Must-see attractions in Southwest France

  • TOULOUSE, FRANCE - JULY, 2018: The planetarium  in the City of Space 'Cite de l'espace', decorated as planet Earth; Shutterstock ID 1154206081; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Cité de l’Espace

    Toulouse

    The fantastic space museum on the city's eastern outskirts brings Toulouse's illustrious aeronautical history to life through hands-on exhibits, including…

  • Church of the Jacobins aerial panoramic view, a Roman Catholic church located in Toulouse city, France
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    Couvent des Jacobins

    Toulouse

    With its palm tree vaulted ceiling, the Couvent des Jacobins is one of Toulouse’s oldest and most recognizable buildings

  • Reconstruction of cave paintings of animals inside Lascaux II.

    Grotte de Lascaux

    The Dordogne

    France’s most famous prehistoric cave paintings are at the Grotte de Lascaux, 2km southeast of Montignac. Naturally sealed and protected for millennia, it…

  • Nantes, France - September 17, 2022: The Great Elephant animated giant puppet, part of the Machines of the Isle of Nantes artistic and tourist attraction, wanders slowly amid onlookers on a sunny day.; Shutterstock ID 2220543875; your: Sloane Tucker; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI
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    Les Machines de l’Île de Nantes

    Nantes

    Nantes' quirkiest sight is this fantasy world – a serious and seriously wacky workshop with mechanical contraptions galore displayed in plant-filled…

  • New museum of wine in Bordeaux City

    La Cité du Vin

    Bordeaux

    The complex world of wine is explored in depth at ground-breaking La Cité du Vin, a stunning piece of contemporary architecture resembling a wine decanter…

  • Grotte de Font de Gaume

    The Dordogne

    This extraordinary cave contains the only original polychrome (as opposed to single-colour) paintings still open to the public. About 14,000 years ago,…

  • Place du Capitole, Toulouse, France.

    Place du Capitole

    Toulouse

    Toulouse’s grandiose main square is the focal point in the heart of France’s "Pink City"

  • Entrance of the Aquarium of La Rochelle, France in summer.

    Aquarium La Rochelle

    La Rochelle

    La Rochelle's state-of-the-art, family-friendly aquarium is home to 12,000 marine animals and 600 different species. Visits begin by descending in a…

  • Porte Notre Dame gate in St Jean Pied de Port, France.

    Walled Town

    St-Jean Pied de Port

    Though modern St-Jean has expanded considerably, during medieval times the entire town was enclosed by defensive ramparts guarding France's southwestern…

  • France, Hautes-Pyrenees, Pic du Midi and Domaine du Tourmalet area in winter

    Pic du Midi

    The Pyrenees

    If the Pyrenees has a mustn’t-miss view, it’s the one from the Pic du Midi de Bigorre (2877m). Once accessible only to mountaineers, since 1878 the Pic du…

  • Eentrance of the cave of Niaux.

    Grotte de Niaux

    The Pyrenees

    Most people know about the prehistoric artworks of the Dordogne, but far fewer realise that ancient painters left their mark in caves all across the…

  • castle of castelnaud la chapelle dordogne perigord France; Shutterstock ID 131409035; Your name (First / Last): Emma Sparks; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Best in Europe POI updates

    Château de Castelnaud

    The Dordogne

    The massive ramparts and metre-thick crenellated walls of this quintessential medieval fortress (occupied by the English during the Hundred Years War)…

  • Harbour and maritime museum in the Port of La Rochelle, France.

    Musée Maritime

    La Rochelle

    In a series of boldly coloured, red, blue and yellow canopied hangars at the Bassin à Flot, the Maritime Museum evokes the history of La Rochelle port,…

  • Flea market located in an old palace in Lectoure, France.

    Lectoure

    Toulouse, Gers & Vallée du Tarn

    It's something of a surprise to come across a place of such historical wealth in such a remote part of the Gers département, well away from any major…

  • Visitors having fun on the Mirroir d'eau (Water Mirror) of the Place de la Bourse in Bordeaux, France on a hot summer day during a heat wave.

    Miroir d’Eau

    Bordeaux

    A fountain of sorts, the Miroir d'Eau is the world's largest reflecting pool. Covering an area of 3450 sq metres of black granite on the quayside opposite…

  • Bordeaux Cathedral

    Cathédrale St-André

    Bordeaux

    The Cathédrale St-André, a Unesco World Heritage Site prior to the city's classification, lords it over the city. The cathedral's oldest section dates…

  • Phare des Baleines lighthouse.

