The romantic city of Paris, France’s capital, entices 45 million tourists each year to see its wonderful parks, architecture, iconic landmarks and sample some of the finest food the world has ever seen. Also being known for being one of the fashion capitals of the world, it boasts one of the most recognised streets, the Champs Elysees, which is lined with fashion boutiques such as Yves Saint Laurent, Armani, Chanel, Christian Dior and many more.

As far as landmarks go Paris is difficult to beat. There is the Arc de Triomphe, Assemblee Nationale, Arenes de Lutece, Notre Dam Cathedrale and of course, the icon of the country; the Eiffel Tower. For artworks and museum artefacts, head to the Sacre Couer, Le Louvre and the Centre Georges Pompidou. There are so many fascinating attractions and cultural delights in Paris that a tour guide or at least a tourist’s pass is one way of trying to see them all.

Paris is a dynamic city that is always on-the-go. There is always something happening from festivals, music concerts, tennis or rugby tournaments, fashion week, and many parades. Every weekend sees flea markets and locals selling their wares, giving a fantastic opportunity to buy souvenirs and gifts.

For the foodie, there is no better place on Earth to get your culinary fix than in Paris. Top chefs from around the world cut their teeth in Paris, learning the ways of rural French cooking as well as high-class, fine-dining cuisine. While some may say that Lyon produces more exquisite food, the Parisians push boundaries when it comes to kitchen work and produce seafood, broths and delicious pastries and so much more. Sea snails, venison, boar, mussels and oysters are regulars to the menu, and are combined with expensive ingredients such as saffron, gold flakes or truffle to top it off.

Get to Paris is comfort with a National Express Coach. Staring from your local pickup the coach will take you to London where you change to National Express’ sister company Eurolines who will take you direct to Paris.

photo credit: benoit.darcy

Traveling to Paris in the summertime?  You may be surprised to discover that Paris now has beachfront property!  Paris Plage, an annual summer event that began in 2002, turns the banks of the Seine into a real beach party complete with sand, water, music, sports and good times.  Both city-bound Parisians as well as tourists come to soak up the sun and the lively atmosphere that is part of this 4-week festival that starts in mid-July.

How do they do it?  The city starts by blocking off the banks of the Seine to all automobile traffic.  Then trucks arrive hauling in 2,000 tons of fresh, soft sand which gets spread along the asphalt roadway. After the sand come the palm trees, the parasols, the deck chairs and loungers; a specially-constructed swimming pool (which stays in place only for this event), water misters and spray showers.  For those who don’t wish to lounge in the sun, a variety of sports opportunities are available: climbing walls, fitness classes, mini-golf, fencing, a fishing area…everything one could hope for in a seaside resort, right in central Paris!  In all, three and a half kilometers of prime beach land are set up, awaiting the happy sun-worshipers and anyone who wants to come and enjoy this amazing and unique installation.  And because no French activity is worth much without food or drink, a choice of snack bars and ice cream stands can be found on site.  Pull up a chair, pour yourself a refreshing pastis and get ready to people-watch!

This year, Paris Plage plans include concerts and other musical events, dance classes should you wish to learn to tango, salsa or chachacha, and workshops for children where they can learn mask-making, T-shirt painting, or do some science experiments.  For the adults, there is a special “spa” space where you can get a massage.  The square in front of Paris’ city hall will be turned into a volleyball court (with sand covering the current cobblestones) and you can participate in pétanque, or lawn bowling tournament along the riverbanks.  Forgot your book?  You can rent one from the Paris Plage library for 1€, and laze away the afternoon reading in one of the specially-installed hammocks.

Paris Plage details

Paris Plage is situated between the Tuileries gardens (near the Louvre) and extends east towards the Pont Henri IV.  It is open July 20-August 19, each day 8:00am until midnight.  Paris Plage is a free event.

Paris travel websites

Paris Tourism
Cheap Paris hotels

photo credit: e-MagineArt.com

There is one common trend of all holidays to France and that is a trip to the “city of lights” Paris. Paris is the capital of France and is the number one tourist destination in the world. With more tourists visit Paris than any other city in the world you can be assured there are a ton of attractions to be seen and photographed.

When people think of Paris one object pops into everyone’s mind, and that is the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the 1889 World’s Fair and for many years it was the tallest man made structure in the world. Every year millions of tourists wait in long lines to catch a lift to the top of this magnificent structure. Once at the summit, the time you spent waiting in line becomes worth it, you are spoiled with view of Paris that is like none other in the city.

Of course we can’t talk about Paris without taking a quick moment to talk about the many extraordinary museums that the city is blessed with. The Musee Rodin, the Musee d’Orsay and of course the Musee du Louvre, all offer breathtaking pieces of art that would even leave non art loves speechless. For a complete list of the Paris museums and for useful tips visit Paris France.

