Moulin Rouge
The can-can has been performed here since 1889. Dinner, champagne, sequins, feathers — the Moulin Rouge is unapologetically theatrical.
Things to Do in France
France — Thing to Do on ViaTravelers
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Musée de l’Homme
Step into the intricate tapestry of human civilization at Musée de l’Homme. Uncover authentic global traditions and thought-provoking exhibits. Experience a profound journey through our shared heritage.
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Château d’If
Perched on a rocky islet, this fortress-turned-prison whispers tales of intrigue and escape. Beyond its literary fame, Château d’If harbors secrets of Provençal history, waiting to be uncovered by the curious explorer.
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Palais Du Pharo
Perched atop a promontory, this former imperial retreat now bustles with intellectual discourse. Its stone walls, once privy to royal whispers, now echo with the voices of modern thinkers, all under the watchful gaze of the Mediterranean.
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Abbaye Saint Victor
Abbaye Saint-Victor’s crypt whispers secrets from 415 AD, etched in pagan markings and ancient stone. This hilltop sentinel guards Marseille’s soul, weaving Roman roots with medieval mysteries in a [tapestry of cultural authenticity](https://www.novlr.org/the-reading-room/a-writers-guide-to-great-travel-writing).
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Fort Saint Jean
Perched above the Vieux-Port, Fort Saint-Jean whispers tales of royal decrees and maritime struggles. Its weathered walls and serene gardens offer a tranquil escape from the bustling city below.
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Les Deux Magots
Hemingway wrote here. Sartre argued here. Yes, it’s touristy — the terrace coffee still costs what it costs, and it’s still worth it.
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Saint Jacques
Tour Saint-Jacques is all that survived the Revolution. A 52-meter Gothic tower where pilgrims once set off for Santiago de Compostela.
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Vieux-Port de Marseille
The morning fish market at Quai des Belges still runs at dawn — get there by 8am or the best catch is already gone.
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Cabaret Au Lapin Agile
Picasso once paid his tab here with paintings. Au Lapin Agile still looks exactly like he left it.
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Notre Dame De La Garde
La Bonne Mère watches over all of Marseille from 162 meters up. The ex-votos inside tell better stories than any museum.
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Rue Du Panier
Le Panier sat above the Old Port for 2,600 years — Greek agora, Nazi demolition attempts, and now the best street art in southern France.
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Grande Le De Strasbourg
Grande-Île is where Roman street grids survived medieval builders — and somehow still guide foot traffic today.
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Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine
€3.50 gets you into a real medical school’s collection — antique surgical tools, anatomical models, and centuries of French medicine in one small room.
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Musée de l’Armée
Napoleon’s tomb alone justifies the entry fee — but the medieval armor halls upstairs are what most visitors walk past too fast.
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Musée d’Histoire Contemporaine
Founded in 1914 to document WWI in real-time, La contemporaine holds 1.5M items — war posters, manuscripts, testimonies you won’t find anywhere else.
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Musée d’Ennery
Musée d’Ennery is one of Paris’s most personal collections — a private obsession made public, frozen in the 1880s.
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Shakespeare And Co
Shakespeare and Co lets writers sleep among the shelves in exchange for a book a day. That detail alone tells you what kind of place this is.
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Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims
Thirty-two French kings were crowned here. The Smiling Angel still watches from the facade, unbothered by eight centuries of history.
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Musée Picasso
The Hôtel Salé alone justifies the visit — but 5,000 works inside a 17th-century Marais mansion makes it one of Paris’s most rewarding afternoons.
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Passerelle De L Avre
Built under Eiffel’s guidance, this 15th arrondissement bridge-aqueduct quietly delivers one of Paris’ least-crowded Eiffel Tower sightlines.
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The Louvre Museum
35,000 works across 72,735 square meters — the Louvre requires a plan, not a wander. Pick two wings and own them.
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Cimetière du Père-Lachaise
Jim Morrison’s grave gets the crowds, but Père-Lachaise rewards the wanderers who get lost between Chopin and Édith Piaf.