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…
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…
Saumur (49 Maine et Loire, Pays de Loire) Where to stay English/French family-owned Gite and B&B (Chambres d'Hote) - Le Bellevue on a vineyard run by Sarah-Jane Beaumont and her…
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…
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)…
1 July - 31 August 2016 Le Touquet (62 Pas de Calais, Hauts de France) hosts a Sand Sculptures exhibition at Le Touquet (les Sculptures de Sable) But this is…
Every summer the northern French city of Arras (62 Pas-de-Calais, Hauts de France) holds a major pop music festival - Le MainSquare Festival 30 June - 2 July 2023. The…
Avignon (84 Vaucluse, Provence PACA) is a Festival city with numerous festivals across the year adding to the many other reasons for visiting this Provencal City: The Garden Festival (Sous…
The town of Orange (84 Vaucluse, Provence ) in the heart of the Rhone Valley hosts one of the oldest festivals of music and opera in France (les Choregies d'Orange)…
It should come as little surprise really, but Normandy is a great destination for gardeners - with a milder climate than further south, the classic image is of lush green…
Alençon Le weekend in .....Alençon, Orne, Normandie Where to stay, where to eat, what to do, how to get there....... Where to Stay?? Château de Sarceaux B&B A B&B in…
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…
Le Havre (76 Seine-Maritime, Normandie) offers a variety of diversions over the Christmas season, the highlight of which is probably the Christmas Market in the square in front of Notre…
Dijon Christmas Market (Cote-d'Or, BFC) runs from 30 November - 24 December 2024Dijon's Christmas market at Place de la Libération and at the Place Darcy offers a village of stalls/chalets…
Besançon Christmas Market (Doubs, Bourgogne - BFC) runs from 23 November - 31 December 2024 in Promenade Granvelle - see www.besancon-tourisme.com Besancon the capital of Franche-Comté, has just been declared…
Lille Christmas Market has to be worth a trip - at any time of year Lille is worth a visit, with its Vauban Citadel, Grand Place and Vielle Ville (medieval…