Hospice de Beaune - Beaune

Unlike Chablis and Dijon, Beaune is not a town that bears the name of a famous wine or a Burgundian product. The varnished-tile roofs of the Hospices de Beaune is the most recognisable symbol of Burgundy abroad, but that Beaune is the Capital of Burgundy Wines is a distinction that is probably not as well known amongst non-French people.

Beaune and Wine

Situated in the heart of prestigious Burgundy vineyards, like Pommard, Corton-Charlemagne and La Romanée-Conti, Beaune has been very much involved in wine culture and trade since the Middle-Ages. It is for this reason that Beaune has been designated Capital of Burgundy Wines and it is also one of the key wine centres in France.

But Beaune is not about wine only. This ancient and historic fortified town is also a city of gastronomy, art and culture.

Beaune is a town that is easy to explore on foot. A good place to start is at the Beaune tourism office which is well stocked with maps and brochures for holidaying in the region.

Things to See in Beaune

As one wanders within its ramparts, this charming town reveals its historical mansions, medieval half-timbered houses, flowered squares and gardens. Beaune’s highlight monument is its Hôtel-Dieu, a masterpiece of Flemish architecture. This remarkable hospital site also holds the masterpiece Flemish painting: the polyptych of “The Last Judgement” by Roger Van der Weyden. Allow sufficient time at the Hospices de Beaune as there is plenty to see here.

Burgundy vineyards

The Musee du Vin (Wine Museum) is on Avenue de la Republique and the Collégiale Notre Dame is just a stone’s throw away. As you wonder around the town with its old houses and narrow streets, look at the many wine shopswhose black boards list names that are the who’s-who of the champagne world.

As the Capital of Burgundy Wines, one of the things to do in Beaune is to go on a wine tour. ‘Beaune, Saveurs de Vignes’ is just one of the many wine tours available. This annual 7 km stroll through the vineyards of Beaune lets participants learn about what makes wine so successful in Beaune.  There are some 580 hectares of exceptional vineyards for those who are interested in wine.

Beaune also has a few prestigious music festivals such as the International Baroque Music Festival in July, the Burgundy Jazz and Wine Festival in September and the Beaune Blues Boogie Festival just before Christmas.

Beaune Hotels

There is a range of interesting hotels in Beaune, including the Hôtel De La Poste - a 19th century post house, L’Hôtel - a charming 19th century mansion and the Château de Challenges - 19th century country house.  For the complete list of Beaune hotels, see HERE.

Take a tour of Beaune through Travelsignposts Beaune photo gallery HERE

Cycling holidays in France © Atout France / Michel Laurent

Very few travellers can do Le Tour de France, but Le Tour de Bourgogne is a real possibility. With its 580 kms of ‘voies vertes’ (tracks reserved strictly for non-motorised traffic) and ‘véloroutes’ (long-distance cycling trails), Burgundy is a haven for those in search of active, yet relaxing cycling holidays in France. This former land of the Great Dukes of the Occident has France’s most extensive network of véloroutes, and seeing Burgundy by bike is a real travel option.

Cycling Tour of Burgundy

Cycling enthusiasts can look forward to the various cycling routes that make up the network of the ‘Cycling Tour of Burgundy’. These increasingly well-signposted cycling routes are safe and follow the towpaths running alongside the canals, or make use of old and now abandoned railway lines or vineyard paths.

Along the véloroutes, cyclists can stop to explore charming and timeless little towns and medieval villages, wander through winding streets and check out historic châteaux and visit some of the famous Burgundy vineyards to taste some of the finest Burgundy wines.

And when you are on the voies vertes, you are never too far from something or somewhere that is typical of Burgundy: a little country bistro or the cellar of a welcoming winegrower, a Romanesque abbey or a Renaissance château.

