Guérande: A Place and a Taste Guérande is a walled town on the edge of the Grande Brière marsh, west of the city of Nantes. It is on the southeast edge of the Brittany peninsula. There’s something special about Guérande: Salt. Earlier than the 16th...
Dinan: A Treasure Revisited The Brittany town of Dinan so impressed me that I posted on this town twice over the years. Well, it’s time for an updated post, since I just visited again this year. (My third visit… What does that tell you?) Although...
Vannes The Gallo-Roman town of Vannes was the second-to-last stop on my Brittany Road Trip. A highly recommended stop! Of course, you can always extend your trip further west if you have extra time. Check out this blog post for ideas on destinations. ...
Rennes, Gateway to Brittany (but worth a visit for itself too!) Brittany, France is on my radar. Is it on yours? Some people aren’t sure where Brittany is, like a woman I spoke to just today about France. In the past, Brittany wasn’t on my radar as much...
On the Road in Brittany Each year when I travel to France, I have a theme. Last year, it was Provence, and the year before, I went to Alsace. (And Paris is always in there too.) This year… it’s Brittany in northwest France. Brittany touches the English Channel...
9 Hidden Gems in Paris This is Oliver's France's 200th post! If you’re willing to get away from the tourist crowds and discover hidden gems in Paris, you’re in for a treat. Here are 9 hidden gems you’ll enjoy discovering. They are scattered throughout the city. The...
A Golden City in the South: Aix-en-Provence About 20 miles north of Marseille lies the golden city of Aix-en-Provence. (Aix is pronounced X.) No visit to Provence would be complete without coming here at least for a couple of days. That said, there’s enough to...
Villefranche-sur-Mer Villefranche-sur-Mer is one of my favorite places on the Mediterranean. It’s just two stops on the train from Nice, so it’s perfect for a day trip. All of the wonderful day trips possible from Nice are also near Villefranche. For a longer...
Amazing Eze Village...Perched over the Riviera No trip to the Nice area would be complete without visiting Eze Village, perched on the steep hillside between Monaco and St. Jean-Cap-Ferrat. It hangs over the Mediterranean like a medieval jewel, 1400 feet above sea...
Hyères, A Dream Destination If you’re looking for a dreamy destination on the Cote d’Azur, one that isn’t overrun by tourists, consider Hyères (pronounced Yaire). But it isn’t a village, either, with about 50,000 full-time inhabitants. You’ll see right away why...
The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics… it’s the big news in Paris, along with political upheavals. Paris is among only Los Angelas and London to host the summer Olympic Games three times: in 1900, in 1924, and one hundred years later in...
The Provence Adventure (with More to Come) Though I’ve been to Provence many times, there are places I still hadn’t seen and wanted to visit. This was not only to experience them, but as research for a Provence guide I’m planning to write. Although I intended to...