Caught on a plateau between Reunion’s south coast and the primordial highlands of the Piton des Neiges, Le Tampon is a rural community with palm plantations and pineapple farms. The local scenery is pretty gentle, but Le Tampon is hemmed in by colossal landforms waiting to be explored on treks and drives and horseback rides. …
If Montbéliard in Doubs looks nothing like a French town it’s because it wasn’t actually French until the Revolution. Before that it had been in of the Duchy of Württemberg, and that German flavour is still obvious today. When the population swelled at the start of the 1600s Montbéliard was updated by a Swabian master …
On two hills in western France’s Deux-Sèvres Department, the town of Niort has a workmanlike reputation founded on its financial services. But if you take a closer look, Niort and the nearby Marais Poitevin region will win your heart. Holding sway over Niort’s old quarter is a medieval fortress from the days of Eleanor of …
In Provence’s Vaulcuse department, Carpentras is a town with something interesting or just plain adorable on almost every corner. It’s a one-of-a-kind town because it was the capital of Comtat Venaissin, a Papal Enclave that remained separate from France until the Revolution. An unusual thing about Carpentras is that it has always tolerated people of …
In northern France’s mining country, Béthune is a cultured town that has come through the turmoil of the 20th century with a lot of poise. Whether you’re a casual visitor or in town for the Christmas market, music festival or spring fair, the central Grand’Place will be your first stop. It’s a picture postcard scene …
A well-connected northern suburb of Paris, Saint-Ouen is famed for its flea market: The Marché aux Puces is absolutely gigantic, running on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, hosting thousands of stalls and pulling in more than 100,000 shoppers per day. Transport-wise Saint-Ouen is a dream, sitting right on the RER C and Line 13 of the …
Northwest of Paris, Colombes is a suburb with easy access to the centre. All around Colombes there are reminders of the industry that engulfed the area in the 19th and 20th centuries. These old factories and warehouses have since been turned into offices, shops and luxury apartments. Colombes has attracted high earners and the service …
In the foothills of the Vosges, Épinal is a historic town noted for its printing pedigree: There are workshops here that mass produced colourful woodcut and lithographic prints for hundreds of years. You’ll have a rare chance to see these old techniques in action at the Imagerie d’Épinal and browse a huge library of prints …
Up to the year 1678 when it was annexed by France, Maubeuge had been sacked and looted an amazing 20 times. So once the town was under French control Maubeuge became a fortified border town with walls designed by Vauban, who was Louis XIV’s decorated military engineer. Large sections of these walls, ditches, water channels …
Divided by the River Vienne, Châtellerault is a quiet town with more going on than meets the eye. On the right bank is a historic quarter of Renaissance townhouses where the philosopher René Descartes studied as a child. And across the river via the dignified 16th-century Pont Henri-IV is Châtellerault’s old industrial quarter. For 150 …