Le Tour de Bourgogne

Some trails are tougher than others, but there are trails that would suit most cyclists and both the young and old alike can now explore the many attributes of Burgundy at their own pace.  Some of the cycling routes include:

Courtesy Burgundy Tourism

• Southern Burgundy – From Chalon-sur-Saone to Macon (65 km)
• The Canal du Centre – From Chalon-sur-Saone to Cronat (171 km)
• The Nivernais Canal – From Decize to Auxerre (175 km)
• The Burgundy Canal – From Migennes to Dijon (212 km)
• The Vineyard Way – From Beaune to Santenay (20 km)

New stretches of cycling routes are being added all the time and the labelling of the various types of accommodation to be found on or near the main cycling routes makes it easier for cyclists to find hotels, campsites, B&B, gîtes, etc. that are on the Burgundy tourism approved establishments list, and which provide facilities and services suitably geared to their activity.   Many providers cater to services like bike rentals, transport of luggage and cycling holiday packages.

Discovering Burgundy by bike offers cyclists a wealth of experiences and pleasant moments on their cycling holidays.  For more information on cycling holidays in Burgundy and cycling tour operators, see www.burgundy-by-bike.com.

Burgundy of course has a huge range of accommodation to fit all budget types. See what’s on offer and you can book your Burgundy hotel HERE.

Palais des Papes, Avignon

Avignon’s origins can be traced to Neolithic times when the Rocher des Doms, then just a rocky outcrop high above the Rhône river, provided shelter for a Neolithic settlement. Since ancient times, Avignon’s strategic location on the Rhône has made it an attractive target for invading forces. However, although the Romans, the Goths, the Saracens, the Franks have all invaded and occupied Avignon, much of Avignon’s heritage today relates to the arrival of the Popes and the Avignon papacyin the 14th century.

The Avignon Papacy

Seven Popes reigned from Avignon and the town became the capital of Christianity, as a result of which Avignon has more than its fair share of magnificent cathedrals, beautiful churches and quaint chapels. The churches grew and multiplied, earning the town the title “Avignon, the Chiming Town”.  Avignon’s most dominant monument, the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), is up to this day the largest Gothic palace in Europe.

The Ramparts that still surround Avignon were also built by the Popes in the 14th century. With their massive towers and gateways, they are one of the finest examples of medieval fortification in existence.

During the Avignon papacy, the town flourished and served as a place of refuge, attracting foreigners, merchants, artists, religious orders, bankers, and even political outlaws.

Avignon Attractions

Avignon City Wall Gate

For the visitors today, the main Avignon attractions include:

• The impressive Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) that dominates the town
• Cathedrale de Notre Dame des Doms – the Romanesque building with the gilded statue of the Virgin on its western tower
• The 12th century Pont Saint-Bénézet or Pont d’Avignon, made famous by the popular Frency children’s song “Sur le pont d’Avignon”
• The Ramparts or city walls built by the popes in the 14th century
• The many churches such as Eglise St-Pierre, Eglise St-Didier and Eglise St Agricol
• The tranquil gardens at Le Rocher des Doms
• The many museums such as Musée du Petit Palais, Calvet Museum, Musée Angladon, Musée Lapidaire, Musée Louis-Vouland, etc.

Avignon is also famous for its performing arts festivals, the Avignon Festival and the Avignon Off Festival. During the three-week long festival in July, amateur and professional artists, producers, theatre critics and theatre-lovers converge on Avignon for the 3-week theatre marathon. Theatre-lovers can enjoy hundreds of performances at venues all over town.

And of course being in Provence, visitors to Avignon can enjoy Avignon specialties as well as the regional foods and wines that Provence is famous for.  You don’t have to go too far to look for a restaurant in Avignon.  There are many eateries around town to choose from.

Avignon Hotels

As far as accommodation is concerned, no matter what accommodation type or price range, there is a large selection of Avignon hotels, guest houses and budget/backpackers rooms to choose from.  La Mirande in Avignon city centre offers luxury in 18th century-style decor,  the Avignon Grand Hôtel is a contemporary-style hotel with all modern facilities or if you’re coming by train, the Novotel Avignon Centre is located next to the Avignon Train Station.  For the complete list of  Avignon hotels, see HERE >

Some Provence tours you can do from Avignon >

See Travelsignposts photos of Avignon HERE >

Avignon Location:

Caen Castle © Travel Signposts

Situated in the northwest of France, Normandy (Normandie in French) is a region blessed with stunning coastlines, windswept beaches and lush pastoral land.

