Step inside one of the strangest, most beautiful buildings in Paris: the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Frank Gehry’s glass-sailed art museum on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we trace the building’s origin story – from a fateful visit to the Guggenheim Bilbao, through a decade-long legal fight over a public footpath, to the robot-molded concrete and hand-curved glass that finally brought Gehry’s sketch of a fleet of sails to life in 2014.

The tour walks you from the mirrored water garden out front, through an intimate underground gallery, up past a glowing fish-shaped sculpture, and out onto rooftop terraces with sweeping views toward the Eiffel Tower and La Défense. Along the way, you’ll pick up practical tips on timed tickets, the best light for photos, and a quieter terrace most visitors miss.

We also cover where to eat nearby – the Michelin-trained kitchen at Le Frank inside the museum, and the relaxed garden terrace of La Terrasse du Jardin next door – plus nearby sites worth adding to your day, including the Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park, the rose gardens of the Parc de Bagatelle, and the Impressionist masterpieces of the Musée Marmottan Monet.

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Step inside one of Paris's most remarkable and underappreciated museums - the Musee de Cluny, France's National Museum of the Middle Ages, tucked into the Latin Quarter at the intersection of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Boulevard Saint-Michel. In this episode, we explore a building that is actually three places layered on top of each other: a Roman bath complex built around 200 AD, a stunning flamboyant Gothic mansion constructed by the Abbot of Cluny between 1484 and 1510, and one of the world's finest collections of medieval art. We walk through the ancient frigidarium - the cold room of the baths - with its fourteen-meter vaulted ceiling, and spend time with the extraordinary Pillar of the Boatmen, the oldest carved monument in Paris. We visit the gallery of the decapitated Kings of Judah, whose stone heads were lost during the French Revolution and not recovered until 1977. We move through galleries of Visigothic gold crowns, Limoges enamelwork, medieval stained glass from the Sainte-Chapelle, and rich tapestries. And we arrive at the heart of the museum: the circular room where six mysterious tapestries known as the Lady and the Unicorn hang in low light, their meaning still debated after five centuries. For food, we recommend Maison Cluny, the Michelin-listed bistro directly across from the museum garden serving classic French fare, and Le Reminet, a charming small restaurant near the Seine with inventive cooking in an intimate room.

Nearby sites to add to your visit include Notre-Dame Cathedral - now fully restored - the Sainte-Chapelle with its extraordinary floor-to-ceiling stained glass, the Pantheon with its burial vaults of France's greatest figures, and Shakespeare and Company, the iconic English-language bookshop on the Left Bank.

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In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we climb the Eternal Hill of Vézelay in Burgundy to explore the Basilica of Saint Mary Magdalene - one of the greatest Romanesque churches in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We trace the basilica's origins from a 9th-century Benedictine monastery to its peak as one of medieval Christianity's most important pilgrimage destinations, a starting point for the route to Santiago de Compostela and the site where crusades were launched. Along the way, we examine the extraordinary tympanum sculpture above the central portal of the narthex, walk the striped Romanesque nave with its hundred carved capitals, and step into the Gothic choir where the light transforms the space entirely. We explore the deliberate solar design that creates a path of light along the nave floor at the summer solstice, and recount the 19th-century restoration that saved the building from collapse - work carried out by a young architect who would go on to restore Notre-Dame de Paris. For dining, we cover Restaurant la Terrasse for terrace meals with a basilica view, Le Cheval Blanc for traditional Burgundian cuisine, Le Relais du Morvan for grilled meats and regional warmth, and Le P'tit V for local wines and cheese. We also highlight nearby destinations including the Gothic church and Roman baths in the village of Saint-Pere, the medieval fortified town of Avallon, the Morvan Regional Natural Park, and the Cistercian abbey of Fontenay.

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In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we explore the Abbaye de Saint-Gilles - a remarkable Romanesque abbey church tucked away in the town of Saint-Gilles in the Gard department of southern France, midway between Nimes and Arles. Though little-known to modern travelers, this site was once one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the medieval world, ranked fourth in all of Christendom behind Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostela. We walk through the extraordinary three-portal facade - a masterpiece of 12th-century Romanesque sculpture featuring a continuous narrative frieze of the Passion of Christ, apostle statues, and intricate scenes from the life of Jesus - and descend into the remarkable 11th-century crypt where the tomb of Saint Gilles still stands. We explore the legendary spiral staircase known as the Vis de Saint-Gilles, long studied and admired by master stonemasons on their apprenticeship tours of France. Along the way, we trace the legend of how the abbey was founded, the extraordinary pilgrimage culture it supported for centuries, and the violence and reconstruction that shaped the building you see today.

