All France

The Atlas Obscura Guide To France

735 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in France

Updated December 4, 2025
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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Aix En Provence
  2. Amiens
  3. Angles Sur L'anglin
  4. Angoulême
  5. Arles
  6. Arras
  7. Aubagne
  8. Auvers Sur Oise
  9. Bailleau Armenonville
  10. Bayeux
  11. Beaucaire
  12. Blois
  13. Bonifacio
  14. Bordeaux
  15. Boulogne Billancourt
  16. Chamonix
  17. Chartres
  18. Colmar
  19. Cricqueville En Bessin
  20. Dijon
  21. Douai
  22. Fleury Devant Douaumont
  23. Fréjus
  24. Grenoble
  25. Honfleur
  26. La Boulaye
  27. La Rochelle
  28. Lille
  29. Lyon
  30. Marseille
  31. Metz
  32. Montpellier
  33. Nantes
  34. Nice
  35. Paris
  36. Reims
  37. Rennes Le Château
  38. Rouen
  39. Saint Bernard
  40. Saint Denis
  41. Sainte Geneviève Des Bois
  42. Sainte Mère église
  43. Saintes Maries De La Mer
  44. Saint Germain En Laye
  45. Saint Jean Cap Ferrat
  46. Saint Malo
  47. Saint Ouen
  48. Saint Rémy De Provence
  49. Strasbourg
  50. Théoule Sur Mer
  51. Toulouse
  52. Villefranche Sur Mer

Unusual Attractions in France

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See All 735 Things To Do in France

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in France

See all 35 Places to Eat in France
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Explore France

Architecture 105
Architectural Oddities 68
Art 67
Sacred Spaces 66
Museums 66
Churches 54
Military 47
Statues 45

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Recent France Activity

Stories About France

Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.

How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire

Donning heavy wool skirts and hobnail boots, this intrepid explorer retraces the steps of legendary women adventurers.
by The Podcast Team
The rocky Revere Beach coast in Revere, Massachusetts, just outside Boston.

Which Places With Bad Raps Are Actually Worth Visiting?

Our podcast listeners defend their favorite places with bad reputations, ranging from laundromats to ... Sacramento, California?
by The Podcast Team
A raseteur makes an acrobatic leap to dodge a bull at the arena in Aigues-Vives.

A Friendlier Form of Bullfighting in the 'Wild West' of France

Straddling sport and spectacle, the <em>course camarguaise</em> puts humans and animals on equal footing.
by Alexis Steinman
Jeannette Beranger with a Poitou donkey, her favorite heritage breed.

What Makes Heritage Livestock So Important? AO Wants to Know.

Jeannette Beranger is on a mission to save America’s rarest farm animals from extinction.
by Andrew Coletti
Winds from the surrounding plateaus create an ideal environment for curing ham.

The Controversial Hams That Helped a French Cathedral Save Its Organ

A bell tower in the Saint-Pierre cathedral hides a meaty secret.
by Emily Monaco
Swaths of toxic land the size of Paris still cover much of France.

You Can Still Die From World War I Dangers in France's Red Zones

The Great War never ended in some old battlegrounds.
by Frank Jacobs
“Allow me to address to you / With my deepest tenderness / This beautiful fish, fresh and discreet / To which I have confided my secret,” says this April Fish card in French.

Why April Fools Day in France Involves Fish Pranks

It's a long and fishy history.
by Amelia Parenteau
Véronique and Anaëlle Fontanel hold their Hello Kitty set of fèves.

The Weird, Wonderful World of Collecting French Cake Figurines

Porcelain or plastic, Harry Potter or copulating couple, fèves come in all shapes and sizes.
by Emily Monaco

Lists Featuring France

Gustave Eiffel&#8217;s Secret Apartment
Exterior of the museum.
Diving suit by the Carmagnolle brothers from 1882

The 11 Best Places to Visit Near the Eiffel Tower for Curious Travelers

11

Including Gustave Eiffel's Secret Apartment , Musée du quai Branly (Quai Branly Museum), and Jules Lavirotte's 29 Avenue Rapp

Madaba Mosaic Map
The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling
Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

13

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium Globe

(Flickr/andreakw)
The bathroom
Some of the decorations include broken crockery that have been priced back together

11 Homes Transformed Into Amazing Mosaics

If you own your property, why not bedazzle it?

11

Including Wyckoff Street Mosaic, La Maison Picassiette, and House of Mirrors

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
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