The quintessential image of Normandy is of beautiful landscape, green pastures dotted with brown and white Norman cows, apple orchards, calvados, good food and plenty of beautiful creamy cheeses. But Normandy is also steeped in history, starting from the time of the Vikings to William the Conqueror to the Impressionist painters and to World War II, there is much to appeal to the visitor here.

Normandy D-Day Battlefields

Normandy’s 600 km coastline makes it an ideal place for driving, camping or cycling holidays. It is a very popular holiday region for the French people.  The coastline is dotted with memorials, cemeteries and museums which remind of the famous Normandy Landings in WWII. The Battle of Normandy, the D-D Landing beaches and the role that Normandy played continue to be of huge interest for visitors with many coming on battlefields tours.

Mont-St-Michel

Many visitors come to Normandy to visit Mont-St-Michel, one of the most enchanting sights in France. Once a place of pilgrimage, Mont-St-Michel became a prison after the Revolution, but today it’s a national monument and a much sought after tourist attraction.

Normandy’s Main Places of Interest

For administrative purposes, Normandy is divided into Basse-Normandie (Lower Normandy) and Haute-Normandie (Upper Normandy). The main places of interest in Normandy – Rouen, Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg-Octeville are all top destinations for the traveller, each one full of history and interesting sights and attractions. Medieval castles, cathedrals and cobbled streets will take you back to medieval times.

Mont-St-Michel © Travel Signposts

Caen, the capital of the Basse-Normandie region, is William the Conqueror’s city. Its magnificent castles and abbeys highlight Caen’s magnificent heritage.

Rouen, the capital of Haute-Normandie was once the largest and most prosperous medieval towns in Europe, Rouen is especially known for its cathedrals, museums, medieval houses and Joan of Arc.

Le Havre, the largest city in Normandy, is a World Heritage listed site. Le Havre is where impressionism took root and at the many museums visitors can admire paintings by Courbet, Monet Renoir and others. Outside of Paris,the Malraux Museum has the largest collection of impressionist paintings in France.

Cherbourg – Octeville, the largest city in the Manche departement, is a key location for more than 50 of the most prestigious sailing events. Cherbourg also has the largest aquarium in Europe at La Cité de la Mer.

Food, Glorious Food

No one goes hungry in Normandy! Normandy’s vast coastline provides an abundance of fresh seafood.  Meat lovers will want to try the succulent salt-marsh lamb, a Normandy specialty, as well as traditional black pudding.

Normandy Cheeses © Atout France

For cheese-lovers like me, it’s Normandy’s world-famous creamy cheeses that keep me coming back for more – Camembert, Livarot, Neufchâtel and Pont l’Évêque are just some of Normandy’s famous cheeses.  Cider, another famous product of Normandy, is traditionally drunk with your meal and you can end it with shots of  Calvados, if you manage to develop a taste for this potent Normandy apple brandy.

Getting to Normandy

Normandy is just across the English Channel and is an easy weekend destination from England. Visitors have a choice of transportation to get to Normandy – by air, sea, train or road.

For international visitors flying into Paris, most of the major towns in Normandy are connected by rail. Getting from Paris to Normandy is easy on the SNCF. From Gare Saint Lazare, the Paris to Rouen takes 1 hour 30, Paris to Caen 1 hour 45 and Paris to Le Havre 2 hours.  More about Getting to Normandy >

There is a big range of  hotels in Normandy to choose from.   You can read hotel reviews and make your Normandy hotel bookings here >

Normandy tours from Paris and Bayeux >

Tour de France 2011

The 98th Tour de France starts from Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts on Saturday July 2nd and finishes in Paris on Sunday, July 24th, 2011. This year’s race is made up of 21 stages covering a distance of 3,471 kilometres, 129 kms shorter than last year.

