France Your Château Or Mine?

French châteaux range from imposing feudal ruins to the country homes of 19th-century industrialists. The greatest concentration is found in the Loire Valley , where the hilltop fortresses of Chinon and Saumur contrast with the Renaissance grace of Chambord , Chenonceau , and Cheverny . But the Loire has no monopoly on châteaux. At Versailles , you’ll discover an estate as big as the great Sun King Louis XIV’s ego. In Provence, you’ll be hard-pressed to decide whether the Palais des Papes in Avignon is a castle or a palace. Perhaps the most impressive château is the fortress of Carcassonne —a medieval citadel which still stands guard over the Languedoc. If you prefer more intimate, less touristed castles, head to the Route Jacques Coeur near Bourges .

Religion has also played its part, giving rise to a wealth of architectural gems. Paris’s Notre Dame is the most famous cathedral in France, but a more exquisite Gothic jewel is the nearby Sainte-Chapelle . The Gothic style of architecture first reached maturity in the majestic cathedral at Chartres , though several other medieval masterpieces await in Strasbourg and Reims . A more modern sensibility animates Le Corbusier’s postwar masterpiece chapel at Ronchamp .

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