France

General Info

October 2019

Dining in France is a ceremony. Have a terrine or specialities like snails or foie gras as starter. Main dishes are usually served with any style of potatoes. Coq au vin, rabbit or a tender Charolais beef steak, bleu or à point. The Atlantic coast is famous for sea-food; oysters, lobster, shrimps. Moules frites are very popular and cost little money. Have a cheese platter followed by a mousse au chocolat as desert. Accompany your meal by a bottle of French wine. There's always a selection of housewines available which can be ordered by glass or pitcher. If you order multi-course menus, you'll end up much cheaper than ordering à la carte, and you still have the choice between different dishes. Breakfast is usually not included in the room rate. 10 EUR or more is charged per person, so you better have a coffee and croissant at a café. However, it might not be easy to find one before 9 a.m.

France has an extensive railway network. Travelling by train, especially by TGV is not cheap.

...spend at least two hours on a meal when dining out.

Paris

When arriving in Paris buy a multiple day metro ticket. You get anywhere by metro. Highlights of the capital are Tour Eiffel, Notre-Dame, Louvre, Sacré Coeur, Arc de Triomphe, Centre Pompidou. Quartier Latin and Montparanasse are good to stroll around and spend the evening hours. River Seine is meandring through the city. A recommended excursion from Paris is Versailles. Hotels: Saint-Pierre (6th Arrondissement), La Notre-Dame at metro station 'St.Michel Notre Dame'. Eating out in Paris can be disappointing. Don't expect excellent French food in touristy places.

Lyon

A Mecca for fine food. Dine out at the old town or at Rue Mercière. Buy a City Card at the tourist office at Place Bellecour. This includes entrance in most of the museums, travelling by public transport, a boat ride and audio-phones. The public network is excellent. Don't miss musée de Confluences, an interesting exposition about natural sciences inside a space ship kind of a building. Needless to say that you are going to the popular viewpoint of Notre Dame de Fourvière. Have a look inside the basilica.

Alsace

Medieval towns, vineyards, castles, good and proper food and a mild climate. Have a glass of Gewürztaminer, Pinot Gris or Muscat in a square surrounded by half-timbered houses before deciding where to go for dinner. Try choucroute and fish, an unusual speciality.

Is a real gem, small and neat, most characteristic city of Alsace. Sites of interest are: Cathedral St.Martin, Maison Pfister, Maison de Têtes, Ancienne Douane and Little Venice. Spend your time in the street cafés at Place de la Cathédrale, Rue des Marchands or Place de l'ancienne Douane. Hotel Kempf centrally located at Place Rapp is just ok.

A small medieval town in the vineyards. It's partly surrounded by city walls. During daytime it is overflown by tourists. Walk through the vineyards, enjoy the silence and have a look over the villages in the Rhine plain.

The biggest city in Alsace. It's at the river Ill. Sights are the huge Cathedral and Petit France with its dams and river-islands.

Brittany

Beaches, cliffs, sea-resorts and towns with timbered houses. Brittany is worth the long journey to get there. Bretons live at the sea. They sail, paddle, fish. Take your time to explore the shore at low tide as well as when it's high. Walk on the mud flat when the water is low. Wander along the cliffs. Have sea-food for dinner.

There are many islands in the bay of Morbihan. One of the bigger is called Ile aux Moines which can be explored by bicyle. Menhirs, megaliths and dolmen are dotted all around. Famous are the fields outside of Carnac. Quiberon is a beach resort with everything included.

Benodet has fine sandy beaches. Absolutely worth is a visit of the isle of Concarneau which is surrounded by a hughe wall. Quimper's cathedral and the small alleys with its old timbered houses are attracting hordes of visitors. Pointe du Raz is the most visited cape of the west-coast. Experienced hikers can walk on the cliff to the very end.

The city has been bombed during World War II. It is modern and lively and absolutely worth a visit especially for those who are full up with churches, old houses and tourists.