Race Stage Profiles

• 10 flat stages
• 6 mountain stages and 4 summit finishes
• 3 medium mountain stages
• 1 individual time-trial stage (41 km)
• 1 team time-trial stage (23 km)

Particular Features of TDF 2011:

• le Galibier will be climbed twice *
• 2 rest days
• 23 level 2, 1 or highest level mountain passes or summit finishes
• No bonuses during the intermediate sprints and stage finishes

* To mark the hundredth anniversary of the first climb of the Col du Galibier by Tour de France cyclists, the Galibier will be climbed twice after an interval of 24 hours.

* Last year’s 7 cobbled sectors were harsh on the riders and it looks like cobble stones are out this year! Sigh of relief for the riders!

15 New Stage Towns

Many travellers (myself included) have become keen followers of the Tour de France as it includes an interesting travel element. The magnificent Tour coverage is rather like a travel show, bringing back fond memories of sights and towns that many have been to. This year there are 15 new stage towns to delight travellers:

Blaye-les-Mines, Cap Fréhel, Carhaix, Carmaux, Cugnaux, Galibier Serre-Chevalier, Limoux, Modane – Valfréjus, Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers, Mûr-de-Bretagne, Olonne-sur-Mer, Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts, Pinerolo (Italie), Redon, Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux

The selection of the above towns goes through a rigorous process. The town must be able to ensure that the peloton is able to arrive and depart under optimum conditions in terms of sporting entertainment and rider and public safety. There are lots of other practical considerations as well.

For fans of Le Tour, if you’re doing any travel to Europe, you may wish to plan a little detour in your itinerary so that you can witness this great race.

Le Tour Route

Sat   2 Jul – Passage du Gois La Barre-de-Monts > Mont des Alouettes Les Herbiers
Sun 3 Jul – Les Essarts > Les Essarts
Mon 4 Jul – Olonne-sur-Mer > Redon
Tue 5 Jul – Lorient > Mûr-de-Bretagne
Wed 6 Jul – Carhaix > Cap Fréhel
Thu 7 Jul – Dinan > Lisieux
Fri  8 Jul – Le Mans > Châteauroux
Sat  9 Jul – Aigurande > Super-Besse Sancy
Sun 10 Jul – Issoire > Saint-Flour
Mon 11 Jul – Le Lioran Cantal
Tue 12 Jul – Aurillac > Carmaux
Wed 13 Jul – Blaye-les-Mines > Lavaur
Thu 14 Jul – Cugnaux > Luz-Ardiden
Fri 15 Jul – Pau > Lourdes
Sat 16 Jul – Saint-Gaudens > Plateau de Beille
Sun 17 Jul – Limoux > Montpellier
Mon 18 Jul – Département de la Drôme
Tue 19 Jul – Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux > Gap
Wed 20 Jul – Gap > Pinerolo
Thu 21 Jul – Pinerolo > Galibier Serre-Chevalier
Fri 22 Jul – Modane – Valfréjus > Alpe-d’Huez
Sat 23 Jul – Grenoble > Grenoble
Sun 24 Jul – Créteil > Paris Champs-Élysées

Reims Town Hall - Reims Tourism

Champagne alone is enough to attract visitors to Reims. This city is home to distinguished champagne brand names like Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, Pommery, Mumm, Lanson, Martel, Ruinart, Canard-Duchêne and Piper-Heidsieck.

The Champagne City

With such a concentration of brand name champagnes, there can be no doubt that Reims is a city with a serious champagne reputation. And for the visitor who’s interested in visiting the cellars of Reims, there are 120 kilometres of champagne cellars to explore.  You can do this on your own or benefit from the knowledge of a local guide through one of the many champagne tours.  And where there’s excellent champagne, there’s plenty of good food as well.  In Reims, the visitor is never short of restaurants or cafés to choose from.

The Coronation City

But there’s much more to Reims than its famous champagnes. In 498, Clovis, King of the Franks was baptized by the bishop Remi, making him the West’s first Catholic sovereign. This important event made Reims the chosen city for crowning French kings. Since the 11th all the Kings of France came to this city to be crowned in the splendid Cathedrale Notre Dame. In fact 33 kings were crowned in the cathedral of the “The Coronation City”.