    Phare des Baleines

    Île de Ré

    For an overview of the island, follow the crowds to Phare des Baleines, the island's scarlet-tipped, 59m-tall lighthouse on its northwestern tip. Scale…

  • The Fine Arts Museum, former Bishop's Palace, in Limoges, France.

    Musée des Beaux Arts

    Limoges

    The city’s wonderful art museum is inside the beautifully restored 18th-century bishops’ palace. Get an overview of the town's history through Roman…

  • Parc Animalier des Pyrénées

    The Pyrenees

    Around 12km south of Lourdes, off the D821 near Argelès-Gazost, this fantastic animal park is home to many species that were once commonly sighted across…

  • Tour de la Lanterne

    La Rochelle

    Easily mistaken for an ornate church spire, the conical 15th-century Tour de la Lanterne is La Rochelle's beauty queen. It was so named because of its…

  • Musée et Jardin du Canal du Midi

    Toulouse, Gers & Vallée du Tarn

    Understand France’s mightiest man-made waterway, the Unesco World Heritage Canal du Midi, through illuminating exhibitions and short films at this museum…

  • Sanctuaires Notre Dame de Lourdes

    Lourdes

    The spiritual centre of Lourdes is the subterranean grotto where Bernadette Soubirous is believed to have experienced her visions in 1858. From the Porte…

  • Grotte de Rouffignac

    The Dordogne

    Hidden in woodland 18km north of Les Eyzies, this tri-level cave is one of the most complex and rewarding to see in the Dordogne. Board an electric train…

  • Musée Gallo-Romain Vesunna

    The Dordogne

    Part of the park that contains the Tour de Vésone, this sleek museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel encompasses a 1st-century Roman domus …

  • Château des Ducs de Bretagne

    Nantes

    Forget fusty furnishings – light-filled rooms inside the Castle of the Dukes of Brittany house multimedia-rich exhibits detailing the city's history. Look…

  • Jardins de Marqueyssac

    The Dordogne

    Horticulture fans won’t want to miss these famous manicured gardens, stretching along a rocky bluff overlooking the Dordogne Valley. Signposted paths lead…

  • La Base Sous-Marine

    Bordeaux

    By far the city's eeriest and most menacing sight, this mammoth hulk of a submarine base (1941–43) was one of five built on the Atlantic Coast by the…

  • Église St-Jean Baptiste

    St-Jean de Luz

    The plain façade of France’s largest and finest Basque church conceals a splendid interior with a magnificent Baroque altarpiece. It was in front of this…

  • Cathédrale Ste-Marie

    Bayonne

    The twin towers of Bayonne's Gothic cathedral soar above the city. Construction began in the 13th century, and was completed in 1451. Above the north…

  • Weekly Markets

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    For an introductory French market experience, visit Sarlat’s heavily touristed Saturday market, which takes over the streets around Cathédrale St-Sacerdos…

  • Grotte des Combarelles

    The Dordogne

    This narrow, very long cave 1.5km east of Font de Gaume was the first rediscovered in the valley, in 1901, and is renowned for its animal engravings. Look…

  • Musée National Adrien Dubouché

    Limoges

    This museum, founded in 1845, has one of France’s two outstanding ceramics collections (the other is in Sèvres, southwest of Paris), so it’s a must for…

  • Aeroscopia – Toulouse, France

    Aeroscopia

    Toulouse

    This aviation museum was built on the very spot the A380 Airbus was first completed. Here you can admire commercial and military aircraft and learn behind…

  • Château de Beynac perched atop a limestone cliff above the village of Beynac-et-Cazenac, on the banks of the Dordogne River.
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    Château de Beynac

    The Dordogne

    Towering gloriously atop a limestone bluff, this 12th-century fortress’ panoramic position above the Dordogne made it a key defensive position during the…

  • France,Dordogne,Perigueux,St Front Cathedral

    Cathédrale St-Front

    The Dordogne

    Périgueux’ most distinctive landmark is most notable for its five creamy Byzantine tower-topped domes (inspired by either St Mark’s Basilica in Venice or…

  • Basilique St-Michel

    Bordeaux

    This imposing Flamboyant Gothic church lies at the heart of St-Michel. Begun in the 14th century, it took more than 200 years to complete and is best…

  • Cathédrale St-Étienne

    Limoges

    Built between 1273 and 1888, Limoges’ Gothic cathedral is worth a visit for the Flamboyant-style Portail St-Jean, as well as a glorious rose window, a…

  • Place des Cornières

    The Dordogne

    From the town’s three gateways, Monpazier’s flat, grid-straight streets lead to the arcaded market square (also known as place Centrale), surrounded by an…