If you are looking for something a little more exciting, try to be in Paris for the final day of the Le Tour de France. Le Tour de France is the most well known bicycle race in the world and it attracts huge crowds from around the world. For more exciting attractions and fun things to do visit Paris Attractions.

After a fun filled day of activities and attractions you will need a place to recharge your batteries and Paris has no shortage of five star accommodations. To find a hotel by district or to find a hotel near a landmark visit Paris Hotels.

Grab Flights to New York with CheapOair.ca

photo credit: Fiseha Hailemichael

A wine-lover’s paradise, Bordeaux is a grand city on the Garonne River which was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.  With its good weather and proximity to the beaches and vineyards, Bordeaux draws visitors to its city year-round.  Long reputed to be a bit stuffy and old-fashioned, Bordeaux has reinvented itself through a series of urban renewal projects as a vibrant and youthful metropolitan hub.

There are a variety of ways to visit the city:  guided bus tours, bicycles for hire, a little tourist train or simply on foot.  Sightseeing points of interest begin with the Grand Theatre, (place de la Comédie) constructed in 1773 and renovated to a pristine shine recently.  A monument to Classical style with its Corinthian columns topped with statues of the 12 muses, this opera house is worth a tour to view its gilded interior.

Trade is what made Bordeaux a wealthy city, and there are plenty of high-end boutiques such as Hermes, Longchamps and Louis Vuitton in the city centre known as the Golden Triangle (cours de l’Intendance, the cours Georges Clemenceau, and the allées de Tourny ).  Along with its world-class restaurants, among them the highly-esteemed Restaurant Jean-Marie Amat, Bordeaux rivals Paris in culinary and shopping venues.  But people come to this region for the wine.  800 million bottles are produced annually in this region and there is a large choice of tours available which will take you out into the area’s chateaux and vineyards where you can sip the day away.  Contact the Maison du Vin or the tourist office (12 cours du XXX Juillet) in Bordeaux to set up a tour.  Over 20 specialized visits are available, from the simple tasting to a day-long visit to several vineyards and including a gastronomic meal.

There are many interesting museums in Bordeaux where you can learn about the rich history of the region.  Vinorama is a good place to start with its audiovisual displays; the Bordeaux Wines Museum is another excellent resource for oenophiles.  The Musée de l’Aquitaine explains the history of Bordeaux and the Aquitaine region from its prehistoric times to today.

Head to the Place Gambetta for dining and shopping. Created in the 18^th century, this elegant square is surrounded by homes in the style of Louis XV.  This area marks the beginning of the centre’s pedestrian-only zone at the Porte Dijeau. Not only ideal for dining, the Place Gambetta is peaceful spot with two ponds, a pretty green space, benches and shady trees.  A good place to stop and observe the splendid architecture here.

After a long day in the vineyards, why not try a spa treatment, one based on local products?  Caudalie products, made with crushed grape seeds and wine extracts, are used at Les Sources de Caudalie (Chemin de Smith Haut Lafitte, Martillac); a spa and hotel just outside of Bordeaux.  A luxurious way to take advantage of all the benefits the grape offers, without the calories!

Is Your Mum a Wine Lover?

Follow the link above for information about how to treat your mum to a wine tasting holiday that she will truly never forget.

Travel resources for Bordeaux

Berrychone Bed and Breakfast In France – Berrychone is located just 1 mile off the A20 autoroute, Exit 19, close to Argenton-sur-Creuse, we provide warm, comfortable accommodation at an affordable price.

Rent a chateau in France – Rent a manor house near Bordeaux.

photo credit: Frankensteinnn

Chamonix and Annecy

The French Alps attract holidaymakers year-round with mountains that offer some of the best skiing in the world as well as exceptional hiking opportunities.  The landscape of this region is spectacular in all seasons with its snow-capped mountaintops and its Alpine flowers.

Chamonix

Chamonix is renowned for its majestic mountains, notably the Mont Blanc, and year-round sports offerings.  If you are holidaying in the summertime, you can hike, trek, climb, paraglide, mountain bike or just gaze at the sublime views of this area from the valley floor or from the mountain summits.  Take the cogwheel railway or the cabled-gondola up to the Aiguille de Midi summit (12,000 feet) to see some stunning views of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps. If you take the gondola, you will fly over the impressive Les Pelerins glacier.  The last part of the ascent is reached via a lift.  For the more adventurous, you can ascend the entire mountain in a helicopter!