Reims’ history goes back more than two thousand years. According to legend, the city was founded by Remus, the brother of Romulus, founder of Rome. This city of art and history has four World Heritage listed sites which should not be missed – the Cathedrale Notre-Dame, Saint-Remi Basilica, Saint-Remi Museum and Palace of Tau. Apart from these World Heritage sites, there are many other monuments that tell of a particular time in Reims’ history, such as the Roman Mars Gate and Cryptoporticus.

Reims suffered heavy bombardment during the First World War and almost 80% of the town was destroyed. Ironically, it was in Reims that the commander-in-chief of the Wehrmacht signed the surrender of Nazi Germany during the Second World War.  In July 1962, the Notre-Dame Cathedral witnessed another historical event – the German Chancellor Adenauer and General De Gaulle sealed the reconciliation between the France and Germany in the Notre-Dame Cathedral and Reims was set up as a peace symbol between the two countries.

Place du Parvis and Joan of Arc Statue - Reims Tourism

A “4 Flowers” City

When all the monuments and history become too overwhelming, one can retreat to one of Reims’ many parks such as Le Parc de la Patte-d’Oie, considered to be the most beautiful park in Reims, Le Parc de Champagne or The Pierre-Schneiter Horticultural Garden with its rare tree specimens. Reims is a “4 Flowers” city, an award that recognizes French towns for their parks and gardens.

With more than 20,000 students, Reims is today an important university town. The city has served as a centre of higher learning since 1548.

Reims Accommodation

There is a good range of accommodation here, but the city fills up when there is a major event in town. The Best Western Hôtel De La Paix is a design hotel set in the heart of Reims.The Holiday Inn Garden Court is another hotel that is ideally located in the historic centre of Reims.  And for those who prefer self-catering apartments, the Séjours & Affaires Reims Clairmarais offers apartments free wired internet access.  For the complete list of Reims accommodation, see HERE. 

Reims Location

Reims is located in the north-east of France and is a sous-préfecture of the Marne département, in the Champagne-Ardenne administrative région.

Getting to Reims:

By Train

Reims is located at the junction of the Lille – Dijon – Mediterranean and Paris – Charleville – Sedan lines. The TGV high-speed train links Paris to Reims in 45 minutes and there are some 12 daily links between Reims-Paris. (www.sncf.com)

By plane

Paris Roissy International Airport (www.adp.fr) is located 30 minutes from Reims.

By car

Reims is located at the crossroads of the A4-E50 (Paris – Strasbourg) and A26-E17 (Calais – Troyes – Dijon) motorways. The city has 6 motorway exits. (www.viamichelin.com)

Map of Reims

Three Geese in the Square

Sarlat-la-Caneda is a town that surprises many people when they visit.  Apart from being the capital of the Périgord Noir, it has the highest concentration of Medieval, Renaissance and 17th century facades of any town in France.

We walked into the old town centre from the northern end of rue de la République. This main street, which itself is pretty nondescript, runs the length of the old town but once you get off the main drag and into the narrow lanes and side streets, Sarlat’s Medieval and Renaissance persona unfolds.

Sarlat has been classified a Ville d’art et d’Histoire (artistic and historic town) and its buildings have been protected by law since 1964. Its concentration of medieval lanes, charming squares and amazing medieval buildings and architecture make this town look like a film set for a period movie.  In fact, Sarlat is a popular location for filming and it seems that Sarlat runs third to Nice and Paris in terms of the number of films shot in French towns.

Needless to say, Sarlat is very popular with tourists as well and it is a marvelous town for wondering around and exploring its medieval treasures.

If you’re a first-time visitor, a good place to start your exploration of the old town is at the tourist office at 3, rue Tourny which is just around the corner from the St. Sacerdos Cathedral.   The tourist office has a pamphlet which provides a suggested walking route that you can do on your own and helps you find your way around the narrow alleyways, interesting archways, courtyards and the town ramparts. Ask for the English language version.

Some key attractions in the old town include:

• Place de la Liberté – there are many luxurious shops and cafés here and some tourists never make it out of the square.