For dining, we mention the Domaine du Prieuré d'Estagel restaurant and the Café de la Gare for a casual lunch. Nearby sites covered include the walled city of Aigues-Mortes, the Camargue Natural Regional Park, and the Roman monuments of Nimes.

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Marseille, France: The Old Port (Vieux-Port) - 2,600 Years of Mediterranean History at the Heart of France's Oldest City

This episode of Walking Tour of France takes you on an immersive walk through the Vieux-Port, the ancient harbor at the center of Marseille - France's oldest city and one of the Mediterranean's great port capitals. Founded by Greek sailors from Phocaea around 600 BC, the Old Port has been the beating heart of the city through Roman rule, medieval crusades, the reign of Louis XIV, the devastation of World War II occupation, and a remarkable 21st-century cultural revival. The walk covers the full circuit of the harbor, from the Quai des Belges and its ancient Greek archaeological remains, along the north quay past the City Hall and the stunning MuCEM museum, across the footbridge to Fort Saint-Jean with its Knights Hospitaller chapel and terraced Mediterranean gardens, around the harbor mouth with views of the twin forts that Louis XIV built to keep his own citizens in check, and back along the south quay with the panoramic views of the harbor that have inspired painters for centuries.

For dining, the episode recommends Chez Madie Les Galinettes for traditional Marseille cooking with harbor views, Une Table au Sud for Michelin-starred southern French cuisine overlooking the water, La Caravelle for the ease of a jazz bar and terrace, and Les Buvards for natural wines and simple, honest food a few blocks from the port. Nearby sites covered include the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde with its extraordinary hilltop panoramas and sailors' votive offerings, the island fortress of Chateau d'If made famous by Alexandre Dumas, and the winding streets and museums of Le Panier, the oldest neighborhood in Marseille and in all of France.

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Step into Millau's remarkable old town, a place where medieval streets wind past Roman history, a 12th-century royal tower, a church that survived wars and rebuilding, and a centuries-old glove-making tradition that still lives today. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we stroll from the foot of the great belfry tower through the covered arcades of Place Foch, down the ancient lane of Rue Droite, inside the church of Notre-Dame de l'Espinasse, along the monumental 18th-century washhouse, and out to the banks of the Tarn to take in the old mill and the graceful arches of the Pont Vieux. Along the way, we discover how this small town in the Aveyron became the glove-making capital of France, how a 12th-century Aragonese king built his palace here, how the Wars of Religion left a beloved church in ruins, and how all of it endures today in cobblestone, stone vaults, and the scent of good leather.

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Stand beneath one of the most iconic monuments in the world -- the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we explore the grandeur of Napoleon Bonaparte's most ambitious architectural tribute, a monument commissioned in 1806 to honor his armies following the stunning victory at Austerlitz. We walk you through the breathtaking sculptures on its massive limestone pillars, including the legendary relief known as La Marseillaise by Francois Rude -- a work so powerful it inspired the face of the French national anthem itself. We pause at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the vault, where an eternal flame has burned every single day since 1923, and we ascend 284 steps to one of the most spectacular rooftop panoramas in all of Europe, looking out across the twelve avenues that radiate from this magnificent star-shaped plaza. Along the way, we weave in stories of Napoleon's wooden mock-up arch built for his own wedding, of a biplane that once flew beneath the vault, and of a flame that never went out -- not even during Nazi occupation. We also share the best spots nearby to eat, drink, and explore after your visit.

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Step into one of France's most extraordinary natural landscapes -- the Cirque de Mourèze, a 340-hectare amphitheater of soaring dolomite pinnacles in the heart of the Hérault. In this episode of Walking Tour of France, we wander through a geological marvel 160 million years in the making, where prehistoric peoples once sheltered among the rocks, medieval villagers built their lives in the shadow of stone towers, and today's visitors lose themselves in a labyrinth of formations with names like the Oracle, the Sphinx, and the Guardian. We'll climb to the sweeping panorama at the Courtinals park, slip through the narrow lanes of the ancient village, and discover the stories etched into every weathered pinnacle. Plus, we'll share what else to see and taste in the surrounding Hérault -- from the crimson shores of Lac du Salagou to the remarkable royal factory village of Villeneuvette nearby.

Visit NorthStarTravelers.com to explore our other podcast shows and browse gear recommendations for wherever your next journey takes you.