On the north face of Mont Blanc is La Mer de Glace, a 4.5 mile-wide alpine glacier made up of three smaller glaciers.  A popular tourist attraction, La Mer de Glace is reached by taking the Montenvers cogwheel railway.  This train will climb 1.5 miles to bring you to the impressive glacier.  From the station, take a smaller cable car to visit la grotte de glace, an ice grotto recarved each year (due to the movement of the glacier) where visitors can walk through its many rooms, admire the ice sculptures and even sit on an ice-bench!

If you are holidaying in the wintertime, there is no better place than Chamonix, site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924 and again in 1992, which boasts five superb ski resorts., each offering something for every level of skier.

Annecy

Considered one of the most charming towns in the French Alps, Annecy sits like a jewel on the edge of its ten-mile pristine alpine lake.  The pure and energizing air, the Italian-Swiss influence, the attention to the preservation of nature; it is no surprise that people have come to Annecy to “take the waters” for decades.

Take a boat ride around the scenic and clear lake, (boats leave from the Pont des Amours) or a coach tour around the town and its surrounding areas to get a sense of the landscape.  Visitors enjoy going to the Musée Château d’Annecy (Place du Château) with its impressive 12^th-century tower .  Inside are displays of regional Alpine furnishings, paintings and religious icons as well as an exhibit covering the geology of the area’s alpine lakes.  In the middle of the lake, but linked to the mainland by a bridge, sits the Palais de l’Ile (3 passage de I’lle).  Visitors often mistake it for an island castle, but despite its name, it was actually a prison!

Down the road a bit, you will want to stop at the medieval town of Talloires, on the eastern side of the lake, where there is an interesting Abbey to tour.

Useful Sites

Ski Hire Chamonix
Ski Hire Chamonix – Discounted Ski Hire with snowbrainer.com in 450 Ski Resorts including Chamonix

For a change a scenery from the French Alps, why not travel to Canada to see/ski the majestic Canadian Rockies

photo credit: funkyflamenca

When your feet need a break from exploring Paris’ museums, monuments and shops, it is nice to know that within this vast urban centre are some peaceful parks where you can sit and relax for as long as you like.  Travellers with children will enjoy these open spaces where the little ones can work off a bit of that energy they stored up while following their parents all morning through the Musée d’Orsay.  Even if you do not have children, you can spend a wonderful day in Paris by exploring some of the large parks which grace the city.

The Jardin du Luxembourg is located the 6^th arrondissement near the Latin Quarter.  This impressive park has many distinct areas, each dedicated to a different activity such as a children’s play area, a concert space, some refreshment areas and tennis courts.  Stroll the grounds and you may see Parisian children sailing small wooden boats in the central basin, using long sticks to move them along.  Further on you can catch older Parisians engaged in a game of pétanque (lawn bowling), or visit the beehives at the southwest end of the gardens.  Not far from the hives is a children’s playground, where for a modest entrance fee (under 2 euros) your child can climb, spin, crawl and have fun with other children while you relax on one of the many benches.  A snack bar and public toilets are conveniently located within this part and there is a carousel nearby.

Another restful spot is the Jardin des Tuileries. This is a great place to take a load off after you’ve trekked through the Louvre.  Situated between the museum and the Place de la Concorde, it is home to manicured gardens, long flower-edged lanes, modern sculptures, a children’s play area, a carousel, reflecting pools and outdoor cafes.  Grab a bench and have a peek at Parisian life unfolding all around you!

After you’ve gone up the Eiffel Tower, take some time to explore the garden at its base.  The Champs de Mars runs between the Eiffel Tower to the Ecole Militaire in the 7^th arrondissement. As you walk from the Eiffel Tower eastward, stop for coffee and a snack in an outdoor café and watch the well-heeled children of the seventh arrondissement play on the swings or race around in one of the pedal-cars.   If you are lucky, you can catch a concert in the central gazebo.  There are puppet shows in a small indoor theatre in the afternoons; you will hear the bell ringing to announce that the theatre is open.  Even if your child doesn’t speak French, he may enjoy watching the puppets act out one of the classic children’s stories such as Puss in Boots.

A very large park on the western side of Paris is the Bois de Boulogne.  Covering 850 acres—or twice the size of New York city’s central park–, this green space has something for everyone:  boat rowing on the two lakes, bicycles for hire, tennis, running paths, several children’s playgrounds, snack bars and restaurants and even a racetrack.  This is a fine park to take family during the daylight hours but should be avoided once night falls due to the presence of prostitutes.

photo credit: glennji

The northeastern city of Strasbourg, classified as an UNESCO world heritage site, is linked to Paris by a 2h20mn high-speed train ride and well worth a visit.  Along with being one of the capitals of the European Union, this city is a hybrid of German and French flavours which reflect the tug-of-war over ownership that France and Germany fought for years.

