Escalier Monumental Toulouse, Gers & Vallée Du Tarn

These 374 stone steps flow luxuriantly from place Salinis, behind Auch’s cathedral, to bd Sadi Carnot by the Gers River, over a drop of 35m. Scenic lookouts from this 1863 staircase overlook Auch’s lower town and the surrounding hills. Halfway up there’s a chest-puffing statue of Gers-born d’Artagnan, the 17th-century king’s guard immortalised in Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. There's also a modern installation by Catalan artist Jaume Plensa, with metallic lettering that tells the biblical story of the flood.