Capital of Poitour-Charentes towards the west of France, Poitiers is a university city with layer upon layer of medieval history to delve into. All you need is a bit of background and the many churches take on deep meaning as the queens, dukes and counts who ruled from this city come alive. There are loads …
World-beating wine and UNESCO-listed Roman ruins are on the menu in the small city of Orange in Vaucluse. The Theatre is one of Europe’s most spectacular Roman monuments, and you’ll be amazed by how much of this building is still in situ. There’s an informative little museum next door, and a short walk from the …
A major port for centuries, and France’s historic gateway to England, Calais hasn’t always been in the news for the right reasons. Many people rush by on their way to Paris or more picturesque places in northern France. But if you have an open mind there’s a lot to keep you occupied. The ever-present belfry …
Like many port around the world, Marseille long had a reputation for seediness and crime. And there’s still a scruffiness about the city today, which is no bad thing. It lends Marseille a rakish character and gives it an intoxicating dynamism and colour. You can see it all in neighbourhoods like Le Panier, Noailles and …
Covering the Atlantic side of south-western France, Aquitaine is vast, with a multitude of landscapes, places to visit and things to do. On the coast the sand goes on forever and is washed by rolling waves that attract surfers from far and wide. This is a world away from the Dordogne and its medieval castles …
On the French Riviera you’ll tread a path beaten by some of the 20th-century’s most illustrious movie stars and painters. There’s a glamour about the region that no destination in the world can equal. You’ll glimpse this on the promenades in Cannes and Nice, or at the Place du Casino in Monaco. Some of the …
Call it a cliché, but if you want to know the real France then it’s the small towns you need to visit. In the best ones you’ll get to know about local savoir-faire, culture, cuisine and industry. You can visit the wine-growing villages of Alsace, Burgundy or Gironde to see how the terroir, built environment …
France’s mountain ranges are a skier’s paradise, but it can be confusing working out which resorts are better depending on how experienced you are and whether skiing with children. You might also be keen on lots of activities away from the slopes, or are more interested in spending all your energy off-piste, in the snowparks …
It’ difficult to encapsulate the sheer variety in France’s Northern Regions, and how somewhere like Brittany can have such a different character to its neighbour Normandy. If you’re pondering where to go, this list may give you some holiday inspiration. There’s a mixture of famous cities with spectacular monuments, and old villages in which hardly …
Spreading over much of France’s Massif Central, Auvergne is a region of hills, mountain peaks, pastures and lakes. Many of Auvergne’s biggest landforms were once active volcanoes, and this volcanic rock has even been used as a building material for its medieval monuments. See the dark spires of Clermont-Ferrand Cathedral, or the basalt that decorates …