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Beautiful French Town

The towns and villages of France

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Saint-Étienne possesses a vibrant, working-class soul and a legendary culture of conviviality, fueled by its culinary traditions and its unconditional love of football.

The Geoffroy-Guichard Stadium (Le Chaudron) and its Museum: Whether you're a football fan or not, the mythical stadium of A.S. Saint-Étienne is a place of pilgrimage. The Musée des Verts (Green Museum) retraces the epic run of the 1970s that thrilled all of France.

The "Gaga dialect" and the Saint-Étienne welcome: Gaga is the local dialect, still very much alive. Don't be surprised if someone mentions "babet" (pine cone), "gandot" (mess bowl), or says that it makes you tumble! The warmth of the locals is one of the city's greatest assets.

Gourmet specialties: Try the rapée stéphanoise (a pancake of grated potatoes fried in a pan), the sarasson (a curdled white cheese with herbs), and finish with chocolates from the famous Weiss house or a glass of verbena liqueur.

Saint-Étienne

Metamorphosis through Design – A UNESCO Creative City

Sancerre is a world capital of wine. Its unique terroir, composed of flint and white limestone soils, gives rise to wines of unparalleled minerality.

The Maison des Sancerre, the Immersive Experience: Housed in a magnificent 16th-century mansion, this modern museum space is essential for understanding the vineyard. Thanks to animated 3D relief, a 4D cinema, and sensory areas, the history of the vine and the work of the winemakers will hold no more secrets for you.

The King of Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc: Renowned for its vibrant freshness, its citrus and flinty notes, Sancerre Blanc is the absolute benchmark for the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Wine lovers should also be sure to discover the Sancerre reds and rosés, made from the delicate Pinot Noir grape.

The Century-Old Cellars: The hilltop and its satellite villages (Chavignol, Bué, Verdigny) are teeming with family-run estates. Pushing open the door of these cellars carved into the rock allows you to taste fine gastronomic vintages amidst oak casks, guided by the passion of independent winemakers.

Sancerre

The Feudal Peak and the Tower of the Fiefs

The subsoil of Saumur and its surrounding region is a veritable Swiss cheese. The extraction of tuffeau stone gave rise to the largest network of underground galleries in Europe.

The Saumur Brut Cellars: Carved directly into the chalk cliff, hundreds of kilometers of dark, cool galleries (naturally maintained at 12°C) provide the perfect setting for aging great sparkling wines. World-renowned houses (such as Bouvet-Ladubay, Ackerman, and Veuve Amiot) offer spectacular tours, sometimes by bicycle, through the heart of sculpted underground cathedrals.

The Mystery of Troglodytic Dwellings: Just a few minutes from the town (notably in Louresse-Rochemenier), you can discover veritable underground villages. These farms and dwellings carved into the rock, inhabited from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, bear witness to fascinating rural architectural ingenuity.

The Cultivation of the Paris Mushroom: The cool, humid atmosphere of these galleries proved ideal for mushrooms. Saumur now produces more than half of France's Paris mushrooms. The Mushroom Museum offers insight into this unusual traditional cultivation method in the heart of period cellars.

Saumur

Saumur Castle, the Fortress of Fairy Tales

Senlis has the rare distinction of having preserved its two successive fortified walls, offering a fascinating glimpse into the history of defensive architecture.

The Gallo-Roman Wall (3rd century): This is one of the most complete ancient fortifications in France. Erected to defend against the great barbarian invasions, it retains sixteen of its original thirty massive, round towers. Its foundations incorporate reused marble blocks from ancient Roman temples of Augustomagus (the ancient name for Senlis).

The Medieval Ramparts of Philip Augustus: In the 12th century, faced with the city's expansion, King Philip Augustus ordered the construction of a new wall. Today transformed into magnificent shaded walkways (the courtyards), it is punctuated by robust bastions and offers superb views of the hidden gardens of the private mansions.

The Gallo-Roman Arena: Located slightly outside the historic center, this 1st-century AD arena could accommodate up to 10,000 spectators for gladiatorial combats. Buried under vegetation for centuries, it now exudes an incomparable romantic and mystical atmosphere.

Senlis

Notre-Dame Cathedral, the First Spirit of Gothic

Sisteron's historic center, nestled at the foot of its rocky outcrop, has preserved all the authenticity of a medieval and Renaissance town in Haute-Provence.

The Mystery of the Andrones: This is the village's unique urban architectural feature. The andrones are narrow medieval alleyways, often covered by barrel vaults or stone arcades, that climb the hillside. They provided quick access from the heart of the town to the upper ramparts and offered a cool refuge during the intense summer heat.

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame-des-Pommiers: A masterpiece of 12th-century Provençal Romanesque art, this former cathedral impresses with the sobriety and power of its gray stone nave. Its portal is adorned with sculpted marble columns and refined capitals, while its Lombard-style bell tower rises above the rooftops of the old town.

The Four Towers of the Ramparts: Of the great medieval wall that protected the lower town, four magnificent crenellated circular towers remain (including the Clock Tower), which punctuate the outer boulevards and recall the fortified past of the town.

