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Viaduc de Millau 
Millau viaduct holds the world record for the tallest bridge, culminating at 343 metres (higher than the Eiffel tower), 2460 metres long and touching the bottom of the Tarn valley in only 9 places.
Conceived by the French engineer Michel Virlogeux and designed by the English architect Lord Norman Foster, it fits perfectly into the naturally intact and grandiose landscape: a very thin slightly curved steel roadway supported by stays gives it the appearance of a huge yacht and the ensemble rests on 7 very slender pillars.
This unique viewing area, created in the old cassonade farm of Brocuéjouls, is the ideal place for discovering Millau viaduct, the Aveyron, its cultural and natural heritage and the local gastronomy. Both a “viewing area” and “tourist information centre”, it also offers a “gastronomical area”.
Take a few minutes to climb to the belvedere viewing point from where you can admire the sublime and panoramic view of the viaduct. You can then taste, amongst other things, the famous “capucins” made by the Michelin starred chef Michel Bras in the gastronomical area or learn all there is to know about the viaduct and its construction in the Eiffage company Expo/Boutique area. https://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/en/millau-viaduct/discover-millau-viaduct
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Musee de Millau et des Grands Causses
In the centre of Millau, a town hotel from the 18th century houses the museum: 30 exposition rooms dedicated to palaeontology, prehistory and regional archaeology, as well as traditional activities of leather craft and glove-making.
Palaeontology: diverse fossils including the famous skeleton of an elasmosaur. Pre-history: furniture from the palaeolithic to the monolithic. Archaeology: the most important collection of vases from the Roman Empire with the production of the Graufesenque workshops. Leather and gloves: a DVD film retraces the specific savoir-faire, rich of ancestral traditions and modern techniques enabling skins to be worked on. A recreated workshop shows how gloves were made.
Free for the individuals the first Saturday of the month. https://www.tourisme-aveyron.com/en/diffusio/sites-visit/musee-de-millau-et-des-grands-causses-millau_TFO18801517986
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Beffroi de Millau
Square tower from the end of the 12th century, erected for the king of Aragon Alphonse II, surmounted in the 17th century by an octagonal tower intended to receive the communal drone and the clock.
42 meters high, 210 steps to climb to reach the summit and admire the panorama of the city and the surrounding causses.
Last climb, 1/2 hour before closing. Out of season open for groups by reservation. https://www.millau-viaduc-tourisme.fr/planifier/voir-et-visiter/toutes-les-visites/beffroi-de-millau-tour-des-rois-d-aragon-185431
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Boujan-sur-Libron
Probably built on the site of an ancient Roman villa, constant attacks led to the fortification of the village in a circular form. http://uk.beziers-mediterranee.com/beziers-uk/principal-uk/discover/countryside-and-vineyards/boujan-sur-libron
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Sainte Anne square
When one gets to place Sainte-Anne (Sainte Anne square), one is surprised by the majestic Sainte-Anne Church (whose bell tower can be seen from anywhere in the city). http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/place-sainte-anne/PCULAR034V50LMS4
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The Fabre museum
The Fabre museum itself is an astounding work of art, an innovative combination of classic and contemporary architecture. Today, the museum offers over 800 works, 900 engravings and 3,500 drawings in its 9,200 m² exhibit area. http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/fabre-museum/PCULAR0340000045
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Place de la Comedie
Place de la Comédie is Montpellier's central square. Also known as l'OEuf (the Egg) because of its original oval shape, it is one of the largest pedestrian areas in Europe. http://www.montpellier-france.com/offre/fiche/place-de-la-comedie/PCULAR034V50LIGI
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The Maison Carree Temple
The Maison Carrée – the only fully preserved temple from Antiquity – has recently been restored. Inside you can watch the film the “Nemausus, the birth of Nîmes”, that presents the Imperial cult and the heroic past of Nîmes and its surroundings. http://ca.france.fr/en/discover/amphitheatre-nimes-maison-carree-tour-magne
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The Roman Arena
The Roman amphitheatre (or arena) in Nîmes is the best-conserved of the Roman world. It was used for hunting wild animals and for gladiator combats from the end of the first century AD onwards. Many events are held there today. http://www.ot-nimes.fr/index.php?id=40&L=1
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Cathedral Notre-Dame du Puy
The Puy-en-Velay Cathedral, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998, ranks as the 2nd favorite monument of the French in the show presented on France 2 by Stéphane Bern in 2015.
