- France
- (1977)
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If you look at the map, you'll find that the very south of Brittany is a bit harder to get to than the rest - maybe this is why Brits tend not to go there.
If you'd like to camp on a site where everyone is speaking French, and join in communal meals and activities feeling that you're really involved in local culture, head for the coastline around and to the north of La Baule.
We found this area by searching campsite reviews, and finding a review expressing horror at people who insisted on talking late into the night 'in French'.
And you can get there on the train quicker than you can drive - stations at La Baule Escoublac, Les Pins & Pornichet.
This is cider country. There are gnarled apple trees everywhere - some in orchards, others just in lines in the middle of fields.
Try the 'cidre artisanal'. If you want something stronger, there's 'eau de vie de cidre' - which can only be called Calvados if it comes from that departement.
The 6.30 pm mass is celebrated in one of the Romanesque crypts of the abbey. Turn up at the abbey entrance ten minutes beforehand and you'll be escorted up to the church.
In winter, the floodlights shining through the huge Gothic windows give the church an eerie moonlit feeling. In summer, it's your chance to see the church for a few minutes devoid of tourists. And the singing is usually good.
This isn't Norman cooking - it's Alsatian. But it's darn good, there's a value set lunch, and it's on one of the nicest street corners in the city.
rue Martainville
Small Breton market town nestling in the Montagnes Noires. 18 bars, several good restaurants (recommend Le Relais de Cornouaille), regular Breton Festivals and a brilliant Jazz Festival on the banks of the beautiful River Aulne in August. The town is amazingly unspoiled and underplayed in all the guide books.
One hours drive south of Roscoff, 40 mins drive North East of Quimper. Tourist Office: 00 33(0)298 81 83 90
Located oposite the rail station very cheap prices.
Quai Du Danube
62100 Calais
Smashing B&B. French and English spoken, car parking, warm welcome, full of character, other food available by arrangement, great rooms.
In the centre of a picturesque little town with lots to do and see, excellent location with the Med one way and the mountains of the Pyrenees the other.
94 Rue Saint Ferreol, Ceret 66400
tel/fax: +33 (0) 468 55 99 61
www.lescalivadeceret.com
jonandchristine@lescalivadeceret.com
Before the film 'Amelie', it was just another cafe in Montmartre. It serves perfectly good food and drink, as it always did, and lies on the tourist trail between the Moulin Rouge and Sacre Coeur.
Now it's a stop for a coffee, or lunch, because everyone wants to see the film location. Apart from the tobacco counter, everything is just as it was in the film, including the miniscule 'toilette' where the earth-shaking sex scene took place.
When I made my visit it was full of art students rather than tourists, perhaps you need to go there in the evenings to find out if the locals still actually use it. As a rare example of a real life film set though, it's priceless.
15 Rue Lepic
Metro: Abbesses
A relaxed and informal French restaurant that serves traditional fare. Oysters from Cancale, creme brulee, pate, steak, duck and great gratin dauphinois were some of the very reasonably priced dishes enjoyed. It has a huge wine list and staff bring you menus chalked up on blackboards. Booking is recommended as it gets very busy. Good for dinner or lunch.
La Robe et le Palais
13 rue des Lavandières St-Opportune, 1er
tel 01.45.08.07.41
Metro Chatelet
We just wanted to spread the good word about the marvellous chalet we stayed in last winter. Fantastic chalet with the most stunning location. Perfect for families - kids played outside safely on large chalet grounds whilst us adults enjoyed the wonderful hot-tub, situated just to one side of a mountain stream that flows by the chalet. Food was superb and the chalet staff were very happy and friendly. We are going back next season. Can't recommend the place enough.
Argentiere, Chamonix, France - www.marmottemountain.com - +33 (0) 6 82 89 15 23
In and around Rue Daru is a small Russian community where you can find Russian restaurants and shops to browse around. The grandest feature however is the Orthodox Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky, which is an impressive sight, both outside and in.
Rue Daru
Metro: Courcelles
Albert Kahn was a 19th and 20th century businessman who decided to use his wealth to create an 'Archive of the Planet' at the turn of these centuries in a world being irrevocably changed by the industrial revolution.
