The last mine in Lens closed in 1986, and though the industry that was once the lifeblood of the city is gone, it is not forgotten. There are two monumental slag heaps on the horizon, that look like they might have been made by an ancient civilisation, the cityscape has masses of brick houses for …
The personality and fame of Saint-Tropez are far bigger than the place itself. It’s not unkind to say that the resort isn’t more than a village, and so isn’t jam-packed with things to do. In the end though, the allure of Saint-Tropez rests is its glamour, undimmed since its star first rose more than 60 …
In Roman times Arles was one of Gaul’s most venerated cities, home to more than 30,000 people and furnished with monuments that remain in place today. On a multi-site pass you can quench your thirst for Roman wonders and then be amazed by the works of art they left behind at the city’s museum. Much …
Rennes polls well in lists of France’s most liveable cities, which comes as no shock: The city is flush with green space, conserves its history with care and has the attractions of a big city on a walkable scale. There are 90 historic monuments in the old centre, where imposing 18th-century mansions are side-by-side with …
On the banks of the River Mayenne in northwestern France, Laval is a little city that packs a big historical punch. The Château de Laval is the city’s centrepiece, a French historic monument raised imperiously above the right bank of the river. From there you can tour the Centre-Ville and see its timber-framed houses and …
Caen is one of those Norman cities that took damage during the war but didn’t look back, and so now fuses the modern with the historical. Before the Norman Conquest of England it was the home city William and Matilda, and both are buried here in noble romanesque abbeys. Caen is awash with greenery, as …
For just a short time in the medieval period Perpignan was a European powerhouse. The Roussillon city just in from the Mediterranean was the capital of the Kingdom of Majorca, and during these years it was bestowed with its characteristic russet-coloured medieval monuments made with bricks. The old quarter is scattered with vestiges from this …
In the 14th an 15th centuries Dijon was the capital of the Duchy of Burgundy, which controlled a big tranche of eastern France, the Netherlands, Flanders and Luxembourg. The sumptuous home of the Dukes of Burgundy is still in place and is now a superb art museum as well as the city’s Hôtel de Ville. …
On the banks of the Garonne river, Toulouse has the nickname, “la Ville Rose”. That’s because so many of the city’s great buildings are made with a pinkish brick, giving the cityscape a look that you can’t compare with any other city. Much of this architecture was funded by trading the city’s greatest commodity, woad, …
On the Drac and Isère Rivers, Grenoble is a high-tech city of science ringed by mountains in France’s Northern Alps. To the north is the powerful Bastille at the start of Chartreuse mountain range, and threatening the city from the west are the monumental rocks of the Vercors Massif. If you want the great outdoors …