After a first church built in the fifth century, the cathedral was built on Mount Anis. In the twelfth century, the influx of pilgrims led to sit four spans above a vaulted porch, to compensate for the slope of Mount Anis. The entrance was made by a staircase which opened in the middle of the central nave.
In the nineteenth century, the building was considerably transformed, but the six cupolas and beautiful painted decorations were preserved. From 1994 to 1999, an overall restoration allowed the restoration of the central staircase closed in the eighteenth century, the repair of interior facing and the winding of the organ with its double-sided buffet of the seventeenth century.
A new altar was placed at the crossing of the transept, while the altar of the "pilgrims", against the wall, carries the "Black Virgin" who replaced the primitive statue, burned to the Revolution. https://www.lepuyenvelay-tourisme.fr/monuments-puy-en-velay/cathedrale-notre-dame/
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Rocher St. Michel D'Aiguilhe
North of the town of Le Puy-en-Velay, Aiguilhe is famous for its rock (a dormant volcanic pipe) with an astonishing and magnificent chapel dedicated to St Michael built in the 10th century.
This is one of the most important pre-Romanesque and Romanesque monuments in Auvergne.
Prosper Mérimée included the building in the first list of Historic Monuments drawn up in 1840. More recently, it came fourth in the list of French people’s favourite monuments in 2014.
Godescalc, the Bishop of Puy, and Truannus, the dean of the chapter of Puy Cathedral, commissioned work on a chapel devoted to St Michael in 961. Godescalc was also the first French pilgrim to follow the Way of St James in about 950, inaugurating the "Via Podiensis" trail to Santiago de Compostela.
The original oratory in this imposing structure was limited to today’s choir area. It was enveloped in a larger monument in the 12th century, built to follow the outlines of the rock’s summit. The extended chapel was built without foundations, and contains a nave, an ambulatory and a tribune, along with a remarkable polychrome and trefoil-shaped facade. https://www.lepuyenvelay-tourisme.co.uk/monuments-puy-en-velay/rocher-et-chapelle-saint-michel-daiguilhe/
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The Saint Benezet bridge
The Saint Bénezet bridge, a major witness of the history of Avignon, is known throughout the world thanks to the famous song. Built from the 12th century, it was washed away several times by the floods of the Rhone, and finally abandoned in the seventeenth century. Classified World Heritage by UNESCO. http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/Monuments-et-Patrimoine-culturel/AVIGNON/fiche-4615600-2.html
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The Palace of Pops
Avignon has a magnficent urban landscape. The Rocher des Doms overlooks the city and the Rhône. Here there is an exceptional architectural group which includes the Pont d'Avignon (also known as Pont Saint Bénezet, the Ramparts, the Petit Palais, the Doms Cathedral and the massive walls of the Palace of the Popes, with four impressive towers in each corner. This unique architectural ensemble has been ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage site. The biggest Gothic palace in the world: tour 24 rooms! Museum space, priceless frescoes. Audioguide in 11 languages http://www.avignon-tourisme.com/Monuments-et-Patrimoine-culturel/AVIGNON/fiche-4615596-2.html
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Hotel D'assezat
A short hop from the Pont Neuf, a monumental stone doorway hides a masterpiece of the Classical Renaissance. You can even take tea here in the summer, if you are brave enough to face the lions and warriors…
The sumptuous courtyard of honour is the backdrop for two façades punctuated by antique columns and linked by a stairway tower. Everything matches the level of ambition of the man that commissioned it, Pierre d’Assézat, merchant and Capitoul of Toulouse, who made his fortune from pastel in the XVI Century. Bequeathed to the city in 1895, it was then home to the academies and learned societies where the Floral Games were created in 1323.
