The Best Travel Routes Unesco World Heritage Sites Detailed Travel Atlas
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THE BEST TRAVEL ROUTES UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITES DETAILED TRAVEL ATLAS France is a country with a rich and fascinating past as well as a legendary art of living – its savoir vivre – which makes every day of travel in that country a special experience. Its regional diversity is amazing – from Brittany with its Celtic and Gallic culture and the romantic Alsace, via the bustling world city of Paris and the Cham- pagne region with its limestone landscapes, to the many enchanting châteaux of the Loire, as well as Burgundy with its great culinary traditions, right up to the high mountains of the Pyrenees and the Alps, which boast Europe’s highest mountain, and onto the fragrant Midi and the spectacular coasts of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. “Discover France” presents this mesmerizing European country in all its glorious variety. The first, more extensive section in the book explores the country by following the twelve “most scenic drives” – whether this be along the classic routes, such as the Via Turonensis pilgrim trail, or off the beaten track, such as through the Massif Central. To finish, the book contains detailed descriptions of the historic city centers, monuments and natural landscapes in France that have now been declared UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites. With informative texts, some 600 color photos, detailed route maps and a indexed France travel atlas, “Discover France” provides an extensive overview of the spellbinding diversity you can expect to find here, encouraging you to set off and explore its attractions yourself. Pages 2–3: The Eiffel Tower picture-postcard castle high seen from the Alexandre III above the lower Loire Valley. Seine bridge in Paris. This page: Italian joie de vivre Pages 4–5: The Château of can be felt in the Old Town of Saumur towers like a Menton on the Côte d’Azur. THE MOST SCENIC DRIVES Fortifications of Vauban 219 Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin 219 Route 1: Across the North of France 12 Amiens Cathedral 220 Route 2: Normandy and Brittany 30 Cathedral of Notre-Dame, former Abbey Route 3: The Champagne Region 44 of St-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims 221 Route 4: Through Burgundy 60 The Climats, Terroirs of Burgundy 222 Route 5: On the Road in Alsace 84 Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars 223 Route 6: Via Turonensis 98 Mont-Saint-Michel 224 Route 7: Limousin, Dordogne, Périgord 124 Le Havre 225 Route 8: Roussillon, the Pyrenees, Aquitaine 144 Palace and Park of Versailles 226 Route 9: Through the Massif Central 160 Paris, Banks of the Seine 227 Route 10: Côte d’Azur, Provence, Rhône-Alpes 174 Palace and Park of Fontainebleau 228 Route 11: The Mediterranean Coast 188 The Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire Route 12: A Tour of Corsica 206 and Chalonnes 229 Provins, Town of Medieval Fairs 230 Chartres Cathedral 231 UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE 216 Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d’Alliance in Nancy 232 Belfries of Belgium and France 218 Cistercian Abbey of Fontenay 233 The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier 218 Strasbourg, Grande Île 234 6 Vézelay, Church and Hill 235 Canal du Midi 250 Bourges Cathedral 236 Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne 251 The Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans 237 Pyrenees – Mont Perdu 252 Abbey Church of St-Savin sur Gartempe 238 Gulf of Porto 253 Vézère Valley, Prehistoric Sites and Pitons, cirques and remparts of Réunion Island 254 Decorated Caves 239 Lagoons of New Caledonia Historic Site of Lyon 240 Taputapuatea 255 Jurisdiction of St-Émilion 241 Historic Center of Bordeaux 242 TRAVEL ATLAS FRANCE 256 Episcopal City of Albi 243 INDEX ATLAS 432 The Causses and Cevennes 243 INDEX ROUTES 462 Roman Theatre and the “Triumphal Arch” PICTURE CREDIT/IMPRINT 464 of Orange 244 Pont du Gard 245 Arles, Roman and Romanesque Monuments 246 Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardèche 246 Papal Palace and Historic Center of Avignon 247 Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France 248 Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps 249 7 France’s Most Scenic Drives It would be a shame to stay in just one place when you’re in France – instead you should drive along its charming country roads and explore the country. The twelve routes described here range from a tour along the chic and urbane Mediterranean coast to degusta- tion and exploration in the Champagne, from a drive along the storm-battered Atlantic coast to a journey around the wildly romantic island of Corsica, from the Route