before the Second World War, save for a few military fortifications like the city’s Château and Arsenal. Instead, what enthrals you about Brest …
Auvergne’s capital is dominated by volcanic peaks to the north, west and south, in a setting that will give you goosebumps. If you come by car the first landmark you’ll spot below is the cathedral, made with jet black igneous rock and like no other church in the country. Clermont-Ferrand is crammed with engaging history, …
Close to where the Maine River enters the Loire, Angers is an impossibly beautiful city awash with renaissance architecture. This opulence was the perk of being the capital of Anjou, a historical province ruled by dukes and counts who wielded serious power in medieval times. The might of these dynasties will be evident when you …
An industrial powerhouse in Alsace, Mulhouse’s manufacturing pedigree now translates to top-notch museums for everyone. No locomotive museum in the Europe is larger than the Cité du Train here, and the same applies to the EDF electricity museum, while the Museum of Printed Fabrics recounts centuries of textile expertise. The attractions are cleverly set out …
A leafy eastern suburb of Paris, Vincennes is on the edge of the 11th and 20th Arrondissements and is just five minutes from the Gare de Lyon on the RER. Until it was engulfed by the city, Vincennes was a town on the edge of a large forest and grew around a château favoured as …
You won’t help but be awestruck by Nancy’s magnificent architecture. Place Stanislas is the centrepiece of a UNESCO site, a glorious square commissioned by the last Duke of Lorraine in the 18th century, transforming the centre of the city. Nancy’s appearance evolved again in the late-19th century when it was at the vanguard of Art …