Lanterne des Morts

• Cathédrale St-Sacerdos itself is pretty plain compared to the many other magnificent cathedrals that you’ve probably seen around France. It’s 18th century organ is the main feature of this cathedral.
• Lanterne des Morts (Lantern of the Dead) – The conical tower in the cemetery is unique in France.
• The 15th – 17th century mansions in rue des Consuls at the northern end of town. These belonged to the town’s middle class merchants, magistrates and other officials. Plamon House or the Consul’s House is one of the most remarkable.
• Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau may seem like a small back alleyway today but this actually was the town’s main street until rue de la Republique was built in the 19th century.
• The many alleyways, archways and buildings

The Périgord region is famous for culinary delights such as foie gras, chestnuts, walnuts, mushroom and truffles and Sarlat lies in the heart of this trade. Unfortunately we were not there on their market days but nevertheless there were plenty of shops filled with delicacies and regional foods.

Our stay in Sarlat was short, but we saw enough to know that we would love to return to this 3-star Michelin town.

Take a walk around Sarlat old town with Travel Signposts photos.

Sarlat Location:

Tour de France 2010 Route..

The 97th Tour de France will start from Rotterdam on Saturday July 3rd and finish on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday, July 25th, 2010. This year’s race will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages covering a distance of 3,600 kilometres.

Race Stage Profiles

• 1 prologue
• 9 flat stages
• 6 mountain stages and 3 summit finishes
• 4 medium mountain stages
• 1 individual time-trial stage (51 km).

Particular features of this year’s race

• le Tourmalet will be climbed twice
• there’s a hint of the classics and cobblestones*
• 2 rest days
• 23 level 1, level 2 and highest level mountain passes

*Each year the organizers think of new ways of inflicting additional pain on the riders! For the 2010 Tour programme, the 3rd stage, Wanze-Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, will include 7 cobbled sectors over a total distance of 13.2 kilometres, split up as follows:

• 3 sectors over a total distance of 2.2 kilometres in Belgium
• 4 sectors over a total distance of 11 kilometres in France

Oooh! I feel the pain! The last 5 occasions when cobbled sectors were included in the Tour were in 1981, 1983, 1985, 1989 and 2004.

11 New Stage Towns

In talking to fellow travellers, many have become keen followers of the Tour de France as it also has an interesting travel element in it. The Tour coverage is rather like a travel show and many who watch this race have been to various parts of France and this great race brings back memories of those trips. This year there are 11 new stage towns to excite travellers with:

Arenberg Porte du Hainaut, Bourg-de-Péage, Bourg-lès-Valence, Gueugnon, Longjumeau, Pamiers, Pauillac, Sisteron, Station des Rousses, Tournus, Wanze (Belgium)

The selection of the above towns goes through a rigorous process. The town must be able to ensure that the peloton’s arrival and departure is able to take place under optimum conditions in terms of sporting entertainment and rider and public safety. There are lots of other practical considerations as well.

So fans of this great and gruelling race, yours truly included, if you’re doing any travels to Europe, you may wish to plan a little detour in your itinerary so that you can witness this great race.

Tour Route

Sat 3 Jul – Rotterdam > Rotterdam
Sun 4 Jul – Rotterdam > Bruxelles
Mon 5 Jul – Bruxelles > Spa
Tue 6 Jul – Wanze > Arenberg Porte du Hainaut
Wed 7 Jul – Cambrai > Reims
Thu 8 Jul – Épernay > Montargis
Fri 9 Jul – Montargis > Gueugnon
Sat 10 Jul – Tournus > Station des Rousses
Sun 11 Jul – Station des Rousses > Morzine-Avoriaz
Mon 12 Jul – Morzine-Avoriaz
Tue 13 Jul – Morzine-Avoriaz > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne
Wed 14 Jul – Chambéry > Gap
Thu 15 Jul – Sisteron > Bourg-lès-Valence
Fri 16 Jul – Bourg-de-Péage > Mende
Sat 17 Jul – Rodez > Revel
Sun 18 Jul – Revel > Ax-3 Domaines
Mon 19 Jul – Pamiers > Bagnères-de-Luchon
Tue 20 Jul – Bagnères-de-Luchon > Pau
Wed 21 Jul – Pau
Thu 22 Jul – Pau > Col du Tourmalet
Fri 23 Jul – Salies-de-Béarn > Bordeaux
Sat 24 Jul – Bordeaux > Pauillac
Sun 25 Jul – Longjumeau > Paris Champs-Élysées

