Architecture in France

Discover 98 places to experience unusual architecture in France.

Noisy-le-Grand, France

Espaces d’Abraxas

This stunningly massive housing complex is a go-to filming location for dystopian sci-fi cinema.

Lavatory de La Madeleine

This renovated Art Nouveau bathroom from 1905 is worth the price of admission.

Réservoir de Lavardens

Bordeaux, France

Réservoir de Lavardens

A very uncommon water tank standing in the middle of the grapevines in Bordeaux nearly a century after its construction.

Bouillon Chartier

For more than a century, Parisians have come for affordable dishes in a grand converted train station.

Angles-sur-l'Anglin, France

Angle sur l’ Anglin Fortress

This imposing castle has stood for nearly a thousand years.

Lempicka's Former Studio

Former home to Polish artist Tamara de Lempicka's dazzling Art Deco duplex studio.

Montgenèvre, France

Fort du Janus

The ruins of a military fortification sit atop this mountain.

Observatoire de Sainte-Cécile

Arcachon, France

Observatoire de Sainte-Cécile

A young Gustave Eiffel assisted in the construction of this skinny metal observation tower.

The wall of Philip II Augustus.

The Wall of Philip II Augustus

The remains of the medieval wall that once surrounded Paris with ties to the construction of the Louvre.

Fontaine de la Croix-du-Trahoir.

Fontaine de la Croix-du-Trahoir

Executions were once held near this beautiful 18th-century fountain.

Palais de l’Île

A fortified palace in the shape of a ship on the Thiou river.

Mascarons of Pont Neuf

If you look closely at the oldest bridge in Paris, you might notice hundreds of ugly faces leering from its sides.

Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers

Les Trois-Moutiers, France

Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers

A 2017 crowdfunding campaign saved this historic castle from being destroyed.

Temple des Mille Bouddhas

La Boulaye, France

Temple des Mille Bouddhas (Temple of One Thousand Buddhas)

On the grounds of a former estate in Burgundy stands an elaborate temple that is modeled after the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery.

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France

Villa Kérylos

A reconstruction of a classic mansion on the island of Delos was designed for a historian and archaeologist.

Cinémathèque Française

Cinémathèque Française

This lesser-known Frank Gehry building houses a treasure trove of cinema history.