France

Exclusive guide to the best holiday destinations in France, independent reviews from award-winning travel writers

Avignon at Christmas

17/12/2014This entry was posted in Avignon, Europe and Middle East, France, Newsletter, South of France and tagged on by .
marché Noël Ville dAvignon JP Campomar 8

Avignon celebrates catholic festivals the same way it celebrates its gastronomy and culture, with a genuine reverence for its past and a real enthusiasm for modernity. Next time you fancy a Christmas market with a soul, Avignon at Christmas is the place. 

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Languedoc wine tasting: B&B and Wine

07/11/2014This entry was posted in Europe and Middle East, France, Languedoc-Rousillon, Newsletter, South of France and tagged , , , on by .
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It was, it must be said, the perfect evening. Languedoc wine tasting with dark chocolate, a delicious regionally inspired dinner and then sleeping it all off in a 13th century chateau. Such is life these days in the Languedoc-Rousillon, a region reinventing itself from mediocre table wine producer into highly respected vintner of outstanding quality while at the same time embracing the tourism industry with arms open wide.

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A weekend wonder on the Calais Coast

27/03/2014 by .
wissant pano littoral

From his lofty perch some 53 metres up, Napoleon Bonaparte gazes across at what might have been. Back in 1804 over 100,000 men of his grand army stood alongside him right here at Boulogne sur Mer on the Calais coast poised to invade England.

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Walking the Camino de Santiago

30/01/2014 by .
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When I was walking the Camino de Santiago, my companion John was by all accounts not looking very well. To be fair, he had been walking solidly for the last two weeks and had completed nearly 500 kilometers. I suppose his generous girth and the fact that he had recently undergone bypass surgery didn’t help either.

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The Loire Valley: Enchanted gardens

16/01/2014 by .

Hotel Belles Rives. Juan-les-Pins

18/07/2013This entry was posted in Europe and Middle East, France, Hotel Reviews, South of France and tagged , on by .
belles rives

It’s 90 years since Cole Porter and F. Scott Fitzgerald took homes on the Cap d’Antibes, raised hell with their Hollywood friends and persuaded the glitterati the Côte d’Azur was the place to party in the summer.

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French Cookery Lessons: French Houseparty Style

23/06/2013This entry was posted in Carcassonne, France, South of France and tagged , , on by .
bread school

From filleting fish to spinning sugar, my 6 day “Gourmet Explorer” french cookery course at the French House Party near Carcassonne was a culinary delight.

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