Unmissable Events, Exhibitions and Must-Visit Monuments this Summer

Stumped for things to do cet été?

Here is our round-up of unmissable events, exhibitions and must-visit monuments to keep you (and the brood) busy all summer long.

SKEDANOZ

The ethereal light and sound show is set to illuminate the Alignments of Carnac’s mysterious standing stones and shed light on its prehistoric builders on July 26, 27, 30 and 31. For more details go to www.ot-carnac.fr/skedanoz

MONT-SAINT-MICHEL

The abbey will lend its backdrop to a light show, Chronicles of the Mountuntil September 1. From 7.30pm to midnight visitors will be invited to wind their way through the monument bathed in the warm glow of Amaclio’s shimmering displays and eye-popping illuminations. www.abbaye-mont-saint-michel.fr/en

CHÂTEAU DE CADILLAC

The château in the heart of Gironde will play host to acclaimed photographer Bettina Rheims’s new exhibition Détenues (Detained). Featuring stark portraits of female inmates captured in their cells, the showcase seeks to restore women’s sense of dignity and identity in an inherently dehumanising environment. www.chateau-cadillac.fr/en

LES TOURS DE LA ROCHELLE

Fun and rather apt at the height of summer, the Tous å la Plageexhibition delves into the history of  – and 19^th-century craze for – the bains de merand charts the birth of the first seaside resorts.  www.tours-la-rochelle.fr/en

VILLA CAVROIS

Curious visitors will get to explore Villa Cavrois after dark on August 28, from 8pm until 9.30pm. Designed by architect Robert Mallet-Stevens as a “true modernist château”, the mansion in Croix was built between 1929 and 1932 and declared a protected historic monument in 1990. A fantastical lightshow will set every last nook of the modernist villa aglow, guiding visitors from one dazzling room to the next. www.villa-cavrois.fr/en

LES CERCLES CONCENTRIQUES EXCENTRIQUES

Felice Varini’s hypnotic projection in Carcassonne is best avoided if you’re prone to motion sickness. Dancing on the city’s castle and ramparts, the mind-boggling light installation is quite literally a sight for sore eyes. Until September 30. www.remparts-carcassonne.fr/en

CHÂTEAU D’IF

The former state prison, immortalised in Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo, charts its chequered history through the graffiti carved into its walls by generations of inmates in Un Amour de graffiti. From names etched in the stone to doodles, the exhibition will offer an insight into the lives of the ‘vandals’ who left their indelible mark on the fortress off the coast of Marseille. To bridge past and present, the monument will also showcase contemporary works and installations by artists Madame, Marie Chéné et David Poullard.Until November 4. www.chateau-if.fr/en