From the middle ages, Amiens in Picardy, northern France, has been famous for its hortillonnages. This is the name given to the market gardens which line the network of nine waterways which run through the city. These watery arteries give Amiens a unique atmosphere. You really have a feeling that you are in the most beautiful […]
Welcome to the Good Life France Magazine Summer 2019 – totally free to read and utterly brilliant. Click here to read The Good Life France Magazine Summer 2019 This is a free magazine, written by professional travel writers with a brief to tell it like it is and to seek out the best things to […]
Keen to take Instagram-worthy photos in Strasbourg to share with your friends and family? Here are my top 10 recommendations of instagrammable Strasbourg: Petite France Pretty much anywhere in the Petite France area is like a fairy tale town scene but Place Benjamin-Zix is particularly photogenic. The medieval district on an island is gorgeous. Notre […]
If you’re wondering where to go this year for a quintessential French holiday that’s a real family pleaser then look no further! Just across the English Channel you will find long golden sandy beaches, rock pools where you can fish for shrimp and mussels, discover secret inlets and see seals sunbathe. Somewhere you can buy […]
If you think going to a car museum sounds like it might not be fun – when it comes to Mulhouse, in Alsace, northeast France, you couldn’t be more wrong. You absolutely don’t need to be a petrol head to enjoy the Cité de automobile, it is extraordinary, extravagant and extremely fascinating. History of the […]
Life’s a beach… Never has a saying been more apt than when referring to Brittany. With around 2,730 km of varied coastline, Brittany, and its cluster of islands, enjoys around a third of the total shoreline of France. It’s no wonder that seaside activities and attractions abound in this wonderful region. We take a look […]
Festivals, fun things to see and do in France in the sunny month of August. Get your picnic baskets out, your sunglasses to the ready and enjoy! National Holidays in France 15 August: Assomption – Assumption of Mary Events in France in August Midi-Pyrenées, Marciac. One of the greatest summer jazz festivals in Europe, Jazz […]
When the summer comes, there are few countries with better beaches than France. The Mediterranean coast in the south of France for example has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Here are ten of the most picturesque seaside resorts in the south of France. Saint Tropez This famous seaside holiday destination attracts […]
Bobbing about on the sea was never more fun than now. Never more accessible either. And never as easy to find the perfect sailing holiday off the coast of France for you. And, there are prices to suit every budget. The world of sailing holidays has changed thanks to sailsquare.com. This innovative business has partnered […]
The recipe was created in 1930 by the wife of the Mayor of Dijon, Gaston Gerard. She was cooking for an esteemed guest, Maurice Edmond Sailland, AKA Curnonsky, a celebrated writer of Gastronomy in France and dubbed The Prince of Gastronomy. Madame accidentally put too much paprika in a chicken dish she was cooking and […]
The origins of the little French cakes known as canelés remains a mystery, but one of the most plausible theories is that they were invented by the nuns of the L’Annonciade monastery in Sainte-Eulalie, in Bordeaux. When basking them, some people use a silicone mold. But I always recommend using traditional copper molds. Granted, copper […]
A light, airy and utterly scrumptious dessert. Most people think it’s a tricky recipe but it’s not really that difficult when you know how. The soufflé as we know it is said to have originated in France in the 18th century when it was apparently created as a dish for the mistress of Louis XV, […]
A series of of short vignettes details the lives of Keith and Val, a couple of Americans living a double life. Half the year they’re in Silicon Valley, California and the other half they spend in St Remy de Provence, France. After several years of to-ing and fro-ing, learning French, making friends and really digging […]
Claude Monet, the impressionist painter is one of the most famous artists that ever lived. Many people visit his house and beautiful gardens at Giverny, in Normandy, and fall in love with the artistry present in the garden’s beauty. I, like many, associate him with his famous paintings of the lily ponds there. When I […]
When it comes to innovation in architecture, Paris has long been a leader and in the last 150 years, dozens of architectural gems have made it famous for originality and boldness. Just a few include the Eiffel Tower, Pompidou centre, the Louis Vuitton Foundation and La Grande Arche in the Défense business district. These new […]
Our four-year-old daughter announced one teatime that she didn’t want to eat baby animals anymore as she looked sadly at a half-eaten lamb chop, it was the start of a journey for all of us. She has been a committed vegetarian ever since, only once wavering over a bacon sandwich but ultimately the baby animals […]
To paraphrase Audrey Hepburn’s famous quote, “Paris is always a good idea,” I have felt the same way about the enticing old town of Antibes since I first set foot there … let’s just say many decades ago. These days there are a lot of changes happening in the vieille ville. Progress is catching up […]