It was this exceptional venue that was selected by the Argentine Georges Bemberg in which to display his collection of art, which you can explore at the foundation that shares his name.
Beneath the loggia, you can quench your thirst as you contemplate the courtyard and façades of the most beautiful Renaissance mansion house of Toulouse. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/hotel-d-assezat/toulouse/pcumid031v5015wt
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Basilica of Saint-Sernin
The largest church (115 metres in length), a jewel of Roman art begun in 1075 and consecrated in 1096. Pilgrimage church, designed to receive the crowds of pilgrims walking towards Compostela, and to shelter a religious community.
One of the symbols of Toulouse, this basilica of brick and stone is certainly imposing. Majestic and luminous, it was built between the XI and XIV Centuries in honour of St Saturnin (or Sernin), the first bishop of the city. An important stop along the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, it inspires reverence and its vast proportions are ideal for strolling past the numerous reliquaries. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/la-basilique-saint-sernin/toulouse/pcumid031fs000a1
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Le Capitole
In Toulouse there is no Mairie, but rather a majestic Capitole! An emblematic building, it is home to the town hall, a theatre and rooms of state where you can bump into celebrities from the city.
The seat of municipal power since its construction, commissioned by the Capitouls in the XII Century, transformed and embellished in every era, La Capitole shows its majestic Neo-Classical façade to the unmistakable square that shares its name.
Its walls could tell of the great moments in the history of Toulouse: from the Cathar episode to the creation of the Floral Games, from the Counts of Toulouse to the siege of the city.
On the first floor, you cross magnificent reception rooms that are decorated with the Allegories of Love by Paul Gervais, 10 giant canvases by Henri Martin and, notably, the Salle des Illustres whose paintings retrace the history of Toulouse and whose busts bring back to life the personalities that have defined the city. https://www.toulouse-visit.com/le-capitole-hotel-de-ville/toulouse/pcumid031fs000a3
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Couvent Des Jacobins
In this building entirely made of bricks, the contrast between its massive or even austere aspect of the exterior and the extraordinary lightness of the interior architecture where the famous palm-tree ribs thrust upwards. http://www.toulouse-visit.com/offre/fiche/patrimoine-culturel/couvent-des-jacobins/PCUMID031FS0009F
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The Sant Jordi
One of the legends attributed to Sant Jordi, which rapidly became the most famous, tells of a dragon who scared the inhabitants of a city. To calm it down, a lamb and a young girl chosen at random had to be offered every day. http://www.perpignantourisme.com/gb/decouvrir/perpignan-catalane/sant-jordi-et-sant-joan#sthash.x611XTzR.dpbs
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Castle of Gordes
The Castle of Gordes is a monument in the municipality of Gordes (Vaucluse, Provence-Alps-French Riviera). It is an attraction for holidaymakers staying in the region. https://www.france-voyage.com/cities-towns/gordes-33700/castle-gordes-13216.htm
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The cellars of the Saint Firmin Palace
Cave dwelling-like halls, cisterns, underground stairways, olive oil mills, etc, built up and fitted out over the centuries in a big house called the "Palais Saint Firmin".
