Mer de Glace

The Renaissance quarter below Fourvière hill, a dense grid of cobbled lanes, courtyards and covered traboule passages between the Saône and the slope.

The nineteenth-century basilica on the hill above Vieux Lyon, reached by funicular, with a terrace view over the city to the Alps on clear days.

The indoor market hall of Lyon, with cheese, charcuterie, seafood and wine counters where you can eat on the spot.

A medieval abbey stacked on a tidal island off the Normandy coast, with a single spiral street climbing between houses to the church at the top. The bay has one of the largest tidal ranges in Europe, so the causeway, the light and the surrounding sand change completely through the day. Staying nearby lets you see it in early morning before the day groups arrive.

The Verdon river has cut a 25-kilometre canyon up to 700 metres deep through the limestone of upper Provence, ending in the reservoir of Lac de Sainte-Croix. Rim roads on both sides link a chain of viewpoints, while the floor is reached on foot by the Sentier Blanc-Martel or by kayak from the lake. Villages like Moustiers-Sainte-Marie make practical bases.

Chamonix sits directly under the Mont Blanc massif, with cable cars lifting straight from the valley floor to glacier level. In summer it is a hiking and climbing base with the Tour du Mont Blanc passing through; in winter it is a ski town with steep, serious terrain. The valley is walkable and reachable by bus from Geneva.