César Baldaccini's iconic sculpture of a 40-foot thumb stands tall in La Défense.

The video game-themed street art first popped up in the French city.

An effigy of a trapped paratrooper dangles from a Normandy church to commemorate one remarkable D-Day event.

Beneath the city of Lourdes, France is a massive, concrete church.

A beautiful Victorian statue shows France's enduring love of the rhinoceros.

Remains of the artificial harbours invented for the Allied invasion of Normandy can still be seen at sea.

This enormous "cloth of the conquest" depicts the Norman invasion of England in mind-blowing detail.

A daring D-Day assault by U.S. Army Rangers is commemorated atop the high cliffs of this strategic point.

The opulent home that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall and the adventures within.

An Orthodox church built by the Royal Family for the Russian community exiled to the French Riviera.

A memorial to the nearly 10,000 American soldiers laid to rest on the beaches of Normandy during WWII.

Stripes of human ashes cover a back lawn in the most sought-after burial grounds in Paris.

This ancient theater was once the home of fierce gladiatorial battles.

A swath of France so devastated by war it is still forbidden to go there.

Ordinary art transforms to extraordinary thanks to locals' quirky sense of humor.

This bridge was constructed from the rubble of the infamous Bastille.

The world's tallest bridge is also possibly the most elegant.

This ancient Roman bridge and aqueduct still stands as a wonder of classical construction.

A medieval military street hidden beneath a charming French fishing village.

The great Italian Renaissance painter was laid to rest here in the Chapel of Saint-Hubert.

A series of abstract, silly sculptures represent the works of a great modern classical composer.

A natural arch carved by a river gave its name to the so-called "Cave of Forgotten Dreams."

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.