Listed as a Historic Monument. http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/monuments/cellars-palais-saint-firmin
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The Chateau of Lourmarin
Facing the village of Lourmarin, listed amongst the most beautiful of France, this castle is the first Renaissance Château in Provence. The original, medieval wing, called the Château-vieux or old castle, boasts Italian-style loggias. http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/monuments/chateau-lourmarin
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Place de Jaude
Place de Jaude in its 21st century incarnation offers passing strollers a subtle blend made of rising jet fountains, magnolias, tulip trees and selected minerals. http://www.clermontferrandtourism.com/discovery/main-sites/place-jaude/
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Notre-Dame-du-Port
Listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage, the Notre-Dame-du-Port Basilica takes visitors into the spellbinding world of Romanesque art. The basilica was built of beige arkose during the first third of the 12th century. It was fully restored ending December 2008. http://www.clermontferrandtourism.com/discovery/main-sites/notre-dame-du-port/
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The belfry of Cucuron
The keep and the belfry of Cucuron in the city of france. http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/tourism-provence/cucuron
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The Tower of the Citadelle
Aristocrat's houses and the ruins of its castle and the Saint-Michel keep, a square tower from the 14th century. http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/en/tourism-provence/cucuron
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Chateau d'Alpheran
Built in around 1720, Château d'Alphéran was for many years the country home of the Alphéran de Bussan family.
It stands in grounds of 30 hectares with a swimming pool, and a cedar 300 years old in the centre. This 18th-century chateau, 10 minutes from Aix-en-Provence, has been restored in traditional style.
The estate also enjoys a commanding view of Sainte Victoire mountain. http://www.aixenprovencetourism.com/en/fiche/2689/
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The Old Major
Several buildings have stood on these foundations since the 5th century but the current Roman Provencal style church built in pink stone from the Couronne quarries dates back to the mid-12th century. http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/discover-marseille/heritage/the-cathedrals/
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The Fort Saint-Jean
The Fort Saint-Jean site has been occupied since Antiquity but it wasn’t until the 13th century that the Knights of Saint-John (later the Knights of Malta) established themselves here and named the area after them. Some relics remain. The huge square tower was built on the foundations of Maubert tower to defend the port entrance after the Aragonese Sack (1423) by Roy René. The beacon tower was built in 1644 and the Chevalier de Clerville built the fort following Louis XIV’s orders in his major plans for Marseille.
He had a hole liable to flooding excavated to isolate the fort from the city. It was used as a garrison than a prison during the French Revolution. During the Second World War, it was used to store the German army’s munitions which exploded in 1944 causing major damage to the fort and Transporter Bridge. The fort was listed as a Monument Historique in 1964 and included in MuCEM in 2013. http://www.marseille-tourisme.com/en/discover-marseille/heritage/the-forteresses/
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Lyon Gallo-Roman Civilisation Museum
The Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilisation astounds the visitor with its avant-garde architecture and carefully-chosen exhibits, nudging you to uncover more of what Lyon’s Roman, Gaul and Celtic forebears got up to.
Facing the rising sun and the Alps, way up over the Confluence of Rhône and Saône, the Museum of Gallo-Roman Civilisation chronicles five centuries of the city’s history under Rome when Lyon was known as the dazzling capital Lugdunum. Dug deep inside Fourvière hill in the 5th district of Lyon, with its two huge windows overlooking its neighbouring Amphitheatre and Odeon, the Gallo-Roman Museum of Lyon is akin to a submarine, set to journey through the undergrowth and vestiges of this ancient civilisation.
Step on-board and be subtly wowed by polychrome mosaics, the sarcophagus of the triumph of Bacchus, the unique Gallic Coligny calendar, a plan-relied of the ancient town, a rare circus mosaic, not to mention the Tabla Claudiana, reproducing a speech by the emperor Claudius, all set inside an avant-garde architectural experience whipped up by Bernard Zehrfuss. https://thisislyon.fr/things-to-do/museums/museum-gallo-roman-civilisation/
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Place Bellecour
It’s the largest pedestrian square in Europe. So whether you want to get to the Tourist Information centre inside, join a march, jump on the big wheel, or just simply sit, this oversized square reinvigorates the lungs and stretches the horizons.
As the central focus of shopping on the presqu’île and the chosen starting point for most city visits, Bellecour is the kilometre 0 of Lyon and all distances are calculated from it. Four major streets start from this famous square: rue de la République, which takes you up to Hôtel de Ville and the Opera; rue Victor Hugo and rue du Plat both leading to Perrache; and rue du Président Édouard Herriot, with a concentration of luxury shops all the way to the Place des Terreaux.
