Blog
In this section, you’ll find all the Oliver’s France posts: regional destinations, travel tips, France-wide activities, language tools, food, and much more. To go directly to regional destinations, click on the Regional tab on the menu, or click on one of the photos in the regional section on the home page. If you have something particular you want to find, there’s a search bar on the right side of the menu. And for a listing of all categories and posts, click HERE.
What’s Special about Besançon?
Have you heard of the city of Besançon? Along with being the birthplace of Victor Hugo, Besançon is the capital of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. This city of over 100,000 people is a thriving center of research, a great place to live, and a...
10 French Beverage (Spiked) Specialties
10 French Beverage (Spiked) Specialties Along with fantastic food, France is known for liquid specialties in each corner of the country. France has quite a heritage for alcoholic beverages! Several regions are famous for different wines, and the characteristics of...
Traveling Inside France
Once you get to France, you may want to travel inside the country. Is the train the only way? Train travel in France is efficient, inexpensive, and peaceful. But it’s not the only way to travel! (I’ll still supply you with a few tips for train travel, though.) Trains...
Not Too Early to Plan Travel to France
December is both an ending and a beginning. The end of the year, yet our minds are moving ahead to the blank slate of the following year. L’année prochaine… As you end this calendar year, your thoughts might already be on the trips you want to take next year or...
11 Fairy Tale Villages of Provence
In Provence, the fairy tale is real! Provence is popular for a reason. An abundance of picturesque villages emerge from another century. Cobbled alleys, centuries-old towers, cliffside towns overlooking lush valleys of olive and cherry groves... What’s not to love?...
Rivers of France: 5 Destinations (and more)
Some of France’s 51 rivers have familiar names. The Loire, the Seine, and the Rhône, for example. Others include the Garonne and the Dordogne, both near Bordeaux. Here’s a snapshot of 5 French rivers Why might you want to know about French...
The Silver Coast: France’s Southwest Corner (Atlantic Beaches, #3)
The Atlantic Coast of France Most people have at least heard of the French Riviera, so these smaller glitzy beaches of the Mediterranean come to mind when you think of beaches in France. However, the Atlantic Coast of France consists of a multitude of memorable...
Road Trips Through France
Road Trips Through France (Some of the content of this post comes from Hit the Road in France: 9 Road Trip Itineraries through France. Updated and Expanded.) Road trips are a great way to see France up close. You can get into the fabric of the culture and make...
Of Villas and Oysters: Charente-Maritime (Atlantic Coast #2)
The Atlantic Coast of France is one long strand of hundreds of fabulous beaches. You may have already read about La Vendée, called the Sunshine Coast, but now we’ll take a look at Charente-Maritime, the department just below La Vendée. It’s here that you find the...
5 Dream Honeymoons in France
France is a dream spot for your honeymoon. Here are five destinations to consider before you tie the knot. (And if you aren’t getting married, they’re STILL good ideas for your next dream vacation! Although you can’t easily get married in France without living there...
Hiking in France
Hiking in France France is ideal for hikers. It supplies endless landscapes perfect for hiking, along with well-marked trails. The verb is randonner in French, while a hike is une randonnée. On the one hand, hiking in France can be a serious business. Thousands of...
The Sunshine Coast: La Vendée (Atlantic Coast #1)
La Vendée is a department on France’s Atlantic coast that bears the nickname, La Côte de Lumière, or of the sunshine (Lumière means light) coast, with a greater number of sunny days than the rest of the west coast. If you look at a map of France, you’ll notice a very...
