Beziers (34 Herault, Languedoc-Roussillon) is another of those underrated French towns usually passed by on the autoroute - this time the A9 from the Rhone Valley down to the Spanish…
Information on domestic flights in France is not easy to come by, one reason being that Air France has such a dominant position in France and already have flights on…
In this environmentally-aware age, there are new considerations when planning your trip to France - the Eurostar probably is the winner London-Paris in terms of both time (city centre to…
The Telegraph(28 Mar 08) has been running a series on eating locally in the UK, both to be environmentally friendly and to discover quality food beyond the supermarket shelves. It's…
Marseille features in the Independent (22 Mar 08) as being one of the top 10 travel terminals in the World for its new airport terminal, but a brickbat for the…
The start of the cycling season in France is marked by the somewhat mis-named Paris-Nice race which runs from 3 - 10 March 2024 . Mis-named because although it does…
The Aude département (11 Languedoc-Roussillon) straddles the Autouroute des Deux Mers (A62) as it heads east from Narbonne towards Toulouse and eventually Bordeaux. The autoroute follows the flattish valley bottom…
Poitiers (86 Vienne, Nouvelle Aquitaine) is a bit of a contradiction - laden with history (such as the Battle of Poitiers in the 100 years war) and yet host (on…
The iconic Citroen 2CV (2 Chevaux or 2 horses or "deuch" or "umbrella on four wheels") was launched in 1948 at the Paris Motor Show and went on to sell…
The traffic in Paris is notoriously bad at any time of year so bringing a car is not a good idea. The Peripherique - Paris' Ring Road - is often…
Eurostar launched services from St Pancras International in November 2007 - and all services now start and terminate at St Pancras rather than Waterloo, which was the terminal since the…
The beautiful and elegant Viaduc de Millau designed by Norman Foster is a breathtaking sight in the middle of an otherwise little-known region of France. The stunning photograph here comes…
Most French autoroutes between major towns and cities are toll motorways, which whilst often offering fast and uncrowded dual-carriageways, can nevertheless add significantly to the cost of a trip through…
The Independent (25 Aug 07) has a short guide to Toulouse (32 Haut-Garonne) by Simon Calder. By far the largest city in the Midi-Pyrenees it is a mix of ancient…
ferry The term "Normandy Beaches" conjures up images of heroic landings in occupied France, and yet there is much more to the Normandy coastline than that. Normandy of course stretches…
For those of us accustomed to driving in France it is easy to forget how strange it seems to be driving on the wrong side of the road! This is…
Although there are basic autoroute "aires" every 10/15 kilometres (except where an autoroute goes close to a major town or city) these usually only have parking and picnic areas, basic…
The Telegraph (3 April 07) has an article enticing you to visit Lille (59 Nord, Hauts de France) Lille ticks all the French boxes - arty culture, handsome looks, stylish…
On 10 June 2007 French Railways opened the latest link in their high speed train network with the TGV Est Europeén which will link Paris with Reims, Strasbourg and points…
Jon Catt is an Englishman living in the Champagne region who offers guided tours in the region - and he offers some tips to get the best out of your…