French Wonders You Can Explore From Home

From Versailles to the Mont Blanc, discover the cultural and natural jewels of France

By Google Arts & Culture

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Opéra Garnier

The Opéra Garnier was inaugurated in 1875 and its stage has seen some of the greatest Opera singers and ballet dancers, from Maria Callas to Rudolf Noureev, perform.

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Mont Blanc

Rising at 4,808 m above sea level, Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps, a chain of mountains in the South East of France. Explore the permanent snow of this natural jewel!

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Palace of Versailles

The former hunting lodge of Louis XIII was transformed and extended by his son Louis XIV who installed here the Court and the government of France in 1682. Up until the French Revolution, a line of kings succeeded each other, each taking his turn to embellish the Palace. And now, the Palace is yours...

The Bedroom (October 1888) by Vincent van GoghVan Gogh Museum

Van Gogh in Arles

Did you know Van Gogh lived in Arles, in the south of France, for a year? He even painted the room he stayed in, in what was to become one of his most famous works. Read through 10 Things You Might Not Know About Vincent van Gogh.

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The Orangerie Museum

In the Orangerie Museum, you can explore the famous Water Lilies cycle by Claude Monet. Move your mouse around for a 360° view.

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The Eiffel Tower

Did you know this French landmark was built in 2 years, 2 months and 5 days for the  for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a technical prowess for its time?

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Now is your time to explore the scenic view of Paris: move your mouse around to take in the sights.

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Musée Pasteur

Set in the appartment where scientist Louis Pasteur spent the last 7 years of his life, the Musée Pasteur comemorates the life and research of the man responsible for finding the vaccine for rabbies.

Letter from Albert Einstein to Louis de Broglie - 15 February 1954 (2) (1954-02-15) by Albert EinsteinAcadémie des sciences

Albert Einstein's letters

Glimpse Albert Einstein's fascinating - sometimes funny - exchanges with great French mathematicians. These formative conversations would go on to shape his ground-breaking scientific work. Read the letters.

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Lavender Fields

The Provence Region, in the South of France, is home to beautiful and fragrant lavender fields. The flowering season spans from mid-June to mid-August, but you can have a look online year-round!

Central Piece of the Feline Fresco (Chauvet Cave, Ardèche) (2018-08-02/2018-08-02) by L. Guichard/Perazio/SmergcGrotte Chauvet - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Chauvet

The Chauvet cave, located in Ardèche, in the South of France, hosts some of the oldest works of art ever created: they are dated at 36, 000 years ago! The cave is not open to the public for preservation reasons, but you can explore it online.

Fossil Crocodile ("Crocodileimus robustus") (Entre 155,6 et 150,8 millions d'années (Kimmeridgien))Musée des Confluences

Crocodiles in France

This fossil crocodile is on display in the permanent exhibition of the Musée des Confluences in Lyon. This specimen called France its home 150 million years ago.

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Mont-Saint-Michel

In 709, there was just a small church on this hill surrounded by the sea when the tide is high. Monasteries and abbeys were progressively added in the Middle Ages, and the Mont is now a Unesco World Heritage Site.

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Grand Palais

Situated in the very heart of Paris on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, this iconic building was built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900. It is particularly famous for its glass roof, the largest in Europe.

Ensemble (ca. 1927) by Gabrielle "Coco" ChanelThe Metropolitan Museum of Art

How Coco Chanel revolutionized fashion

This ensemble represents the "little black dress," one of Chanel's most popular and enduring contributions to women's fashion. 

Console studio 116c du groupe de recherche musicale (GRM) (1967) by AnonymePhilharmonie de Paris

Innovative Sounds

This instrument is Console studio 116c from the "Groupe de recherche musicale (GRM)" (Group of musical research). In 1967, it was top of the technology!

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Cap Fréhel

Famous for its cliff and lighthouses (there are no other buildings on this wild peninsula), the Cap Fréhel is a scenic location in Britanny.  Continue your Tour de France

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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