Provence is often summarised in a picture of glorious lavender fields, which obviously come into full bloom from July onwards. The town of Valréas (84 Vaucluse, Provence PACA), also famous…

Grandcamp-Maisy Scallop Festival This small village of Grandcamp-Maisy (14 Calvados, Normandie) is transformed into a hub of scallop tastings, demonstrations, market stalls, and entertainment for the Scallop Festival 30 November…

From 1 July 2009 the French Government has lowered VAT (or TVA in France) on Restaurant meals from 19.6% to 5.5% in a bid to stimulate a sluggish market, which…

The town of Castelnaudry (11 Aude, Occitanie) celebrates its Fete du Cassoulet 16 - 20 August 2023 designed to reinforce its claim to be the birthplace of Cassoulet. - Castelnaudry…

Part of our series featuring places for a short stay in the in France we visit the Gers, South West France (32 Gers, Occitanie) Le Weekend in...Eauze Where to stay?…

The Somme evokes images of World War I and battlefields, but it has much more to offer. The magnificent Gothic cathedral at Amiens is well-worth seeing, although to my mind…

Licques Turkey Parade and Christmas Market (62 Pas-de-Calais, Hauts de France) Fete de la Dinde is held on 7 - 8 December 2024 between Calais and St Omer. Licques Christmas…

Chartres Christmas Market (Eure-et-Loire, Centre Val de Loire) runs from 6 - 24 December 2024 with the Village de Noël in the place des Halles The town of Chartres is…

Dijon is famed for its mustard (Moutarde de Dijon) and hence it comes as a shock to hear that the company Maille is closing its mustard factory in Dijon (21…

If you are a fan of the pungent Truffle then Lalbenque (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) south of Cahors in the heart of the Quercy Blanc is the place to head for…

Festival of the Wine Press In Chenôve (21 Cote d'Or, Bourgogne BFC) they celebrate the wine press from 19 September 2023 - Fete de la Pressée Some of the first…

The Salt Festival at Salies-de-Béarn (64 Pyrenees-Atlantiques, Nouvelle Aquitaine) is held from 12 September 2024 - see www.tourisme-bearn-gaves.com The name Salies comes from the "Sel" in the naturally ocurring saline…