Historic medieval fortified city in southwest France.

The mental institution where Van Gogh created some of his most famous work now allows guests to walk in the artist's footsteps.

Where the high court feasted, frolicked, and high courtesans put their royal lovers' diamonds to the test.

Noirish green neon marks the location of one of the oldest private detective agencies in France.

An off-the-beaten-path boutique stuffed with an eclectic collection of upcycled goods.

This natural French spring has been turned into a magical grotto by Roman and medieval constructions.

This salt marsh in Southern France is as pink as the flamingos that inhabit it.

A Parisian exterminator's shop whose storefront displays stuffed rats hanging from traps.

At Monet's beloved home you can still see the Japanese bridge, waterlilies, and weeping willows that were the subjects of some of his most iconic paintings.

Hundreds of hidden passageways weave through the old quarters of Lyon.

This historic island prison holds one of the dungeons from the Count of Monte Cristo even though it is a work of fiction.

Pitié-Salpêtrière was the dumping grounds for women who received the dreaded diagnosis of "hysterical."

A cave dwelling that was started by the Celts, expanded by monks, and finished by knights.

A 14th century bridge built as a fortress, where the devil lurks on one of its towers.

This former “ante-chamber to the guillotine” has been refurbished to illustrate the brutal history of French justice.

Ancient paintings known as the "Sistine Chapel of Cave Art."

Twelve grave-faced marble angels guard the emperor's tomb at Les Invalides.

One of the last umbrella repair shops in Paris upholds the nostalgic art of umbrella making.

One of the greatest maze designer’s greatest mazes.

The subterranean "lake" below the Paris opera house inspired the Phantom of the Opera's lair.

Sacked by Vikings, blessed by William the Conqueror, dealt a fatal blow during the French Revolution—these ruins have seen it all.

Stroll through retro Paris while shopping for old postcards and discarded doll heads.

In the best of all possible worlds, everyone will get a chance to see this statue in which Voltaire's heart is interred.

An overlooked marble is the only surviving in-place 18th century example of the measurement that changed how we define distance.