ricejohnson99's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Bollène, France

Barry Troglodyte Village

Series of underground houses inhabited continuously for centuries.
Colleville-sur-Mer, France

Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial

A memorial to the nearly 10,000 American soldiers laid to rest on the beaches of Normandy during WWII.
Rouen, France

King Richard I's Embalmed Heart

His "Lionheart" is entombed separately from the rest of his body.
Cheverny, France

Château de Cheverny

The opulent home that inspired Tintin's Marlinspike Hall and the adventures within.
Bayeux, France

Bayeux Tapestry

This enormous "cloth of the conquest" depicts the Norman invasion of England in mind-blowing detail.
Saint-Étienne, France

Maison sans Escalier (The House Without Stairs)

An architectural oddity of six stories, accessed by graceful ramps.
Lyon, France

'Le Mur des Canuts'

Lyon's "Wall of the Silk Weavers" is one of the largest murals in Europe.
Tende, France

Valley of Wonders

Tens of thousands of ancient rock carvings hidden in the heart of a French national park.
Orschwiller, France

Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.
Marseille, France

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations

This modern museum of Mediterranean culture is surrounded by a surreal concrete honeycomb.
Nevers, France

The Not-Quite Incorruptible St. Bernadette of Lourdes

Perhaps the most beautiful of preserved saints, with a little help from Paris.
Chasseneuil-du-Poitou, France

Futuroscope

France's high-tech, future-themed amusement park.
Réotier, France

Petrified Fountain of Réotier

This otherworldly French waterfall looks like its waters have turned to stone.
Barbâtre, France

Passage du Gois

This submersible road connecting a French island to the mainland is lined with safety towers for when the tide strands travelers.
Nice, France

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral

An Orthodox church built by the Royal Family for the Russian community exiled to the French Riviera.
Arles, France

Arles's Cryptoporticous

A unique underground structure dating back to the 1st century BC.
Falaise, France

Château de Falaise

The birthplace of the ferocious William the Conqueror, this castle is awash in medieval history.
Vernon, France

The Old Mill of Vernon

A quaint medieval millhouse hovers surprisingly above the waters of the Seine.
Haute-Isle, France

Troglodyte Church

The Church of the Annunciation was carved into the face of a cliff, just like the rest of the town of Haute-Isle.
Fontenay-en-Parisis, France

Goussainville-Vieux Pays

The post-apocalyptic remnants of a bucolic town ruined by a plane crash.
Amiens, France

The Head of St. John the Baptist at Amiens Cathedral

The encased skull that is widely believed to belong to St. John the Baptist.
Alliat, France

Niaux Cave Paintings

Trek into the depths of the cave where 17,000-year-old paintings exist alongside 400-year-old graffiti.
Fleury-devant-Douaumont, France

Zone Rouge

A swath of France so devastated by war it is still forbidden to go there.
Carnac, France

Carnac Stones

Hundreds of prehistoric stones, arranged in perfect lines in a French field.