Rouen is a Norman city in a prime location between Paris and the port of Le Havre on the banks of the Seine. In medieval times this made the city a merchant’s paradise, and Rouen grew dramatically in the 14th and 15th centuries when traders settled near the Rive Droite and built themselves handsome timber-framed …
If you’ve ever wondered what a an Alsatian city might have looked like in all its medieval glory, Colmar is your answer. The old town has been left untouched for hundreds of years and looks like a theme park, except the timber houses and palaces are completely real and original. Go on a guided tour …
It’s no mystery that Tours is a favourite base for people discovering the Loire Valley’s exalted châteaux. Villandry, Chenonceau and Amboise are moments by car, and with the help of the Loire à Vélo network you can visit them on two wheels with ease. But you may find that if you delve a little more …
Winning fame as the closest beach to Paris, the seafront at Dieppe has a long line of 19th-century mansions and hotels from when sea resorts first became fashionable. The windswept pebble beach is invigorating in winter and promises classic fun in the sun in summer. But Dieppe is a lot more than a resort, as …
In the Belle Époque, Europe’s aristocracy fell head over heels for Menton, the last French Riviera resort before Italy. Queen Victoria stayed in 1882 and the Imperial Russian expat community was so big they built their own church. There are still lots of hints about this past, from the cemetery with the tombs of gentry …
“Venice of the North” sounds like an nickname that would be hard to live up to. But Amiens, with its floating gardens and pretty canal district, does a fantastic job. You could catch a barge and cruise through the Hortillonnages, historic farmland reclaimed in the middle ages from former marshes, or stop at a canal-side …
Encompassing a big swathe of south-western France, the Midi-Pyrénées is as varied as it is large. In the north you’re in the craggy limestone foothills of the Massif Central, while to the south the Pyrenees and its foothills provide some of Western Europe’s most invigorating natural landscapes. The revered Way of St. James courses through …
Narbonne as founded as “Narbo”, a Roman settlement on the Via Domitia that grew rich from sea trade via its natural harbour. You can get a feel for the splendour of Norbo’s Roman homes at the Archbishop’s Palace, where wall-paintings retrieved from ancient villas form the largest collection of Roman painting in France. The medieval …
Ancient Nemausus was a city on the Via Domitia, the first Roman road built in Gaul. Now, many hundreds of years after the fall of Rome the monuments constructed here in the 1st century are as good as new. The extraordinary amphitheatre is still used as a stadium for festivals, while the Maison Carrée is …
Japan is revered as being a destination that makes every type of traveler feel right at home. From big cities to quaint temples to adventure trails and snow slopes, Japan is a diverse landscape that does an incredible job at blending a modern lifestyle with ancient traditions. A trip here is sure to be one …