Sisteron

The Royal Citadel, the Sentinel of the Rock

The name Salers resonates with gourmets far beyond its city walls. It refers to both an iconic breed of cow and an exceptional cheese.

The Salers Cow: Instantly recognizable by its mahogany coat, curly hair, and large lyre-shaped horns, the Salers cow is the emblem of the region. Rustic yet elegant, it is an integral part of the Cantal summer pastures.

Salers PDO Cheese: This Protected Designation of Origin cheese is a treasure of the terroir. Made only from April 15th to November 15th, when the cows graze on the fresh mountain grass, it is produced exclusively in a gerle (a wooden container) which gives it its characteristic floral and woody flavor.

Gentian Liqueur: Made from the roots of the great yellow gentian that grows on the volcanoes of Auvergne, this bittersweet aperitif liqueur is a source of local pride. A visit to the Maison de la Salers is essential to unlock all the secrets of its production.

Salers

Lava architecture – A city of black stone and slate

Sarlat is the undisputed capital of fine Périgord cuisine. Its twice-weekly markets (Wednesdays and Saturdays) are considered among the most beautiful and gourmet in France.

Périgord's Black Gold: Truffles: During the winter, Sarlat hosts its famous fresh truffle market (Tuber melanosporum). Local truffle growers trade these black diamonds with their captivating aroma, celebrated during the grand Truffle Festival in January.

Foie Gras and Duck with Character: At the tables of traditional inns in the historic center or at producers' stalls, duck and goose reign supreme. People flock there to savor Périgord foie gras, melt-in-your-mouth confit, dried duck breasts, and cracklings, precious testaments to centuries-old farming expertise.

Périgord Walnuts and Cabécou Cheese: Local gastronomy is complemented by Périgord Walnuts (AOP), available as flavored oil or in traditional cakes, and Cabécou, a small, creamy raw milk goat cheese. All of this pairs wonderfully with a glass of wine from the nearby Bergerac, Pécharmant, or Monbazillac appellations.

Sarlat-la-Canéda

The Medieval Heritage and the Lantern of the Dead

For over a century, Sedan was an independent principality, a haven of tolerance and erudition that left magnificent architectural traces in the old town.

The Princes' Palace (The Lower Castle): Built in the early 17th century by Prince Frédéric-Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne, this French Classical-style palace contrasts sharply with the austere medieval fortress. Its elegant courtyard, symmetrical pavilions, and tall windows evoke the opulence of the princely court.

The Protestant Heritage and the Temple: Having become a bastion of Protestantism in the 16th century, Sedan welcomed wealthy refugees from all over Europe (the Huguenots) who contributed to the city's intellectual prosperity. The large Neoclassical Protestant temple bears witness to this past fervor and the importance of its former military and theological academy.

The alleyways of the historic center: Strolling along the rue du Ménil or around the place de la Halle, the walker discovers superb houses of white and golden limestone, adorned with sculpted dormer windows and baroque architectural details.

Sedan

The Fortified Castle of Sedan, the Giant of Europe

The heart of Sens, encircled by wide, tree-lined boulevards that replaced the old medieval ramparts, invites you on a bucolic stroll through the centuries.

The House of Abraham (16th Century): Located at the corner of Rue de la République and Rue Jean Cousin, this sumptuous half-timbered house is the city's civic jewel. Its oak corner post is entirely carved with a Tree of Jesse representing the genealogy of Christ, a masterpiece of Renaissance craftsmanship.

The Labyrinth of Private Mansions: Wandering the cobbled streets, visitors discover magnificent bourgeois residences from the 17th and 18th centuries, built of brick and tufa stone, with heavy wrought-iron carriage gates that open onto secret winter gardens.

The Covered Market (La Halle Baltard): Opposite the cathedral, this superb 19th-century Baltard-style market hall, blending cast iron, brick, and glass, comes alive every week. It is the vibrant heart of Sens' convivial atmosphere, where local producers share their love of their land.

Sens

Saint-Étienne Cathedral, the World Cradle of Gothic Art

A former monastery of Augustinian canons founded in the 12th century, the site of Saint-Léger Abbey now houses the rich collections of the Soissons Municipal Museum.

The Cloister and the Romanesque Crypt: The museum is located in the very heart of the convent buildings. Visitors stroll beneath the vaults of the 17th-century cloister before descending into a mystical 11th-century Romanesque crypt, the only remaining vestige of the very first church.

The Archaeological and Historical Collections: The museum's galleries display treasures discovered during excavations in the Aisne Valley, retracing the history of the Roman city of Augusta Suessionum. A fascinating section is, of course, dedicated to the famous figure of King Clovis and the historical enigma of the Vase of Soissons.

The Paintings and Modern Art Collection: The museum also houses a remarkable collection of 17th and 18th century French and Flemish paintings, as well as a section of contemporary art and photographs depicting the wounds and reconstruction of the city.

Soissons

The Cathedral of Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais, the Luminous Gothic

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