Charleville-Mezieres

Charles de Gonzague laid out Charleville from 1606 around the Place Ducale, a large arcaded square of brick and stone pavilions with steep slate roofs, built by the same designer as the Place des Vosges in Paris, which it closely resembles. Arthur Rimbaud was born here in 1854, wrote most of his poetry before he was twenty and is buried in the town cemetery; a museum in the old mill covers him. Charleville is also the capital of puppetry, hosting a large international festival every two years, and the Grand Marionnettiste clock on the institute facade plays a scene from a local legend every hour, with the full sequence on Saturday evenings.

What you actually see

• Place Ducale - a large arcaded square of 1606 in brick and stone.
• The puppet clock - hourly mechanical scenes on the institute facade.
• The Rimbaud museum - the poet's town, house and grave.
• The Meuse loops - the river winding through wooded Ardennes hills.

When to go

April to October; the World Puppet Theatre Festival runs in September in odd years and transforms the town. The clock plays hourly year-round.

Honest expectations

Outside the festival the town is quiet and industrial in parts. The Rimbaud sites are modest. The puppet clock is brief and easy to miss if you arrive off the hour.

Nearby

Sedan lies east; the Ardennes forest is north.