Map of France

Virtually all multi-country Europe tours pass through or originate in Paris, but few see much more of France. It is possible to do a pretty extensive tour of France but even so some fairly important areas will be missing or only covered briefly. Regional tours are popular and give you more of an insight. Here’s a pretty complete route that would take at least 24 days (plus Paris):

Note: links to the towns go to photo albums on the Travel Signposts website

PARIS – Versailles – Rouen – Caen – Normandy Beaches – Bayeux – Mont St Michel – St Malo – Nantes – Chateaubriant – Angers – Saumur – Usse – Tours – Amboise – (Chateaux country: Villandry, Azey-le-Rideau, Amboise, Clos Luce, Chaumont, Blois, Chambord, Cheverny, Chenonceau) – Cognac – Limoges – Brive La Gaillarde (Lascaux) – St Emilion – Bordeaux – Biarritz – Lourdes – Carcassonne - Montpellier – Stes Maries-de-la-Mer (Camargue) – Arles - Avignon (Chateauneuf du Pape) – Luberon - Aix-en-Provence – St Paul de Vence – Nice – Cannes – Monaco – Grenoble – Annecy - Chamonix - Beaune (Vezelay) – Nuits-St Georges – Gevrey-Chambertin – Dijon – Colmar – Riquewihr – Strasbourg – Metz – Verdun – Reims – Epernay – PARIS (Chartres, Giverny)

You’ll note that there are some “detours” which could be chopped off if you wanted to travel straight through, eg the Lascaux Caves section. On the other hand, I have not named all the interesting villages etc in some regions, eg around Arles and Bordeaux. And some major towns, like Nimes, could be used as an alternative to those listed. But it gives you an idea and constitutes a good cross-section of what France has to offer. Regional coach tours can be judged according to what they miss out!

Don’t know where a place is? Try our google satellite map (just zoom in and use the map interface): Map of France

Other France pages:

Travel to France for a Europe Tour with Joie de Vivre!

When to travel to France: weather and seasons

Useful facts, dates and links to help you plan your tour of France

Food in France: a brief gastronomic tour

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in France online

Book your hotel in France online

TOUR ROUTES IN FRANCE: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS

Paris: Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees

There’s a lot more to France than Paris and Provence. Travel to France involves a journey into the whole French way of looking at the world, and life. Not for nothing do we use the french words “savoir-faire” and “joie de vivre”!

France lies at the crossroads of European culture

With the mediterranean influences of Italy and Spain in the South, and the more phlegmatic influences of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in the North, France lies at the crossroads of European culture. A tour of France involves a continually changing landscape, not so much of a physical nature (though that is often true) but rather of traditions, architecture, food and wine, ways of life and even language.

An inexhaustible variety of landscape

Watermill near Bayeux

From the plains of Flanders and Normandy to the rocky coastline of Brittany, the historic Chateaux of the Loire Valley to the green farmland and forests of Bordeaux and the Dordogne, the mountainous Massif Central to Beaujolais, the Rhone and the French Alps, and Provence’s limestone hills to the sun-drenched beaches of the Cote d’Azur, the only stone-cold certainty about a tour of France is its inexhaustible variety. And the rich, memorable experiences you’ll encounter wherever you go in this always-surprising country.

Travel to France for a Europe tour with joie de vivre indeed…and that’s even without Paris!

Our France pages:

Tour Routes in France

When to travel to France: weather and seasons

Useful facts, dates and links to help you plan your tour of France

Food in France: a brief gastronomic tour

Book your sightseeing tours or day-trips in France online

Book your hotel in France online

Paris City Guide

TRAVEL TO FRANCE WITH US: PHOTO HIGHLIGHTS