France
A traveller's guide to architecture in France
From Roman amphitheatres to post-modern museums, each period of French architecture has left its trace on the country. But how do we unravel the story it tells?
Understanding what you see in its towns and cities makes a trip through France very rewarding. With so many distinctive local styles, cultural identity and local character change as you move from region to region. Every church, castle or villa you pass has a story to tell. Who lived there, when and why? Base yourself in French hotels deeply rooted into their surroundings and get busy discovering the rich layers of the country’s architectural past.
10 ways architecture reflects France’s history
Whether you're in Provence, Poitiers or Paris, remember to look up during your travels. You may glimpse a handsome façade, a stone carving or an ironwork balcony. Knowing a little about French architecture helps you forge a deep connection to the past – it’s right there, just above your head!
1. Classical architecture in France: standing the test of time
Arriving in France more than 2,000 years ago, the Romans added more than roads to the country’s landscape. They also brought concise classical design – an architectural style they themselves had stolen from the ancient Greeks. You’ll see this best of all when you’re holidaying in southern France; the great UNESCO-listed Théâtre Antique d’Orange and the vast amphitheatres in Arles and Nîmes are all still in use two millennia later. And don’t neglect the beautifully preserved Maison Carrée temple in Nîmes either. As well as the impressive three-tier spans of the Pont du Garde, Romans also left their mark in the theatres on Fourvière Hill in Lyon – once the capital of Gaul – as well as the Arènes de Lutèce and Thermes de Cluny in Paris.
2. Romanesque beauty – religious French architecture
When the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century, innovation stalled in France. Tribal infighting saw the repurposing of Roman walls and towers into fortifications, like those still wrapped around spectacular medieval Carcassonne (staying at Mercure Carcassonne La Cité puts you a 6-minute walk away). Then came the advent of Catholicism and a spate of religious French buildings like Cluny Abbey in Saône-et-Loire – all thick walls, narrow windows, rounded arches and massive vaulted roofs. You can see the same style in the imposing brick nave of Saint-Sernin Basilica in Toulouse, and in the trio of Romanesque masterpiece churches in Poitiers.
Architecture in France during the early Middle Ages was designed to honour God.
3. Gothic majesty – an explosion of architecture in France
Drive through northern France to see the best of Gothic grandeur in French architecture. In the 12th century, church walls suddenly became higher than ever, stained glass adorned the windows and spires reached up towards the sky. Paris saw the construction of spectacular Notre Dame – now reopened after the fire in 2019 – and the peerless stained-glass windows that still set the interior of exquisite Sainte-Chapelle dancing in sunshine. The soaring cathedrals in Chartres, Amiens and Rouen all share the same features – rose windows and flying buttresses, while the High Gothic fantasia of gargoyles and sculptures that is dazzling Reims Cathedral became the site of coronation of French kings.
4. Renaissance elegance – a period of wealth
Inspired by the flourishing of art in 15th-century Florence, the Renaissance arrived in France while the country was stable. Proportion and balance were again imposed on French architecture. If you’re holidaying in the Loire Valley, visit the stunning Renaissance-style châteaux that sprang up along the waterways: Chenonceau, with its elegant arches across the River Cher; Chambord, its design and double-helix staircase influenced by Renaissance guru Leonardo da Vinci; and Château de Villandry, known for its beautiful formal gardens. The Loire Valley city of Blois blossomed too; you can easily spot the blend of half-timbered medieval architecture with Renaissance townhouses in its historic centre. Want to explore its meandering streets? Book in at stylish Mercure Blois Centre.
5. The Baroque period – things get fancy again
Apart from the onion-domed steeples and lavish interiors of Savoie churches – the region often passed between Italian and French hands – Baroque architecture never really took off in France. There’s one notable exception: the Palace of Versailles, an homage to the vanity of Sun King Louis XIV. Put aside a day to explore its sheer flamboyance, the gilded interiors crammed with artwork and swathed in mirrors or marble. It’s surrounded by sculpture-filled water gardens and follies designed to amuse his bride, Marie Antoinette.
If ever a building told a story, it’s the Palace of Versailles; the ultimate symbol of royal extravagance, where the king lived a merry life as his subjects starved, eventually leading to the French Revolution.
6. Neoclassicism – back to ancient Rome
Following the revolution, ancient Roman ideals returned to architecture in France. Public buildings in Paris from this era include La Madeleine church, taking the form of a Roman temple, the colonnaded Palais de Justice and the noble Panthéon, with its graceful columns and massive dome resembling its counterpart in Rome. Across France, visit great cities like Bordeaux, Toulouse and Lyon to see how they adopted the precise symmetry of Greek architecture at their heart, laying out piazzas surrounded by Neoclassical theatres, mansions and civic buildings.
7. The Second Empire – a new Paris
During the regime of Napoleon III, architecture became about power and promoting France. Taking the best of Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic elements, central Paris was entirely redesigned in the mid-19th century by Baron Haussmann. It became the sophisticated enclave of sweeping boulevards that you stroll today, lined with grand façades like Opéra Garnier, the glass-and-steel pavilions of Les Halles and the vast Place du Carrousel outside The Louvre. The city’s barn-like railway stations – the Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon – came from this era of technological progress too.
8. Belle Époque – the Art Nouveau of France
At the turn of the 20th century, architects throughout Europe turned to nature for inspiration. Spot the Art Nouveau curves, flowing ironwork and ornate decoration taken from natural shapes – flowers, vines, butterflies – that adorn many métro entrances in Paris. However, to catch Belle Époque at its best, head for the Musée de l'École in Nancy, a former art school designed by Art Nouveau artists with an inspiring combination of stained glass, wood and ironwork. You can also admire the elaborate Belle Époque styling of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Riviera.
9. Art Deco – a geometric new style
After World War I, geometry replaced curves, and the clean, lean lines of Art Deco became all the rage; you’ll see it reflected in cinemas and apartment blocks across the nation. For fine examples of Art Deco architecture in France, check out the aquarium and the glamorous Casino Barrière in chic Biarritz, Nice’s angular, snowy-white Église Sainte-Jeanne d’Arc or the monumental Palais de Chaillot in Paris, built for the World Fair in 1937.
10. After War War II – the need to build quickly
Concrete ruled French architecture immediately post-war as rebuilding needed to be cheap, fast and functional. Think of Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse in Marseille. It was only later that designers began to push boundaries and employ new materials and bold design, best seen in ever-changing Paris districts like La Défense, a sweep of contemporary high rises, the anarchic Centre Pompidou (closed until 2030 for renovation) or the iconic Louvre Pyramid by I.M. Pei. So, the story of architecture in France continues…
Inspired by our guide to French architecture? Perhaps you’d like to explore the traboules of Lyon or see more grand architecture on a walking tour of Paris.
See more architecture in France with Mercure
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