Naturally protected city carved from a rock face.

This hidden gem is bathed in beautiful natural light.

A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.

A deserted hodgepodge of experimental structures designed by nearby university students.

The world's first motel is now an administrative building for an apple farm.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

Machinery left over from California's once thriving mercury industry now attracts artists and explorers.

A sublime medieval path adorns the marble floor of one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in France.

Walk through spectacular aisles of hanging meat and wagon wheel–sized cheese at the world's largest wholesale food market.

A bike train runs along a disused railway line through the tranquil French countryside.

The Church of the Annunciation was carved into the face of a cliff, just like the rest of the town of Haute-Isle.

This 1,400-year-old abbey was once a powerhouse for music and intellectualism known across Normandy.

A beautiful lighthouse with as many steps as days in the year, as many windows as weeks, and as many levels as months.

These unique markers designate the route American forces took during the Liberation of France.

Bloodstains can still be seen in this medieval church where two medics saved lives on D-Day.

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

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

The birthplace of the ferocious William the Conqueror, this castle is awash in medieval history.

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

To the famous surrealist artist, liberty required two torches held high.

A centuries-old complex of hand-dug stone chambers has sheltered locals in times of trouble.

Underneath a chalk hill in France lies what Hitler hoped would be the underground launching base for a devastating new weapon.

This Norman castle has been the scene of assassination plots, religious persecution, and Nazi conspiracies throughout its long history.

The ruins of a Roman fort lie in the shadows of an imposing medieval castle.