Dordogne in southwest France is one of those places you can’t help fall in love with. It’s a verdant land of medieval villages and majestic chateaux, vineyards and pretty villages, forests, rivers and lakes. We asked the team at the private family holiday Chateau de Sadillac to share their top ten things to do in […]
Fiona Jones from London fell for a 12th century chateau in the Limousin region. Undaunted at taking on a massive project on her own, she moved to France in 2014 to bring the neglected Chateau du Masgelier back to life. Featured on the superhit reality TV series “Escape to the Chateau DIY” Fiona talks to […]
All about Euro savings accounts: what’s available for both residents and non-residents in France… Let’s start with the basic euro savings account information. If you have a current euro account with a French bank which you use to make all your euro payments, then you can open a euro savings account. It’s a simple application […]
In all the excitement of moving to France, it’s easy to forget things, including the dreaded administration requirements. Making sure you enter the French tax system correctly as a tax resident is vital. But it doesn’t need to be as difficult as you might think, says Jennie Poate at Beacon Global Wealth. She explains how […]
When it comes to filling your gîte weeks there’s lots you can do to help yourself and if you’re in north Dordogne, there are some excellent experts on hand to help… Holiday home and gîte management services in north Dordogne Brits Joni and Ross Snedden moved to north Dordogne where they run a landlord services […]
Londoner Linda Devine moved to France with her husband Bernard, an engineer, in 2014. After a lifetime of work in hospitality including management roles at the Ritz, Hilton and Accor Hotels, she knew just what makes guests happy and bought all the experience to her latest venture, a gorgeous gite near Carcassonne in the south […]
Miles of beautiful coastline offer you a mix of fishing villages, sandy beaches and rugged cliffs. Close in terms of distance, this area is worlds apart from the UK… Northern and western France have always been popular holiday home destinations for UK buyers seeking easy access, excellent value for money and beautiful scenery. From the […]
Bonjour, Hope you had a great week. Chez moi, I managed to fall off the doorstep in the back garden and sprain my ankle. To make matters worse I landed in a big dollop of duck poo left by Rambo the reluctant duck (he refuses to stay in the pen with the other boys, he […]
If you’re looking for a fun way to visit northern France, Les Belles Echappees in Saint Omer fits the bill. Located within the peaceful Ferme de L’Abbaye at Clairmarais, this family run organisation hires out restored classic vintage vehicles. Choose from sparkling VW camper vans to prestigious Citroen 2CV cars and VW convertible Beetles. There’s […]
In the last 12 weeks I’ve spent 8 weeks on the road but I’m home now for a few months and I’ll be writing, writing, writing – about where I’ve been and what I’ve seen. And I can’t wait to share it all with you. I’m also on a mission to get my second book […]
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If you’re looking for a fun way to visit northern France, Les Belles Echappees in Saint Omer fits the bill. Located within the peaceful Ferme de L’Abbaye at Clairmarais, this family run organisation hires out restored classic vintage vehicles. Choose from sparkling VW camper vans to prestigious Citroen 2CV cars and VW convertible Beetles. There’s […]
Sur le Pont d’Avignon L’on y danse, l’on y danse Sur le Pont d’Avignon L’on y danse tous en rond Many of us learned that song as kids, about the famous Pont d’Avignon in Provence (real name: Pont Saint-Bénézet). For those of us lucky enough to visit Avignon and see the bridge in all its […]
I love all my animals, five cats, three dogs, four geese, 13 ducks and 25 chickens. They’re part of the family though the birds don’t live in the house with us. At least not permanently. When they’re a bit poorly, I’ll bring them in for some TLC until they’re well enough to go out. Sometimes […]
I live part of the year in Provence and one day I was reading Le Monde and a headline about a “sexy politician” caught my eye. “Well, those are two words you don’t see together very often,” I thought. So I read the article and found out that there had been a poll asking French […]
It was lunchtime in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés area of Paris, and I was ravenous looking for a place to eat away from the usual tourist traps. I turned down a quiet street and saw the most unassuming bistro. In fact, I wouldn’t usually have considered going in but I decided to take a chance. As soon […]
Catharism has been described as “the most successful heresy in history”. In Languedoc, “Pays Cathare” signs dot the countryside. One cannot drive far in any direction without coming upon the ruins of a Cathar fortress. Who were the Cathars? “Cathar” is allegedly derived from the Greek word, katharos, meaning “pure”. The Cathars were also known […]
The people of Provence have been raising sheep for centuries. You see flocks of them all over the countryside, grazing under the watchful eye of shepherds. But Provencal summers are scorching hot and sheep have heavy wool coats so they’re moved to cooler pastures. The transhumance in Provence The answer to dealing with the heat, […]
There have been many famous families in history. Take the Curies, for example: Marie Curie won two Nobel Prizes and her husband, daughter and grandson each won one. Quite the talented family! And then there are the Wright brothers and the Brontë sisters. And let’s not forget those comic masters, the Marx brothers. But imagine […]