Surrounded by linden trees, wild cherries and beautiful Napoleonic buildings, Place Bellecour is the third largest square in France after Place des Quinconces in Bordeaux and Place de la Concorde in Paris, measuring 312m by 200m, not to mention the biggest pedestrian square in the whole of Europe. Fact. https://thisislyon.fr/things-to-do/historical-monuments/place-bellecour/
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Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere
The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is a vital part of the Lyon cityscape and you’d be a fool not to go up there. Mr Mayor, Gérard Collomb, even calls it a “treasure of humanity”. With one of the best views over the entire city, it understandably draws in busloads, who all load off to celebrate Mary and the paraphernalia of Christianity.
Then you have those who hike up there for a brisk morning walk to lord it over the panoramic view and feel regal.
The beautiful white Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere, known by locals as the upside-down elephant, sits on the top of Fourvière hill, aka the ‘praying hill’, in Lyon’s 5th district, where the world of Catholics rubs shoulders with vestiges of Ancient Rome.
From its dominant position, looming over the city below with vantage points aplenty, Fourvière has become a symbol of Lyon, attracting over 2 million visitors annually. Designed by Pierre Bossan, Fourvière basilica draws from both Romanesque and Byzantine architecture, two non-Gothic models that were unusual choices at the time. It’s actually one church on top of another. https://thisislyon.fr/things-to-do/historical-monuments/basilica-notre-dame-de-fourviere-treasure-lyon/
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Place des Terreaux
Place des Terreaux was once a huge bog, believe it or not. Today, the famous Lyonnais landmark deserves a visit, either as a starting point to explore the presqu’île and the City Hall area, or as a beautifully-constructed square to while away the hours.
Place des Terreaux is a famous Lyonnais square, grand and grey. It’s a perfect rectangle in fact, located in the 1st district of Lyon inside the peninsular or ‘presqu’île’ between the Rhône and Saône rivers, at the foot of the Croix-Rousse hill. It’s a Lyon landmark and a UNESCO heritage site, the place to meet, inside which you can sip beer in the outdoor cafés, perch on the steps of the Fine Arts Museum and observe the Bartholdi fountain, or pop into the beautiful City Hall to pay new mayor Mr Képénikian a visit. https://thisislyon.fr/things-to-do/historical-monuments/place-des-terreaux-and-hotel-de-ville/
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The Central Market Hall
Limoges's central market hall was built between 1885 and 1889. It is a remarkable example of 19th century architecture. The metal framework's triangular shapes each weigh 14 tonnes. It was designed by two engineers, who studied the Eiffel technique: Levesque (who spent a long time working with the manager of the Eiffel-Seyrig studies) and Pesce. http://www.limoges-tourisme.com/en/What-to-see/Monuments/(fiche)/the-central-market-hall-191000045-1714dde
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Zenith
Imagined by Bernard Tschumi, this building made of Limousin Douglas pine wood and wrapped in polycarbonate fits perfectly, thanks to its transparency, into the surrounding forest. With a welcoming capacity of 6,000 seats, it is dedicated to the great artistic and cultural events of the city. http://www.limoges-tourisme.com/en/What-to-see/Monuments/(fiche)/zenith-191003273-01bec22
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Chateau des Ducs de Savoie
This former residence of the Ducs de Savoie is currently the seat of the Préfecture et du Département de la Savoie. http://www.chambery-tourisme.com/noesit/!/fiche/castello-dei-duchi-di-savoia-604770
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Vaugelas Chapel
An area devoted to exhibiting the work of amateur artists, particularly from Chambéry, of new exhibitors and Chambéry associations. The sale of works on the premises is prohibited. http://www.chambery-tourisme.com/noesit/!/fiche/vaugelas-chapel-104915
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