A phantastic coast with cliffs of red stone providing all kind of shape. Islands which can be explored by foot during low tide. A paradise for sailors, SUP paddlers and all kind of water sports.

Maybe the most interesting of all towns in Brittany. Narrow alleys, a wall surrounding the old town and a river far below.

The old town is built on an isle and surrounded by a massive wall. Saint-Malo has been rebuilt after World War II according to its original building plans. Somehow too much touristy.

Burgundy

Is the place for dining out, especially at rainy days in autumn. Enjoy various courses having foie gras, rabbit, coq au vin, tasty steaks of Charolais beef. Burgundy is one of the most famous vine regions in France. Try it's Pinot Noir from Santenay, Volnay, Pommard.... Taizé is a huge camp where young christian fellows meet each other. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims go there every year for a few days of meditation. Recommended is a journey by car or bicycle through the vineyards south-west of Beaune. Rochepot is a castle such as they exist in phantasy land. Nolay is a charming little town.

Main attraction is its cathedral which is built on the highest elevation of the city. There is a roman theatre and a rather bizarre roman pyramid somewhat outside of the city. Maison Sainte Barbe is a B&B close to the cathedral. It's a museum rather than a guesthouse. For 64 EUR (double) you sleep in a canopy bed and have breakfast at the fire. Restaurant Le Chateaubriant is one square further down from the theatre. It is highly recommendable. Try it's terrines.

Hôtel-Dieu is an ancient hospital, famous is it's flamboyant roof furnished with dozens of attics. There is a huge hall with two rows of beds directed to an altar. Don't miss the famous painting of the Last Judgement. Dame Tartine is a restaurant at rue Nicolas Rolin. You get a four course meal for 15 EUR. At 7:30 pm all tables are occupied and nobody has finished their meal before 10 pm.

..is a busy city, not too big, not too small, charming and offering quite some sights, most of interest is Notre-Dame with all it's waterspouts on the front facade. There's a few cosy plazas where you can sit outside of the restaurants and have a café or a glass of wine. Recommendable is Hostellerie Le Sauvage. It is centric at Rue Monge opposite Place Emile Zola. The Hotel is located in a patio. Rooms are quiet and cost 50 EUR (double).

Champagne

Famous for its narrow alleys and timbered houses. Its old town has the shape of a champagne cork.

Côte d' Azur

The region where the Alps hit the Mediterranean sea. There's not much space left between mountains and sea. There's a few spectacular viewpoints from where you can see the urbanized coast-line and the deep blue sea. Living costs are higher than anywhere else in France but that's just ok for those who live there. There's some medieval towns like Eze which are built over the cliffs. St.Paul is a picturesque small town spread with artist's workshops. A place to buy paintings. Marc Chagall rent a tomb in St.Paul's cementry.

Perfectly situated on a peninsula. There's a fortress and an old town with narrow alleys.

It was a rainy stormy day when I was there. There was no strolling along the sea promenade....and not much to do and see.

Fascinating how the city is built into the rock. Unbelievable that they can even provide a Formula I race track. You might even call it Hong Kong of the Mediterranean. There's quite some traffic in the narrow streets. To get a breath go to the castle hill from where you have a nice view over the port. The famous casino is a sophisticated art nouveau building.

...is very busy. On it's city beach you can recover even in winter-time. The contemporary museum provides quite a large collection Nikki de Saint Phalle's oeuvre.

Expectations were too high. First of all there's an immense paring area which blocks the access to the sea. The port is not that big. And there's about 3 or 4 street cafés at the main plaza in front of the port. That's it. No celebrities. A few yachts. The old town and its small alleys with access to the rugged coast is fairly romantic. Louis de Funes police office is still existing and hasn't changed since.

Franche-Compté

Calm and rural area close to Switzerland. River Doubs and its affluents maeander through the valleys which are flanked by limestone rock. Interesting is the valley of the Loue, a river which escapes from a gorge at the end of the canyon.

..river Doubs forms a natural border around the city. The part which is not bounded by the river is a rocky hill with a fortess on its top, from where you have a fantastic view. Beçancon is not very busy, even less at night.

