earth
Alps
The Alps form a long arc through central Europe. Snow, rock and wooded foothills give this mountain system its varied scenery.
Western Europe
France
Discover Alps, Carcassonne — double ramparts, Château de Chambord and more.
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Places to discover in France
architecture
Carcassonne — double ramparts
Carcassonne's defences grew over many centuries. The double ramparts and tower silhouettes seen today also reflect a major restoration begun in 1853 and completed in 1911. Looking at the two wall lines reveals how the town's fortifications work in layers.
architecture
Château de Chambord
François I ordered Chambord's construction in 1519. Its central keep, round towers and elaborate chimneys made it a striking expression of Renaissance ambition. Inside, a famous double-helix staircase connects the levels; outside, the busy roofscape is the detail to explore.
architecture
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was built for the Paris World's Fair of 1889, which marked a century since the French Revolution. Engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier developed its structural concept within Gustave Eiffel's company, with architect Stephen Sauvestre contributing to its appearance. Four curved latticework legs converge into the narrow summit. The tower's many iron components were prepared in a factory and assembled with rivets; the open framework is central to both its engineering and its recognisable silhouette.
coast
Étretat — Porte d'Aval and Aiguille
At Étretat, the Porte d'Aval opens through the end of a white chalk headland. Nearby, the Aiguille stands separately in the water. Dark flint bands and a grassy cliff top give this coastline a character very different from granite sea cliffs.
Source: Le Havre Étretat Normandie Tourisme (official tourist office)
architecture
Louvre Pyramid
Designed by I. M. Pei and inaugurated in 1989, the Louvre Pyramid combines a simple square-based form with a delicate metal-and-glass grid. The museum gives its height as 21 metres and its base width as 35 metres. It leads down to an underground entrance hall.
Source: Musée du Louvre (official)
engineering
Millau Viaduct
The Millau Viaduct opened in 2004 to carry the motorway across the Tarn valley in Aveyron. Its deck is 2,460 metres long, supported at seven major piers. The fine cable fans and slender structure are a contrast to the rolling land beneath it.
architecture
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel grows upward from its rock: village roofs and ramparts below, abbey buildings above, and a slender spire at the top. Benedictine monks settled here in 966, and generations of builders adapted the architecture to the steep site. The changing tide is part of its setting.
Source: Centre des monuments nationaux (official abbey site)
architecture
Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame combines a broad, twin-towered west front with a long nave and a ring of flying buttresses around its eastern end. After the 2019 fire, craftspeople rebuilt its roof and crossing spire. The cathedral reopened inDecember 2024, while further restoration continued.
Source: Ville de Paris
architecture
Palace of Versailles
Versailles began as a royal hunting retreat and became closely associated with Louis XIV and his court. Its palace presents long rhythms of windows, pale stone and rooftop sculpture towards the gardens. The size of the building is only one part of the much larger estate.
Source: Château de Versailles (official)
landscape
Point Sublime — Verdon canyon entrance
A small overlook faces the deep limestone entrance to the Verdon gorge.
Source: Parc naturel regional du Verdon
earth
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees form the mountain divide between the Iberian Peninsula and the rest of continental Europe.
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