Choose from 490 Fun Things to Do in France
Basilica of St. Michael (Basilique St. Michel)
- Entry to the bell tower is by paid ticket. Children under 18 are free.
- Entry to the main basilica building is free of charge.
- Look out for the image of St. Michael slaying a dragon carved in the basilica’s font.
- Visitors can climb the tower for panoramic views of the city.
Bassin de la Villette (La Villette Basin)
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Atelier C ezanne
Since opening its doors in 1954, the museum has set to preserve the studio as left by Cézanne, with many of the artist’s personal effects and inspirational objects laid out around the room. Cézanne’s easel and paints lie in the spot where masterpieces like Les Grandes Baigneuses (The Large Bathers) and La Femme à la Cafétière (The Woman with the Coffee Pot) were created; elsewhere, vases, scarves and fruits are laid out into carefully construed still art creations. Fans will recognize many of the seemingly mundane objects, like the skulls from Cézanne’s iconic 1901 painting, Pyramid of Skulls, or the coffee pot that inspired La Femme à la Cafétière.
While art lovers may bemoan the lack of actual artwork on display at the studio, the museum’s allure lies in its simplicity – an evocative space that feels as though the artist himself could return at any moment. The effect is further dramatized by the use of the space for video screenings, most notably the atmospheric films shown in the garden during summer evenings.
Ardenne Abbey
Arcachon
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Australian Corps Memorial Park
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Au Lapin Agile
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Avenue des Champs-Elys ees
- Wear comfortable walking shoes—it takes at least 30 minutes to walk from one end of the boulevard to the other.
- Paris’ main tourist information center is located along the Champs-Elysées, close to the Arc de Triomphe.
- The Champs-Elysées is wheelchair accessible, as are many of the shops and restaurants along the boulevard.
Aquarium Sea Life Paris Val D'Europe
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Arromanches-les-Bains
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Army Museum (Musee de l'Armee)
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Archaeological Crypt of Notre Dame
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Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde
- Entrance to the cathedral is free, but there’s a small fee to visit the cathedral’s museum.
- Visitor facilities include two gift shops, a café, and parking.
- Most areas of the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde are wheelchair accessible.
Bastille
The Basics
Due to its historical significance, the Bastille district is an integral part of many Paris city tours. Specialized excursions that focus solely on the Bastille arrondissement are also available, and one of the best ways to absorb the culture and French history is on a food tour that centers on the area's thriving culinary scene and markets. Feast on French delicacies and enjoy wine tasting at Marche d'Aligre market, browse shops selling charcuterie and cheese, and stroll along Promenade Plantee, a 19th-century rail viaduct transformed into the world's first elevated park. Other Bastille highlights include the Viaduc des Arts, a modern version of an old Paris viaduct, Port de l'Arsenal, and Opera Bastille, an innovative structure whose interior can be explored on a guided tour.
- A Bastille tour is ideal for history and food lovers.
- The neighborhood is most often visited on half-day walking tours of Paris.
- Book a tour of Opera Bastille in advance to see the opera house's interior.
Bastille is easily reachable by car, train, or on foot from the center of Paris. The Bastille metro station is serviced by Line 5—it takes about 40 minutes to reach from central Paris landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower. If you're time-rich, walking to the Bastille district along the banks of the Seine River will reveal Paris' finer details. During the 90-minute stroll along Quai d'Orsay, you'll pass the famous Louvre museum pyramid, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and a scattering of bridges and parks.
For a half-day hike, follow the Promenade Plantee on a 2.7-mile (4.5-km) trail to Bois de Vincennes, former royal hunting grounds home to the Parc Zoologique and Parc Floral de Paris.
Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière
A gleaming retro-Byzantine confection of Roman columns and religious iconography, the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière is visible, by design, from almost anywhere in Lyon. Today it is the symbol of the city and Lyon's most visited attraction, well worth the climb just to enter the outrageous interior.
Completed in 1896 as a challenge to secular forces then gaining power in France (like Sacré-Coeur Montmartre), the basilica's gleaming marble, gold gilt, fantastic stained glass, and borderline hallucinogenic ceiling are meant to impress. And they do.
In addition to the basilica and an adjacent chapel dedicated to a particularly miraculous Virgin Mary, both free to the public, this site also offers an observatory, museum, and fantastic views.
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To get to the Basilique Notre Dame de Fourvière, take the Metro D line to Vieux Lyon, where you can begin your pilgrimage on foot (the sanctuary's resplendent confection facade is visible above Old Lyon). Or, take the Funicular Fourvière, which leaves from the metro station.
Mass is offered in English on the first Sunday of the month, at 9:30 a.m.
Barbizon
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Arc de Triomphe
- Use the pedestrian underpasses beneath Place Charles de Gaulle to reach the arch. Do not attempt to cross the roundabout—Paris’ busiest traffic circle—on foot.
- The viewing terrace is not wheelchair accessible. An elevator goes part way up the arch, but visitors must still climb 46 steps to access the top.
- Book skip-the-line tickets in advance to beat the crowds.
- Be sure to bring a camera to capture the Parisian skyline.
Basilique du Sacr e-Coeur
- Access to the Basilica is free, but you’ll have to pay an admission fee to visit the Dome.
- There are no official guided tours of the Basilica as it is a place of silent prayer.
- There is a step-free entrance at the back of the Basilica, and the church is wheelchair accessible except for the dome and the crypt.
Basilica of St Denis
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Bassin de Neptune
Versailles’ chateau gardens are vast, laid out in formal French style and famed for their geometrically aligned terraces, tree-lined paths and, notably, their ponds.
Of all the lovely fountain pools gracing the Versailles gardens, the Bassin de Neptune is the largest.
Designed by famed landscape artist Le Notre and laid out between 1661 and 1700, the fountain features three groups of statues, including Neptune and Amphitrite.
A new fountain installed by Louis XV in the 1730s was acclaimed for the force and variety of its jets water playing over the sculptural groups. In all, the fountain boasts 99 water effects and is fronted by the lovely Dragon Fountain
In summer, Bassin de Neptune is a focus for a display of choreographed fireworks, spectacularly reflected in the fountain’s expansive pool.
The Bassin de Neptune is 300 meters (984 feet) north of the palace.