He did this by hiring a number of photographers, equipping them with the Lumiere brothers' autochrome colour photography cameras and despatching them to all corners of the globe. The result became a unique archive of 72,000 images and 600,000 feet of film taken between 1900 and 1930.
A selection of the autochromes, as well as clips of film footage, are now on display in the museum, the selections change on an annual basis.
The entry fee also includes access to Kahn's gardens which also reflect his internationalist philosophy. The gardens are a mixture of Japanese, French and English and also include three ‘mini-forests’ with terrain that you might find in any one of the African, Asian or American continents. There is also a ‘Palmarium’ that houses a café as well as some more exotic plant life.
The museum is modern, having opened only in 1986, and also includes computer booths where you’ll find an interactive map of the whole complex, inside and out.
Viewers of the BBC’s ‘Edwardians in Colour’ series will have had a preview of what the museum has to offer, and it’s well worth the 30 minute Metro ride to see it for yourself.
14 Rue du Port in the Boulogne-Billancourt district.
Metro: Pont de Saint Cloud (the museum is literally around the corner and is signposted).
Phone: 01 55 19 28 00
The Buttes Chaumont park is slightly different to other parks in Paris, in that it was built on a former quarry and, as such, has some interesting hilly views across Paris, alongside an artificial cave complete with stalactites and waterfall.
This market is situated in southern Paris and takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 in the morning to around 1.30pm.
Selling lots of Parisian knick-knacks, books, old postcards, jewellery, furniture and much more.
A mix of professionals and amateur sellers and, unlike some other markets in Paris which are awash with cheap clothes and tat, this one has a certain charm.
The sellers aren't pushy and are happy for you to look around and root through without hovering over your shoulder. Some are completely oblivious to their customers, I passed four men sitting at a table playing cards while people sorted through fabric!
Although officially it finishes at 1.30, I would advise going early-ish as many start packing up around 12.
All together a lovely place to wander on a weekend morning.
Av Georges-Lafenestre/ Av Marc- Sangnier 14e.
metro. Porte-de-vanves (line13)
Tram. Potre-de-vanves (tram line 3)
The Vanoise National Park, the Grande Chartreuse and the Beauges Natural parks. The mountain lakes and the Bourget and Aiguellette lakes.
A sheltered beach with bar/loungers on St Jean Cap Ferrat. Facing in to the mainland, with a lovely view over the bay to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and just a hint of Monaco to your right. A lovely place to soak up the sun all day, while watching the yachts come and go. If you happen to turn up via yacht, just call the bar (phone number writ large across the second storey) and they'll powerboat out to pick you up.
Walk along the signposted coastal promenade from Beaulieu Sur Mer to St Jean Port, or take the 81 from Nice Gare Routiere (1 euro 30). It's about 5 km out the other side of the Port.
Le Reconfort is a lovely little restaurant in the Marais district. Food is absolutely delicious and the waiters (who I suspect are also the owners) are really great. The menu is in an old French novel which really adds to its bohemian vibe!
37 Rue De Poitou
75003
Paris
Fuxia is a vibrant and atmospheric Italian restaurant in the square of Place Marché St-Honore. Incredibly good value and great food. We had to wait around 15 minutes for a table and there was a wait all night, but never for too long and a great sign of a popular place. Also full of Parisiens, so a good place if you want to get rid of the rest of the tourists in Paris!
Marché St-Honore off Rue St-Honore
The Musée d'Orsay is open until 9.45pm on Thursday nights. It is *really quiet* and the museum has a totally different atmosphere than in the day. A very relaxing way spend an evening.
It is bigger, quieter and in my opinion the most beautiful park you will find in Paris. Parisians will actually leave central Paris to go to this park in summer- that's saying something!
You cannot help but be impressed by its scale. It has the 'grand canal', fountains, a chateau and huge expanses of immaculately kept lawns. But what is also nice is that you can take smaller plane tree lined paths that guide you through a series of more secluded areas. Both elements work seamlessly together.
Undoubtedly the best place to have a picnic in summer!
Parc de seaux is approx. 15/20 minutes from zone 1 on RER line B
nearest RER stations: parc du seaux & la croix de berny
www.ratp.com
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