As part of a drive to invigorate an otherwise overlooked and under-resourced area of France, a branch of Paris' iconic Pompidou centre (Museum of Modern Art)is opening in the north…
The birthplace of Impressionism, Normandy has already hosted four editions of the “Normandie Impressionniste” festival. Rouen (76 Seine-Maritime, Normandie) and the Seine Valley, have been important with their shared past…
To mark the end of Lent, the town of Vitré (35 Ile et Villaine, Bretagne)on various dates between 9 March and 6 April 2024 holds a funfair and 2 parades…
Arles has strong connections to Vincent Van Gogh who spent 15 months of his most productive period in the town; There is a new museum dedicated to Van Gogh opened…
We tend to connect Brass Bands with gritty northern towns in the UK, but by way of contrast the town of Limoux (11 Aude, Occitanie), south of Carcassonne. is hosting…
Paris is a city full of culture and is home to some of the most recognisable tourist attractions in Europe – including the Eiffel Tower, the cathedral at Notre Dame…
The town of Albi (81 Tarn et Garonne, Occitanie) holds its annual Carnival celebration from 10 - 25 February 2024. Albi is perhaps best known for its pink brick Cathedral,…
One of the most important and well-known gardens in France - Villandry Gardens at Chateau de Villandry (37 Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire) has gone organic. No more synthetic seeds, chemical…
To celebrate the 75th birthday of Brigitte Bardot (born 28 September 1934) there is an exhibition about her years of innocence (carefreeness) "les années insouciance" at the Musée des Années…
The Minervois region of the Languedoc holds a major wine festival in Bize-Minervois (11 Aude, Occitanie) in the Autumn Tastes en Minervois 1 - 2 September 2018 - see www.leminervois.com.…
With such easy access from the UK by road or Eurostar, Lille (59 Nord, Hauts de France) is a must to visit all year, and remains one of my favourite…
The winemakers of Banyuls (66 Pyrenees-Orientales, Occitanie) celebrate the local wines with a wine fair (Banyuls wine festival) on 7 October 2023 An unmissable wine-themed rendezvous involving encounters with winemakers,…
Vichy (03 Allier, ARA) celebrates its Napoleon III Festival (Vichy Fête Napoleon III )- 14 - 16 June 2024 Le Lac d'Allier, Vichy Vichy has been tied to the Bonaparte…
Our occasional series of articles using local knowledge to help you get the best out of a visit to different parts of France - the Segala le segala logo The…
The town of Luchon (31 Haut-Garonne, Occitanie) (also known as Bagnères de Luchon) in the middle of the Pyrenees celebrates its annual Luchon Flower Festival (Fete des Fleurs) 25 -…
Most of us hit the autoroute as soon as landing (or de-training) in Calais (62 Pas-de-Calais, Hauts de France) and heading South (or East), the most frequent diversion being for…
Amiens Cathedral I have in the past been somewhat dismissive of the city of Amiens (80 Somme, Hauts de France) largely because an enforced winter stay in the city when…
A Brittany Jazz Festival - There is a whole week of great jazz playing through the streeets and parks of the city of Vannes (56 Morbihan, Brittany) on Brittany's south…
The gothic cathedral of St Etienne at Bourges (18 Cher, Centre -Val de Loire ) is one of the most impressive in France, surrounded by the medieval streets of the…
UNESCO has just announced that it has extended recognition of the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans to include the Great (although presumably not Royal) Saltworks of nearby Salins-les-Bains (25 Doubs, BFC)…