Napoleon through the French Alps to the Route des Vins around the vineyards of the Alsace. Route 1: Across the North of France You perhaps need to look a little more closely than you would elsewhere but you do then realize that there are indeed a few gems to be discovered in this rather harsh landscape: romantic streams, forests, moors, nature parks, as well as a great deal of culture and history in towns with striking cathedrals and bell towers. The area of France between Lorraine and the Channel coast boasts a wealth of treasures, some of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. has more to offer than most peo- Frankish kingdom in 843. The tlefields and war cemeteries are Route profile: ple realize. The north does not presentday Netherlands, parts a sad and chilling reminder of Length: c. 1,300 km (808 miles), reveal its charms to everyone at of Belgium, Luxembourg and the darker days of Franco-Ger- without detours first glance, however; exploring the Rhine provinces all used to man conflict – particularly World Time required: 10–14 days this part of France needs to be belong to Lorraine and the state War I, the bloodiest battles of Start: Sarreguemines done at leisure. changed hands several times which were fought right here. End: Dunkerque Lorraine is just one of twenty-six during the course of its history. Traces of this turbulent history Itinerary: Sarre gue mi nes, Epinal, regions in France today but over In the 18th century Lorraine was are still to be found everywhere, Lunéville, Nan cy, Metz, Thionville, one thousand years ago, it was in fact even subject to a former such as in Metz, for instance, Arlon, Bouillon, Monthermé, a European state in its own right: Polish king before then becom- the capital of Lorraine. The town Char le ville-Mé zi ères, Lille, Dou ai, Lothringen, as Lorraine is known ing entirely French, only to fall has many churches, the origins Arras, Amiens, Abbe ville, in German, acquired its name in into Germans hands on another of which date back to Roman Bou logne-sur-Mer, Ca lais, the ninth century from Lothair two occasions before ultimate- times, while the 19th century Dun ker que I following the division of the ly forming part of France. Bat- left a legacy of Prussian build- ings. Of more disparate splen- dor is the city of Nancy, former- Given the diversity of its land- ly a royal seat and boasting city scape and its coastline, extend- squares of consummate artistic ing from the Atlantic to the Med- perfection that are testimony to iterranean, France is almost a the grandeur of the 18th century. mini-continent in itself. Visitors tend to head to the south of the Further to the north, near the country, of course, and so the borders with Luxembourg and north is somewhat unknown Belgium, the route takes you territory at times even to Fran- through a romantic landscape: cophiles. Undeservedly, though, the Ardennes, forested mountain for the landscape in this region ranges and river valleys. Nature 12 Above: Arras Cathedral was originally built at the end of the 18th century, in neo-Gothic style; during World War I, however, it was so badly damaged that comprehensive restoration and rebuilding works became necessary in the 1920s. The painting in the dome featuring the Passion of Christ was completed in 1933 by Henri Marret. Left: The Protestant Temple Neuf in Metz was consecrated in 1904 by German Emperor Wilhelm II himself. parks line the route before it de-Calais. Water, too, is of course line have always been greatly around a century ago has been heads west – to Nord-Pas-de- part of this landscape: marsh and valued by painters. The name retained to this day: Côte d’Opale Calais and the Picardie. Here in moorland areas can be explored given to this stretch of coast by – the Opal Coast. the north the proximity to Flan- in flat boats on canals or rivers, the painter Edouard Lévêque ders is obvious: both Lille and such as the Somme, its estuary Arras boast the Flemish façades a habitat for countless rare birds usually associated with Belgium. and as such it is subject to special A little farther to the south, in the protection. direction of Paris, is an architec- And then there’s the sea that tural gem waiting to be discov- here, too, gives the countryside ered, a true highlight: Amiens Ca- its very own character. There are thedral, a masterpiece of Gothic of course the industrial plants architecture. This stretch of the and large ports as well but you’re route, too, is multifaceted: the more likely to come across steep cathedrals are as much part of cliffs along the coast, even prop- the surroundings as the windmills er chalkstone cliffs like those on and the canals of Flanders. Not to the other side of the Channel in be forgotten are the bell towers England, visible from here with that are especially numerous and the naked eye.