The first place visitors flock to is the Notre Dame Cathedral, one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe. The cathedral’s showpiece is the astronomical clock built in the 14^th century. The story goes that the creator of this masterpiece was a little “too” successful and the higher-ups had him blinded so he would never again build something so beautiful. Be sure to be at the cathedral at 12:30PM so you can see the clock’s mechanical figures’ “performance”.  If you come to Strasbourg during the Christmas season, the annual Christmas market, one of the oldest in Europe, takes place in the square in front of the cathedral.  If you are here during the summer holidays, there is usually an organ concert going on in the evening.

Another popular attraction is the charming La Petite France district in the Old Town, which once was the home of fishermen, tanners and millers.  Here visitors can admire the split-timbered houses from the Middle Ages with their flower-filled window boxes.  Be sure to notice the window-scheme on the top levels; the open-window structure allowed tanners to dry their hides in these spaces.  La Petite France now features loads of great bakeries serving up the traditional warm gingerbread in this area; do stop to try one of these local treats.

Strasbourg is home to some world-class cuisine.  La Maison Tanneur is one of its most famous restaurants. In this former tannery, you may enjoy some foie gras as you admire the beamed architecture of this amazing 16^th-century building.  Other Strasbourg specialities include charcuterie such as bratwurst, terrines, and sausages; choucroute and white wines; beer and large savoury pretzels.

There are walking tours of Strasbourg, but a great way to get an overview of the city is with a canal boat ride.  There are several companies which offer these tours, leaving from La Petite France neighbourhood.  The boats are protected from bad weather by a glass roof so they are in service year round, and there is a multi-lingual commentary.  The trip lasts about an hour, takes you past the European Parliament and through the city centre.  You will even pass through a lock!

A terrific way to get a sense of this region’s history is by visiting the Musée Alsacien (23 – 25, quai Saint-Nicolas).  Originally a series of bourgeois homes, this museum houses an interesting collection of folklore artifacts which tell the story of everyday rural life in the Alsace region, dating back to the 7^th century.  Furniture, toys, crafts, clothing and religious icons are on display.

More on France!

WillGoTo: France- Travel guide for France and many useful links

photo credit: burgermac

Brittany is a great region to explore, especially for those travelers who are intrigued by the King Arthur legends.  The rugged coastline and strong regional identity give Brittany a unique atmosphere, both Celtic and French, distinct from the rest of the country.

For summer holidays, La Baule and its surrounding port towns are picturesque and well set up for holidaymakers.  La Baule was a popular seaside resort in the 1920s and the architecture reflects this vibrant era.  The sweet smell of pine is everywhere, and despite it being a favourite second-home area for wealthy Parisians, the atmosphere is low key and understated.

La Baule’s 8-kilometer stretch of sandy beach is a perfect place to soak up the sun and bathe in the waters.  The oceanfront is developed with many high rises and other dwellings, and there are lots of choices for restaurants; some right on the beach.  Dining at sunset is recommended so you can take advantage of the fantastic view.

A short trip from La Baule is La Guérande, a fortified 14^th-century village whose ramparts remain intact.  La Guérande is charming and visitors enjoy wandering its narrow cobblestoned streets and visiting the neighbouring salt flats.  Be sure to pick up some of the world-famous “Fleur de Sel” salt in one of the many small shops along the main street.  To learn about the salt flats and their production, visit the Terre de Sel cultural center (Route des Marais salants) just outside the village walls.

Quimper is a quintessential Breton city, where the fight to keep the Breton language alive is an ongoing campaign.  In Quimper you will see traditional dress, la coiffe,  the tall, starched lace headdresses worn for festivals, and hear Breton music in the cafés.  Head to the Old Town, Vieux Quimper, where you will find loads of shops, creperies, and half-timbered buildings which are part of this town’s cultural heritage.  Quimper is famous for its distinct yellow and blue porcelain, which you can view at the Musée de Faience (14, rue Jean-Baptiste Bousquet) and also purchase at many shops around town.  The museum displays over 500 pieces of this unique art, giving visitors an opportunity to learn about the many steps involved in its production.

St Malo

Up on the English channel sits the corsair city of St Malo.  With its impressive ramparts and spectacular sea views, St Malo is a delightful place to holiday and attracts over 200,000 visitors per year.  Within the city’s walls is a car-free zone with narrow winding streets and 18^th-century elegant architecture, all easily discovered by foot or by taking the little train which circulates through the town and its surrounding area.  Walk along its 1,750 meters of 12^th century ramparts, still standing even after the World War II bombings which destroyed much of the interior city.

The tides in the St Malo bay are among the most impressive in Europe, and people will situated themselves at certain points on the ramparts to watch the sea crash into the seawall at the highest tide.  It is strongly recommended that tourists consult a tidetable before setting out to explore the beach or rocky areas, and not to walk the parts of the ramparts which will be affected when the tide is high.