France Archives | World Heritage Sites

An arch with images of Jesus and saints in the tympanum.

Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France

Seventy-eight locations along four medieval pilgrimage routes leading to the Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

A beautiful view from on top of a mountain over hilly forests.

Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe

Primeval forests of European beech trees that survived the last Ice Age and then spread across Europe, now protected in 93 locations across 18 countries.

An arched stone bridge over a dry moat leads to a massive wall with a small gateway in it.

Fortifications of Vauban

12 sites designed for Louis XIV by the innovative military engineer Sebastien de Vauban in the late 17th-18th centuries.

A black bull painted onto a rock surface.

Prehistoric Sites and Decorated Caves of the Vézère Valley

A collection of shelters used by prehistoric people, many containing impressive Paleolithic works of art.

The lighthouse as seen from near the end of the walkway - tidal pools and rocks on either side.

Cordouan Lighthouse

A grandiose 17th-century lighthouse meant both for navigation and for projecting an image of royal power.

Semi-circular bas-relief in white stone.

Vézelay, Church and Hill

A Romanesque masterpiece and the charming village around it, historically significant in terms of medieval Christianity.

Two sides of the cloister, with its porticos on the ground floor.

Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay

A monastic community whose ideals of poverty and self-sufficiency are reflected in the structures they built.

The rounded altar end of the cathedral with flying buttresses resting on the chapels.

Bourges Cathedral

A magnificent Gothic cathedral with stunning stained-glass windows.

View down the nave of the church, with the ceiling painted in rectangular panels.

Abbey Church of Saint-Savin sur Gartempe

A Romanesque church painted with vivid murals dating to the 11th and 12th centuries, important in the study of medieval Christian art.

Classical temple seen from the front, with six corinthian columns supporting a triangular pediment.

The Maison Carrée of Nîmes

A well-preserved classical Roman temple from the 1st century AD, dedicated to the heirs of Emperor Augustus.

Amiens Cathedral

A 13th-century Gothic cathedral of extraordinary workmanship and beauty.

A dirt road stretching ahead, with a single cyclist - vineyards on both sides of the road.

The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy

Precisely-defined plots of land with distinct geological and climatic conditions that contribute to a centuries-old tradition of winemaking.

Bordeaux, Port of the Moon

A port city of opulent architecture, especially classical and neo-classical, and the center of a centuries-old wine-producing region.

View over the village of houses with red tile roofs with a church tower looming over them.

Jurisdiction of Saint-Emilion

A picturesque area of countryside and villages surrounded by a vineyard landscape; also an important pilgrimage stop.

A direct view down a straight garden walkway to the central entrance to the palace.

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

A magnificent 16th-century royal palace, particularly important for its artwork.

A white castle with many turrets, set on a series of arches over the Loire River.

The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes

A beautiful river valley landscape dotted with stunning castles and charming medieval towns.

Historic Centre of Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble and Avignon Bridge

Palaces and other structures that tell the story of the 70-year sojourn in France of the Catholic papacy in the 14th century.

Looking straight down the canal, a small bridge crosses it, with a bicycle passing over it.

Canal du Midi

A 360-km canal plus locks, tunnels and bridges: a 17th-century feat of engineering.

Looking up at the front of the cathedral: two square towers, very lacy with many vertical gothic openings, rose window at the center above the central entryway, lots of statue niches with figures and also gargoyles.

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims

Three medieval structures central to the history of Christianity and coronations in France.

Seen across the square, a stately building - a palace - in an 18th-century baroque style.

Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance in Nancy

Three elegant 18th-century city plazas.

A marea with black paving stones on the ground, a wall of standing stones at the far end.

Taputapuātea

An ancient site of great historical and cultural significance to indigenous Polynesians.

A pillared building with a shallow pool in front of it.

The Great Spa Towns of Europe

Towns in seven countries where an early tourism industry thrived around natural hot springs.

A view from above of a long stretch of beach lined with palm trees and a pedestrian and bike path.

Nice, Winter Resort Town of the Riviera

An early example of a city that developed due to tourism.

The Albi cathedral: a rather plain red-brick exterior, with simple walls and rounded towers not much higher than the main body of the cathedral. Tall narrow windows.

Episcopal City of Albi

A small city with a rich collection of Medieval and Renaissance architecture.

A view of a cluster of half-timbered buildings with balconies and flower boxes.

Strasbourg, Grande-Île and Neustadt

Two districts, one exemplifying medieval cities, the other a model of modern city planning.

A white brick building, quite grand, with a row of oddly-shaped pillars supporting a triangular pediment.

From the Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains to the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, the Production of Open-pan Salt

Two locations that exemplify the historical process of salt production and industrial architecture.

A stone bridge across a river, made of 3 rows of Romanesque arches. The bottom and middle rows are quite large arches; the top row has more arches and they're considerably smaller.

Pont du Gard (Roman Aqueduct)

A 3-tiered stone aqueduct and bridge that demonstrates Roman-era construction processes.

A view along the Seine seen from one bank. Below, lower than street level, is a bank with 2 rows of cafe tables capped with umbrellas. Between the cafe tables and the water is a path with people walking and biking, and a railing along the water. A tourist boat passes under a bridge over the river.

Paris, Banks of the Seine

A 365-hectare corridor that encompasses many of the most famous sights in Paris, spanning centuries of the city’s development.

View along a cobbled street in Lyon, with a few arched storefronts in the foreground.

Historic Site of Lyon

A city with 2000 years of history visible in its urban center’s architecture.

Mont-Saint-Michel appears as a pile of stone structures up a hill, forming a conical shape with a recognizably Gothic church spire at the top.

Mont-Saint-Michel and its bay

A magnificent Gothic abbey on top of a small island in a bay with dramatic tides.

A short length of street in Provins lined with medieval-period houses. The one on the left is half-timbered.

Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs

A beautifully intact example of a medieval trading city.

A view into a wide gorge - a river cut through the bottom, and low shrubs or grasses along both banks and up the sides of the gorge.

The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape

A rural landscape shaped by centuries of farming, where old agricultural techniques are still in use.

The Church of St. Trophime in Arles has a Romanesque entranceway, shown in this photo. Rounded arches above a double door, pillars on each side of the door.

Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments

A grand Roman city and its later Romanesque additions, well-preserved in Arles city center.

The fortress walls on the left, with rounded towers flanking a gate. A stone bridge with multiple arches leads into the gate. Along the wall are two further round guard towers with pointed roofs.

Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

A classic medieval fortified town with intact walls, a castle, and a Gothic cathedral.

A section of Versailles gardens, with neatly-rimmed evergreens in a conical shape, low hedges in curved lines and very colorful flowers between the hedges.

Palace and Park of Versailles

Elegant and grand 17th-century royal residence and park, seat of the French monarchy from Louis XIV to Louis XVI.