France has always been keen on cycling - the annual Tour de France is probably the biggest cycle race in the world, covering over 3000km in 3 weeks each July,…

On 16 March 2024 the city of Poitiers (86 Vienne, Nouvelle Aquitaine) holds its colourful Carnaval (Carnaval de Poitiers) in the city centre. This year's theme is Pajama Party! Around…

Ay-en-Champagne (51 Marne, Champagne) is a small wine village just a few kilometres from the busy town of Epernay and the valley of the Marne. Its vineyards are classified as…

The city of Bordeaux has been voted European Best Destination 2015. Combined with its UNESCO World Heritage status and some great improvements to the City in recent years this all…

The village of Tourettes-sur-Loup (06 Alpes-Maritimes, Provence) celebrates violets with its Violet Festival (Fête des Violettes or La Violette dans tous ses états) which takes place 2 - 3  March…

Just south of la Rochelle the resort of Châtelaillon-Plage (17 Charente-Maritime, Nouvelle Aquitaine) on the Atlantic coast is an ideal location for a Kite and Wind Festival (Festival de cerf-volant…

For a feast of Violin music over the whole weekend, the town of Luzy (58 Niêvre, BFC) in the southern Morvan hosts a Violin Festival 16 - 18 February 2024…

The town and port of Cherbourg (50 Manche, Normandie) sits at the top of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy and is an important cross-channel ferry port with crossings from Poole…

2015 marks the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo. To commemorate the event, the Association of Dunkirk Little ships (ADSL) announced the return of more than…

The département of the Aveyron is better known for its wonderful scenery and dramatic valleys than high-brow culture. True, "high" art appeared a few years ago with the magnificent Millau…

The wine village of Vaux-en-Beaujolais is one of many pretty villages in the Beaujolais region of southern Burgundy. With gently undulating hills and stunning landscapes of this rolling vineyard countryside…

A new museum has opened in Lyon at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône Rivers, two of the major rivers of France: Musée des Confluences It is an interdisciplinary…

The Guardian (16 November 2014) reports that nearly 200 years after his death, some of Napoleon Bonaparte's belongings are being auctioned off! The objects, including bronzes and statues, were sold…

Chartres Cathedral The Guardian (20 December 2014) reports on a controversial restoration of the UNESCO listed Chartres Cathedral's interior which is being cleansed of centuries of dirt and grime (28…

In Autumn Mende (48 Lozère, Occitanie) hosts its Mushroom Festival (Toqués du Cèpe) 21 September 2024 Mushroom lovers assemble in the town to take part in this great gourmet celebration…