Painter Gustave Courbert adored his town. Nowadays it is traversed by a busy road. The row of houses along river Loue reminds slightly at Venice, ....slightly. To be visited is the table mountain which bounds the town with a madonna statue on its top which is completely flat. Freeclimbers exercise on the vertical rock.

Loire

Amboise and Blois are cities on the Loire from where you can do day excursions to the castles. The cathedral of Bourges has a stunning nave. Another impressive cathedral is the one of Chartres. Its window paintings are unique. Following castles are of interest: Chambord is one of the most recognizable castles in France. It's said that its double-helix staircase has been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Chenonceau is a romantic castle set on river Cher. Chaumont hosts a bizarre garden with outstanding plays of waters. There's Noah's ark furnished with plants instead of animals. The exposition in the garden might only be temporary. Cheverny contains a rich interior decoration.

Normandie

One of the most famous sites in France. A rock with a cathedral on top emerging from a sandy flat during low tide or being an island when the tide is high.

Provence

First of all driving south along 'Autoroute du Soleil' through a province scattered with cooling towers of atomic plants, there's not much of a paradisiac region. So on our last trip, we took the route via Annecy, Grenoble, Aix-en-Provence. Cities like Avignon, Orange, Arles are worth a visit and of course Marseille a melting pot where people of different civilizations come together. Pont du Gard is probably the most famous viaduct of the Roman culture. Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a pleasant little town at the sea from where you can take excursions to the swamplands of the Camargue by horse or take boat trips on the river delta. Tons of mosquitos and mistral a strong chilly wind from the north might make your stay unpleasant. The calanques east of Marseille are an eldorado for hikers, climbers and water lovers.

Cours Mirabeau with its trees, fountains and street cafés is the heart of this city.

Participate at a bullfight in the roman arena. Bulls are not killed, not in the arena.

The famous bridge of the song 'Sur le pont d'Avignon' is not usable anymore, it ends in the middle of river Rhone. Maybe you can dance on it. There's a festival of theatre during July with lots of performances on the streets and plazas. An important sight is the Palais des Papes. Avignon was headquarters of the popes during the 14th centurary.

Cassis is a very picturesque small town with an old port surrounded by restaurants and bars. Enbedded in a rocky coastline. 200m high cliffs and bays like Fjords in the west and even higher cliffs in the east of the town. Lots of hiking trails connecting Marseille with Cassis and La Ciotat. For those who prefer to move in a more convenient manner travel the Route des Crêtes by car.

Its Vieux Port is padded with yachts. Above the jungle of masts enthroned the basilica Notre Dame de la Garde. Other points of interest are the Cathedral, quarter Panier with its graffitis, bohemian Cours Julien and the park with Palais du Pharo.

Savoie, Haute Savoie, Isère

La Savoie is the province of Mont Blanc (4810m), the highest mountain in the Alps. A paradise for mountain lovers and skiers. Isère is a department further south, also dotted with peaks. Grenoble is the capital.

Located at a lake about half an hour drive from Geneva. Its old town is very picturesque. One restaurant next to the other along small passerelles at river Thiou.

Has a small old town with castle. Somewhat exotic is the fountain with its four elephants.

A perfect basis for hikes to nearby peaks. It is a posh Alpine destination such as Zermatt and St.Moritz at the feet of Mont Blanc. Have a 'Pavé de Beuf' at 'Le Bivouac' after a demanding hike.

It's a nightmare arriving at Saturday afternoon by car and trying to find a parking lot close to the city center. Apart from this, Grenoble is a friendly but lively place with lots of young people flocking the bars and restaurants. Landmark is the cableway leading to the fortress above the city and river Isère.

A small town to stay over night. A basis for hikes at the Bornes and Aravis mountains.

Links

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Window - St.Paul

Colmar

Hospice de Dieu - Beaune

Capricorn - Savoie

Paris

Eating out - Lyon

House on isle - Brittany