Places amarionknh Wants to Go

Despite centuries of architectural innovation, this French castle is being built like it's the 13th century.

The 16th-century church was kept in its ruined state as a reminder of the casualties of World War I.

Figures of unknown origin carved into the surfaces of underground caves.

Underneath a chalk hill in France lies what Hitler hoped would be the underground launching base for a devastating new weapon.

A unique underground structure dating back to the 1st century BC.

The remaining relics of the patroness of Paris lie in a chapel under a striking double spiral staircase.

This futuristic observatory at the top of the Pyrénées offers unrivaled views.

This submersible road connecting a French island to the mainland is lined with safety towers for when the tide strands travelers.

A centuries-old complex of hand-dug stone chambers has sheltered locals in times of trouble.

The not-quite-incorruptible St. Bernadette is perhaps the most beautiful of preserved saints—with a little help from Paris.

The Church of the Annunciation was carved into the face of a cliff, just like the rest of the town of Haute-Isle.

A colossal sculptural lion built by the same man who designed the Statue of Liberty.

Bits of architecture from a town destroyed in World War I now decorate this hotel garden.

The personal library of the founder of modern neurology is open to visitors.

The spiral staircase hidden inside this giant Parisian column was likely built for Catherine de Medici's astrologer.

Twelve grave-faced marble angels guard the emperor's tomb at Les Invalides.

The remains of 40,000 humans, meticulously stacked in a tiny churchyard shed.

This crumbling, graffiti-covered mansion sits tantalizingly within reach of the proletariat who frequent a public park.

An abandoned beach resort in Normandy reclaimed by artists.

The water-powered carriages are long gone, but for over a century this funicular railway has been the fastest route to the highest point in Paris.

Since ancient times these picturesque springs have been providing bathers with healing waters.

The Sun King's military models, saved from the Louvre.

One of the world's most complex timepieces.

Statue of a decomposing prince that once held his heart in its hand.