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…

As you head down towards the Mediterranean, Aix is the perfect place to stop off. Visitors will be delighted by the colourful and vibrant street markets and the typical Provencale…

I can understand the attraction of fishing, but have never dabbled, always arguing that I do not have enough time to indulge in an activity which is so quintissentially time-consuming.…

Amanda Lawrence's new bookWhite Stone, Black Wine: focuses on part of deepest South West France, and although subtitled " Life Among the Ancient Vineyards of the Quercy Blanc" it is…

Mulhouse Christmas Market (68 Haut-Rhin, Grand Est) 24 November - 23 December 2023 Mulhouse Carnaval (68 Haut-Rhin, Grand Est) 14 -18 February 2024 - the city holds a Carnaval with…

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…

Brittany is so different from the rest of France, especially the departement of Finistere (29 Bretagne) which stretches to the “end of the world” and the most westerly points of…

Another major French spectacle takes place on 6 October 2024 with the annual professional cycle race from Paris-Tours in the Loire Valley. The race starts in the outskirts of the capital…

The Discovery of France by Graham Robb has proved to be a fascinating book on the history not so much of France as of the peoples of France. The book…

France always seems to be a little schizophrenic about new technology - rather backward and bureaucratic in some areas, yet at the cutting edge in others. France invented and rolled…

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…

If you happen to be in France in September/early October then you are in luck - most of the big supermarkets hold their annual Foire à Vins (Wine Fair) offering…

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…