Troyes is a renaissance city in the south of Champagne, with streets of multicoloured half-timbered houses from the 1500s. There may not be a prettier historic centre in all of France, and this is owing to a disaster. Most of these brightly-painted houses are from right after a fire in 1524 when nearly all the …
A famous motto in this eastern French region is “Comtois rends toi! Nenni ma foi!”, “Comtois, surrender! Not on your life!”. And this phrase alone gives you a sense of the landscape and the violent history of the place, where conflict was a part of life up to the mid-20th century. So it’s no shock …
There are two main strands to Pau’s past: In 1553 it was the birthplace of King Henri IV, one of France’s favourite monarchs. Go into the Château de Pau for his back-story and see the turtle shell in which he was cradled as a baby. The other thread can be picked up in the mid-1800s …
Bayonne is at the confluence of the Nive and Adour Rivers in far southwestern France, where historical regions overlap. The city could claim to be a part of Gascony, while the Basque influence is undeniable and can be seen in the bright red beams of its traditional houses and its wild celebrations during the Fêtes …
The cathedral is what springs to mind when most people think of Chartres. And for good reason, because it’s an outstanding piece of medieval heritage and listed by UNESCO . If you’re keen enough you may need half a day or more to get to the bottom of the sculpture and stained glass windows. But …
In Finistère, not far from Brittany’s far western point, Quimper is a historic city permeated with this unique region’s identity. The old town has medieval timber-framed houses with typical Breton granite at the base, and every few steps there’s a crêperie to tempt you. The 13th-century cathedral is lauded as the most beautiful gothic building …
An amazing 272 historic monuments are hiding within the walls in Vannes. And these defences are something to write home about, as they fence off almost the entire old city with powerful gates and towers. It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that you’ll be wondering what year it is when you idle along the cobbled …
The noble city of Blois is slap bang at the centre of the Loire Valley World Heritage Site, where you can hardly walk down the street without bumping into a renaissance châteaux. But Blois is much more than a gateway to the region’s big sights, as it’s chock full of marvellous stately townhouses of its …
On the left bank of the Rhône, south of Lyon, is a city overflowing with Roman history. That’s not an overstatement either, as even the parks in Vienne are scattered with thrilling little fragments from the ancient city of “Vienna”, be it Roman paving, walls, milestones or columns. But top of the bill is the …
Here’s a fact to give you a sense of Bastia’s Italian legacy: There are more Baroque churches in this city than any other on Corsica. The Genoese, aided by the medieval Maona investors, were in charge for hundreds of years, and the city is flush with exciting clues from their stay. The citadel is still …