France architecture

Many things can shape a city—its culture, history, social life, or food scene. But perhaps the most distinctive feature would be architecture. Some buildings can completely fascinate you with their astonishing design and pure aesthetics. Through careful urban planning and understanding of the cultural background, the structure of a city can carry you through time while still leaving you in a very particular place.

Weekend Links Week Eight features a winemaker's guide to the South of France, Apollonia Poilâne's croissant recipe and more.

Architecture is meant to fulfill both practical and expressive requirements, and thus it serves both utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. When you look at a structure, you can distinguish these two ends but they cannot be separated, and the relative weight each of them carry can vary widely. Plus, every society has its own, unique relationship to the natural world and its architecture usually reflects that as well, allowing people from other places to learn about their environment, as well as…

Every now and then, we hear about funny architectural fails where lack of taste meets poor aesthetics and greets atrocious execution. Check out our previous features with such examples here, here, and here.

Book your tickets online for Arc de Triomphe, Paris: See 37,365 reviews, articles, and 22,880 photos of Arc de Triomphe, ranked No.14 on TripAdvisor among 1,394 attractions in Paris.

“Aesthetic art. Paris”

This guide to the best area to stay in Paris will help you choose the right place for your personal style and preferences. Read on to find out how.